A highly educated ethno-historian and archaeologist, she received her Bachelor in Business Administration from the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey; she first worked as a banker, before her true calling caused her to leave the business world.  She pursued a second Bachelor’s in Anthropology with a specialty in Archaeology and also took her Master’s in Ethnohistory, both from the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán; ultimately, she got her Doctorate in History, awarded by the Centro de Investigación de Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social.

Marina’s true love and her gift lay in the cultures of her native country and she revels in finding a way to share them with the world. Her contagious fervor for history and culture may well have filtered down to her from her grandfather, Porfirio Aguirre Dircio, a renowned archaeologist, who made the discovery of a remarkable turquoise-encrusted funeral mask, which was acquired by the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City; some dozen years ago, a scientific study was performed on the artifact and it was determined that the mask itself was likely from 300 AD and the decorative turquoise stones were likely added in 900 AD, cementing the validity of his find and his name.

Among other inspirations, it was her grandfather’s appetite for knowledge regarding the Spanish traditions of 19th century Mexico and its history and culture that imbued her with her fervor; it was because of his influence, she says, that as a child, she painted her bedroom with a cosmos reflecting pre-Colombian art. She is quick to point out on her guided tours, the abundant, colorful murals, painted by artists who may not even be able to read. She underscores that their fiery spirit is entrenched in their artistic output and she tries to convey that zealousness to her groups. “It is very important to me to share this vibrant artwork, in these magical villages.  Art lives in people as well as in artifacts and I want to convey that concept on my tours — by experiencing historic city or village centers, going to charming restaurants, visiting private studios and artists’ ateliers, and in every way we can, soaking up the local culture.”

Marina says she has had hundreds of participants on her tours, and many, many are repeat customers, so enthralled are they with her insider-y and informative excursions and by her infectious warmth and kindness. With the tour size restricted to 16 (so that the group fits comfortably in a minivan, which is about as a large a vehicle as she and her driver like to take into small towns with narrow streets), the groups are intimate and collegial. And her journeys are priced extraordinarily reasonably, always including centrally located hotels (with breakfast—and the amenities that she knows are vital today, including Wifi) and some additional meals, transfers, museum admissions, and so on. Participants are free to dine most evenings on their own and, of course, gratuities and incidentals are not included.

“Wherever we went, Marina knew all the locals, even the mayor, and so you share a very welcoming experience, and you also travel to places where you are the only tourists!” So remarked Anne Frej, a veteran — along with her husband, Bill — of several of Marina’s tours; the Frejs are seasoned global citizens, having lived overseas for nearly 30 years, while Bill was a diplomat working for the US Agency for International Development. As a veteran traveler, Anne’s comments are all the more weighty, as she acknowledges what a special experience it is to travel with Marina. “Needless to say, in any foreign country, it’s always best to travel with a native. Because Marina is both an anthropologist and a historian, and is knowledgeable and passionate about the cultures of Mexico, her commentary is rich and detailed. Additionally, she puts an enormous amount of effort into her trips, picking out ideally situated hotels, making perfect suggestions for restaurants, and taking the group to interesting artists’ and craftsmen’s workshops.”

The Frejs will be taking off again with Marina in the fall, when she leads a trip specifically designed for the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, which is offering a singular journey, México Mágico: Magical Mexico City, created specifically for the Friends of the Folk Art. This is but one of Marina’s custom-crafted excursions which she designs for groups with very particular interests — in addition to her regular offerings — working closely with an organization and catering to its members’ unique interests. (Marina also does private tours for as few as four, or even two, people.) One such recent trip was for the Spanish Colonial Arts Society, which focused on architecture and church design.

Monroe Warshaw, a New York City-based drawings dealer, recently did back-to-back trips with Marina and has signed up for yet another this fall. “Marina manages to time her trips to take in so many interesting, fascinating local festivals — like the Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) — in Oaxaca. It is a spectacular event, with the entire town remembering deceased loved ones, and characterized by joy, not sadness.” Indeed, the Day of the Dead is a colorful, carnival-like happening, with residents preparing for it weeks ahead of time — with all of the town creating souvenirs, costumes, masks, and religious artifacts, for use in the festival parade, for sale, for show.

Among Marina’s upcoming journeys for the fall and into 2018 are the following:

Querétaro & San Luis Potosí (Sept 28-Oct 6)

This tour, which Marina refers to as “nine mystical days,” focuses on the magic of the indigenous people in Mexico’s ancestral culture. Tequisquiapan, a mere two hours from Mexico City, is becoming a popular weekend getaway destination.  It features architecture that is an unusual blend of colonial and indigenous styles and its cobble-stone streets are dotted with interesting shops offering native jewelry, various wicker-work items, and folk art. Home to Bernal’s Peak, the largest monolith in México (and the third largest in the world), is the Pueblo Magico, Villa de San Bernal, which also has charming shops selling dolls and handsome woolen products. Xilitla, surrounded by an exquisite rainforest landscape, is home to the Nahuatl and the Teenek, both indigenous peoples who still practice many of their traditional ways; it is also home to the 80-acre Las Pozas sculpture garden. San Luis Potosí, steeped in history, played a seminal role in the Mexican Revolution, and is rife with exquisite colonial architecture, parks, and an active cultural scene. Real de Catorce, once a thriving silver mining town in the high desert, is now a “‘ghost town” with a population of around 1,000; it continues to be a pilgrimage site for the Huicholes and is thought to be a place of power with a spiritual energy.

Oaxaca and Puebla for Day of the Dead (Oct 27-Nov 4)

Oaxaca is a unique, lively colonial city where two major cultures come together, the Mixtec and the Zapotec, both inspirational.  Oaxaca is rich in the native alebrijes, fanciful, colorful creatures, traditionally papier-maché, but here, they are carved from wood.  The city is rich in flavored mezcal and heady with the aroma of chocolate. The local markets sell brightly-hued textiles and the shops and pushcarts will feature countless artifacts and trinkets relating to the Day of the Dead… even black-and-white marshmallow-like candies. The trip also includes visits to some remarkable architectural sites.

Carnival in Chiapas (February 6-14, 2018)

Chiapas is alive with rainbows of pigment everywhere — and it pulsates spirituality and culturally, and is graced with wonderfully warm citizens. “The first time I visited Chiapas, I fell in love with it,” comments Marina. “Since then, I have been showing all the unique places in the area to my tour participants.  I love sharing this region.” The tour takes in four archaeological sites with incomparable beauty: Edzná, Palenque, Bonampak, and Yaxchilán. Carnival is experienced in four indigenous villages: Zinacantán, Huixtán, Tenejapa, and San Juan Chamula. In addition, there are museums to visit that specialize in textiles, traditional medicine, archaeology, and history. Among other highlights is the city of San Cristóbal de las Casas, a stunning colonial city, as well as a visit with a family in the Lacandona jungle, providing an opportunity to learn about lives that are likely diametrically unlike yours.

The Monarchs (Feb 24-Mar 4, 2018)

This is perhaps Marina’s most popular trip—and it is not about kings and queens. In early fall, each year, millions upon millions of Monarch butterflies leave southern Canada and the United States and head to the central highlands of Mexico, traveling well over 2,500 miles.  After their November arrival, they winter in Mexico and turn around in March, and return north by July.  In order to protect the butterflies, the region in Mexico that the Monarchs call home for several months has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Four generations of Monarchs are involved in a round-trip migration.  This trip includes a visit to three different sanctuaries at the famed Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, a trip to the colonial city of Morelia, visits to five pueblos mágicos, experiencing their architecture, textiles, and flavors.  There are also visits to Lake Pátzcuaro, the Paricutin Volcano, and to local folk artists.

The Textiles of Oaxaca & Chiapas / Reflections in Diversity: Exploring Culture through Textiles (June 16-26 and July 14-24, 2018)

Due to an anticipated high demand for this new experience, Marina is offering two tours next year with a focus on clothing and textiles. Both include visits to Oaxaca and Chiapas; the visits to these two cities will be similar, save that the festivals experienced with each tour will be different.  There will be marketplace and gallery visits, trips to two distinctly different colonial cities, with a focus on textiles, dyes, spinning, and weaving styles — and each visit will include a hands-on experience, so that participants will have an opportunity to actually weave a personal textile. Villages that are but a few miles apart often have vastly diverse and very particular cultures, reflected in the colors and styles of their clothing and textiles. And on the other hand, as Marina points out, “Although they live hundreds of miles apart and belong to two different cultures, Zapotec and Mayan, have many similarities in their textiles; the differences will be in the way they create their own worlds through their designs.”

In Marina’s words: “Even though the women spend hours and hours working at home weaving masterpieces of high quality and sublime beauty, most of these pieces are sold for almost nothing. Your valuing the pieces and the time it takes to weave them is a great opportunity to give to the ladies hope and strength. They will be able to continue to preserve a treasure that has been in danger for generations.”

THE DETAILS:  marinainmexico.com; 011 52 (999) 923 0870;

ma********@ho*****.com

Marina Aguirre de Samaniego
Calle 74 A no. 484 B between 55 and 57 / Col. Centro, Mérida, Yucatán / México

The very reasonably priced Marina in Mexico Tours are usually nine to eleven days; they range in approximate price from US $1,300 to $2,000 and include all lodging (based on double occupancy); breakfast in the hotel; transfers to and from the airport; in-tour transportation; and some meals.  However, participants should plan on the additional cost of most meals, gratuities, laundry, phone calls, and miscellaneous.

© Ruth J. Katz 2017  All Rights Reserved

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My wife Anne and I had been in Barcelona many years ago and knew even then that we had only scratched the surface of the available cultural richness offered in the Catalan capital. We had leisurely strolled the famous Ramblas, a pedestrian area that links the waterfront with the city center where itinerant Tango dancers twirl, tarot readers ply their craft and innumerable vendors offer traditional merchandise.

Adjacent to the Ramblas is La Boqueria, the public market that is a riot of colors, smells and energy. Yes, it can be crowded and a challenge for someone in a wheelchair at times, but to tour a site that has been in operation since 1217 and offers such an extraordinary range of goods it is well worth the effort.

During our previous time here we had explored what we could of Antonio Gaudi’s crowning achievement, the Sagrada Familia. As impressive as it was then, we were astonished to see that so much progress has since been made and though wheelchairs still face some obstacles we were able to enter the sacred confines and appreciate the noble space. Note: It is advisable to visit closer to sunset to fully appreciate the sun’s rays through the magnificent windows.

Our exhibition was held at the Museu Maritim, a marvelous museum on Barcelona’s vibrant waterfront that details the rich maritime history that signaled Spain’s early contributions to navigation, exploration and shipbuilding. Also along the waterfront is a vast promenade that people using wheelchairs can easily maneuver to soak up the Mediterranean atmosphere and marvel at the private yachts in the harbor.

Our hosts offered excursions and we gladly boarded sightseeing buses to explore the ancient areas of the city. It was wise to start our wheeling tour at the top of the pedestrian areas and save us the trouble of struggling uphill. A very exciting outing was to the Penedes wine region and we were delighted to take in the countryside and tour an historic winery and savor the fruits of their efforts.

Enormous paper mache puppets of historic Spanish figures and families of acrobats who constructed human towers six people high also royally entertained us.

Public transportation appeared to be readily available and had we extra time we would most assuredly have visited the Picasso Museum and the Miro Foundation as well as the esteemed cathedral among other sites.

Alas, we did not have that luxury but were excited to take the early train to Paris the following day. As train stations go Barcelona’s can be as confusing and stressful as any and we were relieved to attract the attention of a station assistant who ushered us to the proper queue and made sure we got on board. Some minor confusion required me to temporarily occupy a space between cars until a following stop where I could be resituated into a proper space. We had purchased our train tickets well in advance for a reasonable sum but required a last minute ticket for our companion and were fairly aghast at the price hike for late tickets. The 5-hour trip traversed scenic fields and factory installations, small, rural towns and distant horizons. By the time we arrived at the Paris station we were rested and eager to begin the next phase of our journey.

