We will never tire of the positive effects of nature. Its calming, soothing and inspiring influence will never go out of style.

The more we rush, the more time we spend indoors staring at our screens and devices, the more urban our lifestyles become, the more we crave and need time away from it all.

It has been amazing to follow the newest solutions to the old dilemmas: How to bring more green space to cities; how to reclaim underused urban land for recreational and other "green" uses; how to provide more and more people the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of spending time in nature.

Lately, we have seen fantastic examples of how designers and architects, urban planners and citizens' organizations have accomplished both large and small-scale projects, from bringing a bit of greenery, and open space to otherwise bleak surroundings, to large-scale neighborhood-changing undertakings.

The most prominent of these large-scale projects in the past few years has probably been New York's Highline, the "park in the sky" that reclaimed a deemed-to-be-demolished industrial transportation structure for recreational and other uses.

It has been a massive project in all aspects of the word, and it has also become a poster-project whose publicity is helping other projects get off the ground. We hope it will continue to give citizens' organizations, city officials, designers and architects encouragement and inspiration as they tackle smaller projects, or even ones bigger than Highline.

We expect much more reclaiming of industrial and transportation lands, more green roofs, more natural features replacing concrete and asphalt, more walking and hiking paths, more waterways for recreational use, more spectacular viewing areas, more urban sanctuaries, more trees.

Getting back to nature is not a new phenomenon. For hundreds of years, wealthy city dwellers have travelled to summer residences and summer resorts, and withdrawn to their cottages and lakeside retreats. They've enjoyed fresh air in their gardens and hunting estates.

Of course, the need for recreational options has escalated since the industrial revolution. People, even ordinary citizens, now needed a place to catch their breath. They lived in more and more urban environments and also had the previously unknown luxury of a few days off per month.

Children went to summer camps, adults went hiking and camping, entire families went on long drives in recreational vehicles. Tourism boomed and being in nature became the vogue thing to do. And it has remained so ever since.

As we seek balance in our hectic lives today, we see solutions outdoors. "Green space" in the widest sense of the word in cities and surrounding areas is beneficial from recreational, ecological, economical, social and health purposes, but mostly we love it because it is just plain beautiful.

We love gardens and parks, ponds and water features, playgrounds and sports fields, open plazas, avenues and boulevards. We want more of it because even the smallest green feature lifts our spirits, while the wide open spaces can change our lives. - Tuija Seipell

 

Intercontinental Hotel and Thalasso Spa - Bora Bora

Blue Lagoon, Reykjavik - Iceland

Positano, Amalfi Coast, Italy

The Dunes in Peru

Pongua Falls, Vietnam

Seychells

Bachalpsee, Berner Oberland, Switzerland

Lady Musgrave Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Yushan National Park, Taiwan

Kaieteur Falls - World's Largest

5 Star Taj Exotica Resort - Maldives

Elafonisi Beach, Crete

Casa Kimball - Dominican Republic

Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort - Oman

 More Amazing Places To Experience Around The Globe (Part 1 - click here)

 More Amazing Places to Experience Around The Globe (Part 2 - click here )

 More Amazing Places to Experience Around The Globe (Part 3 - click here )

Devetashkata Cave  - Bulgaria

Ben Bulben at County Sligo, Ireland

Shark Island - Sydney

Baatara Gorge Waterfall, Tannourine - Lebanon

Abel Tasman National Park - New Zealand

Myrtos Beach, Kefalonia - Greece

Sichuan - China

In The Gardens of Prague Castle

Neist Point, Isle of Skye - Scotland

Aiguill e du midi, Chamonix, France

The Hamilton Pool Nature Preserve in Texas, USA

4 Hands  - Etretat, France

Río Tampaón in San Luis Potosí -México

 Madeira, Portugal

Six Senses Evason Ma’In Hot Springs, Jordan

Méandre - En-Vau - Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône)

 

