Salford City forward Fabio Borini says playing football is “like an addiction” as he discusses the reasons behind his move to the League Two side following his departure from Sampdoria.
Dome Center LLC, the company that owns the property along Sunset Boulevard upon which the iconic movie venue stands, filed an application for a conditional-use permit to sell alcohol for on-site consumption at the Cinerama Dome Theater and adjoined multiplex Tuesday.
According to the application filed by the company’s representative, Elizabeth Peterson-Gower of Place Weavers Inc., Dome Center is seeking a new permit that would “allow for the continued sale and dispensing of a full line of alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption in conjunction with the existing Cinerama Dome Theater, 14 auditoriums within the Arclight Cinemas Theater Complex, and restaurant/cafe with two outdoor dining terraces from 7:00 am – 4:00 am, daily.” This would be a renewal of the current 10-year permit, which expires Nov. 5.
The findings document filed with the City Planning Department also mentions that “when the theater reopens, it will bring additional jobs to Hollywood and reactivate the adjacent streets, increasing safety and once again bringing vibrancy to the surrounding area.” No timetable for this reopening was indicated.
A representative for Dome Center LLC did not respond immediately Friday to a request for comment.
The Cinerama Dome, which first opened in 1963, has been closed since it was shut down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. After it was announced in April 2021 that the beloved theater would remained closed even after the pandemic, it was revealed in December of that year that there were plans for the Cinerama Dome and the attached theater complex to eventually reopen.
In 2022, news that the property owners obtained a liquor license for the renamed “Cinerama Hollywood” fueled the L.A. film-loving community’s hope that the venue was still on track to return. But the Cinerama Dome’s doors have remained closed.
At a public hearing regarding the adjacent Blue Note Jazz Club in June, Peterson reportedly indicated that while there were not yet any definitive plans, the property owners had reached out to her to discuss the Cinerama Dome next. Perhaps this new permit application is a sign plans are finally coming together.
OUR Spotlight On column rounds up the best things to see and do in your favourite holiday destinations – and shines a light on some lesser known spots too.
This week, for our Halloween special, we look at Chester, which claims to be one of the UK’s spookiest destinations.
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Chester is one of the UK’s creepiest cities so here is how to do a city break thereCredit: Getty
MUST SEE/DO
Whether you’re visiting around Halloween or not, you’ll still be able to learn about this city’s haunted history thanks to a year-round programme of nighttime tours with Chester Ghost Tours.
A local guide will steer you around some of Chester’s most eerie haunts as they recount spine-chilling tales of ghosts, ghouls and things that go bump in the night.
The tours last 90 minutes and cost £10 per adult, or £30 for a family of four.
HIDDEN GEMS
Liquor & Co may look like your ordinary, if rather sleek, bar but within this venue is another secret – an even more excellent bar. It’s only open to those in the know, however.
Visitors can explore pestilence-ridden Diagnosis Alley, perform an autopsy and may even encounter the Grim Reaper.
The experience costs £8 for adults and £4.50 for kids.
BEST VIEW
The city walls offer an excellent vantage point to take in the main hub of Chester below.
The complete circuit stretches for about two miles.
Liquor & Co feels like another timeCredit: instagram/liquorandco
Keep your eyes peeled for the ghost of a Roman legionnaire, which has been spotted between the amphitheatre and Newgate.
According to folklore, he fell in love with a local girl and frequently left his post to meet up with her. One night, her angry parents killed the soldiers left on guard.
The lovestruck soldier still haunts his post today.
RATED RESTAURANT
Keeping in line with the spooky theme, try Death By Tacos on Watergate Street.
The birria taco comes crammed full of slow-cooked beef that has been stewed in stout and is topped with grilled cheese, pink pickled onions and salsa verde.
The wings aren’t bad either, smothered in the restaurant’s spice blend
BEST BAR
The 1920s-themed Prohibition bar is a spectacular speakeasy, also on Watergate Street.
Inside are dark wooden bookshelves, red velvet curtains and sultry tones to accompany cocktails.
Try the Peanut Butter Old Fashioned, made from peanut butter-infused bourbon, maple syrup and aromatic bitters.
HOTEL PICK
The Pied Bull, a historic pub with rooms, is apparently home to a ghost that haunts its cellar.
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Austin Beutner took aim at the rising cost of basic city services Thursday, saying Mayor Karen Bass and her administration have contributed to an affordability crisis that is “crushing families.”
Beutner, appearing outside Van Nuys City Hall, pointed to the City Council’s recent decision to increase trash collection fees to nearly $56 per month, up from $36.32 for single-family homes and duplexes and $24.33 for three- and four-unit apartment buildings.
Since Bass took office in December 2022, the city also hiked sewer service fees, which are on track to double over a four-year period. In addition, Beutner said, the Department of Water and Power pushed up the cost of water and electrical service by 52% and 19%, respectively.
“I’m talking about the cost-of-living crisis that’s crushing families,” he said. “L.A. is a very, very special place, but every day it’s becoming less affordable.”
Beutner, speaking before a group of reporters, would not commit to rolling back any of those increases. Instead, he urged Bass to call a special session of the City Council to explain the decisions that led to the increases.
“Tell me the cost of those choices, and then we can have an informed conversation as to whether it was a good choice or a bad choice — or whether I’d make the same choice,” said Beutner, who has worked as superintendent of L.A. schools and as a high-level deputy mayor.
When the City Council took up the sewer rates last year, sanitation officials argued the increase was needed to cover rising construction and labor costs — and ramp up the repair and replacement of aging pipes.
This year sanitation officials also pushed for a package of trash fee hikes, saying the rates had not increased in 17 years. They argued that the city’s budget has been subsidizing the cost of residential trash pickup for customers in single-family homes and small apartments.
Doug Herman, spokesperson for the Bass reelection campaign, defended the trash and sewer service fee increases, saying both were long overdue. Bass took action, he said, because previous city leaders failed to make the hard choices necessary to balance the budget and fix deteriorating sewer pipes.
“Nobody was willing to face the music and request the rate hikes to do that necessary work,” he said.
DWP spokesperson Michelle Figueroa acknowledged that electrical rates have gone up. However, she said in an email, the DWP’s residential rates remain lower than other utilities, including Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric.
By focusing on cost-of-living concerns, Beutner’s campaign has been emphasizing an issue that is at the forefront of next week’s election for New York City mayor. In that contest, State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani has promised to lower consumer costs, in part by freezing the rent for rent-stabilized apartments and making rides on city buses free.
Since announcing his candidacy this month, Beutner has offered few cost-of-living policy prescriptions, other than to say he supports “in concept” Senate Bill 79, a newly signed state law that allows taller, denser buildings to be approved near public transit stops. Instead, he mostly has derided a wide array of increases, including a recent hike in parking rates.
Beutner contends that the city’s various increases will add more than $1,200 per year to the average household customer’s bill from the Department of Water and Power, which includes the cost not just of utilities but also trash removal and sewer service.
Herman pushed back on that estimate, saying it relies on “flawed assumptions,” incorporating fees that apply to only a portion of ratepayers.
In a new campaign video, Beutner warned that city leaders also are laying plans to more than double what property owners pay in street lighting assessments. He also accused the DWP of relying increasingly on “adjustment factors” to increase the amount customers pay for water and electricity, instead of hiking the base rate.
The DWP needs to be more transparent about those increases and why they were needed, Beutner said.
Despite its listing as a “risky” product, the FSA told BBC Sport there has been an increase in the popularity of raw milk because “people believe it has health benefits” – though it says there is little credible scientific evidence to support that.
The farm at which Haaland was filmed buying milk wrote on Facebook that its product had been “rather in demand” since the episode was posted, staff had been “frazzled”, and it hoped to “buy a new dairy cow very soon” so orders could be met more quickly.
Former City academy nutritionist Dan Richardson told BBC Sport he would always look for the “safest approach possible” so as “not to compromise on the safety of food”.
He said: “The challenge with raw milk is that you can get some companies who do a good job in reducing the risk factor to bacteria, and I am sure Haaland will be using the premium quality available out there.
“A nutritionist is not going to allow him to buy raw milk that has a high risk of contamination. When people begin to copy these dietary habits, it can become unsafe as people will go out and buy the cheapest and most accessible version that may carry the food-borne illnesses.”
Asked if he felt the trend of drinking raw milk would gain momentum, Richardson said: “Unfortunately, I can see it happening.”
For Haaland, drinking raw milk is part of an unconventional off-field routine that also includes red-light therapy and adding maple syrup to his coffee.
