My version of Eat Pray Love is Playa Comida Amor

I’ll take travel any way I can get it. I was supposed to go back to PV 😍 this month, but my gut said no, so here I am. And here we are. And here YOU are! I learned a very long time ago - and more than once, I might add, because I’m stubborn like that - that going against my gut is always a bad idea. 😂  So… since I can’t have sun and sand right now, I’m headed to the cold and snow! Ha! Yesterday Buffalo got hit with 6 feet of snow, but Rochester was spared so I should be able to make it in safely. The last time I went up to Rochester, I drove. It’s 5 hours but I usually stop for coffee and gas and to stretch my legs along the way. Today’s journey was different- once I got on the train on NYC, I settled in for a 7 hour ride across the Empire State. On the Empire line, fittingly enough. I made sure I got a window seat because I didn’t want to miss what the world has to offer. Maybe this ride is an allegory for my approach to life- experiencing it up close and personal, unafraid of t...

I love thunder and lightning storms. I love them most when I have a safe vantage point, and I've seen several tempestuous rain, thunder, and lightning storms throughout my life. I especially like them in tropical places because it's warm!! Puerto Vallarta has a rainy season that typically spans from July to October. One night in July, I was having dinner at La Palapa. (Big surprise there!) Partway through the meal, it started to pour really really hard, so I moved from an outside table on the sand, to one inside, under the "palapa."  I was amazed at the view from my table. By the time I finished dinner, the rain had all but stopped. I had my usual decaf cappuccino and was still reading The Untethered Soul.  And I was so grateful, not for one thing in particular, but for every.single.thing. I was grateful for this view from my balcony: And then one night, this happened. Knowing I was safe indoors really allowed me to enjoy this storm. But this post isn't about stor...

It’s been a little over 24 hours but I feel like my soul has been resting for at least a month. How can you not feel totally relaxed waking up to this view!? I have found myself quoting "Come for a visit, stay for a lifetime" to two unrelated people so far. One woman came here about two years ago and planned to stay for only five months. Then she bought a bar and the rest is history, or rather, herstory. Headed there soon - it's called Pour Favor (get it?? 😂) - for some live music. Here’s a pic from dinner last night, and if this doesn’t completely embody Playa Comida Amor, then I don’t know what does. Why might the sign look familiar? (hint: did you read blog entitled Friends, Fireworks, and Flying Men? The sign made a cameo there.) This also happened, back in August.  We met. Thunder crashed. (See the lightning above and behind us? That's not photoshop!! It was a storm over the Bahia de Banderas.) Sparks flew. I learned the Spanish word for spark –  chispa . So las...

Early on in my stay, I learned about a Facebook Group called "Foodies in Puerto Vallarta." If you are a foodie and plan to spend ANY time in PV, you need to join this group. Some of the best food recommendations came from the people posting on this page. You can find the QR code to join the group at the end of this post. Los Muertos Brewing One place I discovered was Los Muertos Brewing. It was PV's first craft brewery. I'm not much of a craft beer person, but this place reminded me a little bit of home, and believe it or not, I too am prone to the occasional pang of homesickness. So I made my way here, not that it was necessarily my destination, but as I walked by, it had the right vibe. And as soon as I sat down, it began pouring rain. Good timing! I ordered some major comfort food: a burrata salad and a goat cheese bread bowl. Do I really need to say more!? 😋 And, eventually, while I people watched and ate happily and had my usual cosmo, it stopped raining, and I ...

One of my favorite photos of the several thousand I took while down in Mexico includes a few iconic PV images: the Pier at Playa de los Muertos, the sunset colors, and the beach with all the tourists in the water. Ah yes, that's it.  I can feel the warm summer air on my face and hear the sound of the waves lapping against the pier. So nice. Can't wait to go back soon. One of the spots not too far from here was a restaurant called Cuates y Cuetes. I remember asking a waiter what the name meant and he told me that it means "friends and fireworks" but is also a play on words. I like that- friends and fireworks. I have many friends who are movers and shakers, and who dazzle me left and right with their brains and brilliance, so I felt a connection with the name. There was ALWAYS live music playing, and man, did they make a good cosmo, for only 100 pesos. Here's a little peek into the ambiance: As I tried to get in my 10,000 steps a day, I would often make my way past ...

Let's pick up where the entry Sights on the Boardwalk left off (because apparently Molcajete made some of you very hungry! 😂) This is one of the art installations. What do you see? How does it make you feel? Because each weekday in Mexico (Monday through Friday, for eight weeks) consisted of work (7:30-4) and then a combination of Playa Comida Amor from 4pm to 11pm, I was able to do a lot of introspection, self-reflection, and meditation outside of work hours. Whether I was chilling at the beach, or moseying on the malecon (boardwalk), or having dinner with my fabulous self, I was thinking, analyzing, contemplating. Resting too, and sometimes trying to think about nothing at all, but you all know how hard that is.  I want to take you back a little bit. A lot of the "meditation" piece that I make reference to, truly got ignited at an energy retreat that I attended back in May in the Dominican Republic. Not really knowing what I was getting into because when my really goo...

One of the iconic symbols of PV is the Seahorse. The original sculpture is on Los Muertos beach in Zona Romántica, and its official title is "The Boy on the Seahorse." I would say that you can see the most amazing sunsets from there, but I'd be lying because you can see the most amazing sunsets from anywhere on the beach in PV. 🤣🌅  This is the OG Seahorse (I say OG because there is a replica on the boardwalk), and it is located almost at the end of Los Muertos beach. If you walk towards the center of town, you will get to the Pier, which is gorgeous, day or night. A little bit past the pier is a very pretty hotel called Los Arcos. There's a few swimming pools, including an infinity pool, a stage, a dance floor, and a restaurant called Mi Pueblito. Take a look for yourself: I like this place for several reasons.  One: the waiters are very friendly, and attentive, but also let me read my book in peace. (At this point I'm still reading Just Haven't Met You Yet ...

Late afternoons, Friday and Saturday nights, and weekends were reserved for beach time, sunsets, long walks (ahem, 10,000 steps), leisurely dinners, exploring, and well, as the title of blog states, love. ❤️ About a half mile from where I was staying, but still well within the neighborhood that is known as Zona Romántica (the Romantic Zone, or officially Emiliano Zapata neighborhood), there was a park. It is one of the most unique parks to which I have ever been. You know Park Güell, by Antonio Gaudí, in Barcelona? More unique than that! This one in PV has the most beautiful mosaic benches. Have a look- can you guess which one is my favorite?   Although I'm a sucker for hearts (because, you know, love! 🤣), I really appreciate the detail on the "Day of the Dead" La Catrina [fourth from the top] with the roses on her hat. I absolutely love hats, so maybe that is why this one speaks to me!? I also really like the one that looks like a sofa from the 1970s. There is also this...