Singers and Dancers

There is always something going on in Puerto Vallarta if you look for it, and sometimes you don't have to look very hard. The other night the daughter and son-in-law of one of the people who stay at Playa del Sol where we stay put on a nice little poolside concert. They are both professional musicians and songwriters so it was a lot better than you ordinary hootenanny.

Invitation To A Concert


You couldn't have asked for a better setting, right on the deck with the bay to the left and the sun beginning to set in the sky.

Let Us Entertain You


They were quite good in a way that reminded me of coffee houses back in the sixties. They hail from San Francisco so maybe that is still the scene there. Living in relatively hard-edged Brooklyn now I kind of miss the mellower times.

The concert ended just as the setting sun provided us with another beautiful sunset.

Sunset Over The Bay


As I said, there is always something to see or do here. Just a few nights ago there were dancers performing at a new ampitheater in front of a park just a few blocks from where we are staying. It was kind of dark and by the time I got there all of the good seats were taken. I did manage to get a few pictures though.

Mexican Dancers




I couldn't help but notice the similarity to a statue on the Malecon so I decided to orchestrate my own little dance with them.

Poetry Not In Motion






I had some great oysters on the street the other day, huge and almost a half an inch thick. No just slurking them down, you had to cut them in half and eat them with a fork. Stay tuned, pictures will be coming along with those of a nocturnal visit to El Brujo and the surprize that awaited me. Don't get too excited, it isn't going to be a real big surprise.

Oh, tonight there is an eclipse of the moon and maybe I will get some pictures of that. I just have a point and shoot digital camera though so don't expect anyhting too spectacular.

The Times, They Are A Changin'

Well, it has been a long time since Puerto Vallarta has been the sleepy little fishing village depicted in Night Of The Iquana, the filming of which put this place on the map and forever altered its landscape. Every year brings something new and, inevitably, the loss of something old. Sometimes what you lose isn't, in my opinion at least, all that bad.

Bye Bye Hooters


Some of you may remember that this wasn't one of my favorite places. To its credit though it was nicely air-conditioned and had bathrooms that were well maintained. It also had a nice view of the malecon so you could sip your beer and watch the world pass by. My complaint was the relative indifference of the bartenders and their refusal to make me a margarita even though all of the ingredients were in view. If they couldn't pour something that was already pre-mixed they just couldn't be bothered.

Someone told me that the place was closed due to some kind of a union action and it did, indeed, look as though it was being picketed. Well, no need to worry too much about it, a new shopping complex has opened not far from town and a new Hooters can be found there. I haven't been yet but I will be heading out one of these days.

Although Hooters is gone Puerto Vallarta now has that quintessential indicator of ultimate gentrification located right in the heart of town:

Starbucks


Of course I always find it a bit bizarre that people will travel all the way to Mexico and then find comfort in a place they could find back home. However, with the economy booming down here, you find a lot of locals indulging in Starbuck's offerings. One certainly can't begrudge them that. The biggest knock on this place seems to be that although they have seating and wireless connections for your laptop, they don't have bathrooms. Of course the neighboring establishments that do have facilities are not too happy about recycling Starbucks coffee.

A couple of other places that I did enjoy visiting have also, unhappily, bit the dust. One was Pau Pau's, right across from Daiquiri Dick's. They had decent food and were about as close to the water as you could get. Also, my neices affectionately call their grandmother Pau Pau so it was kind of like losing a member of my family seeing this place gutted.

Bye Bye Pau Pau


It is in too prime a location to be empty for long so I will be interested in seeing what goes in there. I did notice that the previously rocky strip seperating Pau Pau from the water has been cleared and it looks like a lot of sand has been hauled in to make it a nice beach now.

Another decent place that I liked, the Lazy Lizard, is also now but a distant and forlorn memory.

The Lizard Has Left


I liked the Lazy Lizard because the outside area just had a bunch of beat up old sofas and over-stuffed chairs that looked like they had been sitting outside for years. The beer was cheap too.

Now the Burro Bar hasn't gone anywhere, but the ambience has become a bit more beckoning. There used to be a large, somewhat ominous burro head ouside, but that has been gone for several years. It has been replaced by these rather toy-like looking guys instead.

