Taking time out for a treat is essential in these difficult times. And it needn't cost a lot, even in London. The shop-until-you-drop city has lots of affordable spas, and it's got the latest craze: Garra rufa fish that nibble your tired feet.
The place to go this year is Istanbul: along with the Ruhr Valley and Pécs, Hungary, it's one of the three European Capitals of Culture. Mike Pilewski takes us to the megacity on the Bosporus in a land caught between East and West, between tradition and modernity.
At a time when British retailers are spending big on their Christmas campaigns, UK shopping giant Asda casts staff in its TV ads and eases the recession blues with a £16 million present to make the Advent season a little merrier for its workers.
To accompany Claudia Hellman's article "Shop and save in New York City" in the January issue of Spotlight, we've prepared an online Big Apple experience that uses video, old and new, to convey the magic, myth and drama of this extraordinary place.
Visit the Scotch Whisky Experience on the Royal Mile and you'll learn that each single-malt has its own personality. And because hundreds of years of knowledge go into making great whisky, you'll be told that it's best not to mix it with Red Bull.
So, what better time than now to visit the British capital for some
good-value shopping? And what better place to do that shopping than in
London's lovely traditional shops?