 More Amazing Places To Experience Around The Globe (Part 1 - click here)

 More Amazing Places to Experience Around The Globe (Part 2 - click here )

Discovered a place we should include in Part 4 of Amazing Places? - get in contact

We'll be publishing Amazing Places as a book in late 2012

Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island, Hong Kong

Fernando De Noronha - Brazil

Spirit Island, Magligne Lake, Alberta, Canada

Rice Field Terraces in Yunnan, China

Bern, Switzerland

Coron Palawan, Philippines

Rocky Village, Vernazza, Italy

Porto Katsiki, Lefkada Island, Greece

Lower Lewis River Falls - Gifford Pinchot National Forest - Washington, USA

Pangong Tso Lake in the Himalayas

Golden Eye Hotel - St. Mary, Jamaica

Golden Horn, Brac Island - Croatia

William Bay, Western Australia

Soneva Fushi, Maldives

The Whanganui River, North Island, New Zealand

Alentejo, Portugal

Etretat, Normandy, France

The Pearl Waterfall, Jiuzhaigou Valley, China

Norway

Awa’awapuhi Trail Kauai, Hawaii

Santa Domenica nel Salento

Amazing Places To Experience Around The Globe (Part 1 - click here)

Discovered a place we should include in Part 3 of Amazing Places? - get in contact

 

Preachers Rock, Preikestolen, Norway

Blue Caves - Zakynthos Island, Greece

Skaftafeli - Iceland

Plitvice Lakes – Croatia

Crystalline Turquoise Lake, Jiuzhaigou National Park, China

Four Seasons Hotel - Bora Bora

Ice skating on Paterswoldse Meer, a lake just South of the city of Groningen in the Netherlands.

Marble Caves, Chile Chico, Chile

The Gardens at Marqueyssac http://www.frenchmoments.com/Marqueyssac.html

Ice Canyon - Greenland

Capilano Suspension Bridge, Vancouver, British Columbia

Valley of the Ten Peaks, Moraine Lake, Alberta, Canada

Multnomah Falls, Oregon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multnomah_Falls

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall on the South Coast of Iceland

Petra - Jordan (at night)

Verdon, Provence, France

Wineglass Bay, Freycinet National Park, Tasmania, Australia

Norway Alesund Birdseye of City

Benteng Chittorgarh, India

Riomaggiore, Italy

Keukenhof Gardens - Netherlands.

Sky Lantern Festival - Taiwan.

The Wave is on the slopes of the Coyote Buttes, which are in turn located in the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, on the Colorado Plateau, Arizona.

Mount Roraima - Venezuela.

Seychelles

Restaurant near Sanyou Cave above the Chang Jiang river, Hubei , China.

East Iceland.

Lucca, Tuscany, Italy.

New York City.

See also

More Amazing Places To Experience Around The Globe (Part 2 - click here)

More Amazing Places to Experience Around The Globe (Part 3 - click here )

More Amazing Places To Experience Around The Globe (Part 4 - click here)

Photographed a place we should include in Part 5 of Amazing Places? - get in contact

We'll be publishing Amazing Places as a book in late 2012

This is a promo video for Tempest Freerunning Academy in California. It is dedicated to the growth and spread of freerunning and parkour and has a special Super Mario Bros area so gym-goers can feel like they are in the game.

The song's called "Lights" by Ellie Goulding, it's the Bassnectar remix.

You'd think that imaginative packaging would be the norm in the beer category but we all know it's not. For some reason, it seems that breweries, beer marketers and their design agencies run completely out of creativity and courage when it comes to store-level, street-level packaging. Boring. Boring. Boring.

Putting a black boombox graphic on a white beer box may not be such a creative stretch for the Australian beer brand Lovell's Lager - or their agency Landor associates, Sydney, but it sure stands out in a delightful way! We love the retro wink to bygone times when having your music with you meant lugging a massive boombox. There's something decidedly macho, too, about carrying this thing. And it got us talking - and we haven't even tasted the beer yet! - Bill Tikos

Some people dream of success, others make it happen. Of course, you can dream as much as you like but waiting for things to happen gets you nowhere. Get active and start making things happen.
 
