New in Town.

Vallarta has a new food court located in the Plaza Caracol next to the new cinema. There are many new eateries slated for the spacious area but currently you can find such fast food faves as Burger King, Church's Chicken, Tower Pizza, Subway and a Chinese food option. An Italian steak house and a sushi place are scheduled to open soon as well and after an evening at the movies it will be nice to have so many noshing options.

We found a store in the lower mall that actually carries Clinique products which is a bit of a discovery. I am happy because I've always enjoyed Clinique's moisturizer and other facial products. The name of the shop escapes me but it carries a selection of shoes and purses as well.

Now you have to pay to park your car at Plaza Caracol. If you can remember to get your parking ticket stamped inside the mall then you only pay $2.oo pesos which is doable. The problem is finding the little stub inside your cluttered purse upon exiting. Sometimes it's just less hassle to pony up the money.

The "Stuff" Guide

I've been fooling for some time with the idea of writing an insiders guide to "stuff" in Vallarta and the other day I actually sat down at my new laptop (brought to us through the kindness of Canadian friends) and put fingers to keyboard. The idea was born when visiting friends would ask about quality places to eat and specifically that age old question: "where can we get good Mexican food?" There is no short answer since "Mexican food" is as varied as the country itself and since Vallarta is a port town, the best food is seafood prepared in the Mexican style. There are people out there looking for "Taco Bell" style ground beef smothered in sour cream and shredded cheddar but that just ain't real Mexican! So, it was with this in mind that I started my guide. I plan on writing about the likes of "Pescado Sarandeado," "Camarones al Coco," "Ceviche" and many other local specialties followed by an idea of where to get "the best" examples of these savory delights. Although I'm no expert food writer, I do consider myself a "foodie" which just means I think about food and seek out good food as often as possible and since I'm not being paid by any local restaurant, you can count on my advice as coming directly from my taste buds. If you have suggestions for specific topics you'd like info on, feel free to forward them. In the meantime, I'll keep plugging away at my little info guide and see what takes shape. Buen Provecho!

Wednesday Movies and Seafood.

Another good thing about living here has to do with Tuesdays and the $25 peso movies. Yesterday a group of us got together to see Roman Polanski's version of Dicken's "Oliver Twist." It was playing at the old Cine Bahia which is downtown and out of our way, but since there's a great little seafood joint close by, we all agreed to make the trip and we're glad we did!
The theater was not crowded, the price was an excellent value and the movie enjoyable. Ben Kingsley as Fagin made it all worthwhile not to mention the incredibly mesmerizing scenes of the London depicted in Dicken's novel. It's a darker version than the movie I saw as a child and of course, it's not a musical, but the film is beautifully acted and the characters so vibrant.
The name of the little seafood restaurant is"Polo's" and it's just around the corner from the cinema. Follow your nostrils! Our table faced the open kitchen where the Chef was busily tossing a fragrant array of fresh seafood into burritos, bowls and sauces. We had an order of the crab soup with the obligatory claw perched on the rim of the bowl and it was delicious. The shrimp burritos are a real treat and how can you resist the $14 peso beer or the $23 peso rum and coke? Such a deal! Treat yourself to an enjoyable afternoon that breaks up the week and doesn't break your budget.

Happy 2006!

Greetings!

For those of you curious about the New Years' celebrations in Puerto Vallarta, read on. If you were there, you might not remember, so here is my version.
I said to a friend it was like Mardi Gras in Rio albeit on a much smaller scale. The Olas Altas area was closed to vehicles and the traffic was mostly human with the exception of one poor donkey relegated to transporting drunken Gringos into the bar "Andales." He certainly earned his alflafa! Anyway, we found a table across from Andales in a bid to kick back and observe the craziness--we weren't disappointed. There were foxy girls and foxier boys, feather boas and tin foil crowns, sober matrons and drunken fishermen, model-types and neophytes, the very buff and the full-of-stuff. Bronzed gods and pale ghosts, sexy nymphs and punkers. I think you get the idea. It was a tide of life and lifestyles and made for some very entertaining viewing!

Just before midnight, we hit the top floor of our friend's condo at Vista del Sol with a pitcher of Cubas and a chest of ice. The fireworks show started and it lasted for 25 minutes!!! The whole Bay was lit up from all points and it was nothing short of spectacular. I was overwhelmed by the sheer variety of light, color and configurations. It was truly a memorable sight.