This ancient port in southern England is having a 21st-century renaissance
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Mention Hastings and people still refer to the battle of 1066, which is a shame given the town has changed so much — since the 11th century, certainly, but over the past decade, too. Like many British seaside resorts, Hastings and its neighbour, St Leonards-on-Sea, had their heyday in the Victorian era before falling into a period of decline. Their revivals in recent years have been huge and heartening. These are places packed with independent shops, restaurants, pubs and boutique hotels, so many that a week-long visit would hardly even scratch the surface. Hastings is popular in the spring and summer, when the sunlit sea is turquoise, the seafront rides are in full swing and the entire town heads out for Jack in the Green — a day of folk dancing, parades and merriment held on May Day. But in the winter, too, it takes on an all-new Zen, when pubs feel even cosier and the sunsets even more sublime. One of Hastings' biggest attractions is the lightbulb-garlanded Old Town, with its timber-framed pubs and antiques shops. Photograph by Alamy; David Ross What's the best way to explore?
One of Hastings' biggest attractions is the lightbulb-garlanded Old Town, with its timber-framed pubs and antiques shops. Squeeze into Roberts Rummage to browse ceramics and the treasures of the £1 box before strolling down to The Stade. Hastings is proudly home to one of Britain's oldest fishing fleets, and you can still catch colourful wooden boats being hauled onto this stretch of shingle come late afternoon. Just behind are the 'net shops' — tall black timber huts used for fishing net storage since the 1830s, some of which are so unique in design they've been granted Grade II-listed status. From here, it's mere paces to the rotating exhibitions at Hastings Contemporary gallery.
Make time for a session at Samphire Sauna on Hastings Pier — it has great sunset views and direct access to the beach below for a dip. If you're keen to venture further, windswept Pett Level beach is six miles away and ideal for a low-tide dog walk or rockpool splash. Those with time to spare can walk there from the Old Town, following rolling coastal paths. The surrounding hills are dotted with vineyards — Tillingham is the best known, but a tour with Vine & Country will take you to local favourites such as Charles Palmer and Oastbrook, where you'll sit down for guided tastings among the vines. Bayte restaurant offers a seasonal menu of fish and pasta dishes. Photograph by Steven Painter The Looking Glass Lodge in Fairlight is sleek, contemporary and set in a patch of ancient woodland in the High Weald, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Photograph by the Looking Glass Lodge Where's good for the catch of the day?
The food scene here extends to some excellent options in St Leonards, so leave time for both towns. In Hastings, you can grab fresh seafood by the fishing huts on The Stade. For a sit-down meal, try the fish and chips at Maggie's, a long-standing cafe with spindle-back chairs and swooping seagull views. The Crown pub is the spot for a locally brewed pint, while further along the seafront, in St Leonards, you'll find Half Man Half Burger. The pioneers behind the cool joint took a punt settling in this once rundown town in 2015, but dozens of restaurants have followed. Bayte is a recent arrival, with velvet sofas and a seasonal menu of fish and pasta dishes. For breakfast? It'd have to be Sleeper Bagel — crammed with everything from salt beef to salmon. Where are the best places to stay?
The Old Rectory is a 14th-century property turned boutique B&B, close to the Old Town. It has its own spa, while the rooms are decorated with French-chic furniture and chandeliers.
One of Hastings' latest additions is the Doghouse Inn: rooms above the Seadog Inn, right by the station. The pub is hugely popular thanks to its Irish music nights, and the rooms — all seaweed-green walls and fringed lamps — are proving to be the same.