We would only have a few days to take in what we could and thankfully we had been here many years before and had already ascended the Eiffel Tower and strolled the Champs Elysees. Anne would make sure her niece experienced those landmarks and I made sure that I would see every treasure within the Louvre and nearby Musee D’Orsay. And here I am very pleased to report that consideration to those in wheelchairs has been maintained at a high level. There is no waiting in line, admission is complimentary and even the Mona Lisa has a rope line that wheelchairs have special privilege of accessing. Other portions of the Louvre are difficult to access on account of retrofitting lifts but the staff is available and the map of the galleries is probably necessary to avoid getting lost among the treasures.

A very wise piece of advice that we had learned earlier was again in effect. Knowing that wheelchairs are first allowed into the Musee d’Orsay, we arrived before opening and were inside before anyone else. We immediately ascended to the top floor where we enjoyed breathtaking work by the Impressionists, Symbolists and Post Impressionists before the crowds of the day appeared. The museum café offered delicious meals and a welcome break from studying the masterpieces and we were fortified to see the remaining works before exiting to a drizzly and traffic congested city. Being April, we had expected as much and exercised patience as we maneuvered curb cuts and waited patiently at crosswalks.

We happened to be in Paris for Easter Sunday and took the opportunity to be in attendance at a service at Notre Dame Cathedral. We were ushered in privately and allowed to come forward to take part in the sacrament. The very moving ritual was heightened by the magnificent interior and the notes of the choir seemed to echo the angels. Afterward, I had enough time to roll to the newly refurbished Picasso Museum and was very pleased to see that extra care has been taken to assure access and again received complimentary admission.

Our apartment was only a few blocks from the Louvre but not nearly as accessible as advertised. We managed to traverse a steep threshold and narrow doorway but I was still obligated to sleep on the fold out couch since I couldn’t wedge through the bedroom door. We will take extra care in the future to measure my chair’s dimensions and recommend a portable ramp be on site.

My first time on the Chunnel to London went smoothly enough and we were glad to have purchased these tickets well in advance also as the sticker-shock for our companion was even more severe than the ride up from Barcelona. I was surprised to be served lunch with beverages and offered amenities usually reserved for first class and we arrived in London in good cheer indeed. The London cabs are some of the most accessible in the world with a short ramp that makes loading a snap and so abundant that we never failed to acquire one when needed.

Since our niece only had one precious day before her return to work, I laid back at our hotel, the Doubletree in Chelsea while they got tickets for the hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus and saw as much of the city as possible. The ticket also included a cruise on the Thames that Anne took the following day while I was immersed in the study of artworks at the National Gallery. The overground station was barely a half block from our hotel and was easy enough to access. We purchased Oyster Cards to facilitate entry and made good time getting to the sites we had planned. After visits to both the Tate Britain and Tate Modern and the wonderful artworks at the Courtauld Institute we were about as saturated with culture as we could be.

Anne had heard that a rooftop garden in one of the newer skyscrapers offered free admittance and spectacular views from the observation deck. Well, not exactly. 20 Fenchurch Street is referred to as the Walkie Talkie on account of its curious shape and does indeed have a marvelous view from a large 2-story lounge with abundant plantings and a fine dining area. Admission is free but advance tickets are required and only available online. We were able to charm the attendant to allow us admittance and would’ve been sorely disappointed had they a strict policy since Anne had pushed my chair a few miles along the Strand by then.

It was a fitting conclusion to a remarkable journey. Feeling on top of the world and relishing the combined memories of magnificent artwork and architecture, engaging with colorful and helpful people, sampling regional cuisine and being entertained by traditional performers. I am deeply grateful to my wife Anne, whose unending patience and good humor made the journey a delight and we were pleased to offer one another a special toast in celebration of our very good fortune.

The post Barcelona, Paris & London: A Remarkable Artistic Journey appeared first on Traveling Archive.

The 340-square-foot Deluxe King Suite features a plush king-size bed, hardwood flooring, granite bathrooms, flat-screen television, fully stocked mini-bar, and a coffee maker. The room also comes with a comfy sleeper sofa, office desk with free hi-speed WiFi and beautiful, music-inspired artwork that is a nod to the hotel’s location across the street from Costa Mesa’s Theater and Arts District.

The highlight of the suite is a giant sliding glass door and balcony, overlooking the hotel pool and a large community park and lake full of tall trees and walking paths and flocks of ducks, geese and other local birds. The vantage point also offers incredible views of planes heading to and from John Wayne Airport about 4 miles away.

When not relaxing in the room, the family and I lounged poolside or explored the eclectic Theater District. The pool is situated on the ground floor beside the lake. It is a shady haven beneath tall trees, with umbrellas, chairs, a Jacuzzi and crystal clear water. It is a peaceful and playful spot where one can relax poolside while watching ducks and geese play in the lake.

Beyond the hotel, we found exciting and delectable food choices within walking distance or a very short car ride. One of my favorite spots was Habana, a Cuban-inspired restaurant with a large outdoor patio and fire pits. Named one of the best outdoor dining spots in the U.S by Open Table and most romantic restaurants in the U.S. on Yelp, Habana serves up tasty Cuban dishes such as Ropa Vieja with shredded beef, sofrito black beans, white rice and sweet plantains; and El Churrasco grilled skirt steak.

For our lunch we devoured Salmon a la Parrilla, a memorable piece of succulent salmon in a spicy tomato cream sauce, with sofrito black beans, buttered white rice, and sweet plantains; and a half roasted chicken with garlic mojo, pickled white onions, sofrito black beans, buttered white rice and sweet plantains.

Habana is located in an eclectic enclave called The LAB. The name stands for “Little American Business” and is a celebration of small and unique businesses and restaurants. Besides Habana Restaurant, The LAB features old, silver Airstream trailers selling clothes and jewelry, an organic coffee shop, a few small hidden bars, and more.

After lunch we headed back to Avenue of the Arts Hotel to relax by the pool and walk around the lake to watch geese, ducks, fish and turtles frolic in the water. We then explored the 238-room, AAA Four-Diamond hotel. Located in the heart of Costa Mesa’s Theater and Arts District, Avenue of the Arts is an eclectic art-filled property with boutique charm and a flair for luxury. The modern rooms and suites are stylish, with plush furnishings and beds, and a resort-style feel.

Next to the hotel is the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, a world-class performing arts campus and Orange County’s largest non-profit arts organization. An architectural gem, the center boasts six performance venues — the main two being Segerstrom Hall and Renee & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. The place is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School. The campus is getting a new addition later this year when the new 53,000-square-foot, Orange County Museum of Art opens.

Across the street from Segerstrom Center for the Arts is South Coast Plaza, a renowned international destination for shopping and dining that is home to more than 250 prominent boutiques and acclaimed restaurants.

After touring the area we had drinks and appetizers at the hotel’s signature dining spot, Silver Trumpet Restaurant & Bar. The restaurant offers an artisanal culinary experience to match the creative arts district. The contemporary California cuisine is served under the direction of expert Chef Hector Zamora in a sophisticated dining space surrounded by tranquil lake views.

Our next stop was an outdoor dance class at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Every Tuesday night a professional dancer leads participants in different types of dance, from Broadway shows to Salsa.

From here we headed to Spain, via Costa Mesa. In other words we had an exciting and delicious Authentic Spanish dinner at Vaca. Located next to Segerstrom Center, Vaca is operated by Chef Amar Santana (runner up on Bravo’s Top Chef Season 13). Vaca is known for specialty imported meats and cheeses, and assorted tapas from the diverse regions of Spain. At Vaca dishes are tapas and family style and are “meant to share over great conversation, atmosphere and with an amazing crafted drink or aromatic wine in hand.”

Our meal was highlighted by various tapa plates such as Pulpo A La Gallega, warm spanish octopus, fingerling potatoes, pimentón, spanish olive oil; Gambas Al Ajillo, sautéed shrimp , olive oil, garlic, chili flakes, grilled bread; Albacore Tataki, albacore tataki, strawberry, yuzu-ginger-soy, toasted sesame seeds, crispy quinoa, cilantro; and Piquillos Rellenos, beer battered, cheese stuffed piquillo peppers, pickled grapes, peanut romesco. For dessert we had decadent and delicious fresh-made churros with chocolate dipping sauce.

Other tasty food places to try in Costa Mesa include Outpost Kitchen, a gourmet coffee and organic food eatery; Marugame Udon, homemade noodles; Pie Society, a local speakeasy / pizzeria with hand-crafted cocktails and pitfire pizza; and Sidecar Doughnuts, which was recognized by Food & Wine as California’s Best Doughnut.

More info on Avenue of the Arts Hotel

More info on Costa Mesa

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SAN BLAS, Mexico – When you’re self-isolating at home, whiling away the hours scanning the internet for recipes, did you ever stumble across Mexico’s most-watched television show, “Master Chef Mexico?” How about the celebrity chef herself, Betty Vasquez, one of the show’s three judges? The name didn’t ring my bell, either. But when I searched online for “famous chefs Mexico,” planning ahead for our upcoming trip to Puerto Vallarta, I was amazed to find Betty – and her restaurant, El Delfin – in San Blas, a couple of hours north on the Riviera Nayarit.

Later on, when my partner Steve suggested that we spend an overnight exploring San Blas, I agreed, as long as it included dinner at Betty’s. “It’s only two, maybe three hours north of Puerto Vallarta on Highway 200,” said Sonia, the concierge who checked us into the Miraval Hotel, in Nuevo Vallarta. “Take your time and look around. It’s scenic all the way up the coast, with sandy beaches if you want to swim. We take our bathing suits and eat lunch at one of the villages. My favorite? In Sayulita, maybe, or San Pancho.”

Thanks to my parents, inveterate travelers, Mexico was familiar country. But we’d never explored the state of Nayarit or its spectacular western border, the Pacific coast. Leaving the PV cruise ship port and the airport behind, we crossed the border north into Nayarit, leaving the tourist world – crowded souvenir shops, shopping centers and tourist hotels – behind. Within minutes, the landscape gave way to open country, interrupted here and there by fields, jungle thickets, giant trees, crossroads with houses and an occasional village. According to Steve, who’d done his homework, San Blas, population just 8707, was once an important port. At the mouth of a river, it was a source of fresh water, a necessity when, in the 1500s, Spain’s “treasure ships,” sailing northeast from the Philippines laden with silks and spices, made landfall. Repurposed as an official naval base in the mid-1700s, it was the port from which the Spanish empire, threatened by Russia’s settlements in Northern California and Alaska, sent a company of soldiers and colonists north to build the missions, led by Father Junipero Serra.

Our first brief stop, in Buceritas, was just long enough to explore the arts and crafts market on Lazaro Cardenas Avenue, a block from the beach, and to grab a ten-minute dip in the ocean. Passing a half-dozen Canadians retirees, lounging on the sand, they stopped us long enough to offer a cold beer. “We come every winter for three months,” they said. “Join us, it’s marvelous.”

We couldn’t miss the next stop, at Sayulita, one of Mexico’s historic “magic towns.” Popular with tourists and famous for miles of surfing beach and endless waves, Sayulita’s narrow cobblestone streets are shaded by trees and lined by art galleries, craft shops, cafes, ice cream vendors, bars, cottages and sheds, all crammed onto every buildable inch. Following mobs of shoppers, mostly Mexican vacationers, we found a beachside café, ordered ice tea and waded in the waves.

Then it was on to San Pancho – officially, San Francisco – where iguanas live in the trees shading the central plaza and where I bought a primitive painting from a sidewalk artist.

“My father paints all of these,” said Marco, flipping through half-dozen scenes, all different. “He makes the paper, too,” he explained, showing me the ragged edges. Colored flags strung between the rooftops led the way to the ocean and Las Palmas Restaurant where we sat under an umbrella on the beach front, watched the surfers and ordered lunch. Overwhelmed by a platter piled with six kinds of tacos and a cold pint, an hour ticked away in no time. By the time we finally reached San Blas the sun was hanging over the ocean, reflected in shivery streaks.

