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Sometimes you just can't get to sleep. Unfortunately, Seattle doesn't have many options for insomniacs, especially downtown. But there are a couple places near the W Seattle and the Sheraton Seattle Hotel if you know where to look.

Kooky Cyber-Dogs is only open until midnight, but it's a great spot for a snack. The eccentric Tatiana is the entertaining owner, preparing an eclectic menu of sausages and vegan veggie dogs.

For a classy nightcap, Vessel is your destination. The sleek bar is a scene on the weekends, but on weeknights it's a quiet respite with inventive, expertly crafted cocktails and a small but tasteful food menu. It's open 'til 2 a.m., as is the Alibi Room down in the lower levels of Pike Place Market, where you can get a more substantial meal and a locally brewed beer.

For those who really can't sleep, there's The Night Kitchen. A haven for insomniacs, third-shifters and the after-bar crowd, the doors open at 6 p.m. and don't close until 9 a.m. Get a gourmet burger, eggs benedict or just coffee by the hour. (Not that you need more help staying up.)

San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood (short for "South of Market") has been growing in popularity lately, garnering attention for its on-trend restaurants, fun shops and hopping lounges. Folsom Street in particular has seen a resurgence as new hot spots intermingle with the existing leatherman bar scene. And it's all just a short walk from the W San Francisco.

Start with a cup of coffee from Sightglass. The cafe, just an open counter while the full-fledged cafe is built behind curtains, roasts its own beans and crafts spectacular cappuccinos.

Zero Zero has become a major scene for its thin-crust pizzas as well its build-your-own-dessert featuring Strauss Dairy organic soft serve ice cream. It's now open for lunch, which will hopefully not boast two-hour waits for a table, like dinner.

Twin destinations Citizen's Band and Pinkie's Bakery take diner comfort food and sweets a little upscale, with modern reinterpretations of fried chicken (pictured), pot roast and "franks and beans." Pinkie's supplies the desserts, like scrumptious sour cream cheesecake and seasonal fruit cobbler. Or make a reservation for Radius, whose French-California cuisine follows a strict 100-mile radius rule for all its ingredients. End with a carefully crafted cocktail at Bloodhound, where the decor follows a rough-hewn hunting theme, or wine at cozy Terroir.

Taste the best of Istanbul...then learn how to make it, by way of Cooking Alaturka's hands-on classes.

The "fulfilling cultural experience," located near the W Istanbul, is a tasty way to spend a morning or afternoon. The half-day English-language class kicks off with a quick lesson in the history of the recipes you'll be making. Your group of 6 to 10 will then spend about two hours preparing a five-course menu of Ottoman classics, regional specialties, and home-cooking favorites under the direction of owner Eveline Zoutendijk, a graduate of the Cordon Bleu in Paris. In a typical class, you may make lentil and bulgur soup, braised eggplant, zucchini pancakes, minced meat and rice-stuffed vine leaves, and syrupy sponge cakes with hazelnuts. After the cooking is done comes the best part - lunch or dinner, paired with local wine. The kitchen flows into a 25-seat restaurant, outfitted with soothing green walls and food-themed art painted by Eveline. Then post-dining, browse Cooking Alaturka's small shop, where you can pick up Turkish ingredients like ground Antep pistachios and pomegranate vinegar to bring home. Note: vegetarians, and those with gluten-intolerance or allergies can be accommodated.

[image via Cooking Alaturka]

This is it: we're on the verge of the dog days of summer. The only cure is ice cream. Not just any ice cream, though. Plain vanilla has its place, but I think small-batch flavors made with seasonal ingredients hit the spot with more knock-out force, don't you? Here are a couple favorites for gourmet ice cream around the country.

LA's Scoops has a devoted fanbase and a staggering range of flavors, of which 18 are available each day. You might encounter blackberry-yuzu, raspberry-balsamic or coffee-Jim Beam. And of course, this being Tinseltown, someone's trying to make a movie about the place. It's a short drive from the W Hollywood.

Five minutes from Le Meridien Cambridge-MIT is Christina's Homemade Ice Cream, with a laundry list of flavors of its own. Fresh mint, cantaloupe and honeydew would make a lovely three-scoop sundae. Or maybe ginger and lemon mousse to help cool you down.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams in Columbus just made up a batch of stone fruit and sour beer sorbet, with fresh peaches and Lambic. Or maybe backyard mint, with its whole organic mint leaves from a nearby farm, hits the spot better. Either way, the North Market location is within easy reach of the Westin Columbus, and the macaroon ice cream sandwiches are the perfect walking treat.

The hamburger is the quintessential American food, I think — even more so than apple pie. Although there are plenty of regional styles out there, the burger has become a blank slate upon which culinary artists may express their creativity. Or, they can just get crazy with it, like these three spots.

In Chicago, the top burger place in town comes with a side of metal. Heavy metal rules at Kuma's Corner, where it plays on the stereo and every burger on the menu is named after a metal band. The half-pound burgers range from the conventional (the Mastodon, topped with bacon, cheddar, barbecue sauce and frizzled onions) to the haute (the Lair of the Minotaur, with pancetta, caramelized onions, brie and bourbon-soaked poached pears) to the downright nuts (the Slayer, a platter of chili cheese fries with a burger and andouille sausage under the chili). Make the trek from the W Chicago - Lakeshore and be prepared to wait for a table.

The Lunchbox Laboratory in Seattle embraces the insanity. Its daily experiments, aka, specials, are the draw here — ridiculous mounds of toppings smother the premium ground beef or "dork" (ground duck and pork) patties, all but daring you to try to use the bun to lift it to your mouth. Grab a cab from the W Seattle, and stop at an ATM on the way — these burgers are pricey, but definitely worth it.

It's hard to tell you where to go from the W Los Angeles - Westwood to find Yatta-! Truck, a food truck featuring the All-American, a cheeseburger-like sushi roll filled with beefsteak, pickle and melted cheese, tempura fried. Follow the truck on Twitter to find out where to get this weird wonder.