Richardson added: “Young athletes need to remember that getting the right amount of carbohydrates, hitting the protein intake and eating three regular meals with snacks is a better approach than jumping towards trends.
“Some athletes will try to find a quick fix by replicating a role model rather than doing the mundane stuff really well.
NEW rules have come into which will ban ALL pub crawls in a major Spanish city.
The classic activity popular with locals and tourists alike is now totally banned, whatever the time of day or night.
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The organising of pub crawls has been banned in one popular Spanish cityCredit: GettyFrom today, organisers will face fines if they plan the eventsCredit: Getty
The ban on promoting, organising or running pub crawls has been extended to cover the entire area of Barcelona at all hours of the day, and comes into force on October 29, 2025.
The move aims to “ensure peaceful coexistence, safeguard residents’ right to rest and protect public health“.
The new rule, which also prohibits advertising related activities in any form, has been agreed following a public consultation.
A spokesman for Barcelona city council. “Pub crawling is a business that takes customers on organised drinking tours to a series of establishments that offer discounted alcoholic drinks.
“It typically involves quickly consuming one or more low-quality drinks before heading to the next stop.
“This activity has been identified as a risk factor that causes disturbances in neighbourhoods, puts extra strain on public spaces and potentially leads to criminal behaviour or road safety violations.”
Organisers face fines ranging up to €3,000 (£2,641), while participants are exempt from fines, they could face them for other infractions like drinking in the streets or causing disruptions.
Until now, pub crawls were only banned in the districts of Ciutat Vella, since 2012, and L’Eixample, since June 1, 2025.
The restrictions here were mainly focused on nighttime hours, from 7pm to 7am.
The new rules that have been introduced are for a permanent ban that applies 24 hours a day, all year-round, rather than being only seasonal.
Other rules include no drinking in public places that aren’t pubs, bars or restaurantsCredit: Alamy
This has been approved and will be in force for four years.
According to the city council, data provided by the police indicates that the ban on alcohol routes in Ciutat Vella and L’Eixample has worked.
They say it has “contributed to significantly reducing the number of activities detected and has facilitated their prevention, thanks to the early detection of the offer through social networks”.
The city council says the ban has been well-received in the Ciutat Vella district, with only three fines issued last year, and authorities believe it will have a similar impact citywide.
Pub crawls have been hugely popular in Barcelona and have been widely promoted on the internet.
The city of Barcelona will no longer tolerate pub crawls no matter what time of day it isCredit: Alamy
These have attracted hundreds of thousands of people every year and bringing in a huge income.
Most pub crawls lasted for at least six hours and others up to 24 hours, but now organisers have started to post “now unavailable” messages on their websites.
These aren’t the only rules that have been introduced, across Spain there are been lots of new sanctions put in place to stop bad behaviour.
With the 2028 Olympic Games less than three years away, Mayor Karen Bass is showing a newfound interest in one of L.A.’s less flattering qualities: its trash-strewn streets.
In April, Bass announced the launch of Shine L.A., a beautification program that sends ordinary Angelenos out with shovels, gloves and trash bags to remove detritus from streets and sidewalks.
Officials are also scrambling to comply with a June 2026 legal deadline for removing 9,800 homeless encampments — tents, makeshift shelters and even RVs. And they’re working to divert three-fourths of the city’s food scraps and other organic waste away from landfills, as required under state law.
Now, the Bureau of Sanitation faces the prospect of more disruption, with its top executive stepping down after four and a half years.
Barbara Romero, who was appointed in 2021 by then-Mayor Eric Garcetti, told sanitation employees in an email on Monday that she will leave at the end of the year. She did not say what prompted her departure or whether she has another job lined up.
Romero did not respond to requests for comment. A Bass spokesperson declined to comment on the reason for the exit, referring The Times to Romero’s email.
“Mayor Bass thanks her for her many years of service and significant contributions to the people of Los Angeles,” said the spokesperson, Clara Karger.
Bruce Reznik, executive director of the environmental group Los Angeles Waterkeeper, said he is “frustrated and angry” over the pending departure — and is convinced that Romero is being pushed out by the mayor.
Reznik described Romero as a crucial voice at City Hall on environmental issues, such as the effort to build new wastewater recycling facilities. Romero also secured new funding to pay for repairs to the city’s aging sewer system, which will in turn avert future sewage spills, he said.
“She genuinely cares about these issues,” Reznik said. “She will engage communities, even when it’s uncomfortable.”
Romero’s departure comes at a crucial time for her agency — one of the city’s largest, with well over 3,000 employees and a budget of more than $400 million. Since Bass took office in December 2022, the agency has been working to bring in more money to cover the cost of trash pickup and sewer system upgrades.
This month, the City Council hiked trash removal fees to nearly $56 per month, up from $36.32 for single-family homes and duplexes and $24.33 for three- and four-unit apartment properties. The increase, which is expected to generate $200 million per year for the city, will be followed by several more fee hikes through 2029.
The department is also in the middle of its once-a-decade selection of private companies to carry out RecycLA, the commercial trash program that serves L.A. businesses and apartment buildings with five or more units.
Then there’s the basic issue of trash, which ranges from discarded fast food wrappers lining gutters to illegal dumping problems in Watts, Wilmington and other neighborhoods. International visitors to L.A. — first for next year’s World Cup, then the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028 — will have a close-up view of some residents’ slovenly ways.
Bass has sought to avert that scenario by creating Shine L.A., which has marshaled thousands of Angelenos to participate in monthly cleanups and tree plantings in such areas as downtown, Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley. In her most recent State of the City address, Bass said the initiative would restore local pride in the city.
“It’s about choosing to believe in our city again, and proving it with action,” she said. “Block by block, we will come together to be stronger, more unified than ever before. And that matters, especially in a world that feels more divided with each passing day.”
Chatsworth resident Jill Mather, who founded the group Volunteers Cleaning Communities, said she has already participated in Bass’ program. Still, she warned it will do little to address the parts of the city that have been hit hard by illegal dumping or others that have long-term homeless encampments.
“There are serious areas that need serious cleanup, and once a month in one area is not going to do it,” said Mather, whose members fan out across the Valley each day to pick up trash.
Mather said the city’s homelessness crisis is deeply intertwined with its trash problem, with sanitation crews facing limits on the removal of objects that might be someone’s property. Beyond that, Mather said, the sanitation bureau lacks the resources to gain control over the volume of refuse that’s discarded on a daily basis.
Estela Lopez, executive director of the Downtown Industrial District Business Improvement District, said her organization regularly sends the city photos and videos of trucks and other vehicles — with license plates clearly visible — dumping garbage in the eastern half of downtown.
Those perpetrators have treated the neighborhood like an “open-air landfill,” she said.
“We’ve seen everything from rotting produce and other food to refrigerators, couches, green waste, flowers, tires and construction debris,” Lopez said. “It’s the extent of it, the amount of it, and the fact that no one seems to have a solution to it.”
Lopez said she believes that downtown’s trash problem has gotten worse since the city created RecycLA a decade ago. That trash franchise program was so expensive for customers, she said, that some businesses scaled back pickup service or dropped it entirely.
“The city shot itself in the foot,” she said.
Romero, in her letter to her staff, pointed to her agency’s many accomplishments. Since she took the helm, she said, the bureau succeeded in increasing sewer fees for the first time in a decade, putting them on track to double by July 2028.
Romero championed the construction of a water purification facility that is expected to recharge the San Fernando Valley groundwater aquifer and provide drinking water for 500,000 people. She also pushed for a comprehensive strategy for reducing citywide use of plastics.
Lisa Gritzner, chief executive of the consulting firm LG Strategies, said Romero has been “very accessible” at City Hall, jumping on problems that go far beyond trash pickup. When a multistory, multi-tower affordable-housing project faced a tight deadline to secure a wastewater permit in Skid Row, Romero moved quickly to address the situation, Gritzner said.
“She was very good at helping to navigate the red tape, so we could get the project open,” said Gritzner, who represented one of the project’s developers.
City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez said he feels good about the city’s handling of trash — at least in his district, which stretches from Echo Park and Historic Filipinotown to Hollywood and Atwater Village.
“I feel like our district does a good job of addressing 311 requests, illegal dumping, the trash,” he said. “We have a very nimble and efficient team.”
Soto-Martínez said he’s not too worried about Romero’s departure, noting that the top managers of city agencies “change all the time.”
“We have a lot of talented people in the city,” he said. “Losing one person doesn’t mean the city falls apart, whether it’s a council member or a general manager.”