As we circled the plaza, crowded with mothers pushing baby strollers, old men playing checkers and skinny kids chasing each other around the fountain, I caught a whiff of barbecued pork. Street food! A wave of nostalgia made my heart thump and I felt like a ten-year-old, traveling with my parents. Still, San Blas is unlikely to ever be on someone’s bucket list. Simplicity, its greatest charm, is also its only charm. If you’ve seen Director Alfonso Cuaron’s film “Roma,” the story of ordinary families coping with life in Mexico in the 1970s, you know what I mean. As we pulled into the gas station, the attendant, a rangy fellow in cowboy boots ambled over to the pump. “If you want to taste real Nayarit cooking,” he said, glancing at our tourist map, spread out on the dashboard, “try the Hotel Garza Canela, that way,” he said, pointing toward the ocean. “They have a restaurant there and a pool.”  Was it Betty Vasquez’s restaurant? He wasn’t sure.

Heading for the hotel, a large, old-fashioned building behind a wall, we found the door, booked a room for the night, and asked about the restaurant, the El Delfin. “It’s right there, through the door, across the patio,” said Rosa, the desk clerk, pointing the way. “It’s still early, so you’ll be the only ones there.”  Stepping outside, I realized that we were behind a wall in a multi-acre, traditional, colonial-style hacienda, with a spacious patio and garden, leafy trees scattered about and two or three other buildings. A swimming pool was visible in the distance, beyond the door to the restaurant.

“Come in, come in, we’re open,” said a woman standing at the open door, her brown hair twisted into a bun. “My father spent hours out here, weeding and watering,” she said, smiling. “He loved this garden. Come in, I’m Betty.” she said, holding the door. I was so thrilled that I couldn’t think of what to say, but she shook hands and looked pleased. “You’ve come all this way, just to eat?” she asked, showing us to a table. “I’m so glad you’re here.” By this time, I was bursting with curiosity. “What do you think?” I asked Steve, after we’d looked all around, ordered from the menu, and she’d disappeared into the kitchen. “Her bio says she studied at the Cordon Bleu, in Paris.” Twenty minutes later the dinner arrived, and we wielded our forks. “This is delicious,” said Steve, savoring a bite of baked pork loin, with a fruit and chipotle sauce. “Here, try it,” he said, handing over a couple of bites. “Did you order curried shrimp?” he asked. “Am I tasting coconut milk?”  We were scanning the dessert menu when she returned with coffee, and to my surprise she sat down to talk.

“Tell me, will you be here long?” said Betty. “I’ve loved traveling in Europe and overseas, and I love the year I spent in France. But this is our family home. My roots are here in San Blas. Do you have time to tour? You must see the fort on the hill.” I grabbed my pen and began to scribble. Visit the fort on San Basilico Hill. Check ocean view and look for big white rock in ocean. Huichol people call it Tatei Haramara, the sea goddess. Walk through old church next to fort, La Nuestra Senora del Rosario. Swim at Las Islitas beach, on Matanchen Bay. Bring bug spray. Highlight is guided boat tour on Santiago River estuary in La Tovara National Park, with birds and crocodiles. “You know,” said Betty, pausing to think, “Why don’t I show you around? I’m going out of town tomorrow afternoon, but I’m free in the morning. We’re filming the next season of MasterChef Mexico and I have to be there.  We have three judges, and I’m one of them.”

After touring with Betty, who pointed out her favorite shop, the vegetable market and the ice cream shop she loved as a teenager, she left and we headed to the beach for the afternoon. The next morning, on her advice, we joined a boat tour through the La Tovara Park bird sanctuary, guided by naturalist Francisco Garcia. I was prepared to be as bored that morning as I’d been thrilled the night before. That is, until it became another one of the best adventures we didn’t plan. Gliding quietly upstream on the estuary, spotting rare birds at every turn; winding among the mangroves until the estuary met the river; watching the clear water curl around the muddy water and the sun-loving flowers crowding the banks; La Tovara Park was as enchanting as El Delfin dinner was unforgettable.

Just the Facts:

Touring the Riviera Nayarit

Hotel Garza Canela: rooms for 1-6 US $90-$275.

Entrees at El Delfin restaurant: US $10-$25

From Puerto Vallarta by car: 79 miles, 2-3 hrs, Hwy 200 North, then State 16.

From Guadalajara: 162 miles, 3-4 hours.

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Everyone knows Santa Fe is synonymous with art, whether Southwestern, Native American or contemporary. Therefore, it is no surprise that the city is the first in the country to be designated a UNESCO Creative City for Craft and Folk Art with 250-plus galleries. Rest assured, I’m not going to cover them all. For me, “The City Different” designation goes beyond that.

Let’s first dispense with the museums. No disrespect intended. The SITE Santa Fe Museum of Contemporary Art, The Museum of International Folk Art, the New Mexico History Museum, New Mexico Museum of Art, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, the Georgia O’Keefe Museum plus so many others are indeed wonderful – each one warranting a visit.

Every museum an immersive emotional connection to whatever and whoever it is celebrating. Not to mentions the hundreds of galleries proffering paintings and pottery, artworks and art wear and artifacts, jewelry, ceramics, sculpture, photography – have I forgotten any form of artistic expression? – and if by any stretch of the imagination you have not seen enough art,  there are galleries on steroids and shopping opportunities galore at the Railyard Arts District, Canyon Road and, of course, all around the central plaza which forms the heart of the city.

At this point, I am just longing for some other type of attraction, some sightseeing stereotype – and fortunately, Santa Fe has those, as well. There are three very old structures, each sporting its own history and appeal. First, the Loretto Chapel, built in 1873 as the first Gothic, as opposed to adobe, structure west of the Mississippi and home to probably the most inspirational staircase anywhere. Here’s the story: the architect building the church died before access to the choir loft could be constructed, and the chapel was too small to allow for a traditional staircase. So the nuns did what nuns do: they prayed to St. Joseph, the Patron Saint of Carpenters for 9 days, at which time a carpenter appeared without any of the tools needed to build a staircase. And yet a spiral staircase, taking up little floor space, was built – at which point he disappeared without thanks or payment.

The Miraculous Staircase, as it’s understandably known, built with simple tools, wooden pegs and rare wood not native to the American Southwest, has two complete 360 degree turns with no center pole for structural support.  The entire weight of the staircase rests on the bottom stair. I’m not knowledgeable enough to recognize the feat of engineering this required but I am discerning enough to delight in and be amazed by the story. Just the visual of the staircase itself is moving.

And then there is the Oldest House. And by old, I mean really old as its adobe foundation dates back to an ancient Indian Pueblo circa 1200. The museum itself is relatively new, as recent as 1646. Two rooms with even newer household artifacts from the 1800’s to1900’s rest on part of the original foundation conveying a sense of the family life that thrived back then. Not surprisingly, a sheaf of dried red peppers so prevalent in modern-day Santa Fe also make their appearance here; red chili peppers hang in historical perpetuity!

From oldest house in the U.S. to the oldest Church – San Miguel Mission – and it’s still operating today. You’re probably beginning to pick up that I am more of a history buff than art connoisseur…  Santa Fe and the church were pretty much born in the same year – 1610 – and once again, the original foundation is still evident. There are a number of very old paintings flanking the walls but the most exciting feature is a large church bell sitting proudly behind the mission pews with its own fascinating history dating back to 1356. Now that’s impressive!

The chapel, the church and the house are all situated on the Santa Fe Trail – its own historic landmark — which in 1821 connected Missouri and New Mexico, heralding a decades-long period of trade, adventure and western mobility unheard of before in the new nation. The historic trail ends in the Santa Fe Plaza, which forms the heartbeat and soul of the city. There many Native Americans gather to sell their wares daily alongside the Palace of the Governors. Upon entering the city, we spotted decorative Native symbols on a bridge, heralding an immediate connection with Native American history and culture. That never dissipates. And indeed permeates every facet of the city.

As a Washington, DC resident, I was amused to see a Redskins cap on the head of one of the vendors. When I mentioned the controversy surrounding the name – many claim it is culturally derogatory – he proudly said, “I am a Redskin,” alluding to a lot more than the football team. As for those who object?  “That’s only East Coast lawyers wanting to make money,” he asserted. We left with a hearty, “Go Redskins,” having brought all the history of Santa Fe into the modern era! Native American culture comes full circle!  And oh yes, there is also the art!

For more information, visit the Santa Fe travel site

The post Santa Fe, New Mexico: An Homage to the Art(s) of Being Different appeared first on Traveling Archive.

They came by the thousands. It was not the first time, nor would it be the last. These were young Americans, many of whom who had never lived more than forty-miles from their place of birth. This all changed with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Most of the U.S. military bases were located in California and the recruits were shipped to an unfamiliar landscape of wide-open spaces, eternal sunshine, crystal-clear ocean waters and groves of citrus trees where you could pick an orange right from the branch. When WWII ended, many of those who were fortunate enough to return home remembered this paradise found. Winters didn’t mean having to dig your car out of the snow each morning or wearing your heaviest boots and gloves to the factory. Many of these families packed their bags and headed to this promised land of the West – where the beaches were wide and expansive, and the Pacific horizon seemed to say that anything was possible.

This California no longer exists. The citrus groves have been razed and track homes have taken their place. Factories and industries have flourished on the once inexpensive and seemingly limitless terrain. Southern California, has now become something else, and, like all things in our land, will continue to grow and evolve.

With endless attractions along the way, there is still a pieces of paradise that resembles this dream of the post WWII years. Although it too has changed, this area still remains the closest to reflecting the California of that bygone era. It begins on the Pacific Coast Highway in San Diego, and continues north to Pismo Beach on the Central California Coast.

San Diego – “America’s Finest City”

Arriving at the Santa Fe Depot, we discovered that we didn’t need a car or even want one. So we ditched my car and headed to the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System Bus and Trolley, which allows you to be car-free while exploring the city. The purchase of a three-day Day Tripper pass would transport us to all the attractions.

A short trolley ride took us to the heart of the vibrant East Village. Once a derelict warehouse district, the East Village redefined itself with the completion of PETCO Park baseball stadium. Now downtown’s hippest neighborhood, the area features luxury hotels, condominiums, residential/work lofts, restaurants and galleries. Who would have thought that unassuming San Diego would become a national role model for urban renewal? The historic Gaslamp Quarter, which spills into (or is part of) the East Village (everyone seems to have a different opinion), is lined with Victorian-era buildings, housing restaurants, pubs, galleries, theaters and shops. For history buffs, the Victorian-style Horton Grand Hotel was once the seven-year home of Wyatt Earp.

Accommodations were at the chic Hotel Indigo, the first LEED certified green hotel in San Diego. Virtually all the building materials used were recycled products, with a design reflecting Fibonacci numbers and plant spirals, creating a harmonious ambience. Creature comforts included spa-like baths, 37” flat panel HDTVs, designer furnishings, plush bedding, sleek hardwood floors and complimentary high-speed Internet access. Sitting at the 9th floor Phi Bar Terrace, we gazed in wonder at PETCO Park’s field, even though there wasn’t even a game in process.

Old Town is the first permanent European settlement in California. In 1769, Father Juniper Serrano established a chain of 21 missions; each situated a day’s horse ride away. Today the San Diego Mission overlooks a collection of historic adobe buildings, shops and restaurants. The Old Town Trolley tour is the best way to get an overview of what is considered the birthplace of California.

The 100-acre San Diego Zoo is a sanctuary for over a thousand animals; a place to learn of conservation efforts to protect wildlife from extinction. The setting is stunning, with exotic plant life utilized throughout the park. Start your tour with a tram ride, which offers a comprehensive overview of the zoo.

Balboa Park is the nation’s largest urban cultural park. Home to 14 museums, performing arts venues, spectacular gardens, it is a must-see attraction. Admittance is free to the grounds, but there is an admission charge for a number of the attractions. The Stay-for-the-Day pass offers admission to your choice of any 4 of the 14 participating attractions.