Child Friendly


For some reason this warning sign

We Dare You?


and this toy

Grr, Beware


just don't seem to go together.

We had a lovely little concert out by the pool a few nights ago and tomorrow I shall post the pictures of that. Last night a bunch of us were sitting out by the pool and we did see the famous Green Flash that everyone talks about. In all of the time I have been coming down here this is only the second time I have seen it and it was the first time for a lot the people who were having their sunset cocktails. It is unmistakable, like a bright green Christmas tree light flashing on and then quickly off. Quite impressive, but you will have to take my word for it because it was much too quick to get a picture.

Lunch At El Brujo

The Mysterious Chinese Woman and I decided to go to one of our favorite out-of-the-way places for lunch a few days ago. We go there a few times each year and were happy to find that it hadn't changed much. It is on a busy street right where cars come out of a tunnel and head into downtown Puerto Vallarta, or at least into the part called the Romantic Zone.

El Brujo


The prices here are very reasonable and the portions are quite large. Everytime we come here we say we will order just one dish and split it but, for some reason, we seldom do. Perhaps it is because we like different things.

The Mysterious Chinese Woman And Shrimp Tortillas


You get a large, and I do mean large, sizzling plate of shrimp and peppers and onions all cooked up together and your choice of either corn or flour tortillas to wrap it in. Most delicious and after she was done there was plenty to take home for another meal the next day.

I, on the other hand, am partial to their seafood cervice. Again, a large, more than you can eat, serving of shrimp, octopus, and fish marinated in lime juice with carrots and peppers and cilantro and other delicious spices.

Bar Man And Cervice


The beers here are cold and fairly cheap as well, 18 pesos which is, I guess, about $2. With the American dollar tanking everywhere and the booming economy here in Puerto Vallarta things aren't as cheap as they once were, but still a lot cheaper than in New York so it still feels like a bargain here. It is funny though to see that the Canadian dollar buys more pesos than the American dollar now. I have never seen that before although I am old enough to remember way back in the days when the Canadian dollar used to be worth more than the American dollar. Must have been back in the 50's and 60's though.

It was the day after Valentines Day and there were still a few heart-shaped balloons hanging about. There is usually something depressing about partially deflated balloons, but this one kind of reminded me of a sunburnt Dolly Parton.

Dolly Parton With A Sun Burn


The Mysterious Chinese Woman wasn't too happy when I pointed this out to her.

For those of you who are adventurous eaters, this little place right across the street from El Brujo was doing a brisk business.

Street Food At Its Finest


I am a big fan of eating at these taco stands. The food is quite good and they are really kind of fun places to eat. In the evening they are little neighborhood gathering places while during the day it is where a lot of Mexican workers take their lunch break. And you can't get better value for your money. I am always surprised when people ask me how I can eat at these and if I am not afraid of getting sick. I have never had a problem and the food is delicious.

I also find it funny that the same people who worry about these taco stands seem to have no problem eating a hotdog from a street vendor back home. Guess it is just what you feel comfortable with.

By the way, on Valentines Day I did take the Mysterious Chinese Woman out for lunch at another nice place, Daiquiri Dick's. But damn, I forgot my camera. It was a pity too because as we were eating lunch a couple of whales were hanging out just a couple of hundred of yards off-shore. This is a big calving ground for them as well as for porpoises, but it is just about the end of the season for them and soon they will be moving on.

Until tomorrow, hasta luego, or something.

Let's Be Frank

Well, here I am in lovely Puerto Vallarta, where the weather is beautiful and I once again meet old friends from past visits. One of those friends is Frank who hails from my state of origin, Minnesota. I grew up in the relatively cosmopolitan metropolis of Minneapolis though while Frank mostly lived underground up on the Iron Range where, I think, he was raised by trolls.

Most people after not seeing you for a year ask "How are you?" or "How was your year?" something like that. Frank, however, just wanted to know why I hadn't put his picture up on my website. I have to admit, it was an oversight. The Mysterious Chinese Woman and I went to dinner with Frank and his lovely wife Carol and pictures were, indeed taken. Why they never made it to my website I just don't know. Maybe I was trying to spare you from this:

Frank


Somehow I don't think posting this will placate him too much and it is a bit unfair. He is much, well okay, a little better looking than that picture would lead you to believe. Here is a picture even he might approve of.