FOR anyone travelling to Poland, you can ditch the classic Warsaw and Kraków for this even cheaper alternative.
Ryanair has started up a new winter route between Edinburgh and a city in Poland where you can get beers for £3 and coffee for as little as £2.18.
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New flights link up Edinburgh with a city in PolandCredit: AlamyRzeszow has a pretty market square, riverside cafes and in the winter, Christmas marketsCredit: Alamy
Ryanair has added a new winter route to its roster between Edinburgh and Rzeszow.
Rzeszow is a city in southeastern Poland and sits on both sides of the Wisłok River.
Flights between Edinburgh and Rzeszow operate twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays with one-way fares starting at £24.99.
It’s a quick journey too with the journey taking just under three hours.
There you can explore shops and cafes on the pretty Market Square, see the Rzeszów Multimedia Fountain, the Town Hall building and Zamek Lubomirskich castle.
And there’s even more lurking underground, one of its most popular attractions is the 396m-long route linking 25 old cellars beneath the central market square.
The circuit took 17 years to complete and restore, and the cellars date from the 14th to 18th centuries.
Brits can take a 45-minute guided tour with around three operating daily throughout the week.
It’s an affordable city, with the average cost of beers being £3 and a coffee around £2.18.
A meal for two at a mid-range restaurant averages at £31.17 – without drinks.
The huge castle called Zamek Lubomirskich is near the city centreCredit: AlamyThe price of an average beer in Rzeszow is just £3Credit: Getty
On average, restaurant prices in Rzeszow are 20.1 per cent lower than in Warsaw – which is also considered an affordable holiday destination for Brits.
During the winter months, Rzeszow will be lit up with Christmas markets where you can pick up specialities deer sausage, local honey, mulled wine, hot cider, and hot beer.
Flights will continue through to to the summer season where visitors can enjoy water activities at the Zwirownia lagoon or the Rosia open-air pools – which is essentially an enormous splash park.
With temperatures reaching highs of 25C in July and August, it’s a great time to relax at the riverside cafes.
AMBITIOUS plans to turn a region into “Europe’s Silicon Valley” are on track with architects releasing the first images of an “essential” new railway station.
The station is a huge £120m boost to a world-famous city – and central to an American billionaire‘s massive £10 billion investment in the area.
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Conceptual view of the approach to the future Littlemore StationCredit: Unknown
This week, architects Foster + Partners released the first images of Littlemore Station, one of two new stations in Oxford set to be delivered with the reopening of the Cowley Branch Line.
The line has been out of service to passengers since 1963.
It is currently used by cargo trains going to and from the BMW mini plant but as previously reported is set to reopen.
The Government has pledged £120m in funding for the project to reopen the line.
It is part of a £500m investment in infrastructureto link up Oxford and Cambridgeand turn the region into the “European Silicon Valley”.
Anneliese Dodds, MP for East Oxford, said the Cowley Branch Line was “finally going to become a reality”.
She said it would make a “massive difference to local residents, slashing travel times and reducing congestion”.
The update has also been welcomed by the Ellison Institute, funded by American billionaire Larry Ellison, which is investing £10 billion in the region.
“It’s a great example of what can happen if Government and the private sector join forces and both contribute to a common goal.
“It will help us attract world-class talent to EIT by linking up key innovation hubs with Central London via direct train services.
“It will also facilitate a closer alliance between EIT and Oxford University with faster journey times.”
A second station will be built at Oxford Cowley, and the reopened line will connect Littlemore, Cowley, Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys to central Oxford in under 10 minutes.
An artist’s impression of the platform at Littlemore StationCredit: Foster and Partners
Services will then go directly twice-hourly to London Marylebone.
The Government has said that reopening the line will create up to 10,000 new jobs.
Cowley is an industrial area home to Plant Oxford, which is owned by BMW and is the largest industrial employer in Oxford, employing more than 4,300 people.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said that the Government has huge plans for the “Oxford-Cambridge corridor”.
Kelsey Grammer has just welcomed a fourth baby with wife Kayte, 24 years his juniorCredit: GettyThe actor is best-known for appearing in Cheers and FrasierCredit: RexKelsey now has eight children in total with four different womenCredit: Getty
The daughter of Bristol City footballer Alan Walsh and 24 years his junior, she tamed the “wild man of American comedy”, who had long battled drug and alcohol addiction.
She gave him the one thing he was missing – cosy domesticity – after endless family heartache including his sister being raped and murdered, two half brothers dying in a freak accident and his estranged dad being gunned down when he was just 13.
The couple already had a brood of three – Faith, 13, Gabriel, 10, and Auden James, eight – prior to Kelsey announcing “we’ve just had our fourth” on yesterday’s episode of Pod Meets World.
New arrival Christopher, born on Friday, takes the actor’s baby tally to eight with four different mums.
And a source told the Mail he’s “thrilled to finally have time to fully enjoy being a father all over again… [and] embracing the hands-on parenting he missed in the past”.
There’s no doubt Kayte put an end to Kelsey’s turbulent years in the wilderness, which were plagued with tragedy, heartache and more faux pas than his pompous, gaffe-prone character Dr Frasier Crane.
Yet their romance got off to a bumpy start – as the actor was still married to ex-Playboy pin-up and future Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Camille Meyer.
Kelsey would later claim his third-wife only “married me because I was Frasier”. At his peak, he raked in more than £1million per episode for the show, which ran for 11 seasons.
He also described their marriage, which spanned 14 years until 2011, as being “so broken” that they “had not had sex in a decade” and claimed she asked for a divorce the day of his mother’s funeral in 2008.
For a long time Kelsey knew the relationship was on the rocks, admitting it was “over as soon as it began” yet he stayed with her as a “self-imposed sentence”, mainly out of stubbornness and for the sake of their two children, Mason, 24, and Jude, 21.
He met Kayte in 2009 as she showed him to his seat on a Virgin Atlantic Upper Class flight from Los Angeles to London, where he was due to appear in a play.
She claimed it was “love at first sight” – dismissing the much-joked about claim of cabin crew being on the “lookout” for wealthy suitors – and noticed “this golden glow around him”.
They chatted about music, England and life at the plane’s bar before he slipped her his number and told her the hotel he was staying at.
Kayte was “blown away by how lovely he was” but uncertain and “indecisive” about whether to call him.
She told the Mail: “I said, ‘God, if I’m meant to call him, I want a sign.’ I looked out the bus window and saw a sign reading, ‘Frasier Suites’. I was like, ‘OK, that’s not enough.’
I was her big brother, I was supposed to protect her – I could not. I have never gotten over it… It very nearly destroyed me
Kelsey Grammer
“Four minutes later, we passed an art store called Crane and a few moments later, we drove past the hotel where he was staying.”
Secret mistress
Two days later they went for a coffee, where he confided he was “in a situation he wasn’t happy in and I needed to be patient”. She claimed they spent months only kissing and holding hands.
It wasn’t long before Camille discovered Kelsey’s mistress. Allegedly when she arrived at the couple’s New York apartment to be told by the doorman ‘Mrs Grammer’ was already inside.
Fire and fury followed. The former Playboy bunny claimed she was dumped by text, sniped about his bedroom skill and made another lurid claim he liked to dress in women’s clothes.
At the time Kelsey responded: “Never been a cross-dresser but I have been very sexually adventurous. I’m not ashamed of anything I’ve done in the bedroom.”
Kelsey accused his ex Camille, now on reality TV show Real Housewives, of being fame hungryCredit: GettyHe was married to Camille when he met KayteCredit: Getty – ContributorKelsey and Kayte welcomed their first child a year after getting married in 2011Credit: Getty – Contributor
He considered the slings to be “pathetic” attempts to remain famous – yet as a “parting gift” to give her a new direction, he helped to secure her a spot on Real Housewives and even appeared in a single episode.
The couple married just 15 days after Kelsey’s £30million divorce from Camille was finalised in February 2011. It followed a stern demand before Kayte accepted his proposal.
She recalled: “Because he’s been married so many times before I said, ‘You have to marry me more times.’ I’m his fourth wife, so I said, ‘You have to marry me at least five times.’”
Lavish nuptials followed – the first was New York, followed by an Elvis officiated Viva Las Vegas do, another at their LA home and the final, an especially romantic service in Giverny, France.
The last was inspired by Kayte’s favourite artwork Monet’s Bridge Over a Pond of Lilies. He took her to the bridge the painter used, got down on one knee and proposed.
She recalled: “It was a complete shock. Kelsey had arranged everything with the Mayor so we got to say our vows in French. It was lovely.”
