The resort sits alongside the 18th hole at Torrey Pines Golf Course, one of the best in America. The Pacific lies beyond.

The Perfect Hill

By the time I settle on the deck outside my room at the Lodge at Torrey Pines (lodgetorreypines.com; rates from $375), the sun exhausts itself on the Pacific and on one of the most famous golf courses in America. Not a bad way to watch the day do a gentle fade.

If resort designers succeed, their creations allow guests to slip into time’s elusive crease and hide for a while. They also give us a sense that the world inside the property line is unfussy and effortless. Which is why the 170-room Lodge is genius.

Michael McCarthy

Jordan Winery, Sonoma County, Calif.

The Good Earth: Sonoma Wine Tours

Grape grower Cam Mauritson looks at my handiwork and grins. “Keep at it. You’re doing fine,” he says with a laugh. He’s being nice and definitely stretching the truth. It’s 8 a.m. on a chilly morning in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County, Calif., and I squat beside vines pregnant with dime-sized Chardonnay grapes, bunched together like rush-hour passengers on Metro’s Red line.

Hope and Glory Inn, Irvington, Va.

3 New Year's Resolutions for Travelers

Even before the January freeze bombs us, let us dispense with those New Year's lists touting the benefits of virtuous hobbies (raising egg-bearing chickens, anyone?), weigh-loss gambits and new philosophies for living.

Instead, let us live through travel. And planning travel. And let us resolve to take trips that do not confine us to the tried and true, but instead deliver us to those places where the unpredictable becomes downright sublime.

We chose three categories to begin your march to travel salvation.

For music and a little R&R at the new W Hotel, Austin is on our go list for winter escapes.

5 Spots We Love for Winter Getaways

Winter travel comes in two flavors: escape the Mid-Atlantic evil triumvirate of snow, sleet and cold rain, or escape for the sake of discovering something new during the chilly months. I admire those in the first camp; in fact, Florida and the Caribbean bank on these snowbirds.

But the second camp—and I’m included—offers infinitely more possibilities, along with some great bargains, when the promise of those first crocuses seems weeks away.

Kayaking the tidal salt marshes near Little Talbot State Park, where visitors will see scores of egres, herons and maybe even manatees and stingrays.

Dream Tide: Discovering Amelia Island, Fla.

Before a heron summons the energy to hoist its enormous wings and take flight, it seems to offer a sideways glance at humans who venture too close that reads, “Really, must you?”

Yeah, I must.

For our money, Portland remains among the top 5 culinary cities in the country.

A Sure Thing: Portland's Food and Beer Scene

Ron Gansberg is a man preoccupied with beer. We’re in a keg-lined room at the new Cascade Brewing Barrel House (cascadebrewingbarrel house.com). It’s chilly in here, and Gansberg, the grinning brewmaster, uses it as the excuse of the moment to taste some of his 350 sour beers with names such as Blond Quad, which features coriander and orange, and other brews laced with elderberry and dates.

Fort point is just across the river, so it feels isolated from the hustle of downtown Boston.

Hidden Boston: Fort Point Neighborhood

Downtown is just across the channel, but you won’t find many historical placards, Irish pubs or other tip-offs that you’re in Boston in this corner of the city. With its warehouses-cum-art galleries and loft apartments, Fort Point feels more like freewheeling New York than buttoned-up Beantown. Which is why I love to come here, especially with Freedom Trail-weary out-of-town guests. Roaming these streets brings a whole new perspective to my adopted city.

Picture This: Spring Photo Contest

We know Flyer readers travel—a lot. And we also know you travel all over the planet for work and pleasure.

This is your chance to show us where you’ve been via your photography skills…

Send us two images of your recent travels, from Iceland to Istanbul or from Anchorage to Adams Morgan…and you could win a luxury trip for two to Florida.

DETAILS

1. Send photos to our editor in chief, Michael McCarthy, at mmccarthy@tmgcustommedia.com.

Brooklyn Becomes a Food Hot Spot

I moved to Brooklyn in the late 1990s, before food became fashion. Back then, my personal favorites involved iconic eats like Russian fare in Brighton Beach. It was the time before the then largely desolate Fifth Avenue in Park Slope turned chock-a-block full of eateries and before South Williamsburg became a foodie enclave. A little more than a decade later, Brooklyn’s creative culinary trends of homespun variety draw even Manhattanites across the East River.

Epic, an elegant lounge on Hubbard St., offers amazing sips and dishes.

Weekend in Chicago

Night Spots

Game-watching is a must at the new two-story Benchmark (1510 N. Wells St.; 312/649-9640), with TV screens that pop up from the backs of banquettes and booths sporting Bond-like monitors. Menu slam-dunks include the Cuban sandwich and thin-crust pizzas. For more elegance, visit Epic (112 W.