Little Italy dates back to the days of San Diego’s fishing industry when generations of Italian fisherman called the area home. Today Little Italy is a vibrant neighborhood of restaurants, pubs, galleries and shops. It also features a world-class Saturday farmer’s market.

A trip to the USS Midway Museum was how we wanted to end our San Diego stay. The collection of 60 exhibits and 25 restored aircraft aboard the aircraft carrier was a heartfelt tribute to the men and women who have served our country. The tour colored my thoughts as we strolled back to our car in preparation for the next stop in our journey.

Laguna Beach – The California Riviera

Laguna’s history dates back to the arrival of the first Amer-Indian tribe – believed to originate from the Shoshone family. Attracted by the plentiful supply of fish and shell fish, they also hunted deer in the surrounding canyons. They referred to the area as Lagona (lakes), due to the fresh water lakes in the canyon. In 1933, a 17,000 year-old-skull was found in Laguna, indicating the tribe’s early presence in the area. In the 1800s, the Spanish retitled the area Canada de las Lagunas (canyon of the lakes).

The first Euro-American settlers arrived in 1870, followed by tourists who came for the cool ocean breezes as a reprieve from California’s brutal inland weather. Accommodations were in tents, but this all changed with the building of the Hotel Laguna in 1889. Now christened Laguna, the area was on its way to becoming a popular tourist resort. Hollywood was not immune to Laguna’s charm, with the likes of Bette Davis, Mary Pickford, Judy Garland, Rudolph Valentino, Charlie Chaplin and Mickey Rooney maintaining homes in town. Laguna was transformed into an arts community when painter Norman St. Clair first set his eyes on this stunning landscape. He was so taken by the beauty of the area that he spread the word to his artist colleagues in San Francisco. Today Laguna boasts over 100 galleries, the Laguna Art Museum, Sawdust Festival, Art Walk and the Pageant of the Masters, an once-in-a-lifetime re-creation of paintings, staged using real people. The city fathers have established several measures that ensure slow growth and preservation of Laguna’s terrestrial and marine environments.

Laguna’s Downtown Village tree-lined streets, features aforementioned galleries, quaint boutiques, restaurants, palatial resorts, intimate bed and breakfasts and seaside cottages.

Our accommodations were at Sunset Cove Villas, a selection of eight themed luxury villas, nestled on a bluff overlooking the ocean in the heart of the village. We scored big time by booking the two-bedroom, two-bath, fully-equipped Seychelles Villa – a mere few steps to the beach.

We could have stayed there forever, luxuriating on the private deck, but then remembered there was an important appointment on our schedule – a painting class at the home of the Sawdust Art Festival.

The intimate class was conducted by John Eagle, a former stockbroker who became a full-time painter in his mid-fifties. He’s listed in “Who’s Who in American Art.” After a few brush strokes, it became clear that I was not destined to be another Monet, but John was patient with me and I found the experience both insightful and, above all, relaxing.

After a day of beachcombing and gallery hopping – two of which featured John’s inspiring Impressionist-style paintings – I decided that painting was destined to be part of my future and planned on purchasing my own art equipment.

We continued on our lazily drive up the Pacific Coast Highway, lined with beach towns and spectacular scenery. Soon we were in Malibu. The morning sun was just breaking over the ocean, with scores of surfers waiting patiently on their boards for the BIG One; a wave so monumental that it would change their lives. I remembered a trip to the North Shore on Oahu where a lifelong surfer told me that he became a dedicated surfer when he rode a wave that was so majestic and  powerful that he literally fell in love with it. He had been waiting over another ten years to ride another one. Such is the passion of the surfer in their quest to find the perfect wave.

The Central Coast

We decide to do pit spot, then walk up on the Malibu Pier to watch the rubber clad surfers. I noticed a billboard in the distance which advertised the Chumash Casino. It made me think of the REAL first inhabitants of the Central Coast.

Archaeologist findings indicate that for over 13,000 years the Chumash Tribe were the first inhabitants of the central coastal regions of California with the first settlement started near the Santa Barbara coast. The name Chumash means bead maker or seashell people. Pismo Beach, in fact, got its name from the Chumash, who referred to the area as a place to find pismu, or tar. Spanish archeologists called these early coastal residents playano (beach people). The Chumash, renowned for their magnificent redwood plank canoes, subsided on a staple of ground acorns, wild game and the (now almost depleted) Pismo Clam. The Chumash’s way of life almost ended during the Spanish Missionary Period, but the remaining decedents found a rebirth with their Las Vegas-style casino in Santa Ynez – the Chumash Casino.

Chumash History from the Perspective of the Chumash

Our people once numbered in the tens of thousands and lived along the coast of California. At one time, our territory encompassed 7,000 square miles that spanned from the beaches of Malibu to Paso Robles. The tribe also inhabited inland to the western edge of the San Joaquin Valley.

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Ventura – “The Real California”

I gazed in wonder at the spectacular land and seascape. The place: Ventura – nestled between Malibu and Santa Barbara on the southern-most part of California’s Central Coast. Billed as ‘The Real California,’ we couldn’t wait to see what it had to offer.

With the arrival of the Spanish in the 18th Century, Mission San Buenaventura was established by Father Junipero Serra, the ninth of the California missions. He named it after the Italian, St. Bonaventure, hence the nickname: city of good fortune. Ventura was incorporated in 1866, and grew due to the establishment of the Union Oil Company and an influx of settlers from the east. Located between the Ventura River and the Santa Clara River, settlers found the soil so fertile that citrus grew better there than anywhere else in the state. In 2005, the City Council adopted a visionary plan, focusing on delivering key services within available means and promoting sustainable prosperity.

“Hey, wanna hit some thrift shops,” Deb gleefully shouted as we strolled down Main Street. Indeed, there were scores of them lining the avenue. What I liked best is that Ventura’s revitalized downtown reflects a hybrid of a bygone era and the glitz of new boutiques, wine bars, restaurants, inns, galleries and stage theaters. Suggested stops: the Mission San Buenaventura, Museum of Ventura County and Albinger Archaeological Museum. Make sure to pick up a complimentary Historic Downtown Walking Tour Guide at the Ventura Visitors & Convention Bureau.

The Ventura coast possesses vast stretches of uncrowded beaches, surf spots, harbor cruises and a gentle 13-mile coastal bikeway – which made me aware that I needed to get into better shape. With the sun at my back I remembered that early Spanish settlers also coined Ventura the land of endless summers with its year-round daytime temperatures averaging 70 degrees.

Ventura’s most amazing attraction lies 14 miles out to sea; Channel Islands National Park comprises five of the eight Channel Islands off the California Coast: Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel and Santa Barbara Island. This stunning nature preserve is often referred to as the  Galapagos of the North  because it is home to more than 2,000 species of plants and animals – 145 of which are unique to the islands and found nowhere else on earth. Excursions launch from Ventura Harbor daily, with hikers on board looking to either camp or snorkel in the crystal clear waters. We opted for a package with Channel Islands Outfitters and Island Packers, where the voyage began on an Island Packers bio-diesel boat to Scorpion Harbor on Santa Cruz Island. Even the ride over was a great experience, spotting whales, dolphins and thousands of sea birds. Once we reached the island, we found recreational options abound, including hiking, camping, snorkeling and kayaking.

We opted for a kayak tour guided by the gentle hands of Channel Islands Outfitters’ Clay Downing. Paddling through arches and into sea caves, reminded me of cenotes, the fresh water underground springs in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

Pismo Beach – “Classic California”

The city of Pismo Beach was incorporated in 1951 and from the beginning was a natural as a tourist destination with its long white beaches, great weather, and spectacular views. This is not the town, though, where time has stood still. However, it has done its best to embrace the best of the past and has engineered tourist friendly packages that showcase all the wonders the area has to offer today. As we explored Pismo, I could see it was a place where everyone seems to fit – surfers and seniors walking their dogs share the same beach. Fishermen try to catch the big one from the iconic Pismo pier. You can drive and camp on the beach just down the coast at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. Pismo boasts over 30 restaurants and more than 50 motels, hotels, and RV parks. You can enjoy bicycling, golfing, hiking, nature walks, water sports, Hummer adventure tours and horseback riding – also right on the beach!

Pismo Beach is the winter home of the Monarch butterfly that comes to stay annually from October to February. Pismo also makes a wonderful home base for exploring the Central Coast’s other attractions that include the Danish Village of Solvang (Danish for ‘sunny field’), a stunning village nestled in the Santa Ynez Valley. Founded in 1911 by a small group of Danish teachers, Solvang is the place for fine restaurants serving authentic Danish cuisine, import shops, windmills, hayrides, Danish festivals and activities for all ages. It is also home of the Old Mission Santa Inés.

Pismo also serves as the gateway to Hearst Castle, as well as a home base for exploring well-over 100 wineries (think the film, “Sideways.”) shops, boutiques and little B&Bs of the quaint village of Cambria, and the previously mentioned Chumash Casino. Yes, Pismo lived up to its Classic California moniker. But the real attraction was the Pacific Ocean. Paradise found. We couldn’t wait to explore the expansive and pristine beaches. We could spend some serious time here. But now after seven-days on the road it was time to relax… even though I’d been doing plenty of that already.

The post San Diego to Pismo Beach in 7-Days appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Terry was right. We’re lucky to live in California. There’s so much here that it’s easy to take it for granted. So I decided to emulate the Nishimoto trek and spend some time in this vacation paradise to see for myself. But first a little research was in order.

Back Story

Laguna’s history dates back to the arrival of the Ute-Aztecas Tribe (later referred to as the Shoshones). Attracted by the plentiful supply of fish and shell fish, they also hunted deer in the surrounding canyons. They referred to the area as Lagona (lakes), due to the fresh water lakes in the canyon. In 1933 a 17,000 year-old-skull was found in Laguna, indicating their early presence in the area. In the 1800s, the Spanish titled the area “Canada de las Lagunas” (canyon of the lakes).

The first Anglo-American settlers arrived in 1870, followed by tourists who came for the cool ocean breezes as a reprieve from California’s brutal inland weather. Accommodations were in tents on the beach, but this all changed with the building of the Hotel Laguna in 1889. Now christened Laguna, the area was on its way to becoming a popular tourist resort. Hollywood was not immune to Laguna’s charm, with the likes of Bette Davis, Mary Pickford, Judy Garland, Rudolph Valentino, Charlie Chaplin and Mickey Rooney maintaining homes in town. Laguna was transformed into an arts community when English watercolorist. Norman St. Clair first set his eyes on this stunning landscape. He was so taken by the beauty of the area that he spread the word to his artist colleagues. Today Laguna boasts over 100 galleries, the Laguna Art Museum, Sawdust Festival, Art Walk and the Pageant of the Masters, a once-in-a-lifetime re-creation of paintings, staged using real people. There is really no way to describe the Pageant; it must be seen to be believed… I was impressed to find that the city fathers have established several measures that ensure slow growth and preservation of Laguna’s terrestrial and marine environments.

On to Laguna

I loaded up my car at 11:00 AM in Studio City, and before I knew I was at Laguna Canyon Road, the northern gateway to the Village. I checked my watch: I had made it an hour and ten minutes. I was already impressed as I cruised down this “road to heaven” that cuts through the canyon to the Village. The first thing I noticed was the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, a seemingly endless array of connecting hiking trails which had to offer awesome coastal views. Somewhere in the canyon were the remnants of the old Timothy Leary Mystic Arts compound. I made a note that we should check it out, but then decided that that part of my life should stay in the 60s.

Soon I cruised past the Pageant of the Masters and Sawdust Festival sites and then arrived at the tree-lined streets of the Downtown Village, complete with aforementioned galleries, quaint boutiques, gift shops, restaurants, bars, palatial resorts, intimate bed & breakfasts and seaside cottages. Then I saw it – the Pacific Ocean. Paradise found. I couldn’t wait to explore the 20 coves and pristine beaches, stretching 9.1 square miles. Yes, I could spend some serious time here.