Frank And His Lovely Wife Carol


These pictures were taken at a great Cuban restaurant right across the street from the malecon and you can look out over the bay as you eat. The food is fantastic too with pork dishes being their specialty. I will certainly be visiting again this year and will post more pictures when I do. I have already taken some pictures this visit and will be posting them soon, maybe tomorrow.

Here is one last picture of us all enjoying ourselves last year.

Bar Man, Chris, Mysterious Chinese Woman, Carol, and Frank


Oh, I will also be sure to let you know if Frank is still my friend after he sees this post.

Rats

Well, not really, just that it is now the Year of the Rat according to the Mysterious Chinese Woman and about five billion others. It is supposedly a very fortuitous year, the rat being clever, industrious, and accumulative. It is also the first animal of the twelve animal cycle, so that also makes the rat a leader of sorts. He was the first guy at the party.

We headed to Chinatown last Saturday for a celebratory feast. We were going to go early to see the parade but the weather was so nasty that we decided to forgo that part. Here is the wintry scene that greeted us when we got out of the subway at City Hall in Manhattan.

Don't Shake The Snow Globe


There were still a few revelers in the street but they were kind of a sorry looking lot.

Wet And Cold


Our destination wasn't far though, a fairly small place right across from a police station.

Oriental Garden


It looked cheerful enough, but the greeter at the door was a bit crabby.

A Crabby Greeter


There was a more cheerful fellow inside though.

A Bit Heavy On The Rouge


Of course any Chinese feast is really all about the food.

Shrimp And Noodles


Lobster, Of Course


Shrimp And Rice


Steamed Sea Bass


There was more too, pork in a garlic sauce, chicken with Smithfield ham, some kind of green vegetable, dumplings, and who knows what else. I would have liked to have gotten pictures of everything but there were a lot of hungry people who were quick with their chopsticks.

After finishing all of this we headed up to Little Italy for desert. It was quite a day, lots to eat and lots of fun.

Tomorrow the Mysterious Chinese Woman and I are heading to Mexico where we will be spending the next six weeks. Be sure to stay tuned because there is always a lot of fun stuff to write about down there.

Being A Good Influence

Ah, you have to love kids. My little niece has always been impressed by certain of my abilities. You know, things like being able to burp really loud and cross my eyes. Apparently she is also impressed by my ability to hang a spoon from my nose.

Impressing The Kids


She decided to put her artistic abilities to use and presented me with a picture she had drawn commemorating my spoon-hanging skills.

Suitable For Framing


Apparently some of my other abilities impress her as well because she also presented me with this lovely picture.

Beer


I guess it is my own fault for teaching her to sing 99 Bottles Of Beer On The Wall. I heard she was a big hit at recess. I think her mother heard about it too. Oh well, what are Uncle's for if not to get their nieces into trouble. Once I read her a book, Walter, The Farting Dog. She liked it so much she wanted to borrow it. Imagine my pride when she took it to school to share with her friends. Her mother heard about that as well.

No Strollers

Interestingly, a few days after I first wrote about how I was seeing more children in bars since they banned smoking The New York Times wrote a similar article. A few readers of my blog pointed this out to me and how some of the wording in the article was very similar to what I had posted in my blog.

A few days ago I again posted about children in bars and, specifically, how Union Hall, a bar in Park Slope, had banned strollers. Well wouldn't you know it, today The New York Times had an article on, drum-roll please, Union Hall banning strollers.

Great Minds


Apparently the whole issue of whether or not small children should be allowed in bars is now a hot topic and a bit contentious. I still maintain that it is perfectly acceptable to have children in the restaurant portion of a bar for a family dinner, but having them in the bar area itself is not only inappropriate, it can be dangerous. This may be hard to believe, but often times people drinking at a bar aren't really expecting to find a stroller at their feet. Most bars, especially in New York, aren't really child friendly, unlike pubs in Europe (and some pub-style bars in New York) which are much more family oriented.

