NYC's Bohemian cabaret club the Box is the perfect package for London. It's a bit saucy, a bit theatrical, and it has a thoroughly Victorian vibe. Owner Simon Hammerstein has found just the spot for his British outpost, opening soon: a venue in the heart of London's Soho formerly occupied by the Raymond Revuebar. This place was the most risqué strip club in London in the 1960s and '70s, frequented by the likes of Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra in its heyday.

We're sure there are plenty of celebs--and wannabes--across the pond limbering up to come to the cabaret.

Photo: Courtesy of the Box

For many of us, the end of daylight saving time on Sunday means one thing: the start of a long, cold winter. But don't despair--book a vacation for January, when the festive sparkle of the holidays is gone and you're frozen to the bone. It just so happens we've found somewhere you can chill (in a good way) in a mild climate to beat your winter blues: Rosewood San Miguel de Allende, in Mexico, opening January 20.

This city resort--67 rooms, all with balconies or terraces--slots seamlessly into San Miguel's winding, cobbled streets lined with colonial-era buildings. The hotel has a Mexican restaurant, two swimming pools, a spa, and a rooftop tapas bar.

Go on, picture yourself here come January--suddenly the next few months don't seem so bad, do they?

Photo: Rosewood Hotels & Resorts

No, Mercedes-Benz hasn't started making spaceships (although that would be a blessing at rush hour). This chrome "craft" in the Pudong district of Shanghai is actually an arena, which opened earlier this week.

Originally created for the city's World Expo, the oyster-shell-shaped structure has morphed from that event's cultural center into the country's first venue to offer naming rights--China's answer to L.A.'s Staples Center.

There's a lot going on inside to interest both locals and visitors, including an 18,000-seat stadium, a cineplex, an ice rink, a music club, and a mall. And in case you're still feeling skittish about aliens, rest assured the only conquering forces flying in will be the NBA basketball teams slated to play there soon.

Photo: AEG-OPG Culture and Sports (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Aloft Harlem has been a long time coming (and we're not just talking about the delays with the opening). The last time there was a hotel in this neighborhood was back in the 1960s, when the Theresa hosted the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Muhammad Ali.

The 124-room property, which opens its doors next Thursday, is bright, modern, and confident enough about its other attributes--like a funky bar, w xyz--to offer only a grab 'n' go menu (and, really, you should be out there tasting what the neighborhood has to offer, anyway).

With room prices starting at $239 through December--approximately 10 to 15 percent lower than rates at similar properties in Midtown--we think Aloft Harlem might just be leading the charge above 120th Street.

Photo: Starwood Hotels and Resorts

You can expect high spirits in graveyards, endless fireworks, and all manner of colorful decorations like papel picado (tissue-paper banners) today and tomorrow to mark Mexico's Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Stores overflow with trinkets to offer to the deceased, such as skull and coffin candies and yellow marigolds. As you can see from the drunken skeletons, this is a time to party with (or even mock) death rather than fear it.

Photo: Chan Kah, Flickr