Serial killer slayed sister
The romance with Kayte has undoubtedly given Kelsey the peace and stability he has lacked throughout his turbulent life.
He was born to parents Sally, a dancer, and Allen, a coffee shop owner, in Saint Thomas, US Virgin Islands, but raised in New Jersey by his mum after they divorced when he was two.
At the age of 12, his grandad died of cancer and the following year his estranged dad was murdered during a wave of racial violence after Martin Luther King’s assassination in 1968.
Seven years later, his younger sister Karen, 18, was kidnapped, raped and murdered by serial killer Freddie Glenn, who killed three women.
Glenn, now 68, who Kelsey remarkably forgave many later years, was sentenced to die in the gas chamber only for the death penalty to be scrapped.
“I was her big brother, I was supposed to protect her – I could not,” he said at the murderer’s 2009 parole hearing. “I have never gotten over it… It very nearly destroyed me.”
And just five years after losing Karen, two of his half-brothers were killed in a freak scuba diving accident.
Kelsey Grammer Sister KarenCredit: Youtube
Unsurprisingly, that amount of trauma caused unbridled chaos in his personal life – with him stating they were “the catalyst that got me into a really big problem for at least the next 15 years”.
‘Chaos, insanity, mayhem’
He consistently battled cocaine and alcohol abuse – especially while filming Frasier and Cheers – and was known for being difficult to work with, one colleague described him as “one of the biggest jerks” he had ever met.
Kelsey was described as “oozing” onto set with “glazed over eyes, half asleep, going through whatever he was going through” yet when the director yelled ‘Action’, he was “pitch perfect”.
Because he’s been married so many times before I said, ‘You have to marry me more times’…You have to marry me at least five times
Kayte Grammer
He was regularly in trouble with the law too. Kelsey was charged at least four times for crimes including cocaine possession, drink driving and violating parole conditions.
The crimes, which spanned 1988 to 1996, resulted in 30 days jail time, more than 300 hours of community service, 90-day house arrest, fines in the thousands and a 30-day court mandated rehab stint.
His relationships weren’t going well either. Kelsey’s first marriage to dance instructor Doreen Alderman lasted eight years until 1990, despite their relationship being over after less than 12 months. They share a daughter Spencer.
Dance teacher Doreen Alderman was his first wifeCredit: GettyGreer Grammer with her mum, Barrie BucknerCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
Two years later Kelsey had a second child, Greer, who later appeared on MTV show Awkward, with make-up stylist Barrie Buckner.
He married former stripper Leigh-Anne Csuhany, who was three months pregnant, seven months after that. But their romance wouldn’t last.
Kelsey filed for an annulment and evicted her from his home, alleging she was physically abusive to him.
He claimed she once fired a gun at him and even on their wedding day, he was seen sporting a black eye from one of her violent attacks.
In his autobiography, Kelsey claimed she convinced him he was “nothing, unattractive, untalented, undeserving of love and incapable of being loved by anyone but her” to ensure he would never leave.
“She’d spit in my face, slap me, punch me, kick me, break glasses over my head, break windows, tear up pictures of my loved ones, threaten to kill me or herself,” he wrote.
Shortly after the split, Leigh-Anne tried to kill herself. She suffered a miscarriage.
Kelsey evicted second wife Leigh-Anne Csuhany from his homeCredit: GettyThe star also had a fling with glamour model Tammi AlexanderCredit: News Uk
Kelsey had a string of short-lived flings after, including with Playboy model Tammi Alexander, before his third marriage to fellow top-shelf mag pin-up Camille.
Five weddings
Ultimately, it has been with Kayte where he has finally found happiness. But that contentment could have easily been derailed due to the tragedies they have faced as a couple.
Two of their pregnancies ended in miscarriage and Faith’s unborn sibling died in utero. Heartbreakingly, this often requires a mum to undergo labour to birth the deceased child.
Kayte admitted it was “devastating” for them but the blows further strengthened their relationship. Each baby has reminded them “life is a miracle” and to count their blessings.
There was the other part of me that wanted to surrender to it and go, ‘Let it mess you up a little bit. Let it hurt.
Kelsey Grammer
His ever expanding brood has also given him a second chance at parenting, after admitting he took his eye off the ball with the older kids.
He said: “I have neglected a couple of the kids in my life, especially the first two,” he said. “I’m trying to make up for a little of it now. I’m still their dad, so you can always have [a] chance to show up.”
With a stable, loving home Kelsey’s addiction issues appear to have been kept at bay – despite in 2016 admitting he stopped attending AA because he likes to “enjoy a drink”.
It’s known he was sober for years after his 1996 car crash while under the influence, which resulted in him being sent to rehab by the courts.
Previously, Kelsey’s calling toward “chaos, insanity, mayhem” was spurred on by “running away from uncomfortable feelings” and being unable to “forgive myself” for his sister’s death.
Kelsey with third wife Camille and Spencer, the daughter from his first marriageCredit: GettyKelsey is trying to be a better dad to his kids after ‘neglecting’ the older ones, including Greer, picturedCredit: GettyKelsey also shares Mason and Jude with CamilleCredit: Getty
He acknowledges having “a self-destructive part of me” that encouraged his addiction, which worsened his health and contributed to a near-fatal heart attack in 2008.
Kelsey added: “I always had something in the back of my head saying, ‘Okay. That’s enough now. Cut it out. You know why you’re doing this.’
“But there was the other part of me that wanted to surrender to it and go, ‘Let it mess you up a little bit. Let it hurt.’”
But now thanks to Kayte, he lives a calmer life – when not changing nappies at 5am – and previously she said their “favourite place is our sofa”.
There they snuggle up, eat popcorn while watching films and eventually fall asleep in each other’s arms. It’s a far cry from the decades of debauchery before.
Kayte says: “As a general rule I try to operate from love. I always wanted to find a family and the love of my life. That was my dream. I feel blessed.”
No doubt Kelsey feels it’s he who has been blessed, after finding the woman who saved his life and drastically changed his future for the better.
Dozens of Palestinian bodies have been retrieved from mass graves near al-Shifa Hospital, buried almost a year ago after Israeli forces withdrew from the area. Hani Mahmoud explains how families and aid workers are struggling to identify the victims.
Businesses have abandoned its once-thriving downtown. Its retail and office vacancy rates are among the highest in Los Angeles County. The crowds that previously packed the area surrounding the city’s famous pier have dwindled.
Homelessness has risen. City officials acknowledge crime incidents had become more visible and volatile.
The breadth and depth of the issues became apparent just last month when the city was forced to declare itself in fiscal distress after paying $229 million in settlements related to alleged sexual abuse by Eric Uller, a former city dispatcher.
Now, Santa Monica is trying to plot a new path forward. A significant first step could come Tuesday.
That’s when the City Council is set to consider a plan to reverse its fortunes.
A shuttered business on Broadway in Santa Monica.
(David Butow/For The Times)
The plan includes significantly increasing police patrols and enforcing misdemeanor ordinances, investing in infrastructure and new community events, and taking a more business-friendly brush to permits and fees. Officials also plan to be more aggressive in making sure property owners maintain unused properties.
The blueprint tackles many “quality of life” issues that critics say have contributed to lower foot traffic in the city’s tourist districts since the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s far from clear the tactics will work. But given the city’s current trajectory, officials say bold action is necessary.
“We’re trying to usher in a rebirth — a renaissance of the city — by investing in ourselves,” Councilmember Dan Hall said.
Hall, 38, is part of a relatively youthful City Council majority that swept into office in recent years as voters opted for new leadership and a fresh approach. Five of the seven council members are millennials, and six members first joined the council in either 2022 or 2024.
Also new on the scene is City Manager Oliver Chi, who five months ago was hired away from the same position in Irvine.
“The city is in a period of distress, for sure,” said Chi, 45. “We’re not in a moment where the city is broke. The city still has resources. … But right now, if we do nothing, the city’s general fund operating budget is projected to run a structural deficit of nearly $30 million a year, and that’s because we’ve seen big drops” in revenues, such as from hotel taxes, sales tax and parking.
“But part of that is the private sector hasn’t been investing in the city. And we haven’t had people traveling to the city,” Chi said.
Santa Monica is far from the only city — in California or nationwide — to face the pain of a downtown in decline. Brick-and-mortar retailers have long bled business to online offerings, and the pandemic upended the cadence of daily life that was the lifeblood of commercial districts, with many people continuing to work from home at least part of the week.
