Author: Marcia Blondin

What a delightful reunion I had with the Kesslers last week. They have finally made the big, permanent jump from Simi Valley, California to Vallarta. They will take their time perusing the myriad colonias to see where they will finally end up, but there is no rush. Barry Kessler’s long-running, informative podcast, The Puerto Vallarta…

Of course, it’s Friday the 13th! I didn’t need a calendar to warn me as I had a full day yesterday preparing for bad luck. “Bad” is the wrong word. We could just stick with a simple NO. I had five tentative “maybe-we-can-get-together” plans. One by one, as the day went by, the tentatives became…

I am enjoying being a slug, two nights in a row without an event! In no time, however, we will be up to here in brand-new shows. My absolute favorite Mexican celebration is coming up this weekend. The Grito de Independencia (Cry for Independence) will ring out from every city and town at around 11…

What a storm yesterday afternoon! Happily, I had no place to be so I spent the entire day with Bogie, grateful I was not outside in the weather. I had a growing “to-do” list, waiting for a quiet day at home, and sat down with it last night for a review. I could not cross…

Empress and the Crown Jewels’ sold-out performance last night at Casa Karma covered much musical ground. There was soul music, a lot of jazz, a little three-part harmony choir practice, a conga line, audience participation, rock n’ roll, and dancing. The food was delicious and plentiful. I had to leave before the cake and champagne…

In grand style, the City of Vallarta celebrated pata salada painter Javier Niño’s 74th birthday. The Presidencia was full of friends, family, representatives from the mayor’s office, and the cultural department. Javier’s wife, Nathalie Herling, Director of Arte Vallarta Museo, gave a short speech in Spanish, after which we all descended to eat awaiting cakes…

Two hours of extraordinary romantic, sad, mellow songs in two languages, Derek Carkner and Diego Guerrero, gave me some Pink Floyd! From 1975, Wish You Were Here blended beautifully with the lyrics of Nina Simone, Sam Smith, Adele, and more. The setting could not be lovelier, with the sun going down, comfy sofas, excellent company,…

Birthday parties are popping up all over the city – last night, we celebrated co-owner Bill Williams at La Catrina Cantina. Luis Villanueva sang beautifully as he always does, and Juan Alvarado, the birthday boy’s husband, ordered some sizzling entertainment with a hot, new-to-me-at-La CC stripper. My date last night – again! – Sandra Bradley…

Sharon Gerber Scherer, Claire (her car) and I headed to the tianguis in Coapinole at the crack of 8:30, yesterday morning. The market was already swarmed with people. Sharon found a couple of things she loved; I found eight new projects. The day was seamless, parking was handy, the pineapples were gigantic and smelled divine.…

With nearly everything dark on Mondays, I had time to spend with my dear Sandra Bradley over smoothies at the Vallarta Factory. We can make hours disappear just like that! You can read Sandra in Vallarta Mirror every Monday. Always something ethereal, thought-provoking, and lovely. Friends of mine, Klaus and Michele, moved to Spain a…

Happy Labor Day weekend everywhere but here on this continent; the unofficial end of summer. Kids are already back in school in Mexico, and fall is right around the corner. I spent Friday and Saturday doing “last things” of the summer at Act2PV, including sadly saying goodbye to David Maiocco, who returns to his life…

Vallarta celebrated live music with passion last night thanks to Georgia Darehshori’s idea to combine venues and share entertainers in a love fest bedecked with balloons, chocolate tequila, and raffle prizes provided by Eddie from The American English Tree Language School. La Catrina Cantina was SRO by 6:30. So many performers turned up there wasn’t…

Another excellent rain storm last night; although we were all ensconced in the Casa Karma Red Room, and were unaware of the monsoon conditions as we celebrated the last Greatest Show for the Summer Season and pianist extraordinaire David Maiocco’s birthday. There was cake and heartfelt singing of Las Mañanitas that brought tears to David’s…

Did everyone enjoy the electrifying show last night? Wowie. The first colossal bang hit the school’s lightning rod just a few blocks from my house. The sound was deafening. Within the hour, I talked to Art and Angela Curley at Hacienda hda Gallery; they had been sitting in La Cappella and saw the lightning strike…

Yesterday morning, while finishing my column, I glanced at my laptop and saw the last sentence starting in the middle of the page. I tried to backspace, the text went forward eating everything in its path. Similar things have happened before but I could not fix it so cut the last part, finished editing the…

A gorgeous Monday out there; it feels like November, cool, dry and clear. Of course, it’s only 7 in the morning, but soon it will actually BE November and the description will be perfect! We had a stylin’ classy weekend with Chopin, Lieder, and opera and shared a moment of history that included praise bestowed…

A full house at Casa Karma last night for sunset and Mexico City magician Mauricio Andrade brought to us by MAGIA, a division of Gloria Fiona. What an outstanding debut! Mauricio was so engaging and hilarious as he carefully explained where the missing, disappearing, invisible coin went and the trick behind the hanky-in-an-egg, which was…

Another fabulous Greatest Show last night at Act2PV; next week will be the ultimate until 2025. I suggest early reservations; it is bound to sell out. It is amazing to me that week after week, in the summer, Cate Elizabeth Valcic has produced such high-quality, two-plus hours shows in less than a week’s time. The…

I spent an hour or so plundering the piles at the tianguis in Coapinole yesterday and came home with eight projects, one, beautifully beaded and three badly stained but so large that I could work around them. Happily, all the stains came out, so I have even more options. I got there around 10; it…

Prepare yourself for an evening where the boundaries between reality and illusion dissolve before your eyes. On August 22 at 6:30 PM, master illusionist Mauricio Andrade will take the stage at Casa Karma, a stunning venue nestled on the southern end of Conchas Chinas Beach in Puerto Vallarta. For just 800 pesos, guests will be…