I also find it strange that the same people who take their small children into a bar are probably the same ones who would complain about unsafe conditions at a local park because the new artificial grass contains harmful chemicals or that the rubber padding around the swings has become a bit worn.

Oops, I Dropped Him Again


My favorite scratch your head and ponder this part of The New York Times article was when, in support of allowing children in bars, Christen Clifford proudly recalled breast-feeding her son at the bar before ordering a martini. She must be running for the Britney Spears Mother Of The Year Award. Certainly gets my vote. On the other hand, her son, Felix, was probably really looking forward to his next hit of mother's milk. Unless he got dropped on his head first.

Birthday Dinner Number Two

Well, the Mysterious Chinese Woman is special so she got to have two birthday dinners, with even more to come. This time her Mysterious Chinese Sister took her out and I got to come along. I also got to pick the restaurant. I knew they both liked French bistros so I thought Chez Napoleon on 50th Street between 8th and 9th Avenue would be a good choice, and I wasn't disappointed.

Chez Napoleon


When you walk through the door you can easily imagine that you just came from a stroll along the Boulavard Montparnasse in Paris. It is a small restaurant that seems even smaller than it is because it is divided in two.

That Bistro Look And Feel


As you might imagine, the walls were covered with all kinds of Napoleonic artifacts. I have a friend who is a big collector of all things related to Napoleon and I have the fact he would love this place.

Wall Hangings But No Beheadings


The Napoleonic theme is much in evidence on their menu too, as you would imagine.

Suitable For Framing


The menu features classic bistro dishes which is to say traditional home cooking. I had a beef dish that was kind of like a small pot roast, but not dry and stringy like my family used to make it. It was moist and tender and had obviously been cooked for a long time at a low temperature. Classic braising.

The Mysterious Chinese Woman had a nice piece of cod that was prepared like the sole we usually order when we go to Armando's in my neighborhood. Lightly browned with a lemon butter sauce. The Mysterious Chinese Sister had the duck and she said it was delicious.

My only complaint was that everything came with boiled potatoes. I am not a big fan of boiled potatoes. But I was told by the waitress that it was traditional and to be quiet and just eat them. I was feeling right at home here.

They only have a small service bar with but one stool. That stool was occupied by Marguerite Bruno, the owner and Chef Grand-Mere. She is now in her 80's and this restaurant has been hers and her family's for at least 50 years. In her 80's now she doesn't work the kitchen but keeps a sharp eye on everything that goes on. In a way she reminded me of Pilar at Montero's.

Bar Man And Marguerite


Oh, and best of all, I finally got my cheese plate.

Worth The Wait


If you are ever in the neighborhood, or even if you have to travel a bit, you owe it to yourself to stop in here. I would certainly recommend that you make reservations because the place is packed.

Saul Man

That heading has nothing to do with anything but I thought it sounded cool. It was the Mysterious Chinese Woman's American birthday and I let her choose where she wanted to go for dinner. She picked Saul's, a great restaurant on our neighborhood that I have been to before. In fact, I took her for dinner there on her birthday two years ago. And when my friends Bruce and Donna came to visit not long ago they treated us to dinner one night and we picked Saul for that occasion as well.

Saul On Smith Street


It is a fairly small restaurant although they claim you can book if for parties of up to 200. I have no idea how they could fit in that many people. It really is a great restaurant, I have never been disappointed with a meal there. And the staff is really friendly as well. You would think they might be a bit more stuck-up but not at all.

Most of the tables are quite small, seating just two. I guess it is considered to be an intimate setting to take a date, or a Mysterious Chinese Woman.

Mysterious Chinese Woman


They don't have much of a bar, just about half a dozen stools for people who are waiting for a table. But what the hell, I still managed to have a drink there even though we were promptly seated when we showed up for our reservation.