Birds fly over and people walk on the Santa Monica Pier.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
But the hope is through concerted, planned investment that Santa Monica can shine once again and modernize to be competitive in the postpandemic era.
The City Council had already decided to set aside $60 million from its cash reserves to spend over the next four or five years to cover any operating deficits. But with Tuesday’s vote, Santa Monica would instead use those dollars as an investment in hopes of getting the city back on track.
“Those things really are issues related to public safety, disorder in town, the disrepair that we’ve seen in our infrastructure,” Chi said. “All of those things are preventing, I think, confidence in the local economy.”
In downtown, the city’s plan would include doubling the number of police officers assigned to a specialized unit to at least eight to 10 a day, deploying an additional five patrol officers daily, creating a new police substation, adding two workers daily to address homelessness issues, and hiring eight public safety employees to provide a more constant presence across the city’s main commercial district, parks and parking garages.
Staff in the city attorney’s office would also be augmented to boost the ability to prosecute misdemeanor cases.
An unhoused man naps on a bench in Palisades Park.
(David Butow / For The Times)
Also on the agenda: moving the city’s homeless shelter out of downtown; making a one-time $3.5-million investment to address fraying sidewalks and streets and freshen up trees and trash cans; funding monthly events at the Third Street Promenade to attract crowds; creating a large-scale “Santa Monica Music Festival” next year; upgrading restrooms near the pier and Muscle Beach; and increasing operating days for libraries.
Another proposal would require the owners of vacant properties to register with the city, in hopes of addressing lots that remain in disrepair.
The city is also looking to be more business friendly. It’s seeking to upgrade the current permit process, utilizing artificial intelligence to get nearly instantaneous permit reviews for single-family homes and accessory dwelling units, as well as reduce permit fees for restaurants with outdoor dining.
The plan also outlines strategies to boost revenue. Santa Monica is poised to end its contract with a private ambulance operator, McCormick Ambulance, in February and move those operations in house.
“It’s going to cost roughly $2.8 million a year to stand that operation up. But the reality is, once we start running it, it’ll generate about $7 million a year in new ongoing revenues,” Chi said.
“That’s part of what we’re thinking through: How do we invest now in order to grow our revenue base moving ahead?” he said.
Parking rates are also going up, which city officials estimate should generate $8 million to $9 million in additional annual revenue — though officials say they still charge a lower rate than those of nearby cities.
The city also plans more traffic safety enforcement and will cut the current 90 minutes of free parking in downtown parking structures to 30 minutes.
There’s also been talk of a new city parcel tax, though no decision has yet been made to pursue that. A parcel tax would need voter approval.
Another priority is building back the city’s cash reserves, which have dwindled over the years, largely on account of legal payments. Eight years ago, Santa Monica had $436 million in cash reserves; today, there’s only $158 million in nonrestricted reserves.
The planned $60 million in spending would further reduce the city’s unobligated cash down to $98 million.
Santa Monica’s annual general fund operating budget is nearly $800 million a year.
Beachgoers enjoying the scene near the Santa Monica Pier.
(David Butow/For The Times)
The city is also looking to redevelop some of its underutilized properties, including a 2.57-acre parcel bounded by Arizona Avenue and 4th and 5th streets, which includes branches of Bank of America and Chase bank, the leases of which are expected to expire in a few years. Also being eyed are a 1.09-acre kiss-and-ride lot southeast of the Santa Monica light rail station; the city’s seismically vulnerable Parking Structure 1 on 4th Street, which sits on 0.75 of an acre; and the old Fire Station No. 1, which sits on 0.34 of an acre and is being used for storage.
No firm plans are in place just yet. The parcels could be sold, leased long term or redeveloped as part of a joint venture. One likely possibility is that the developments would include new housing.
“When you look at any revitalization effort of any vibrant downtown core that’s eroded, there’s always been an element of repopulating the area with people,” Chi said. A smart redevelopment plan for those properties will not only “hopefully help bring back vibrancy to the downtown, but also help replenish the city’s cash reserves.”
The seeds of downtown Santa Monica’s decline actually started before the pandemic. But COVID hit the city hard, and commercial vacancies rose significantly, Councilmember Caroline Torosis, 39, said.
Santa Monica also sustained damage in 2020 from rioters who swarmed the downtown area in what appeared to be an organized attack amid a protest meant to decry the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Tourists never came back in the numbers they had before the pandemic.
Torosis said the new council majority was elected on a promise to boost economic activity in the city.
“We need to absolutely ensure that people feel safe, welcome, invited and included in our city,” said Torosis, who serves as mayor pro tem.
Hall called the plan a bold bet.
“What we’re trying to do here is move us away from a scarcity mind-set, where we’re nickel-and-diming businesses trying to stay open, restaurants trying to open a parklet, residents trying to build an ADU,” Hall said.
The council’s relative youth, he said, is a plus for a city trying to write a bright new chapter.
“I think that that’s something that millennials are finding themselves needing to do as we take ownership of society, and we see a world where past generations have been afraid to make mistakes or afraid to make decisions,” he said.
When Gigi Perez took to the stage at the Austin City Limits Festival earlier this month, it felt like the universe was holding up a mirror, reflecting back all the growth she’d done in the four years since her last performance there.
Back in 2021, the Cuban American singer-songwriter had a newly-minted record deal and a handful of viral SoundCloud singles — the wistful acoustic guitar track “Sometimes (Backwood)” and the devastatingly raw “Celene.” The 2021 edition of ACL was the first festival she ever performed, and though her early afternoon slot at one of the smaller stages attracted a few dozen audience members, Perez had spent so many years dreaming of the opportunity that it didn’t matter. She was happy just to be there.
This month, Perez returned to Austin no longer an emerging artist, but as a rising star. Her mega-viral single, the lovesick folk ballad from 2024, “Sailor Song,” had topped the U.K. singles chart and earned more than 1 billion streams on Spotify. On the back of its success, she spent the first half of this year opening for Hozier in support of her 2025 debut LP, “At the Beach, in Every Life.”
So when she took the stage at ACL in October, this time it was for a coveted golden hour set, with a sea of people stretched out before her — and a chorus of voices singing along to her every word.
“It was magical,” Perez told De Los. “There were people there who were actually at my first set in 2021, standing in the front. It meant a lot to me. I think that there’s a shock that I still experience with people coming to my set at a festival.”
At 25 years old, Perez has lived more life than most. Born in New Jersey and raised in West Palm Beach, Fla., the singer grew up in a devoutly Christian Cuban household, the middle child of three sisters.
As a teenager, the religious values she’d been steeped in were beginning to clash with her own realizations about her sexuality — and music provided a lifeline. The queer artists she listened to, like Hayley Kiyoko and Troye Sivan, tapped into feelings she hadn’t been able to articulate, and inspired her to write music that would allow her to express them in her own words.
At 18, just as she was preparing to head to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, her grandmother and uncle passed away, just weeks apart from each other. These dual losses set off a wave of grief and sparked difficult questions about her faith. She was struggling to regain her footing over the next year when, just months into the pandemic, her family experienced the sudden loss of her older sister Celene.
Perez felt unmoored. Her whole life, Celene had been a north star, a guiding light who inspired her to take up music, and who wanted to be a singer herself. Perez did what she knew how: wove her pain and anger and devastation into music, writing the soul-stirring tribute, “Celene.”
“The other day, I thought of something funny, but no one would’ve laughed but you,” she sings. “And mom and dad are always crying. And I wish I knew what to do.”
(Cat Cardenas / For De Los)
Her first original songs gained traction on TikTok, getting the attention of Interscope Records. From there, her career began to take off. She opened for Coldplay and Noah Cyrus, releasing her first EP, “How to Catch a Falling Knife,” in April 2023. Then, just months into a string of performances scheduled in London that summer, the label released her from her contract.
“I remember just being dumbfounded,” she said. “It was this immediate, very deep sense of fear and failure.”
But the funny thing about grief — that all-consuming force that had dragged her out to sea multiple times over the last several years — was that as suffocating as it could be, it was also surprising and unpredictable. So despite the depth of complicated emotions washing over her, Perez was acutely aware that this news was nothing compared to the loss of her sister. “So many things that happen in my life don’t affect me in that same profound way,” she said. “That was one of the things that made me. I don’t know, it’s hard to find the words even now.”
Growing up, Celene had her sights set on Broadway. She introduced Gigi to several musicals, from a bootleg version of “Legally Blonde,” to her first live theater experience in “Wicked,” to the cast album of Lin–Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights.” They played one song from the soundtrack, “Breathe,” on repeat. It’s sung by the character Nina, the daughter of immigrants in Washington Heights, who returns home in shame after having to drop out of Stanford University.