My accommodations were at Sunset Cove Villas, a collection of luxury-themed villas, nestled on a bluff overlooking the ocean in the heart of the village. I scored big time by booking the two-bedroom, two-bath, fully-equipped Seychelles Villa – a mere few steps to the beach. Furnished in leather, teak and bamboo, our home for the weekend featured large glass windows with breathtaking ocean views from the living area and master bedroom. Was that a complimentary bottle of champagne in fridge?

I could have stayed there forever, luxuriating on the private deck, but then remembered there was an important appointment on my schedule – a painting class at the home of the Sawdust Art Festival.

The intimate class was conducted by John Eagle, a former stockbroker who became a full-time painter in his mid-fifties. He’s listed in “Who’s Who in American Art.” After a few brush strokes, it became clear that I was not destined to be another Monet, but John was patient with me and I found the experience both insightful and, above all, relaxing.

After a day of beachcombing and gallery hopping – which featured a few of John’s inspiring Impressionist-style paintings – I decided that painting was destined to be part of my future and planned on purchasing my own art equipment. I also concluded that an annual weekend trek to Laguna Beach – the ultimate setting for a “statecation” – would now would be part of my life.

The post Destination: Laguna Beach appeared first on Traveling Archive.

And then the rains came down, blessing this magical and sacred city of 21,321,000 million inhabitants and giving them a gentle reprieve from their bustling and productive lives. It has been said that Mexico City has a perfect annual spring temperature, making it an abundant produce belt for Mexico and the rest of the world. Mexico is the first nation in the world awarded a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Listing for their contributions to world cuisine, and I did my best to sample as many dishes that my stomach would allow. The rains were good timing for me, too.  I had already explored 8-days of the city’s many museums and attractions – Mexico City has more museums than any city in the world next to London – and it was time to fly home. Reflecting on my Mexico City experience as I packed, I knew I would be asked questions from my gringo friends up north about the exaggerated reports of crime and the character of the Mexican people by the U.S. White House.  I found no crime, and the locals were kind and welcoming. I could not pull out a map without someone rushing over to offer their guidance. Of course, like any major city there are robberies and assaults, but the crime rate in New Orleans, for example, is over five-times higher than Mexico City.

Mexico City: A Turbulent History

The nomadic and warlike Mexica (Aztec) people hailed from where the current Arizona border and Mexico meet today. Legend tells us they were informed by a god that they would find their homeland in a place where an eagle is perched on a cactus with a serpent in his mouth. This sign was found on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco, approximately 700 years ago in the high plateaus of central Mexico. The Aztec’s arrival led to skirmishes with local tribes, but the Aztecs eventually prevailed, forcing them to pay high taxes and becoming the source of ritual human sacrifices. The Aztecs created an empire of enchanting beauty and magnitude with the building of enormous temples, palaces and a ceremonial center on the island, along with canals, little inlets and additional man-made islands. In 1519 when Hernán Cortés and his Spanish conquistadors first laid eyes on this stunning empire, he reported back to Ferdinand and Isabella of the Kingdom of Spain that it was the most breathtaking metropolis in which he’d ever seen, including ones in Europe.  Initially Moctezuma ll, the Aztec ruler, greeted Cortés as a god, even bragging that they had recently sacrificed 20,000 warriors, but soon realized the Spanish’s true motive of conquest, and pushed them out of the empire. Cortés returned with more armaments and conquistadors, easily defeating the Aztecs, who by now had been weakened by the spread of European diseases and the alignment with anti-Aztec tribes who had not forgotten their brutality. Moctezuma ll was killed, and Ferdinand and Isabella instructed Cortés to destroy all Aztec structures and fill in the lake, offering a soggy support for immense European-style churches and buildings.  Mexico City has been slowly sinking since they were built at an average of 3 to 4 inches a year. Tenochtitlan was rechristened Mexico City and the capital of New Spain. The Spanish plundered the lands for gold and riches, with the help of the now enslaved populace. Mexico became a republic after achieving independence from Spain in 1821.

But post-independent Mexico’s turbulent history continued, plagued by political dysfunction, along with violent and nonviolent coups. In 1833, General Antonio López de Santa Anna served eleven non-consecutive presidential terms before leading the nation into chaos.  Mexico was defeated by U.S. forces during the expansionistic and dubious Mexican–American War in 1846, losing 1/3rd of their northern territory, including nearly all of present-day California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico.

The Liberal Reform War, headed by Mexico’s most beloved president, Benito Juarez (1806-1872), curtailed the power of the Catholic Church and created a democratic process for all citizens.  Next followed the brief French intervention, with Maximilian I as emperor (think Cinco de Mayo) and finally, the Mexican Revolution in 1910, where the autocratic president, Porfirio Díaz, stripped the populace of their democratic rights, which were taken back by Francisco I. Madero (president until assassination) with the help of folk bandit-turned-revolutionary Francisco “Pancho” Villa and peasant-turned-politician Emiliano Zapata.

In 1928, President Lázaro Cárdenas, a former revolutionary general, revived the social revolution and carried out a series of agrarian reforms, distributing twice as much land to peasants than all of his predecessors combined. The Mexican Cultural Revolution continues, where the work by artists like Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, photographer Tina Modotti, composer Carlos Chávez and writers Martín Luis Guzmán are introduced to the world stage. Mexico’s international status grows with Mexico City hosting the 1968 Olympic Games. In 1994, Mexico joins the U.S. and Canada in signing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Vicente Fox is elected president, and focuses on reducing corruption, crime and drug trafficking. In the July 2016 presidential election, Felipe Calderón wins by one percentage point.

Touring Mexico City

CENTRO HISTORICO is the birthplace of Mexico City; featuring historic buildings, magnificent churches, museums, friendly vendors, talented musicians and docents in Aztec attire. The Zócalo (main plaza) is built on the remains of the Aztec’s Tenochtitlan, and now houses the National Palace, which features the Benito Juarez Museum, and the remarkable murals by Mexico’s most famous painter, Diego Rivera. His murals cover the history of the Mexican people from pre-Hispanic origins to the middle of the 20th century, giving voice to the indigenous people and cultures of Mexico. His most famous mural, Epic of the Mexican People, is painted on the wall above the main staircase. To witness the power of this stunning masterpiece in person is to be moved to the depths of your soul.

Templo Mayor – In 1978, electricity workers discovered an eight-ton stone-disc carving of the Aztec goddess Coyolxauhqui. A decision was wisely made to demolish the colonial buildings and begin excavation, soon making it Mexico City’s most important archaeological site. A temple was revealed on the exact spot where the Aztecs saw the prophetic eagle perching on a cactus with a snake in its beak – which they considered the center of the universe. That very symbol graces the Mexico flag today.

The Templo Mayor museum was built in 1987, and visitors can now follow a winding walkway through the excavated ruins (as further excavations continue), plus visit the museum with many of its artifacts on display.

Palacio de Bella Artes rests a few blocks up the road from the Zócalo, across the street from the fountains and statues of the delightful tree-lined Alameda Park. In the park is the must-see Diego Rivera Mural Museo, dedicated to his life and work. Palacio de Bella Artes is considered the city’s cultural center. Construction was off and on, once again due to soft subsoil. It was completed in 1934 in the style of Neoclassical and Art Nouveau on its exterior, and primarily Art Deco inside. The palace is renowned for more murals by Diego Rivera, numerous exhibitions and theatrical performances. I was in attendance at the Ballet Folklórico de México, which fit my own theme of exploring the culture and history of Mexico City. The dancing was colorful and sublime, with music by the most talented mariachi band in which I’ve ever heard.

Cathedral Metropolitana is the oldest and largest cathedral in all of Latin America. Built in sections from 1573 to 1813, the stones from Templo Mayor were used in construction in a trinity of styles: Baroque, Neo-Classic and Neo-Renaissance; basically what was in vogue for that period. Highlights include five naves, 14 chapels, underground catacombs and many prized works of art from the colonial era. The massive cathedral dominates the Zócalo, and, like many structures in Centro Historico, is sinking due to its weight on the former Aztec temple and muddy subsoil. You will notice a much older-looking church next to the cathedral, known as the Sagrario Chapel, built in the mid-1700s

Bosque de Chapultepec is Mexico City’s main park, serving as the principal cultural and recreational center of the city. At a sprawling 1,6950 acres, twice the size New York’s Central Park, the expansive green urban park features woodlands, forests, lakes, gardens and walking paths. Major attractions include the Museo Nacional de Antropologia and Castillo de Chapultepec, additional world-class museums, a zoo with 2,000 animals, botanical garden and recreational lake for boating, as well of hordes of snack vendors, street performers and souvenir stands.

The Museo Nacional de Antropologia can be only described as a must-see experience, containing the world’s largest collection of ancient Mexican art and ethnographic exhibits about Mexico’s indigenous civilizations. There are 12 ground-floor halls each dedicated to the cultural regions of pre-Hispanic Mexico, while an upper-level explains how Mexico’s indigenous descendants live today.  The museum’s scope and vast richness can easily fill the day; so come early for it gets extremely crowded.

Castillo de Chapultepec, perched atop a high hill (grasshopper hill), was once a Spanish summer palace, later repurposed as the Mexico National Military Academy, the historic site of the last-ditch effort of Mexican resistance in the still controversial Mexican-American War. Approximately 5,000 defenders, including cadets from the academy, gallantly faced fierce hand-to hand combat with U.S. forces under General Winfield Scott.  After their defeat, six cadets known as Los Niños Héroes, jumped to their death, holding the Mexican flag. The palace later became the residence of Emperor Maximilian I, then a presidential residence. Catching my breath in the serenity of the palace’s exquisite courtyard, with spectacular views of the park and the city, it was hard to imagine such violent history ever took place. The castle today hosts the National Museum of Mexico with objects from various stages in Mexican history, along with displays of furniture and art from Maximilian and past presidents.

Coyoacán is an idyllic tree-lined neighborhood flush with shaded pocket parks, glistening fountains, sidewalk cafes and small museums. Its location was once beside a lake, outside of the city. As Mexico City grew it surrounded the little city, now on a dry lake, preserving the neighborhood, making it a delightful outing for locals and tourists alike.

Museo Frida Kahlo is Coyoacán’s most popular destination, which features her house and art museum, celebrating her life and work. Painted in vibrant cobalt-blue colors, the house was Kahlo’s birthplace and where she lived all of her life, and contains minor artwork by her, along with paintings by Diego Rivera, her workspace, Mexican folk art, pre-Hispanic artifacts, photographs and memorabilia. Frida has become the poster child for Mexico Tourism as much for her work as well as for spiritedly overcoming the adversarial conditions of her life which included childhood polio, a tragic streetcar accident, acceptance as an artist due to her gender, and two marriages with womanizer, Diego Rivera. Long before the term ever existed, she lived her life as an art form, even selecting her daily wear down to the smallest detail. It is essential that you purchase your tickets the day before, or you will face a long and time consuming line.

The Leon Trotsky Museum is located just a few blocks away from the Kahlo Museum. Trotsky was one of the original Russian Bolsheviks, and considered heir to Lenin, but was exiled, then hunted by the tyrannical Josef Stalin regime after he forced his way into power. Trotsky was on the run, but was given political asylum, sponsored by Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Along with his wife, he lived in the Kahlo house for a few years. Later they relocated to a new fortress-life home with watchtowers, where he was assassinated by one of Stalin’s agents, who had posed as a family friend. As I entered the museum I was told that I was to have a private tour by the museum’s director. To my surprise, the museum director was none other than Trotsky’s grandson, Esteban Volkov. A remarkably spry and dashing man in his early 90s with impeccable manners, Mr. Volkov had lived with his grandparents at age thirteen, and was wounded himself as a result of Stalin operative’s failed machine gun assault. The bullet holes are still on the walls.  He walked me through the museum, patiently explaining in detail the history of photos from Trotsky’s lifetime, his participation in the Bolshevik Revolution, family tree, books and newspapers, and the backyard where he planted vegetables, tended to his rabbits and is buried. The center of the museums is Trotsky’s study where his iconic spectacles, papers and books are left in the exact position on the very desk where he sat when bludgeoned to death with an ice axe. Mr. Volkov ultimately raised his own family in the house, then turned it into a museum on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Trotsky.