Cocktails At The Bar


The food was, as always, fabulous. I started with a wonderful foi gras that was uber rich and so filling that I couldn't even finish my main course. I didn't feel the least bit guilty about eating it either. I just recently saw an episode of Tony Bourdain's show, No Reservations, where he visited a farm where they raised geese to make foi gras. The geese are very well treated and, although they are force fed to enlarge their livers, they really don't seem to mind it. Unlike people, they don't gag when they are force fed because they don't breath through their throats like we do. And geese store fat in their livers so an enlarged liver, in a goose at least, isn't unhealthy. Of course you do have to kill them to get the liver, but then you have to uproot a carrot to eat it too. Life is cruel.

I ordered their special, milk-fed pork, and it was delicious as well. The served it with a nice sized chunk of fried pork fat which I really like. You can buy it in little bags of pork rinds, but that is a poor substitute for the real thing. Only in Mexico can you find it just about everywhere.

Milk Fed Pork and Fried Pork Fat


The Mysterious Chinese Woman had duck but she ate it so fast that I didn't have a chance to take a picture. She said it was very good, and she would know. I did manage to snap a picture of the desert that she ordered, Apple Betty with Calvados ice-cream. Calvados is a pear brandy and this ice-cream did pack a bit of a punch.

Apple Betty and Calvados Ice-Cream


They had a wonderful looking cheese plate as another after-dinner treat but I was so stuffed that I couldn't order it. The waitress said that if I came in before the dinner crowd they would have no problem with me ordering just that and a glass of port. I will make a point of doing just that one day.

All and all we had a great time. The tables are close together and, luckily, the people on either side of us were very friendly so we all chatted together like old friends. One couple had just moved back to Brooklyn after living abroad for several years. The said they were going to go out bar-hopping after dinner and asked me if I knew of any good ones in the neighborhood. Well, they asked the right guy. I rattled off about a dozen within a few blocks and gave a brief description of each one. They decided to just hit a couple and settled on Pete's Waterfront Ale House and Montero's. I hope they had a good time. And I hope Pilar was sitting in her usual spot in Montero's to welcome them.

Bill Who?

Forgive me for being cruel, but I couldn't help but notice certain similarities between these two pictures.





It is tough to actually be able to remember things like this.

How Strange Is This?

You may have noticed that yesterday my blog had a picture of the pin that the New York Daily News distributed. This was a copy of their front page where they also quoted then Mayor Giuliani. Note that they seem to feel the use of the word "ass" was appropriate in those situations, but they are very careful about not allowing it when you post a comment to their articles.

Here is an example of how they censor you even when you are quoting them:

barman Feb 1, 2008 7:22:42 AM Report Offensive Post
I am just submitting this so I can post it on my blog www.thousandbars.com - I want people to know how strange it is that you can have a front page and then issue a pin quoting Rudy Giuliani when he said "We Can Kick Your City's ***" but then asterisk out the word "***" when someone quotes you in your comments section.

America's Mayor

Now that Rudy is no longer running for president and, perhaps, is wondering where it all went wrong, he should consider this. You can't expect people to believe, as he so often said, that he is America's Mayor when he once, famously, suggested that New York's motto should be:

"We Can Kick Your City's Ass."

Has anyone ever mentioned that Rudy can be, shall we say, a bit divisive.

And then the New York Daily News ran Rudy's slogan on their front page and also distributed pins touting the same slogan:



It looks like at least some cities decided to kick back a bit.

Of course the New York Daily News also seems to be in a bit of denial about how people react to New Yorker's attitude at times. When Iowa Senator Grassley suggested that maybe Rudy's New York attitude cost him votes they referred to him as Senator Hick. Hmm, now that was witty, and only seemed to reinforce Senator Grassley's point.

Hypothetical Questions - A Rant

I have been struck by the number of times our President and all of our presidential candidates state that they will not answer a hypothetical question. Now, quite frankly, I am not sure they all know just what that means, but it sure makes them sound kind of stupid.

Why do I say this?

Let's just suppose that the Mysterious Chinese Woman and I were planning on going on a picnic tomorrow. Let's also suppose she asked What should we do if it rains? A reasonable man, such as myself, might say that we could go to a movie instead, or stay home and watch something on television, or go to the bar and drink beer and eat popcorn. In other words, a reasonable man would think about alternative courses of action if, for some reason, the original plan no longer seems like such a good idea. I certainly wouldn't say that I couldn't answer because it was a hypothetical question.