“That’s how I was feeling at the time,” Perez professed.
In London, she listened to the song on repeat. Then, she started writing. From the beginning, her style has always been instinctual; a freeform jam session where she sits at the piano or with her guitar and just lets her ideas flow out. The title came to her first — “At the Beach, in Every Life” — and the song poured out of her, nearly word for word.
“I remember the first time I played those chords on the piano, I had no idea what was going to happen,” she said. “I just knew something was opening up inside me, but I had no idea how deep the well was going to be, or that I was going to be an artist who gets to travel the world. I just had these desires, these visions, but to really live it is something else.”
After finishing out her commitments in the U.K., she moved back home to Florida. From her childhood bedroom, she began to rebuild. She taught herself music production and kept writing more songs. Without intending to, the puzzle pieces of the last few years of her life began to fall into place, and the grief that had consumed so much of her story finally had an outlet.
“At the Beach, In Every Life” details a breaking down of Perez’s walls. Her sadness and regret washes over tracks like “Sugar Water” and “Crown,” building into fiery passion on “Chemistry” and “Sailor Song,” before cresting into the haunting resolution of the title track that closes it out. It’s a portrait of loss and yearning, made up of vivid recollections from her childhood, her family, and her previous relationships. In short, it’s the album she wishes she could’ve listened to five years ago when her pain seemed insurmountable.
“I had just been operating blind for so long,” she said. “Being able to share my experience of loss in this specific way, it’s something that my 20-year-old self would be in disbelief of. At the time, it was like being without air, the isolation was so suffocating.”
Not long ago, Perez’s sadness could sometimes make her self-conscious. She wanted to share what she was going through, but she also didn’t want to be defined by it. “I didn’t want to be that girl who was always talking about her sister, but there was this very genuine desire to cry out for help, or acknowledge her,” she said. “Everyone is different, but for me, I needed to acknowledge her in order to be well.”
Fans of Gigi Perez at the barricade during her performance at this year’s Austin City Limits Festival in Austin, Texas.
(Cat Cardenas / For De Los)
Now, not even five years later, it feels like she’s finally turned the page and started a new chapter. “I’ve been able to build a life around my grief, and honor the loss of my sister in a way that’s helped me,” she said. “I don’t know exactly what healing should look like, but her death affected me and continues to affect me in these very profound ways. This is the best case scenario for me, because I get to share it with others — that’s one of the things that makes it so difficult to navigate: the feeling that no one understands you.”
“Knowing that we’re not alone has really saved my life,” she said. “I used to be the person thinking, ‘What’s the point of being alive?’ But knowing there are other people with the same question, I know now that we can hold each other’s hands through that. That’s given me a purpose and that helps me continue to move through it.”
In the process of writing the album, Perez found ways to bring both of her sisters along for the ride. There are voice memos from Celene, along with a snippet of her singing on “Survivor’s Guilt.” But there’s also “Sugar Water,” a track she co-wrote with her younger sister, Bella, who joins her onstage to perform the song on tour. “Anyone who has two sisters knows the chaos and intensity that can bring,” she said. “But we loved each other, and we still do. My relationship to what it means to be a woman was shaped by having sisters, and Celene and Bella are the closest reflection that I have of myself.”
Amid this wild, almost unbelievable year, Perez has been grounded by her family’s presence. Her mom is part of her management team, and her dad has joined them on the road.
“There’s something to be said about being in it so much that it’s almost hard to physically feel it on the level you want to,” Perez said. But over the last few weeks, as she’s gotten the opportunity to revisit the places where she first found her footing as a performer, she’s had the opportunity to reflect on just how much she’s grown since then.
For now, she plans on heading back home to Florida once her tour is over to spend time reflecting on everything. “I think that’s when I’ll start to see the confetti fall,” she said. “Life is uncertain, and we never know what it’s going to throw our way, but this was a year that I prayed for. And I think it was a year that a lot of people who love me prayed for too. So for that, I’m very grateful.”
The Dutch capital has started to say ‘nee dank je’ to British holidaymakers, but Utrecht is a city that’s just as good for a night out and is just as easy to get to
The Dutch city has canals but far smaller crowds than the Netherlands (Image: franswillemblok via Getty Images)
The Netherlands’ fourth city, Utrecht, has emerged as a must-visit destination and an ideal spot for a night out.
In recent years, Amsterdam has started to say ‘no thank you’ to British holidaymakers, along with tourists from other countries.
Fed up with its labyrinthine streets being congested by non-clog-wearing visitors, Amsterdam’s authorities have begun cracking down on unruly tourists.
Despite being home to only about 800,000 people, the Dutch capital attracts up to 20 million tourists a year. In response, it has banned alcohol-fuelled tours, prohibited cannabis in the Red Light District, and initiated a digital “stay away” campaign targeting young British men.
For those who’ve received the message loud and clear but still crave a stroopwafel and a taste of Dutch nightlife, Utrecht is the place to be.
Located right in the heart of the country, this city of 400,000 has been named one of Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel destinations for 2026, reports the Express. It’s easy to understand why Utrecht made the list for 2025, given its central location and the fascinating layout of its waterways.
“Easily accessible from Amsterdam by train, Utrecht is a brilliant destination for a weekend break. You’ve got a compact medieval centre, gabled houses that belong in a Vermeer painting and a bounty of bookshops, restaurants and museums to dig into,” says Lonely Planet.
“One of the most charming aspects of Utrecht is its canals. Canals are a common sight in the Netherlands, but Utrecht’s stand out due to their two-tier design, creating an almost subterranean world beneath the bustling streets above. While bikes clatter over the cobblestones at street level, descend the stone steps to tranquil walkways at water level, flanked by trees and 13th-century vaulted cellars.”
Utrecht is steeped in history, with the iconic Domtoren, a 14th-century bell tower, standing tall opposite the Gothic Cathedral of St. Martin in the central Domplein square.
The city also pays homage to its most famous offspring, Miffy. The creator of the cartoon rabbit, Dick Bruna, was born and died in the city, which now boasts the Miffy Museum, Miffy Square, and a special Miffy walk that allows pedestrians to discover more about the globally renowned character.
While this side of the city is delightful and family-friendly, those seeking an alternative to Amsterdam are likely after something a bit more raucous. Fortunately, Utrecht has a thriving nightlife scene that’s as edgy and European as you’d expect.
The area around Nijverheidsweg, west of Juliana Park and behind the Zuilen train station, is Utrecht’s newest party hotspot.
A number of entrepreneurs have launched nightlife venues in the area, also known as Werkspoorkwartier, named after a former train equipment factory that once stood there.
DUB magazine reveals how entrepreneurs have cleverly utilised the industrial charm of the buildings, with Club WAS offering a unique dancing experience in the former washing rooms of the Werkspoor Cathedral, where the old bathroom tiles and faucets are still visible.
The creative hub De Nijverheid offers a festival-like atmosphere with an art studio, creative spaces, a café, and a mini museum, ensuring there’s always something new to discover. The newly opened nightclub Kabul à GoGo also capitalises on its raw warehouse setting, boasting high ceilings and oriental rugs adorning the walls.
Student Lennart, 22, shared his fondness for the area with the publication, stating: “When I feel like a spontaneous night out or singing along to some music, the city centre is more accessible, it’s close by. You just show your ID and you’re in. But the Werkspoor area is much more fun than the pubs in the centre. It feels like going to a festival.”
Just like Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Utrecht is easily accessible from the UK, being only around 30 minutes away from Schiphol Airport, with connections approximately every 15 minutes. Utrecht Central Station is the busiest in the Netherlands, providing easy links to the rest of the country and Europe.
Rough Guides suggests that the best way to explore Utrecht is by hiring a bike, with boating the historic canals coming a close second. You can even combine the two with a pedalo and tour the waterways that encircle the city centre.
Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2026 – The Full Rundown
WHEN it comes to daytrips, you should ditch the classic Oxford, Cambridge and London for this city in the West Midlands.
You definitely won’t be bored with artist trails, award-winning museums and a huge waterpark with one of the country’s biggest wave pools to explore.
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The city of Coventry has seen a huge increase in touristsCredit: AlamyFor families, check out the huge waterpark called The WaveCredit: thewavecoventry.com
Often dubbed as an ‘underrated’ city, by the likes of TimeOut, Coventry is putting itself on the map, especially when it comes to weekend breaks.
The city is experiencing a huge boost with tourism reaching record levels; last year, it saw a total of 11.8 million visitors – up 3.6 per cent from 2023.