Roma Norte Neighborhood – As the popularity of authentic travel grows, a walking tour of Roma Norte neighborhood offers visitors an unique opportunity to experience Mexico City’s daily life as a local. Once the place of palatial-like homes for the wealthy, the buildings were repurposed for a younger generation as boutique hotels, offices, apartments and condominiums in an eclectic architectural design. Roma evokes the tranquil ambiance of Coyoacán, but is also very cutting edge with a Bohemian and European flair. Galleries, bars, sidewalk cafés, food vendors selling high-end dishes, and hipster coffee shops, with preparations that would leave a Starbuck’s barista’s head spinning, line the street. As a film buff I was delighted to find locations that Spanish-turned-Mexican director (later French), Luis Buñuel used in his 1950 masterpiece, Los Olvidados (aka The Young and the Damned).  The film reintroduced Buñuel to the international film scene, winning “Best Directed Film” at the 1951 Cannes Film Festival. Roma Norte is blessed with many little pocket parks, shaded by trees, ideal for just watching life go by.  Roma Norte borders the Condesa neighborhood, which I am told is a little more posh, but offers similar wonders.

Monumento a la Revolución is a landmark and monument commemorating the heroes of the decade-long Mexican Revolution of 1910, where up to two million lives were lost. Located in Plaza de la República, which crosses at the heart of the  Paseo de la Reforma and Avenida de los Insurgentes in downtown Mexico City, it is also known as the Arch of the Revolution. The conflict began when Francisco I. Madero sought the overthrow of the hated dictator Porfirio Díaz, with the help of Francisco “Pancho” Villa and Emiliano Zapata. An elevator and staircase leads to the monument’s copper dome for impressive 360-degree views of the surrounding skyline. In the basement there’s a museum and mausoleum for the heroes of the Mexican Revolution. For a Villa experience, checkout La Opera Bar where he once rode his horse inside and put a bullet hole in the ceiling, still visible today.

Outside of Mexico City

Teotihuacan is located 25 miles northeast of Mexico City, coverings an area of 32 square miles, believed to be founded around 100 B.C. Teotihuacan is best defined by the epic size of its monuments, Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, which are laid out on geometric and symbolic principles. To this day no one is sure who these ancient people were that built it, and why they abandoned the city. At its peak, Teotihuacan was the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas, with a population estimated at 200,000, making it the sixth largest city in the world. Teotihuacan was already in ruins by the time of the Aztec’s arrival, almost 1000 years later. They basically left the city alone, but did borrow a number of the innovative building practices. The Spanish completely ignored it, with the arid countryside not offering any treasures. As I stood by the base of Temple of the Sun, the second tallest pyramid in the world, I stared long and hard at the monumental 248 steep steps to the top, broken up by five landing rises that supported the temple. As I charged up to the landings, I took the opportunity to stop and catch my breath, though pretending I was enjoying the view. The final steps were the steepest, with a cable designed to help you pull yourself to the top. I felt like Rocky Balboa after his climb of the Philadelphia Art Museum, but due to the serenity of the experience, refrained from any excess celebrating, and just marveled at the panorama of the entire complex.

Our guide insisted that I stroll down the Avenue of the Dead to the oldest of the pyramids, the Temple of the Moon, and then climb to the top. I was told I would achieve a sorrowful feeling due to all the dead buried inside, but sadly I only felt fatigue and need for a beer. Teotihuacan and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, and is the most visited archaeological site in Mexico.

Xochimilco Floating Gardens stretch out about 17 miles south of Centro Historico, and is yet another of Mexico’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Originally a large lake bed, a series of canals was established for easy transportation to other pueblos. Once discovered by the Aztecs, they designed an agricultural technique of using chinampas (raised agricultural fields between canals) to extend arable land into wetland areas. They were formed by rooting rectangular cane frames to the lake floor and filling them with alternating layers of aquatic weeds, muck and earth until they rose up above the surface of the water. Willow trees were planted along the edges of the fields where their roots helped to contain the chinampas, which created intensive farming of swampy areas, allowing the Aztec empire to sustain a large population.

Today, you can rent a brightly colored flat-bottomed boat called a trajinera (similar to gondolas, with a captain) for your own exploration of the canals. It can be a bit of a traffic jam with vendors gliding by on smaller trajineras, selling hot food items made right on their boat, craft vendors, flower merchants, mariachi bands willing to play a tune for a price, b-day parties, and hordes of students dancing and celebrating graduations and other events. If time is no consideration, you can float further down the canals in relative peace to enjoy commercial areas and pristine wilderness. We can thank the Spanish who understood the purpose of the produce richness of the canals and for once left things alone.

WHERE TO STAY:  Barceló México Reforma

I generally don’t write feature articles about properties in which I had stayed, but that was before my lodging at Barceló México Reforma.  The five-star hotel is nestled in Central Mexico City on the iconic Paseo de la Reforma avenue, making it the ideal location for exploring the city’s attractions. Just around the corner is the arch-like Monument to the Revolution, a modern-day architectural wonder and museum commemorating the Mexican Revolution; the Centro Historico’s main plaza, only a pleasant 20-minute stroll; and the Benito Juárez International Airport, just a 20 minute cab drive away. The creature comforts were endless with 505 luxury rooms, commanding views of the city, swimming pool, wellness area, fitness center, fine cuisine, along with a buffet breakfast and happy hour included in the price. But there was something more about Barceló México Reforma; something that I had never experienced before at a large hotel, particularly one that is part of a chain of 230 hotels under the Barceló Hotel Group banner. The staff at the hotel offered a sense of warmth and intimacy, and sincerely cared about my well-being.

A member of the concierge team was always available to answer any questions about restaurants, directions, tours, you name it. My mornings generally began with a “Good morning, Mr. Boitano. Can we be of any assistance today?” The pièce de résistance was at the end of the trip where I had a bout with some bad bacteria.  (Please note: my photographer enjoyed the same meals as me, and experienced no symptoms other than euphoria) A member of the concierge staff actually walked to a local drug store in the middle of the night to purchase medications for me.  It happened again at the crack of dawn where another staff member did the same thing. When it was advised that I needed to go to urgent care at a hospital, Jesus Rodriquez, a pivotal member of the team, patiently escorted me on foot for the six-blocks to the clinic. The professional care I received at the hospital was better than I’ve ever experienced at any U.S. hospital. In many respects the kindness, attention and hospitality that I received at Barceló México Reforma was indicative of the very character of the people of Mexico City.  I was told by famed travel writer, Richard Carroll, who’s lived in the Yucatan and written guide books about Mexico, that the people in Mexico are the most gracious and hospitable people in the world. Now I know what he means. Since 1989 the Barceló Hotel Group has dedicated social work through the Barceló Foundation, which collaborates in health, education, economic development and culture projects in underdeveloped countries. I liked that about the hotel, too.

For further information, contact Visit Mexico City and Barceló México Reforma

The post Viva Mexico City – Eight Days in the Capital of Mexico appeared first on Traveling Archive.

How to Rack Up Airline Miles (Without Actually Flying)

You don’t have to book a flight or hotel reservation to earn points with these programs.

Courtesy Danielle Brown

When it comes to loyalty, we all know the typical ways to earn rewards – book a flight, open a rewards credit card, make a hotel reservation, enroll in a dining plan, rent a car. And chances are you’re earning points and miles this way already! While these methods tend to be top of mind, not many people know that there are actually a variety of ways to accrue valuable loyalty points.

Even many frequent flyers, effortlessly racking up miles on each flight, are unaware of the many loyalty and reward options that lie outside the sky’s domain.

Earning miles can be as easy as going through your daily routine, treating yourself, protecting your family or giving a gift. All it takes is a little initiative and research to get you started.

Since loyalty programs are not one-size-fits-all, find ways you can earn loyalty points in ways that are tailored to your lifestyle and preferences. Airlines, in particular, have taken this idea and run with it. Many have created opportunities to earn rewards in unique and creative ways. Here’s a look at ten of our favorite options:

• Have an opinion: MileagePlus, Flying Blue and Rapid Rewards customers can accrue miles in exchange for sharing their experiences and opinions by completing surveys via United’s Opinion Miles Club, Air France-KLM Opinion Rewards Club and Southwest’s Valued Opinions.
• Catch a Broadway show: Earn miles while being entertained. Audience Rewards has partnered with American, Delta and United to allow members to win miles when booking tickets to hit Broadway productions like WICKED, The Phantom of the Opera and The Lion King.
• Drink wine: Cheers! Delta Skymiles and United MileagePlus flyers earn miles by enrolling and purchasing wines with Vinesse. Southwest Rapid Rewards and AAdvantage members can also raise a glass with Laithwaite’s Wine program.

• Watch your favorite TV programs: MileagePlus and AAdvantage members receive 25,000 miles when signing up for DIRECTV. Kick back, and enjoy.
• Give flowers: And get miles. Sending flowers remotely is probably the biggest bang for your loyalty buck. Airlines including Southwest, Alaska, United and Frontier partner with flower shops nationwide like 1-800-Flowers, FTD and Teleflora, to name a few.
• Pay your utility bills: Cutting the monthly utilities check can have its perks. Delta, United and Southwest have partnered with regional and national utility providers so frequent flyers can earn miles for signing up and for dollars spent.
• Think smarter about energy: You might have to leave the ground and climb atop your roof for this one. In addition to gas and electric benefits, Virgin American Elevate and AAdvantage customers can receive up to 15,000 points and 30,000 miles respectively for installing solar panels on their homes. Be sure to read the fine print, though. Some offers are valid only in certain states.
• Be forgetful: JetBlue doesn’t want flyers to lose their belongings while traveling. They’ve teamed up with Tile – a mini Bluetooth tracking device and corresponding app that finds items in seconds – soTrueBlue members can gain reward points and hold on to their valuables.
• Protect yourself against fraudsters: United awards miles for enrolling in LifeLock’s identity theft program.
• Lend a hand. American Airlines awards miles to AAdvantage members who make donations to the USO in support of our men and women in uniform, and Susan G. Komen on a mission to find a cure for breast cancer.

These are just ten of the many unique ways you can incorporate earning points and miles into your everyday life. I encourage you to do some detective work and see what other options your favorite loyalty programs offer!

Scott Pruitt Is ‘Hell-Bent’ on Dismantling EPA Rules

By Robert Redford

Forty-seven years ago, none other than President Richard Nixon established the Environmental Protection Agency, recognizing “clean air, clean water, and open spaces should once again be the birthright of every American.”

Since that hopeful launch of the E.P.A., both Republican and Democratic presidents have affirmed that environmental issues transcend politics. That’s simple to understand as the impacts of clean air, water and climate change impact all Americans, and everyone around the world.

What we need to pay more attention to, right now, before it’s too late, is the reality that we’ve put someone in charge of protecting the environment who seems hell-bent on the opposite.

Current E.P.A. head Scott Pruitt is moving mountains of policy in the directions he favors. And those directions don’t benefit you, or me, or our families. They only benefit the companies and industries that pollute and profit. And they will do whatever it takes to advance their agenda.

Now you can add censorship to the list of new E.P.A. techniques. Just this week, E.P.A. scientists who were scheduled to present their research at a leading and respected conference in Rhode Island, were told they were no longer allowed to even share their findings with colleagues. There is no democracy in darkness.

My heart goes out to all who have suffered and are suffering each and every time I turn on the news. These changes to our environment and future are very real, with very real consequences we are experiencing every day.

We simply cannot let Scott Pruitt’s slash-and-burn attitude toward environmental protections continue. It’s time to put renewed pressure where it’s most needed, in challenging and shining light on what is taking place every day at the E.P.A.

Here’s how: call your elected officials today and let them know you want a tough and science-led E.P.A. with the strongest mandates for protecting our environment and our future. Let them know what you think of Scott Pruitt’s leadership, and ask them to support stronger oversight of the agency, stronger scrutiny of their decisions and ethics investigations into any wrongdoing.