Ask Rudy Guiliani what he will do if he loses the Florida primary and he says "I don't answer hypothetical questions." What does that mean? He has no alternative plans? If he was asked what he would do if he won the Florida primary would he answer the same way? I doubt it.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not just picking on Rudy. It seems everyone is doing it these days. Here is an actual exchange that occurred in a press conference that President Bush was holding:

Q: But Mr. President if you have an invasion plan that you've been reviewing, doesn't that indicate that you've decided to invade Iraq?

The President: That's not the case at all. I mean let's say that there's an alien invasion tomorrow and the whole United States is suddenly forced to fend off hordes of 'saucer people' who want to stop our senior citizens from collecting their Social Security and their Medicare payments. Well if that happened, I'd do whatever it took to defend the interests of our seniors and I hope they'll remember that in November.

Q: Ok...well let's say that there's is no alien invasion. Would we invade Iraq?

The President: Well that's a hypothetical question so I don't think I should answer it. Next question.

I am not even sure what President Bush was referring to as a hypothetical question unless it was, I am guessing here, If there is no alien invasion would we invade Iraq? I also find it interesting that he was kind of able to answer his own hypothetical question of what we would do if we were invaded by aliens.

Now I don't want to suggest that only Republicans play the hypothetical question card.

When Hilary Clinton was asked by Tim Russert if she would support an Israeli attack on Iran similar to the Israeli attack on Syria she refused to answer saying it was a hypothetical question. Again, what does that mean? Does it mean she hasn't thought about the possibility and therefore has no idea whether she would support such an action? That seems a bit scary. Shouldn't someone in her position have at least thought about this possibility and have some idea as to whether or not they would support it? Hell, just say that you have formed an opinion but that it wouldn't be appropriate to reveal it at this time. I can live with that. But to say you cant answer because it is a hypothetical question makes no sense at all. Sometimes it doesn't take long for a question to cease being hypothetical.

Some of you may remember when Under Secretary Sumner Welles was asked "If Russia is attacked by Germany, will she be eligible for aid under the Lend-Lease Act?" Mr. Welles responded that it was a hypothetical question that he could not answer. Three days later the German Army moved into Russia.

After all, aren't many questions, and certainly the most interesting ones, hypothetical in nature? I would think the inability to answer hypothetical questions is a sign of either deviousness or very limited reasoning abilities. Think of it this way. If you asked a chess player what he might do if his opponent played a queen's gambit at the opening you would, I suppose, be asking a hypothetical question. However, if the chess player said he couldn't possibly answer because it was a hypothetical question you might wonder how well he could actually play chess.

In a nutshell, I am tired of people, and especially politicians, who, when asked a simple question of the form If this happens what would you do? refuse to answer by simply saying it is a hypothetical question.

By the way Rudy, the question about what you would do if you lost the Florida primary is no longer hypothetical. Can you answer it now?

Strollers Banned

Some of you may recall that I had mentioned the ban on smoking in bars was having some unintended consequences. One of which was that you were seeing more and more small children in bars. It was my contention that now that the cigarette smoke was gone a bar was somehow considered a "healthy environment" for toddlers.

It is also my opinion that while children in the restaurant portion of a bar were acceptable, there was something kind of wrong about having them in the bar area itself. Needless to say, many took exception with this view. Be that as it may, I see where one bar in Brooklyn, Union Hall Bar, has taken the step of banning strollers.

Of course this step has been met with mixed reviews. However, when you have a young mother cradling her 5-month-old son while sitting at a bar complaining about the ban, you do have to take a step back and scratch your head. Is it just me, or does drinking at the bar with a five-month-old sitting in your lap seem like a really bad idea. Having the kid sitting in a stroller on the floor doesn't strike me as being much better, or safer. It just seems like trouble waiting to happen.

Well, there are still plenty of bars where you can take your toddler with you when you go out for a drink or two, but I applaud Union Square Bar for taking a step toward making their place a bit more adult friendly.

Mark my words though, if you are sitting in a bar when you are five-month's old you may become a real swinger when you aren't much older.

Real Swingers