If you don't mind self-catering and the 10-minute taxi ride, try the Looking Glass Lodge in Fairlight. Sleek and contemporary, the glass-fronted cabin is set in a patch of ancient woodland in the High Weald, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Published in the May 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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National Geographic
5 hours ago
- National Geographic
In the Sichuan capital, renewed heritage appreciation is helping ancient teahouses go viral
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). It's barely 9am when I slide into a bamboo armchair at Heming Tea House in Chengdu's sprawling People's Park. This century-old stalwart is one of the oldest teahouses in the megacity that I called home until I was nine. While I was growing up here, in one of China's oldest tea-growing areas, many weekends were spent in an open-air teahouse like this one. While adults played games of mahjong and the kids ran riot, roving hawkers carrying heavy baskets balanced on bamboo shoulder poles would come round selling snacks. The most famous of these is dan dan mian (shoulder pole noodles), where a nest of cold noodles is placed on a hot and tongue-numbing mala chilli oil base, topped with spring onion and minced meat, then mixed and greedily devoured. But as I sip my grassy mao feng green tea, I'm struck by how unusually busy it is. Hordes of tourists with phones in video mode stream past the chairs crammed under teak pavilions and beige parasols. Most seats already filled by pensioners putting the world to rights or families cracking into toasted sunflower seeds. Heming Tea House has lately gained wang hong ('internet fame') with Chinese travellers — the local expression for going viral. Photograph by Getty Images, Plej92 A group of photography students is playing cards next to me, their backs turned on a pile of cameras carelessly stacked on a spare chair. I lean over and ask why there are so many people here on a weekday. One of the students looks up and tells me Heming has lately gained wang hong ('internet fame') with Chinese travellers — the local expression for going viral. Later, I head to Lao Chuzi Sichuan Restaurant for a family gathering. The low-key restaurant and teahouse on the top floor of a four-storey office block isn't particularly well known, but my uncle picked it because it's a favourite in his neighbourhood, and it serves a stellar line-up of Sichuan dishes, including garlic-infused fish, fragrant aubergine and thin slices of poached pork served with a drizzle of sesame-laced chilli sauce. I bring up the wang hong phenomenon. 'There are wang hong places everywhere now and business is booming,' my uncle tells me, noting a similarly popular place down the road: 11th Street. Later, we stroll over to take a look. Amid the low-rise residential blocks is a row of a dozen or so two-storey buildings, their exposed wooden beams and pitched roofs incongruous with the more modern surroundings. Each houses a hole-in-the-wall joint; their names — like Xiangxiang Mian ('alley noodles') or Du Youyou Boboji ('Du Youyou's spicy skewers') — advertise their specialities. Wooden tables and bamboo chairs spill onto the street in front, where there are as many people taking photos as there are noisily eating. 'These all used to be teahouses,' says my uncle, who's lived in the neighbourhood for over 30 years and watched the buildings' metamorphosis into buzzy restaurants. Before that, this ramshackle collective was made up of homes built during the tumultuous period after the Qing dynasty ended in 1912 and before the People's Republic of China was established in 1949. Since the 1990s, billions of pounds of investment have poured into Chengdu from the central government and private developers, triggering a building boom that's given large swathes of the city a complete facelift. These buildings have somehow escaped the demolitions that razed their neighbours, and ironically their rundown appearance may now become their saving grace as people seek to hold on to the last vestiges of an old Chengdu. Head chef, Steven Tan, stands proudly at Mi Xun Teahouse at The Temple House hotel. Before it was a Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant, Mi Xun started with tea and snacks until more and more people requested the food. Heming Tea House is a century-old stalwart, and one of the oldest teahouses in the megacity of Chengdu. Photograph by Alamy, Lejeanvre Philippe In recent years, there's been a concerted effort to protect and redevelop old buildings with heritage value — the type that don't hold historical significance, like temples and monuments, but still have a place in the city's history. One of the more sensitively done projects is the downtown Taikoo Li shopping and entertainment complex, where a handful of 19th-century homes surrounding Daci Temple were restored and given a new lease of life a decade ago. Mi Xun Teahouse, the Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant at The Temple House hotel, occupies one of these. The grey brick walls of this single-storey building — set aside from the modern tower that makes up the main hotel — hide a tranquil courtyard that transforms into a wood-panelled al fresco dining spot in fine weather, a single tree providing dappled shade. It's here that I meet executive chef Tony Xu, who tells me that in the beginning Mi Xun was just supposed to be a teahouse. 'Because Chengdu is very big on tea, we started with tea and some snacks,' he says, explaining that teahouses almost always serve some kind of food. 