A West Coast winter week with friends: three ski days across Whistler and Blackcomb, then a short downtown Vancouver stay with a Canucks game to finish.

Newfoundland's east coast, from St. John's to three nights on Fogo Island, with coastal trails, outports and fishing villages, icebergs in July and time on the water.

A short ski escape to Big White in the Okanagan, with true ski-in, ski-out ease, tree runs, good snow and dinners in the village between full days on the mountain.

Skiing first, then the stands: two days on Whistler and Blackcomb, then downtown Seattle for a Kraken game and the Seahawks on New Year’s Day, all over the holidays.

A multigenerational ski week in Jackson Hole beneath the Tetons: skiing for every ability, backcountry and wildlife tours and a mountain town with a country cool off the slopes.

Chicago in late December, a walkable river city of landmark architecture and storied arenas, with three leagues in four nights and a five-star stay on the river between games.

New York City in December, lit up from Midtown to Wall Street. Two nights balanced between the season's big spectacles and the calmer pace of the Upper West Side.