Whatever journey your path takes you on, the most important thing is to have passion in what you do.
 
How many of you went to college, got your degree, and ended up doing something totally unrelated to your major? Studying it did not make you passionate about it. It wasn’t your path.
 
Education or even talent aren’t worth much without passion. So do the stuff that you love and you've always wanted to do because without it, you'll feel stuck and unfulfilled. If you work in a bank but your dream is to be a naturopath, then make those changes now. Make this year the turning point in your life. When you do what you love you will be rewarded — it will just flow naturally.
 
Look at those around you who just make things happen. They have a clear goal in mind and they know where they want to go. They don't always have a plan but they have the passion and the tenacity to make it work, and they achieve their goals as the end result.
 
Trust us when we tell you this. If something important to you, you WILL find a way. If it isn't, you'll find an excuse. It’s that simple. Find your way. Make it work, whatever it takes. Are you 10 kilos heavier than you should be? It is simple: Commit, go to that gym every day, no excuses, and train until you lose those 10  kilos. When you accomplish this, you'll have the confidence to do more. Set a goal and make it happen.
 
Want to stop smoking? Stop making excuses, take control of your circumstances before they take control of you.
 
Success isn't just about what you accomplish in your life, it's about what you inspire others to do and when you do accomplish something as simple as quitting smoking or losing weight, you'll inspire others to do the same. Anyone can change the world, and everybody should try. And it all starts with your own life.
 
Stop waiting for the perfect time to do what you want to do. Do it now.
 
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone, so get used to being uncomfortable. It won’t kill you. Do you need a sign? Here it is: - Bill Tikos

We're looking to hire super talented CGI artists, if that's you, get in contact.

 
Why do you read TCH? Does it inspire you to create, start a business, design a product, improve an idea? Does it make you want to innovate or imitate? Does it inspire you travel, or live in another city or country?
 
Do you need someone else to tell you your product/idea/execution/brand is great? We say don’t worry what anyone else thinks, trust your own judgment. When others doubt, be confident in your vision. Stop waiting for the perfect time to do what you want to do. Just go for it and do it now.

 
Don’t’ follow fashion trends. The most fashionable thing you can be is to be you. Travel the world, live in other cities, learn cultures. Learn because it keeps your mind young. You don’t need a university degree to be successful, although it may be helpful, but don’t do it because your parents – or you? – have status anxiety. Stop whining about it.
 
But what you do need is vision, tenacity and confidence in what you do. Do what you love now. Switch topics or schools now. Don’t wait till the last year of your education to realize that this isn’t your path. Listen to your heart, it knows what makes you happy.

 
If your job sucks, stop blaming others, your boss, your parents, the unverse. Just quit and take responsibility for your own choices. It’s not about the sucky job. It is about you being in the wrong place. There’s never a better time than now.
 
Start doing what your mind has been ticking away for you to do for years. Take risks. Be in a relationship that flows effortlessly. Trust your gut feeling. Intuition is strong and powerful.
 
Stop smoking, invest in your body, get off your ass and exercise. If you’re an entrepreneur , don’t spend all night on your projects. Practice balance and time management and have a life. Your family and kids are wondering why you aren’t home for dinner, again. What a waste of your time.

 
Have the tenacity and focus to execute an idea no matter how daunting it may seem at first. Have the confidence in what you’re doing even when others doubt. Create opportunities for yourself. It is time for you to step up.
 
Here at TCH, we practice what we preach and we learn something every day. Everything we feature here on TCH, is based on intuition. We don’t care if you or anyone else don’t like it or agree with what we feature. If we did that, we’d go insane and TCH would be fake and boring and bland.
 
The coolest thing you can do is doing it. - Bill Tikos