Honolulu

Honolulu

Honolulu is Waikiki's high-rises pressed against turquoise water, Diamond Head crater glowing pink at dawn, and plate lunches that mix Hawaiian, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, and Portuguese into one perfect styrofoam container. Surf the south shore in summer, the north in winter. The North Shore is a 45-minute drive into a totally different world. Aloha here is a way of moving through the day.

Little Rock

Little Rock is the Arkansas River curving past downtown, the Clinton Presidential Library lit up at night (it's a striking modernist building), and a state capitol modeled directly on the U.S. Capitol. The River Market district is the food and bar center. Pinnacle Mountain on the western edge is a quick hike with a view of the whole valley. It's smaller and friendlier than its reputation.