Mazatlán

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Friends, near and far

Living in paradise can be a great way to meet people!  We have had several wonderful introductions recently that wouldn’t have happened unless we lived here in Mazatlán. My sister was at a party with some people she has known for years – their kids played soccer together through many years of school.  So when my sister heard that they were heading to Mazatlán, she shared that I live here and suggested we get together.  She gave them my blog...

It’s Moto Week in Mazatlán!

Semana Santa and Moto Week overlapped this year in Mazatlán!  Semana Santa ends this Sunday, with school back in session next Monday, and 15,000 motorcycles descended on Mazatlán for the 15th Annual Moto Week that started last Thursday and runs through tomorrow.  The hotels are full and happy, and the atmosphere is festive and fun. Thursday night we drove up to the Golden Zone to have dinner at Zab Thai (yes, it was delicious, of course) and what a scene...

There’s a lot of wet paint around here

Winter is the perfect time to paint here in Mazatlán.  The temperature is comfortable – mid 70’s to mid 80’s – and the humidity is low.  But this year in addition to the normal homeowner updating here in Centro there seems to be an effort by the city to get some paint on buildings that badly need it.  I don’t know the details of the program, but with tourism down like it is, putting some additional people to work is...

Gearing up for Carnaval!

The city is busy with preparations for Carnaval… it starts Thursday, and if the artwork around Centro is any indication, it is going to be an especially good time this year!  Here is a link to my Carnaval 2010 gallery – I will keep adding photos as I take them so come back here or go to the menu bar at the top and click on Photos to see what’s new....

It was one of those Mexico moments…

We’d planned on spending the day at Isla de la Piedra with Jessica and Lourdes, but the usually perfect weather in Mazatlán had changed to a downpour seldom seen in the winter.  It rained for 12 hours straight, and the drains around town were trying their best to handle the challenge. So instead of walking that night we took the car when we went to dinner (another delicious Pizza Moreno meal!) and headed home past the Plazuela Machado.  Originally we...

How about a Centro update ?

There’s been a lot of activity in various buildings  around Centro lately – some good and some bad. About a week ago there was a bit of a furor with several properties being remodeled or razed without the authority of INAH. (INAH is the historic preservation organization) There was a building demolished in Centro.  (above) The historic Haas home is being redone partially to become the new home of the Carnaval Museum, and they started to break a hole in...

There’s plenty to do around here…

I’ve talked before about how there is always a lot going on in Mazatlán in the wintertime.  Here’s a taste: Last Friday was the First Fridays Art Walk.  (actually the second Friday because of New Years Day) A couple of friends came over and the four of us headed out together.  There had to be several hundred people cruising around Centro clutching maps (see above) and visiting artist studios, galleries, and private homes.  We saw some wonderful art while chatting...

Painting the town …

There are some very talented urban artists here in Mazatlán.  Last week we were walking down Mariano Escobedo and watched several artists working on a ruin.  This was broad daylight and they signed the work, so we believe that the property owner gave his permission.  So without further ado, here are pictures of the new work. There are more Mazatlán urban art pictures here, taken over the last few years....

Close relations

I love all the old houses in Centro.  Many of them have close relatives on the same street.  Some look like twins, or even triplets. Some probably started life as  a much larger house, and now we notice the similarities, even though the paint may be a different color! Some, like the buildings below, appear to have always been twins.   And it looks like another set of twins below:     The ones below appear to be siblings only....

It’s a puzzle to me…

Anyone who has read this blog for long knows how much I love Mazatlán.  But sometimes I just don’t understand things around here. For example, earlier this year there was a large civic project where some of the malecon concrete surface was chipped out and replaced North of the Fisherman’s Monument.  Seemed strange to me since that portion of the malecon seemed in very good repair already.  Of course I was hoping they’d continue on South from the Fisherman’s Monument...

Excuses, excuses

I know I have been a bad blogger lately, but in wintertime there is just so much going on!  And not just social stuff, either.  I actually got some energy for a total redo of my office and sewing stuff and one of our guest rooms.  And after that I sewed myself a new blouse.  (Which, unfortunately, I don’t really like.) In winter activities like moving furniture and sitting at the sewing machine are possible to do without any discomfort...

Cruisers are in town

Mazatlán is a multi-faceted town.  We have a huge shrimp fleet.  We are the home of Pacifico Beer, Café Marino and Coppel. But tourism is a large part of what sustains the town, and part of those tourists are visitors from cruise ships that visit the port. Usually on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday there are cruise ships in town.  This month there are 24 cruise ships expected.  That’s great, because for every cruise ship of 3,500 passengers, approximately 80% leave...

Mazatlan has soul

If you don’t believe me, just read the New York Times!  Click on the here to go to the article.  There’s also a slide show, here....

windy, rainy, stormy — and now over!

Puerto Viejo took a beating! We survived non-hurricane Rick.  But wow, it was quite a storm.  So in terms of what storm categories mean,  we now have an understanding of Tropical Depression and a Tropical Storm. I don’t have any desire to get to know Hurricane! It started out Tuesday with rain pretty much all day long.  It felt like we were back in Washington – just the constant drizzle contrasted with periods of heavier rain. The Plaza de los...

the good, the bad, and the feo

The dress for Consuelo The good: Paul has come through his two weeks of the dengue unscathed.  He slept the clock around a couple of days, then mostly slept the clock around, then became well enough to only sleep half the day, and when we finally knew he was on the mend he was sleeping normally.  He lost his appetite completely for about 10 days, and thanks to the Dengue Diet he lost 8 pounds.  To all of our readers...