'But more and more people were requesting our food, so we added more dishes to the menu. And now people mainly come for the food.' Tony takes inspiration from Buddhist culinary traditions in a nod to the temple next door, and so the menu is vegetarian with a very subtle use of spices and no garlic or onion. He is also an innovator, preparing dishes such as a vegan dan dan mian, made with an egg-free noodle of his own creation, containing wheat and cake flour for extra bite and spinach juice for colour; and mapo tofu, which is flavoured with mushrooms instead of the traditional pork mince. The result is a modern take on classic Sichuan flavours, with striking visual appeal. Executive chef at Mi Xun Teahouse, Tony Xu takes inspiration from Buddhist culinary traditions in a nod to the temple next door, so the menu is vegetarian with a very subtle use of spices. He is also an innovator, preparing dishes such as mapo tofu, which is flavoured with mushrooms instead of the traditional pork mince. The result is a modern take on classic Sichuan flavours, with striking visual appeal. Photograph by Jiang Xiaodan For the tea connoisseur, Mi Xun also offers a selection of premium brews such as da hong pao from Fujian province, and Pu'er from Yunnan, served in a pared-down version of the traditional gongfu tea-preparation ritual. Instead of an elaborate ceremony where a tea master washes the leaves, warms the tiny cups and prepares the tea, some of these stages are done behind the scenes. All the guests need do is steep the tea according to their preference. Attention is still paid to the drinkware — green tea always served in a glass pot, for example, while red tea comes in white ceramic. 'We've simplified things so everyone can enjoy the experience and take joy from tasting tea,' says teahouse manager Yvonne Du. Tea is cheap and widely available in Chengdu — meaning it's enjoyed by a wide cross-section of society. 'You'll find teahouses all over China,' explains Susan Yin, a guide at food tour company Lost Plate. 'In Chengdu, tea is for everyone. It doesn't matter what your background is, or whether you're rich or poor.' Yin is my guide for a food tour just east of the downtown area. The company's co-founder, Ruixi Hu, lives in Chengdu and designed the itinerary around some of her favourite haunts. As part of the tour, we hop into a cramped tuk-tuk that whizzes us around the neighbourhood. At one stop, we try dan hong gao, fluffy pancakes stuffed with a mix of sesame, crushed peanuts and sugar. At another, we tuck into enormous bowls of freshly made pork wontons, some in plain broth and some swimming in fragrant chilli oil. We also stop at casual noodle shop Tang Dan Dan Tian Shui Mian, visited by the late US chef Anthony Bourdain for his CNN show Parts Unknown, and slurp through bowls of tian shui mian ('sweet water noodles') — a thick, springy, hand-cut variety that comes slicked in a sweet, peanut and sesame paste sauce. Each houses a hole-in-the-wall joint; their names — like Xiangxiang Mian ('alley noodles') or Du Youyou Boboji ('Du Youyou's spicy skewers') — advertise their specialities. Wooden tables and bamboo chairs spill onto 11th Street in front, where there are as many people taking photos as there are noisily eating. It's only when we sit down at a restaurant serving jiang hu cuisine — a rough-and-ready style of cooking that has its origins in the street markets of Sichuan, a province that's big on flavour intensity — that Yin and I finally get some time to chat. As we liberate chunks of dry-fried chicken from underneath piles of chillies, and fish out tender slivers of beef from a spicy broth, Yin tells me she settled in Chengdu over a decade ago for two very simple reasons: the food and the lifestyle. Taking a sip of buckwheat tea, she adds: 'Chengdu is a laid-back city, and the best way to experience this is in a teahouse.' Audley has a 15-day tour of China, which includes two nights in Chengdu, as well as time in Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin, Yangshuo and Shanghai. From £5,495 per person, including flights, transfers, B&B accommodation and excursions, such as the Lost Plate food tour. This story was created with the support of Audley. Published in the July/August 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK). To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
Miami Herald
16 hours ago
- Miami Herald
I Got Taken in Buffalo
Buffalo didn't just surprise me—it ran up on me and kidnapped my whole perspective. I come from a New York where anything outside of the five boroughs might as well have been farmland. Truth be told, when you live down the street from Yankee Stadium, even heading to the neighboring borough of Queens might as well have been a road trip to the Carolinas. And the idea of going 'upstate'? Man, that felt like exile. I wasn't checking for Buffalo. I wasn't even curious. But this city caught me slippin'. Fed me soul with a side of sazón, introduced me to people who felt like family, and told stories that hit like a history lesson and a homecoming all at once. It peeled back my biases, shook up my mental map, and reminded me that domestic travel, if done right, can feel like therapy, too. I came looking to document a destination. But Buffalo didn't just make the itinerary, it took the wheel. See, what's not on the Niagara Falls/Buffalo brochure is that Buffalo's got a whole lotta soul. This is a city where history is honored and creativity in the arts and music runs wild. And somewhere between the first bite and the last museum, it stole something. I didn't just leave impressed. I left held hostage… in the best way possible. I remember I touched down from my flight, and within the first five hours, I was already seduced by this hardworking city's charm. After four years of living in the South and getting used to a version of down-home hospitality, I didn't expect to