King Street – Alexandria, Virginia - Not for the hipsters, but very nice all the same
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Okay, it’s not really hip at all. In fact, it’s mostly populated with a mix of tourists and locals, and since the locals here are from the extremely boring Washington area, they tend to be lobbyists, lawyers, aging bureaucrats and other cogs of this machine town. But not everyone can be cool, and the stroll from the King Street Metro all the way down to the water is filled with charming restaurants serving a wide variety of food, and some mildly interesting shops. Best of all, at the end of the street, you’ll be at a very nice waterfront area, and also the Torpedo Factory Art complex, with has a lot of very worthwhile artists in a building designed to make looking at art easy and accessible. (In other words, the opposite of galleries in Chelsea) If you happen to be walking King Street on a Saturday morning, you can stop by the popular farmer’s market, a couple blocks from the water. If you’re feeling lazy and don’t mind looking like a tourist tool, there’s a free trolley that goes down King Street.

King’s Street’s also has a very nice mix; lots of restaurants, but also clothing shops, vintage stores, bars, jewelry, home furnishings and antiques, a few art galleries, and local serving businesses like salons and dry cleaners. There is one small section with a H&M/Gap/Anthropologie, but generally it skews heavily towards small locally owned one-offs. There used to be stores selling books, and, back in the day, one that sold only magazines. Only one bookstore remains, for kids. On a summer weekend King Street can be a bit overrun, but during a typical weekday you can stroll in relative seclusion.

Lincoln Road – Miami, Florida - Become one with the tourist hordes
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Anchored by one of the nicer hotels you will ever day at, the Ritz Carlton at South Beach, Lincoln road is too touristy and only hits a few notes – restaurants and clothing stores are the dominant themes. But if you’re goal is to eat and drink, this area, is better than the tourist ghetto of Ocean Drive. Yes, at dinner time, you’ll have to pass through the hucksters trying to get you to sit down at their place, but there are a wide variety of nice restaurants and bars, and lots of clothing options, mostly chains, but both low end and a few higher end options.

What really distinguishes Lincoln Road from the other streets above is that it’s really a pedestrian mall; it is closed off to traffic and the weather of South Beach allows for year round outdoor dining and drinking. Unlike many places in what has become a global nanny state, you can even smoke a cigar in this strip without being arrested and executed. Restaurant service can be spotty, and the meals are often overpriced, but there are a vast multitude of options. This area is more often crowded than not, so if you want someplace intimate or with a local vibe, go elsewhere. But if you’re in South Beach, it’s certainly worth a stroll. Not so great; there seems to be a Starbucks on every block. Great: there seems to be really good gelato on every block. Plus, at one end is the beach.

AugustStrasse, Mitte, Berlin, Germany
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Why is AugustraBe one of the world’s coolest streets? First of all, it smack dab center in one of the best areas of Berlin. On this street is located one of our favorite hotels in Berlin, Hotel Amano. If you cross X you’ll find great restaurants, bars, shops, and art galleries, and mixed in an interesting way. Although the area is popular with tourists, this street is, at the moment, not yet overrun, as there are no major tourist attractions in the immediate vicinity. So you’ll find in the know travelers and locals. A particular highlight is the Do You Read Me shop, with hip hard to find books on design, art, and architecture – if you’re running short in reading material in Berlin, this is the place to head.