Overnight stays increased by 14 per cent, and day trips made up 88 per cent of all trips to the city.
To be fair, it’s not really a secret that Coventry is making a name for itself as being a great place to explore, two years ago, Coventry made the list of the 100 best cities in Europe.
And in 2021, Coventry was also honoured with the title of UK City of Culture.
Coventry has a blend of everything from historical sites, like Coventry Cathedral to St Mary’s Guildhall, known for its connection to Mary Queen of Scots.
But there are plenty of modern touches, like its art trail which heads along the canal for five and a half miles where you’ll find over 30 sculptures, mosaics and murals.
Not only that, but it has six water slides, one being The Crestar, which has two giant spheres with lighting effects.
The museum has a huge record display by 2 Tone Records – a Coventry based record label
The Cascade is another ride at the waterpark, as is The Torrent, which is arguably the scariest ride because the floor drops from beneath to plunge riders at speed.
The Rapids, which has been described as the “Big Dipper on water”, is the park’s water coaster, where powerful jets hurl riders uphill before dropping them down through tight corners and tunnels.
Another ride is called The Cyclone, which is one of the fastest slides at the waterpark.
There are other attractions at the waterpark too, including The Reef, which is a splash zone.
Standard tickets during peak times are £18.70 (for adults ages 12 and over), for juniors (ages 11 and under) tickets are £14.
As for some of the other top-rated things to do in Coventry, heading to its two museums, one of which was the UK’s best-rated on Tripadvisor.
Coventry is home to the transport museum which has a huge collection of British vehiclesCredit: Alamy
Found on Walsgrave Road in Coventry, the museum has an art gallery, music records archive and an interactive media studio telling the history of local music.
The museum is also home to the entire output of 2 Tone Records – a record label that opened in Coventry in 1979. They signed the likes of the Selector, Madness and The Beat.
Entry fees are £6 for adults and £3 for concessions – make sure to bring notes and change as it’s cash only.
Another popular museum is the Coventry Transport Museum, which houses the largest publicly owned collection of British vehicles in the world.
It has interactive galleries, immersive exhibitions, and of course, lots of vehicles to look at from vintage cars to motorbikes.
Entry to the museum is £15pp.
As for where to eat, Coventry has some great finds, VisitEngland recommends trying East Korean barbecue at Jinseon Korean BBQ where you can grill your own food on a charcoal fire at your table.
Another suggestion is Cogs Bar and Kitchen which offer up tasty breakfasts from eggs benedict to American-style pancakes.
FarGo Village is also worth exploring, it’s an industrial space home to coffee shops and even a microbrewery.
On 500 acres of renowned beauty, this historic hotel is in Coventry situated in Coombe Abbey’s Country Park, just off the M6.
What is it like?
Next time somebody wants to send you to Coventry, stay at this complex, which dates back to 1150 and has links to royalty, the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII and the Gunpowder plot. Enjoy a view of the moat, the lake and the courtyard to the Capability Brown designed gardens, depending on where you are in the hotel.
What is there to do at the hotel?
The corridors and communal rooms are packed with artefacts, art, history and heritage, that are well worth exploring as you wander from bar to room to restaurant, while the scenic lake, gardens and grounds are perfect for a stroll.
Enjoy one of the many choices of afternoon tea, from Abbot’s Afternoon Tea to Sparkling Afternoon Tea as a post-walk treat. For kids, you can discover Go Ape in the woodlands.
What is there to eat and drink?
Unless you want to drive, you’d better eat here as it’s about a ten-minute walk to the edge of the grounds and some way beyond that to any restaurants. That being said, you really do want to eat here. The ambience is classy, the food is great, and the breakfast really sets you up for the day.
The dinner menu features meaty dishes of beef shin with fondant potato and confit duck leg with spiced braised cabbage, as well as vegan, vegetarian and fish options.
What are the rooms like?
The minimum standard in basic rooms is real quality and comfort, while the decor and design in the feature heritage rooms are charming and characterful. Rooms start from £149 a night based on two sharing.
The UK’s cheapest city break has been revealed and it’s a gorgeous destination to visit during the autumn and winter months especially if you like a good walk
Vicars’ Close – believed to be the only complete medieval street left in England(Image: Getty Images)
City breaks have gotten expensive of late, and even a staycation in the UK can leave your bank account feeling drained. Luckily, there are still some destinations that offer value for money if you’re looking to get away for a while.
In general, staying away from the major tourist hotspots is the best way to get a city break bargain. One city in Somerset that is unlikely to be on your bucket list has topped Which?’s list of the best-value UK city breaks, with an overall score of 86%.
Wells in Somerset beat competitors from Liverpool to Lincoln to clinch four-stars for value for money, cultural sites, tourist attractions and accommodation. Best of all, it’s still possible to get a hotel room for under £100 a night, which is becoming increasingly difficult as prices rise across the UK.
Officially England’s smallest city, it manages to pack plenty of charm and attractions into a compact, walkable space. Part of the reason it was given city status in the 1970s was due to its impressive cathedral which has become an icon. Wells Cathedral has an impressive gothic style and includes The Bishop’s Palace & Gardens. You can tour this spectacular medieval palace as well as the 14-acres of gardens where you can spot wildlife including swans and deer.
The cathedral also connects to Vicars’ Close, a cobbled road that is reportedly Europe’s oldest residential street that still has its original buildings. Just wandering around Wells feels like you’ve stepped back in time, and the High Street is full of charming little independent shops that are fun to wander round.
Wells also has lots of cosy, historic pubs where you can relax after a day of exploring. The Crown dates back to the 15th century and has a warm, welcoming vibe, while The City Arms was built in 1606, and was the local jail for some time before becoming a pub and inn.
This compact city is also perfect for a weekend of walking. The National Trust site Ebbor Gorge National Nature Reserve sits on a limestone gorge and offers spectacular views across the Mendip Hills. There are three different trails you can take to explore the gorge, the longest and most difficult is 1.9 miles and involves some rocky terrain, but is worth it for the views.
Just a few minutes’ drive away are the Wookey Hole caves. You can tour these beautiful caves and even take part in activities such as climbing or taking adventure tours off the beaten paths. Wookey Hole also has a museum where you can learn about the history of the caves, and is home to Dinosaur Valley, a prehistoric-themed park with life-sized animatronic dinosaurs and fun, family-friendly trails.
Wells has a weekly market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and in the run up to Christmas, there are festive-themed events planned. An Artisan Christmas Market takes place at the Bishop’s Palace on November 8 and 9, then on December 6 there’s a Christmas market at the Market Place and Cathedral Green. This will host over 100 stalls, and promises festive food, gifts, and live music performances.
If you’re looking for an inexpensive staycation, consider a trip to Wells. This underrated historic city is less crowded than nearby Bath or Bristol, but still makes for a relaxing weekend away.
Europe’s cheapest city break is already a firm favourite with visitors thanks to its cheap food, drinks and attractions – so we went to see if it lives up to the hype
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Krakow has been named as Europe’s cheapest city break – but is it as cheap as people say?(Image: Natalie King)
With prices on the rise in many European cities, as well as issues from overcrowding to anti-tourism protests in many city break hotspots, many travellers will be looking for cheaper locations for short breaks.
Search for cheap city breaks and Poland often tops the charts, and there’s one city that’s particularly popular among budget travellers; Krakow. Poland’s second city has all the elements of the perfect city break destination. Pretty cobbled streets, cheap food and drink, and plenty of historic and cultural spots to explore.
But is it the cheapest city break? I visited in September, just after the school holidays, and had a look at some of the prices during the shoulder season. With temperatures still at 26C early in the month, it seemed a great time to visit. The city was busy, but nowhere near as crowded as many destinations during this time of year, and there were still outdoor events in the town’s main square in the evening.
For a start, there are various budget-friendly flight options, with Jet2, easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air all offering direct routes, with a flight time of just over two hours. When I took a look, I found fares with Ryanair from £19.99 each way, although this doesn’t include a second bag if you want to take more than a small handbag or backpack with you.
I stayed at the newly-opened TRIBE hotel in Krakow. It’s about a three minute walk from St. Florian’s Gate, the entrance to the historic old town. This four-star hotel has rooms from as little as £57 a night, and was modern and comfortable. I also liked that it was next to a tram stop, so it’s easy to get around. There are cheaper options available, but if you’re on a short break it has a great location, and it’s an excellent base to explore.
