For those who've done NYC, Toronto is a low-key alternative for a short transatlantic city break.
Fiasco's spare reimagining, with its ingenuity and a little bit of pixie dust, offers a low-key alternative to the big-budget movie version — who needs Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, and fifty million dollars?
You might enjoy it as a low-key alternative to hyped-up American cop shows, or it might strike you as a mingy and borderline dull reworking of cop-show formulas.
On the heels of the now ubiquitous high-end luxury sneaker, the new Swedish brand Eytys offers a refreshingly low-key alternative: platform plimsolls that channel '90s Venice Beach skater shoes.
Midnight 3) WINE BY THE GLASS The stylish Whiskey Blue nightclub at the new W Santiago (3000 Isidora Goyenechea; 56-2-770-0000; wsantiago.cl) has quickly become a magnet for the city's elite, but if you're looking for a low-key alternative, head to Baco Vino y Bistro (Santa Magdalena 113/Nueva de Lyon 116; 56-2-231-4444), a new wine bar in the bustling downtown district of Providencia.
The use of SWAT teams for no-knock warrants is more expensive than the more low-key alternative, but the exact dollar amount has proved tantalizingly hard to decipher.
Elsewhere in Thailand, Phrae and Lampang, with their historic teak-wood mansions, charming streets and vibrant arts scenes, and Khon Kaen, with its university-town vibe, lakeside markets and streetfood stalls are emerging as low-key alternatives to Chiang Mai.
Hostelling International (hihostels.com) – and YHA (yha.org.uk) in the UK – places tend to be large, clean and attract travellers of all ages, while independent places vary from party-hearty icons to near-boutique low-key alternatives to hovels.
Grand policies will remain politicized, but choices between alternative implementation strategies, being low key, are more amenable to scientific input.