find a similar kind of welcome in a place more famous for its winters than its warmth. But Buffalo really surprised me. The people's hearts were as wide open as former Bills defensive end Bruce Smith. The Hideout Right in the middle of Buffalo's artsy Elmwood Village neighborhood is InnBuffalo, a restored 19th-century mansion that feels like walking on the set of Downton Abbey. The overused term 'boutique accommodations' doesn't even begin to describe the storybook elegance of this inn. Check-in started with a calligraphy envelope reading my name and a vintage skeleton key to the Sarah Dutro suite. No plastic key cards here, and no elevators. As I climbed the deep cherrywood staircase—two full flights—each step creaked just enough to remind me this wasn't some prefab Victorian knockoff - this bed and breakfast was Buffalo legacy. From antique chandeliers and bold, textured wallpaper to a parlor and library you could post up in for hours listening to jazz playing from their in-house phonograph, InnBuffalo blends that old-school soul with new-school comfort, high-speed Wi-Fi, spa-level bedding, and breakfast is included. No surprise it's been ranked the #1 hotel in Buffalo, just 20 minutes from Niagara Falls. But the real gem here is owner Joe Lettieri. He welcomed my family and I like old friends, pouring wine and sharing Buffalo's storied past as we relaxed on the inn's front porch. Joe confirmed what I was already starting to feel: in Buffalo, the connection is real. And that kind of authenticity? It's rare. Captured by the Food If you really want to get to my heart, the most direct route is through my stomach. And Buffalo's culinary scene? It didn't just show up, it showed out. The food wasn't just good—it was tied to the city's lesser-known identity and strong Latin culture that runs deeper than most folks realize. At Aguacates Bar & Grill, Latin flavor takes the spotlight without trying too hard. It's a small joint with a big personality. Yes, it's Mexican on paper, but the whole vibe is Buffalo. Judging by the heavy Buffalo wall decor, I didn't expect much when I ordered their ropa vieja which was slow-cooked, tender beef. But the second I caught that aroma coming toward the table, I knew I was in for something worth writing about. Paired with perfectly salted tostones that were just the right kind of crispy, I had to pause mid-bite and revel. Washed it all down with a house margarita rimmed in sweet tamarind and jalapeño, creating a chef's kiss of sweet heat and slow burn. Then there was Niagara Café, a Puerto Rican classic where every dish feels like it came straight from abuela's kitchen. As a Dominican man, believe me when I say the pernil didn't miss. Juicy, seasoned to perfection, served in a no-frills setting that let the food speak loudest. The arroz con gandules took me right back to Nochebuena dinners when you couldn't get up from the table until that plate was spotless. Nothing changed. I didn't leave those unpretentious booths until I was full and full of respect. This wasn't performative food culture, this was generational love on a plate. For drinks, you gotta slide through to Deco Lounge, a Black-owned speakeasy near Buffalo's City Hall, where curated cocktails are the real headline. Skip the cocktail menu, and just let the bartender do his thing. Snatched By The Stories One of the most inspiring people I met was Michelle Agosto, co-founder of Los Artistas Del Barrio. Her collective of Latino creatives has turned Buffalo's streets, galleries, and walls into living expressions of culture and resistance. Here, murals aren't just big paintings—they're declarations of pride, struggle, and power. Michelle's not just an artist—she's also the Director of Arts for Buffalo Public Schools and sits on countless boards pushing for real social change in connection to the arts. Basically, she walks it like she talks-- and paints it. Tied Up In The Past My first landmark stop was Freedom Park (Broderick Park), once a vital Underground Railroad crossing point. It's a humble one-room museum, but with the help of its main advocate George Johnson who moonlit as our guide, the story it tells hits deep. You don't just read about freedom here—you feel the weight of what it still costs for some organizations in Buffalo to thrive to this day. A few blocks over, Buffalo Naval Park and Canalside offers a fully layered experience. On one side, you've got live music, riverside energy, and family-friendly events, but on the other, powerful memorials to Black and Latino veterans—names and faces too often overlooked in our American War history. This wasn't just another tourist stop, it felt like sacred ground. Outside the city, The Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center takes Buffalo's rich Black cultural history even further. Here you realize how much Canada played a critical and often time risky role in helping enslaved people not just escape—but truly live free. The museum's design pulls you in, the storytelling keeps you there. It corrects the watered-down versions of the Underground Railroad we were taught in school and tells the truth with clarity and care. And if you want to further understand Buffalo's Black legacy, the African American Heritage Corridor walk is a must. Start with the Michigan Street Baptist Church, where freedom seekers once found refuge. Hit the Nash House Museum, home to civil rights leader Rev. J. Edward Nash. Then end at the Colored Musicians Club—still active, still vibrant, still the only Black-owned music club of its kind in the U.S. The walls don't just echo jazz—they echo resistance, resilience, and Black brilliance. And for a nightcap with soul? Silo City's Duende is where Buffalo's industrial past has transformed into a creative