We only have one planet, one home, one shot. This is it.

Canada Will Have the World’s Longest Trail Network in 2017

The Great Trail, also referred to as the Trans Canada Trail, is a 14,864-mile network of paths set to be completely connected by 2017, to coincide with the country’s 150th birthday.

The East Coast Greenway, a proposed 3,000-mile bike trail along the East Coast of the United States, is impressive. But, just as they have when it comes to potato chip innovation and affordable health care, Canada’s got us beat in the world of car-free cross-country trails—like five-times-as-long beat. The Great Trail, also referred to as the Trans Canada Trail, is a 14,864-mile network of paths set to be completely connected by 2017, to coincide with the country’s 150th birthday.

The project began back in 1992 and today 87 percent of the proposed paths—12,905 miles of it—are already connected. (Not like it’s a race, but by comparison the East Coast Greenway is only at about 30 percent complete.) The goal for the next year is to finish connecting the remaining 2,050 miles, which once complete means you could technically traverse the length of the second largest country in the world, and get all the way from Montreal to the Yukon via the trail.

And the Great Trail is not just for bikes: It’s being built with summer hikers and horseback riders in mind, as well as with cross-country skiers and snowmobilers. River in the way? No problem. The project even includes entire stretches of water-based trails for kayakers and paddlers—about 26 percent of the total. Given Canada’s somewhat unforgiving terrain—much of the country is dominated by frozen lakes, dense forests, and barren tundra—building thousands of miles of navigable trails has been no easy feat, especially considering the vast network of local organizations building the trails and the fact that it is being paid for mostly by private donors, with the Canadian government matching fifty cents for every dollar donated.

So what happens next year when one hundred percent of the proposed trail will be connected? “2017 is just the beginning of our story,” Trans Canada Trail president and CEO Deborah Apps told Condé Nast Traveler. “The Trail will never be complete. We will continue to build and improve this treasure for generations to come.” Okay, you win, Canada.

Nobel Says to Korea Nuke Players: We Are Watching!

They couldn’t award it to Kim Jong Un or Donald Trump; that much was certain.

But the granting of the Nobel Peace Prize to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons opened itself to a clear interpretation across Asia: When it comes to the nuclear-saturated war of words on the Korean Peninsula, attention must be paid and treaties must be signed. And it must be done in a preventative way, at top speed, before something happens that can’t be undone.

Looming in the background of the award announcement Friday was the sometimes scalding, sometimes tepid, never silent geopolitical scuffle this year between the young leader of the third-generation Pyongyang regime and the always voluble president of the United States.

Even the Nobel committee’s language keyed in on that. It sounded like a plaintive cry to push parties to the negotiating table — to fix something that’s already cracked before it’s completely, irreversibly shattered.

The head of the group listed an assortment of the world’s nuclear nations when she spoke after the win. But it was easy to find significance in the two she mentioned before all others — North Korea and the United States.

And this was the immediate assessment from a Nobel historian: “The panel wants to send a signal to North Korea and the U.S. that they need to go into negotiations.” The prize, Oeivind Stenersen suggested, was also “coded support” of the Iran nuclear deal.

This year’s Geneva-based winner, known as ICAN, was cited “for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons.”

From the vantage point of the Korean Peninsula and its surrounding countries, where people shudder weekly at volleys of intemperate words and missile or bomb tests, such a treaty seems a distant dream. And few of the key players seem anywhere near a Nobel Peace Prize.

North Korea just conducted its sixth and by far largest nuclear test, moving closer to its goal of mounting a nuclear warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile. It has repeatedly threatened to obliterate the United States from the map.

Such bellicose language from the North is common. It has spent years issuing over-the-top dispatches through its propaganda apparatus promising to destroy the United States.

In recent months, however, Pyongyang’s invective has been matched almost blow by blow for the first time by equally aggressive language from Washington under the Trump administration, or at least Trump himself. The U.S. president has shown no hesitation in cutting through the niceties of diplomatic lingo to excoriate the North and threaten to wipe it out of existence.

He has dubbed Kim “Little Rocket Man” and said his regime may not be long for this world. The U.S., of course, has one of the world’s largest nuclear arsenals, even after significant reductions since the Cold War. It remains the only nation on the planet to use nuclear weapons during a war.

In the past four weeks alone, Trump has used words like these, in a recent tweet: “Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won’t be around much longer!”

And Kim, who bestowed upon Trump the rarely used insult “dotard” and pronounced him senile, has used words like these:

“Now that Trump has denied the existence of and insulted me and my country in front of the eyes of the world and made the most ferocious declaration of a war in history that he would destroy (North Korea), we will consider with seriousness exercising of a corresponding, highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history.”

Public posturing, sure. But not exactly language that points the way toward common ground, either.

The tension in word and deed between Washington and Pyongyang has faded slightly in recent days as the in-the-moment news cycle marches forward, but history shows that to be temporary. Another early-morning missile test, another intemperate remark or worse will put it right back on center stage.

The awarding of the $1.1 million prize to ICAN helps that happen, too, though even the group’s executive director, Beatrice Fihn, said she “worried it was a prank at first” when she got the call from the Nobel committee.

Against this backdrop — and in Northeast Asia, a region that remains the only place where nuclear weapons were used against a civilian population during a war — the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize in this manner implies one key point.

The influential body, which often uses the prize to set the agenda of where the light gets shone, is saying to Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump, among others: We’ve got our eye on you, and the world needs to look harder, too.

Ted Anthony, the Bangkok-based director of Asia-Pacific news for The Associated Press, has traveled to North Korea multiple times since 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @anthonyted

Anne Wiazemsky, French Actor, Novelist and Muse to Jean-Luc Godard, Dies Aged 70

She was French culture royalty, as granddaughter of novelist François Mauriac and the lead in Bresson’s Au hasard Balthazar (1966). Later an acclaimed novelist on her own.

It’s an uncomfortable irony that, after her life has ended, Anne Wiazemsky risks being seen as a bystander in her own story. In Michel Hazanavicius’s enjoyable, but somewhat facetious new film Redoubtable, Wiazemsky, played by Stacy Martin, is depicted as a wry observer in her marriage to Jean-Luc Godard – the straight woman to his tormented clown.

Actor appeared in films by Bresson, Pasolini and Godard, to whom she was married for 12 years and whose memoir of their relationship was adapted into the 2017 film Redoubtable

In reality, even if she had never acted again after her debut – Robert Bresson’s Au Hasard Balthazar, which she appeared in at the age of 18 – Wiazemsky would have been remembered as an intensely haunting screen presence. As Godard’s wife and star, she went on to share with him the turbulent adventure of France’s political self-questioning in the late 60s, but it would be a disservice to portray her merely as a key supporting player in the convoluted epic that was Godard’s life. As well as chalking up several important screen roles over three decades, Wiazemsky triumphantly created a new career, becoming a successful novelist – her 1993 work Canines won the prestigious Prix Goncourt des Lycéens.

She was also a memoirist, spinning quasi-novelistic texts from her own experience. She wrote two quizzical, dispassionate books about her relationship with Godard, Une Année Studieuse (A Studious Year, 2012) and Un An après (One Year Later, 2015), the latter substantially forming the basis of Redoubtable. It’s only a shame that what’s lost in Hazanavicius’s film is a sense of the inner experience – the exhilaration, the confusion, the exasperation – that Wiazemsky conveys so candidly in her honed, highly classical prose style.

Wiazemsky’s screen debut could not have been more momentous: Au Hasard Balthazar is one of the most affecting and austere of French masterpieces. Wiazemsky plays a young woman living in the countryside, who has a difficult relationship with a Parisian suitor, and a symbolically charged one with Balthazar, the donkey that emerges as a transcendental martyr figure. Bresson famously required actors to show as little expression as possible, but Wiazemsky’s humanity emerges powerfully. The fragility suggested by her face, which has the calm radiance of a medieval saint, contrasts with the intensity of her gaze. Together they project an admixture of compassion, repressed desire and that elusive note of moral seriousness that is the base note to Bresson’s work.

Godard first cast her in La Chinoise (1967), as a member of a student cell grappling with Maoist political theory: beneath her earnestness we sense Wiazemsky coolly relishing the role, as if knowing that she embodies the worst nightmare of her parents’ generation. She also thrived working with such European screen provocateurs as Marco Ferreri (The Seed of Man, 1968), while her haunted demeanour gave an eerie edge to the savage, obscurely mystical world of Pier Paolo Pasolini’s hyper-subversive Theorem (1968).

Wiazemsky continued to act on screen until the late 80s, then directed a number of TV documentaries. She also co-wrote the screenplay of Claire Denis’s 1994 TV film US Go Home, a 60s-set story of a teenage girl living in the Paris suburbs and anxious to lose her virginity. The subject couldn’t be further than Wiazemsky’s experience of growing up privileged and in the glare of media attention, but it’s a film in which you feel that, however elusively, Wiazemsky gives us another angle on her own adolescence in a time of radical personal and social change.

The Bigger Get Bigger While Smaller Airports Suffer Greater Loss

Airports Council International (ACI) has released the latest edition of the World Airport Traffic Report. ACI’s flagship publication, representing over 2,400 airports in 175 countries worldwide, reveals that the world’s mega-hubs achieved passenger traffic growth of 5.5% year over year in 2016.

There were 46 airports with over 40 million passengers per annum in 2016 as compared to 18 airports in 2006. After years of consolidation and capacity discipline on the part of many airlines, the mature markets such as Europe and North America experienced an important resurgence in air transport demand, particularly at many of its large hubs.

On the other hand, a relatively higher proportion of smaller airports with fewer than 1 million passengers in 2006 experienced a decline in passenger traffic by 2016 compared with other size categories. This proportion tends to decrease inversely as airports increase in size. By 2016, 27.4% of airports that had fewer than 1 million passengers per annum in 2006 experienced a loss in traffic over that period.

“Despite the net gains achieved in both traffic volumes and operational efficiency, especially at hubs in major city markets across the globe, the downside of airline capacity shifts is that a proportion of smaller regional airports have either stagnated or experienced a reduction in nonstop destinations between cities,” said Angela Gittens, Director General, ACI World. “It is important to highlight that the reason smaller airports remain in operation hinges on the fact that they contribute to the local, social and economic development of their surrounding communities. Strategies to ensure their sustainability are important if we are to have a robust aviation system.”

In 2016, nine airports graduated to the 40 mppa category.

• Barcelona (BCN, +11.2% or +4.4 million passengers)
• Taipei (TPE, +9.9% or +3.8 million passengers)
• Kunming (KMG, +11.9% or +4.5 million passengers)
• Sydney (SYD, +5.2% or +2.1 million passengers)
• Shenzhen (SZX, +5.7% or +2.2 million passengers)
• Orlando (MCO, +8% or +3.1 million passengers)
• Mexico (MEX, +7.7% or +3.1 million passengers)
• Newark (EWR, +8.2% or +3.1 million passengers)
• Shanghai (SHA, +3.5% or 1.4 million passengers)

ACI’s forthcoming Policy Brief: Airport networks and the sustainability of small airports presents business models and policy recommendations that facilitate the sustainability of smaller airports as part of a broader network of airports under the umbrella of a single airport operator.

Passenger traffic:

• Worldwide airport passenger numbers increased 6.5% in 2016 to almost 7.7 billion, registering increases in all regions except Africa, which had a slight decrease of 0.4% due to the region’s 1.7% decrease in international passenger.

During 2016, the highest number of passengers traveled through airports in the Asia-Pacific region:

1. Asia-Pacific (2.73 billion, up 10.6% over 2015)
2. Europe (2.04 billion, up 5.2% over 2015)
3. North America (1.79 billion, up 3.8% over 2015)
4. Latin America-Caribbean (588 million, up 1.2% over 2015)
5. Middle East (369 million, up 9.4% over 2015)
6. Africa (182 million, down 0.4% over 2015)

• Atlanta (ATL) remains the busiest airport on the globe with 104 million passengers in 2016. Traffic was up 5% over 2015 at Beijing (PEK) with 94 million passengers, maintaining second in world ranking. Third ranked airport, Dubai (DXB), also stayed in the same position as 2015 with 84 million passengers despite an impressive 7.2% growth throughout the year.