Travel and days out
Krakow’s public transport is cheap, clean, and reliable, so getting around isn’t going to cost you a lot. Getting from the airport to the city centre takes under half an hour by train and costs just 13PLN (around £2.67). The city is quite compact and walkable, and there’s also the option of getting a tram. Journeys of up to 20 minutes cost around £0.50, while a 48-hour ticket, perfect for weekend breaks, is just over £7.
In the old town, you’ll find the Czartoryski Museum, one of Poland’s oldest museums and a popular tourist spot. While it costs nearly £13 to get in, it’s a huge museum and you could wander round for hours. It’s worth getting a guided tour because there’s too much to take in by yourself. You can see an original Rembrandt, as well as the museum’s most famous piece, Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci.
The price of days out varies. There are plenty of inexpensive things to do in the city itself, or you can go further afield to visit sights such as the Wieliczka Salt Mine. This stunning underground series of mines includes chapels, sculptures, and intricately carved walls, all buried below the ground’s surface. Tickets cost from 143 PLN, nearly £30, but it’s well worth the visit.
Many visitors to the city will be looking to visit Auschwitz. There are lots of tour providers offering full day packages, which cost from £60-80. However, you can take the train and get in free without a tour guide, but it is worth booking the tour with an educator, which costs 130PLN (around £26.63), to learn more about the site’s history.
If you don’t have much time to explore Krakow, look out for the Melex tours. These electric golf carts zip around the old town, taking you to sights such as the Renaissance-era Cloth Hall and the Town Hall Tower, with short guided tours from as little as £10.
Food and drink
Most food and drink prices in Krakow are reasonable. Being in the Old Town, you’ll find things pricier, but they still compare well to other city breaks.
In the Old Town, you’ll find a wide variety of restaurants. If you want to try local dishes, you can enjoy a large plate of pierogi for less than £10. You can also grab a lunch to-go at one of the Zabka convenience stores. This Polish brand can be found on every corner, and have food like snacks and sandwiches for around £2.50. You can even get a cold beer with your lunch for less than £1.
And of course, it’s the beer prices lots of visitors will want to know about. Is the beer in Krakow cheap? Relatively, yes. A pint in the Old Town’s main square did set me back £4.50, but I was in a very touristy area. Most places I visited were more around the £3 a pint price mark, or cheaper once away from the Old Town.
So, was Krakow the cheapest city break? Some of the prices weren’t as low as I expected, but overall things like food, drink, and transport were very good value for money, especially when compared to other European breaks I’ve taken recently. If you’re a history buff or just like wandering around beautiful cities, it’s a great choice for a weekend away.
Book the holiday
Stay there: Prices at the TRIBE Krakow start from £96 per night based on two adults sharing a room. Members of ALL Accor can enjoy up to 10% off public rates as well as earning reward points which can be redeemed on stays and experiences across the world.
Get there: Ryanair offers fares from £14.99 each way to Krakow from London Luton.
The Pride of Cumbria train carried me out of Piccadilly station and, eventually, beyond built-up Manchester. After Marple, everything turned green as the valleys narrowed. It was a classic northern autumn day: the clouds were low, the mizzle and mist were closing in and the world was grey-filtered but for the glow of dead leaves all around.
South-east of Manchester is a bit of an unknown for me. Between the city and the Derbyshire borough of High Peak, you don’t quite enter national park territory, but it’s nonetheless a charming and eye-calming landscape. The Mancunian Kinder Scout trespassers of 1932 probably came this way, as do Pennine Way-farers bound for Edale. But the region is also post-industrial and close to conurbations. The Steel Cotton Rail Trail, which officially launched earlier this month after several years of planning, hopes to bring together elements of the land and the heritage while also drawing walkers and cyclists to areas of the Peak District perhaps ignored by those who rush for the main spine of the Pennines.
The 62-mile (100km) trail has been split into 14 day-friendly sections between the rail termini at Manchester and Sheffield, with stops along the Hope Valley Line marking the start and end points. There’s something for everyone. Urban explorers will enjoy the metropolitan mooches at either end, summit fiends will love the middle hill and moor sections, while those with young families or old dogs can opt for canal and riverside walks.
I was the only passenger to alight at Chinley, a small, smartish-looking village in the Blackbrook valley. I soon found a sticker to show that I was on the right track; way marking is now complete along the route. I also had printouts of the handy pdf maps posted on the website. GPX files are available, but I didn’t want to spend the day looking phone-ward.
Edale to Chinley on the Steel Cotton Rail Trail.
The route, sloping downward, took me past a cafe and on to the Peak Forest Tramway Trail. As anyone who has been out on a recent country walk will know, 2025 has been a mast year, with an abundance of fruit and nuts falling from trees. I could hear the loud crunch of dry acorns and beech nuts as I began my walk towards the west.
The tramway – serviced by horse and gravity-powered vehicles – opened in 1796 and carried on operating right up till the 1920s. Limestone, quarried all around the area, was taken out along these tracks. While much of the primary and heavy industrial plant has gone, I passed a polymer factory close to Chinley and I was rarely far from traffic (the mighty A6, England’s longest road once upon a time, was just beyond the curtain of trees) or light industrial units. Some people probably prefer the illusion of “real nature” but I like ambling through parts of the countryside where work and wilderness rub along. Anyway, I was always able to look down and let the golds, reds and ochres of leaf litter blur my ruminations.
Soon I came to Bugsworth Basin on the Peak Forest canal – once the largest and busiest inland port on the canal system and the only one to survive intact. An information sign alluded to “canal mania”, the period between 1790 and the 1810s when dozens of cuts were made across England and Wales by speculators banking on “faster” logistics. In 1808, workers shifted sufficient limestone to fill 2,000 canal boats. A vital raw material, it was used in buildings, chemical manufacturing and agriculture. Limestone historians will probably challenge the steel and cotton of the trail’s name – cities edging out town and country, as ever – but you could also make a case for calling it the Millstone Grit Trail or the Coal Trail; this part of the world produced so much for Victorian Britain.
I swerved right, joining the River Goyt. Despite its guttural name, the Goyt is a lovely river. It threads a pastoral squiggle from soggy moorland just west of Macclesfield all the way to Stockport, where it runs into the Mersey. As well as the new trail, I was also walking on sections of the Goyt Way and a long-distance path called the Midshires Way. The path passed close to Furness Vale station on the Manchester-Buxton line – an alternative railway option to get to this section of the trail.
The Torrs Millennium walkway along the river Goyt in New Mills, Derbyshire. Photograph: Washington Imaging/Alamy
It was a mellow, easy walk all the way to New Mills, a town I only knew hitherto as the home town of punk/Oi! band Blitz, but which is a very dramatic constellation of magnificent bridges and stone viaducts, vertiginous gorges, fast-flowing water, the oldest community-owned hydro scheme in the land, some lovely llamas in a bosky paddock, and the sweeping steel Millennium Walkway. I’d passed a couple of rural pubs already, but New Mills has plenty of food and drink for those stopping or pausing here.
I continued along the canyon – past Torr Vale Mill, the UK’s longest-running textile mill till its closure in 2000 – and used the Goyt Way to enter Mousley Bottom nature reserve, a pretty patch of woodland occupying an area previously used as a landfill site, gasworks and sewage works.
I left the river behind at Hague Bar, and headed for Strines, to complete my two-stage, 6.5-mile walk, where I knew the train was hourly (it’s half-hourly from the larger stations). As fate would have it, just when I needed to speed up, the path went up too – quite sharply, in fact, as it ascended a green lane. After all the level walking, the views were suddenly much bigger, and the mist had burned off too. I was half-tempted by the Fox Inn, a Robinsons’ pub in the tiny hamlet of Brookbottom, but given my now terrible thirst, bursting lungs and the one-hour wait, I knew the rest stop could easily morph into a three-pint siesta-inducer. So, I struggled on and actually jogged down to Strines to make the train for Piccadilly with three minutes to spare.
The Fox Inn in Brookbottom near New Mills. Photograph: John Fryer/Alamy
This new rail-pegged walking (and, along many sections, cycling) trail will be welcome in Manchester, where it links up nicely with the also quite new 200-mile orbital GM Ringway. It may also tempt Sheffielders to look beyond the obvious Edale-Kinder Scout hikes – though Edale is a start/finish point for a nice 7.5-mile leg of the Steel Cotton Rail Trail. More frequent, reliable trains would make these walking trails really attractive. But for an autumn amble, the 14 new walks are almost perfect. Choose your challenge and altitude, decide whether you want trees or moors, towns or fields, and you will catch several of the moods of this magical season.
