Denver

At the westernmost fringe of the Great 'Are We There Yet' Plains, 'Mile High City' beckons like an urban avatar of welcome relief. On par with larger cities, Denver is Middle America's de facto hub of culture and commerce, offering all the perks (and few of the pangs) of any modern US metropolis.

Nestled up against the magnificent Rocky Mountains, Denver is the perfect destination for anyone who has trouble choosing between big-city and backwoods attractions or thinks a hard day's hell raising is best finished off with high tea at a 19th-century society hotel.

The surrounding landscape lends the city its illustrious 'grounded' identity, begging the question: where else can you enjoy a buffalo tenderloin before a night at the symphony and top the evening with a nightcap at an art deco bar modeled on that of the Queen Mary?