The world’s fastest-growing airports with over 15 million passengers are:

1. Bangalore (BLR) (22.2 million, up 22.5% over 2015)
2. Hoh Chi Minh (SGN) (32.5 million, up 22.4% over 2015)
3. New Delhi (DEL) (55.6 million, up 21% over 2015)

• Dubai (DXB) is still the third busiest airport in the world in overall passenger traffic, and has widened its leading position as the world’s busiest in terms of international passenger traffic ahead of London-Heathrow (LHR) throughout 2016.
• Shanghai (PVG) remains one of the fastest growing airports among the world’s top 20 airports for passenger traffic, moving from 13^th to 9^th place and growing 9.8%.  Los Angeles (LAX) also had a high growth rate of 8%, moving from 7^th to 4^th rank in terms of total passenger traffic in 2016.

The world’s busiest airports in international passenger traffic are:

1. Dubai (DXB) (83.1 million, up 7.3% over 2015)
2. London-Heathrow (LHR) (71 million, up 1.7% over 2015)
3. Hong Kong (HKG) (70.1 million, up 3% over 2015)

The world’s busiest airports in domestic passenger traffic are:

1. Atlanta (ATL) (92.7 million, up 2.7% over 2015)
2. Beijing (PEK) (73.8 million, up 3.4% over 2015)
3. Chicago (ORD) (66.1 million, up 0.4% over 2015)

Air cargo traffic:

• Worldwide airport cargo increased 4% in 2016 to 110 million metric tonnes, with mixed levels of growth across all six regions.
• Hong Kong (HKG) and Memphis (MEM) take the first and second ranks respectively for the busiest air cargo airports with 4.6 and 4.3 million metric tonnes in 2016.

Airports in the Asia-Pacific region handled the largest amount of air cargo during 2016:

• Asia-Pacific (43.4 million metric tonnes, up 5.4% over 2015)
• North America (30.8 million metric tonnes, up 2.4% over 2015)
• Europe (20.1 million metric tonnes, up 5% over 2015)
• Middle East (8.8 million metric tonnes, up 2.7% over 2015)
• Latin America-Caribbean (5.1 million metric tonnes, up 0.9% over 2015)
• Africa (2.1 million metric tonnes, up 1.3% over 2015)
• The world’s fastest-growing airports handling over 250,000 metric tonnes of air cargo during 2016 are:

1. Moscow (SVO) (256 thousand metric tonnes, up 28.8% over 2015)
2. Doha (DOH) (1.76 million metric tonnes, up 20.8% over 2015)
3. Hanoi (HAN) (566 thousand metric tonnes, up 18.2% over 2015)

The world’s busiest airports in international freight traffic are:

1. Hong Kong (HKG) (4.52 million metric tonnes, up 3.2% over 2015)
2. Incheon (ICN) (2.60 million metric tonnes, up 4.5% over 2015)
3. Dubai (DXB) (2.59 million metric tonnes, up 3.4% over 2015)

The world’s busiest airports in domestic freight traffic are:

1. Memphis (MEM) (3.80 million metric tonnes, down 6.1% over 2015)
2. Louisville (SDF) (1.91 million metric tonnes, up 3.3% over 2015)
3. Beijing (PEK) (1.14 million metric tonnes, down 1.2% over 2015)

Aircraft movements:

• Worldwide aircraft movements increased 2.7% in 2016 to 91.8 million, with mixed levels of growth across all six regions.
• Atlanta (ATL) retained its position as the busiest airport in terms of aircraft movements, followed by Chicago (ORD) and Los Angeles (LAX).

Airports in the North American region recorded the highest number of movements in 2016:

1. North America (31.2 million, up 1.6% over 2015)
2. Europe (23.7 million, up 2.1% over 2015)
3. Asia-Pacific (22.9 million, up 7.5% over 2015)
4. Latin America-Caribbean (8 million, down 4.1% over 2015)
5. Africa (3 million, down 1.4% over 2015)
6. Middle East (2.9 million, up 7.5% over 2015)

Top 3 contributors to global aircraft movement growth by country share:

1. China (People’s Republic of China) (660 thousand increase in movements representing a share of 27.6% of the global increase)
2. United States (510 thousand increase in movements representing a share of 21.3% of the global increase)

India (257 thousand increase in movements representing a share of 10.8% of the global increase)

All-Inclusive Pricing or Hotel-

Which meals are included?

One of the first questions to ask about any all-inclusive offer relates to meal plans. How many meals are included?

Some all-inclusive offers will exclude certain meals. There are also likely to be specific times in which the meals can be taken. Meals offered at times that don’t fit your other plans could become a problem — and missing them is really not practical, because you’ve already paid for them.

Most budget travelers know that on cruise ships, alcoholic beverages often are not included in a rate that is billed as all-inclusive by most lines. There are packages on cruise ships for buying alcoholic beverages that can be purchased as extras, but aside from those options, you’ll pay extra for all drinks that aren’t water, iced tea or coffee. If this is important to you, make sure you ask about the policy on alcoholic beverages.

Another matter: will your all-inclusive meal plans entitle you to eat in all of the resort’s restaurants? Some of these offers exclude the best (most…MORE expensive) dining spots, sending the all-inclusive crowd to snack bars and buffet lines.

What nearby dining options are available?

Before you agree to an all-inclusive deal that covers meal plans, you should do some research about dining options in area adjacent to the hotel or resort.

In a place like Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, there are scores of good restaurants in a relatively small geographic area. You might miss out on some excellent dining opportunities by signing up for meal plans that send you to the same place every day.

But other locations such as Boquete, Panama, dining options could be fewer in number and inconvenient to reach.

It’s important to check with previous guests or the local visitors bureau about restaurants within walking distance or a short taxi ride from the hotel.

Which activities are included?

For many hotels and resorts, the phrase all-inclusive means your room rate and meal plans are covered. But what about other activities you might expect at a resort?

Are green fees included or at least discounted? What about tennis or water-based activities like kayaking, snorkeling or fishing?

It is never wise to assume all or any of these activities will be covered in an all-inclusive agreement. Find out if hotel-only rates include these extras. If not, chances are good you’ll still have to pay for these activities in an all-inclusive offer.

Is there entertainment for children and adults?

Large resorts usually offer a “Kid’s Club” or some similar program aimed at entertaining children. A question to ask: how many of those activities are open in an all-inclusive pricing offer?

Some resorts with all-inclusive pricing plans don’t include anything for children that wouldn’t be available with a standard room rate. The same could be true for adults seeking evening entertainment.

If you’ll have to leave the resort for nightlife, is it really that convenient to eat your evening meal on the property?

What other perks are offered?

The people selling an all-inclusive option might be under pressure to meet a quota. While this won’t always be the case, the fact is that you are spending more money on the property than those with a hotel-only pricing arrangement.

Since deciding between hotel-only and all-inclusive pricing is a negotiation, it’s only natural to ask if there are incentives for choosing the latter option.

For example, will there be any free meals or snacks included? Any discounts in the gift shops? What about free rides to the airport or to the center of the city?

Another perk-related issue: will you earn extra loyalty points? After all, you’re spending more money than those with hotel-only arrangements. Why not at least inquire about extra points or a room upgrade?

As always, it never hurts to ask.

United Details How New Overbooking Compensation System Works

United Airlines launched a new voluntary overbooking compensation system Tuesday that will notify passengers upon checking in if they may be on a flight with potential overbooking problems. The notification will give passengers several compensation options, and if the gate agent chooses to rebook one or more passengers, travel vouchers will be issued.

After quietly testing the system last month in a handful of markets, today the Chicago-based carrier rolled out the new system in all of its United States hubs, including Chicago.

Now United management will get a much better sense of whether the system is working and whether it will remain in place for the long haul.

Basically, the new compensation system is set up to alert passengers at check-in (up to 24 hours before flight departure) whether they may be on a flight where overbooking could be an issue.

The alert will offer passengers on that flight — excepting unaccompanied minors and group bookings — the opportunity to decide the dollar amount in travel vouchers they would accept to change their reservation to a different flight.

A United spokesman said the alert will give each passenger three suggested compensation amounts to select from, as well as the option to name their own overbooking compensation figure.

The gate agent in charge of dispatching the flight in question will have all the compensation bid information in front of him or her if indeed one or more passengers need to be rebooked to handle an overbooking issue.

The gate agent will have the final say on which passengers are selected to receive compensation based on several factors, including which passengers came in with the lowest bids and whether any rebooked itineraries might create additional problems both for the passengers and for United.

If an overbooking situation arises and an insufficient number of passengers have volunteered to be rebooked in return for compensation in vouchers, then the situation becomes a matter of involuntary denied boarding. In such cases, United could wind up paying out up to $10,000 in hard cash to any passengers bumped from a flight.

United Airlines is a unit of United Continental Holdings (NYSE: UAL).

Experience the Sedona Art Scene

Unique art galleries offer something for everyone

Sedona’s beauty has inspired and drawn in artists from all over the world making it a popular destination for art collectors. The galleries in Sedona offer a diverse selection that appeals to art enthusiasts of all types. Whether you’re a collector of modern art, Native American pieces, or bronzes, Sedona’s bustling art scene has it all.

Sedona’s history as a vibrant art colony began when the pillars of the modern art world, Nassan Gobran and Max Ernst, opened the Sedona Arts Center. Modern art comes in numerous forms and is radiated throughout Sedona’s art galleries.

• Honshin Fine Art Gallery features the work of Nicholas Kirsten with the intention to communicate the unity of consciousness and life in all things.
• Gallery of Modern Masters sells hand painted chandeliers and lamps, as well as glass wind sculptures and distinct photography of the area.
• The Melting Point carries a variety of uplifting, fun, creative and whimsical glass items in the gallery. The gallery also offers glass blowing classes to make a masterwork of your own.

Sedona has been the home of Native Americans for centuries and has inspired artists from tribes including the Sinagua, Yavapai, Apache, Hopi and Navajo. Authentic Native American pieces like pottery, rugs and jewelry can be found all throughout the galleries in Sedona.

• Turquoise Tortoise offers original fine art paintings, stone sculptures, bronze sculptures, pottery, war shirts, as well as an extensive selection of stone jewelry set in silver or gold. They also carry an extensive line of southwestern rugs woven by the renowned Zapotec Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico.
• Goldenstein Gallery is known for its diversity of world-renowned local and regional artists in all media and styles including fine art paintings, sculpture, fine furniture, jewelry and kaleidoscopes.
• Bearcloud Gallery embodies Native American spirituality and stories of ancient symbols.

Bronze is the most popular metal for cast metal sculptures and Sedona is known for the exquisite bronze statues located throughout the town, as well as in its galleries.

• Mountain Trails Gallery Sedona is known for the quality of styles and subject matter including figurative, wildlife, still-life and landscapes, as well as work featuring western artifacts, historical narratives and cultural objects.
• Exposures International Gallery of Fine Art represents nearly 100 artists from around the globe and is one of the largest and most unique galleries in the world.
• Rowe Fine Art Gallery features traditional and contemporary southwestern sculptors, painters and jewelers.

Art galleries that are members of the Sedona Gallery Association offer a special showcase highlighting artists, special exhibits and art activities during the First Friday event of each month. First Fridays take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and are the perfect opportunity to experience Sedona’s exciting art scene in anticipation of the holiday season.

Explore Sedona’s vibrant art scene where you can find a wide variety of paintings, sculptures, jewelry, photography and much more. Whether you are looking to add to your art collection or buy a holiday gift for your loved ones, art galleries in Sedona make for the perfect stop. For more information on Sedona’s art galleries, and to explore additional galleries, visit www.visitsedona.com/arts-culture/. For a unique arts and culture experience, discover the seven secret sites in Sedona’s Secret 7

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