Entertainment No Matter What the Weather

Wouldn't it be great to go out and shop, eat, and even sleep without losing feeling in your face? There's always an alternative to do enjoy the indoors without freezing and getting burned by heat. Many cities around the world offer underground or skyway systems that insulate visitors from the harsh elements. Here are five enclosed mini-metropolises to explore and have fun at.

Montreal

The Quebec city's RESO network comprises about 20 miles of underground passageways that link metro station, theaters, museums, universities, hotels, thousands of boutiques and restaurants, and major attractions as the Bell Centre. Art adds a decorator's touch to the tunnels.

Minneapolis

The city's windowed skyways let in natural light but banish cold. The walkways are above street level, so you have a nice view of those bundled below. The seven-mile network covers 72 blocks and links to downtown hotels, restaurants, shops, theaters, performing-arts venues and more. One drawback: Some of the bridges close after business hours or on weekends.

Houston

In Houston's Tunnel, travel high or low, but never in the suffocating Texas heat. The seven-mile system contains concourse 20 feet below downtown as well as skywalks with access to hotels, banks, restaurants and various performing-arts venues in the Theater District. Shops and services, including boutiques, snack bars and optometrists, line the walkways. The Tunnel is open only during weekday business hours, though a portion can be accessed on weekends.

Osaka

In this Japanese city known for shopping, you can spend countless hours in sprawling underground shopping arcades centered on subway stations. In addition to thousands of stores, bars and restaurants, there are also art displays, themed streets and waterfalls. Check out the stores at Whity Umeda, Hankyu Sanbangai, Dojima Underground Shopping Center and Crysta Nagahori.

Singapore

The Southeast Asian country is known for having high humidity and heavy rains, but pedestrians can keep dry and frizz-free in underground passageways that link many buildings around downtown. The biggest subterranean area is CityLink Mall, which has 60,000 square feet of retail and restaurants and connects the City Hall MRT Station to the Suntec Convention Center, five hotels, a movie theater and another mall.

So if you plan to stop by one of these places to visit and you expect to visit in the cold blistering winter or hot burning heat, then make sure you grab your wallet and your children and go on a shopping spree as if it was spring all the time.