designed area for you to enjoy Buffalo after dark. Massive grain silos turned into art spaces that host raw live music, poetry, and no fluff, just puro vibes. End your trip with a visit to Buffalo's City Hall which surprisingly, one of the country's best examples of art deco architecture. Take the elevator to the observation deck and let the panoramic view sink in. It's the perfect vantage point to realize you didn't just visit Buffalo. You got taken. How Buffalo Got Away With It Buffalo didn't just welcome me, it reminded me how rich, layered, and full of heart the 'other' New York really is. I came looking for content, I left with a connection. Buffalo pulled a heist on my whole perspective. This city, its food, its people, its past, has snatched my heart and rewrote my map of what 'New York' actually means. I came here thinking I'd capture Buffalo. But the truth is? Buffalo captured me. Rafael Peña is a travel advisor, member of the International Luxury Hotel Association, and founder of the BLUX Travel Club, which curates solo and group trips, as well as relocation services tailored for BIPOC travelers. With over a decade of experience as a travel strategist, journalist, and public speaker, Peña is dedicated to reshaping his community's approach to travel.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump brings the BOOM! New order opens skies across US to supersonic flights
President Donald Trump has ordered the Federal Aviation Administration to scrap a longstanding ban on supersonic air travel across the U.S. and replace it with a to-be-determined set of regulations that will allow faster-than-sound travel so long as the sonic booms it creates do not breach certain noise limitations. In an executive order signed on Friday, Trump directed the FAA administrator to begin the process of repealing a section of the Code of Federal Regulations that prohibits anyone in the United States from flying a civilian aircraft 'at a true flight Mach number greater than 1.' That regulation was imposed in April 1973, at a time when the British and French governments were jointly developing Concorde, a supersonic airliner that had a cruising speed in excess of Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound. Because aircraft that break the sound barrier create shockwaves that produce loud sounds, known as sonic booms, the U.S. government banned supersonic flight over the U.S. out of concern over disruptive noise from supersonic jets criss-crossing the country. As a result, Concorde was limited to subsonic speeds when arriving or leaving American airports, only crossing the sound barrier during transit over the Atlantic Ocean on routes between New York's JFK airport and London. Michael Kratsios, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, told reporters that Trump's order 'seeks to revolutionize supersonic aviation in the United States' by allowing for modern aircraft to fly faster than sound over the continental U.S. 'The US used to be the global leader in this technology, but stifling regulations have grounded progress for generations. The reality is that Americans should be able to fly from New York to LA in under four hours,' he said. Kratsios added that 'advances in aerospace engineering, material science and noise reduction' by new startups working on faster-than-sound passenger aircraft can make supersonic travel 'safe, sustainable and commercially viable' and noted that the longstanding American ban on such flights had ' grounded supersonic passenger flight and weakened our global competitiveness in aviation.' 'Today's order fixes that,' he said. Trump's order comes just weeks after a pair of Republicans in Congress, Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas and Senator Ted Budd of North Carolina, introduced legislation to direct the FAA to repeal and replace the current supersonic flight ban within a year. That legislation will no longer be necessary, as the Trump executive order directs the FAA to withdraw the ban within 180 days and launch a notice-and-comment period for replacement regulations that would be based on a noise standard rather than a strict speed limit. According to a senior administration official, the function of the new regulations would be 'to replace the effective speed standard with instead an interim noise standard, and then to have a longer term process to publish a Notice of Proposed Rule Making to result in a final rule.' That process would be 'coordinated through the White House [and] through the National Science and Technology Council' and would be based on research and development that has been going on at NASA, the Department of Defense, and 'elsewhere within the federal government,' the official said. Trump's effort to enable supersonic flight across the U.S. follows the success of the first flight of a civilian supersonic aircraft since Concorde 216 (registered as G-BOAF) made its' final flight to Bristol Filton Airport in 2003. In January, Boom Supersonic's XB-1 aircraft reached a speed of Mach 1.122 during a 34-minute flight over California's Mojave Desert. The test flight, just eight days into Trump's second term, produced no audible sonic boom — or at least not one that was heard from the ground during the flight. The company says its' proposed Overture passenger jet will cut a trip from Los Angeles to Washington to three hours and 15 minutes, more than an hour less than the current duration of such a flight, while producing no sonic booms that are audible from the ground. It attributes this to atmospheric effects that cause the sound to reflect off layers in the atmosphere and travel upward, rather than downward. It also claims to be able to cut flights over water by even more time by reaching even higher speeds.
