Tag Archives: tourism

San Miguel de Allende, The Week in SMA

Go ‘Figero’: A night at the opera that’s right on the Marx (Harpo, Chico, Groucho …)

There is a comedy – a musical sitcom – about a powerful man who believes he has the right to do whatever he wants to women. 

It’s a sequel, in fact, that gives off a sort of a bro-boy’s “Your body, my choice” vibe.

But the women in this comedy are smart and savvy, with a sort of a “Me too” vibe. They know how to stand up to power in clever ways. They know how to work the angles on the patriarchy.

And, no, it is not called “Trump’s Second Term.”

The musical is actually an opera and it was written in 1786. A huge hit in its day. Now, it is considered one of the greatest operas of all time. 

Apparently, things haven’t changed all that much in the last 239 years.

The opera is Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” with a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte.

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Colonia San Antonio, photography, San Miguel de Allende

Life on the ledge

Everybody is experiencing varying degrees of winter, some harsher than others this year. In northern climes there is a touch of schadenfreude in the air as southern spots like New Orleans try to figure out how to move snow off their streets and sidewalks and in Washington DC, the presidential inauguration was moved inside because it was too cold.

Right now I’m sitting in front of a fireplace shivering but in another hour or so I’ll be down to shorts and T-shirt. That’s just the way winter goes in San Miguel de Allende. Temperatures sink and soar on a whim.

In another week we’ll begin the celebration of Candelaria, which sort of pushes Spring to the forefront. The celebration is part religious and part commercial. Candelaria marks Candlemas, the 40th day after the birth of Christ.

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Rants and raves, Reviews, San Miguel de Allende

Dominic Cheli in concert: Stop me if you’ve heard this one (I guarantee you have not)

A classical pianist walks into eight bars …

If you think there is a punchline,  the chaconne is on you.

Actually, it was the “Chaconne in G minor” by Thomaso Antonio Vitali and the pianist was Dominic Cheli in his return performance after two years away to San Miguel de Allende on Friday night at St. Paul’s Church.

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Colonia San Antonio, San Miguel de Allende, The Week in SMA, Writings

Talk of the town: Lecturers, speakers, teachers, and authors all want a word with you

Update: Change of venue for San Miguel PEN Presents! Talks and times are the same, only the location has changed: Nectar at Camino Silvestre, Correo #43, Centro.

Talk is not cheap but it sure is plentiful in San Miguel de Allende during the first couple of months of 2025.

Intelligent, knowledgeable and often-times brilliant speakers will be stepping before podiums all over the city to offer enlightenment on topics like explaining the last U.S. election, explaining the current Mexico president, explaining the media, poetry, Artificial Intelligence, outer space, talking about their latest novels, the history of San Miguel, and so much more.

If you are looking for a modern-day Chautauqua Movement, look no further than San Miguel.

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photography, San Miguel de Allende, Writings

Sunset San Miguel

We were a few minutes late for our 6:30 p.m. reservation at Antonia Rooftop Bistro but just in time to catch the end of this glorious sunset.

The restaurant is about four heart-pounding flights above the Hotel Palomar at San Francisco #57 and I suspect sunset dinners are in demand. It does have an elevator, by the way.

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Colonia San Antonio, photography, San Miguel de Allende, Writings

Just crèche-ing it: A tale of two Mangers

“Bob,” many of my Google-adverse friends ask at this time of year, “what does the word ‘crèche’ mean?”

Well, my little Wikipedia-bereft amigos, crèche comes from the Latin word cripia which means crib or cradle.

Unless you are British. The British, being British, have a completely different meaning for the word, mainly, I suppose, so they can have another excuse to complain about North American English. The British sided with the French on this one and think that a crèche refers to a day-care center.

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photography, San Miguel de Allende, Writings

San Juan de Dios market is transformed into a holiday wonderland

Once more, the Mercado de San Juan de Dios is transformed into a wonderland as the Christmas marketplace is open for business.

Extra booths have been erected around the market and they are filled with ornaments, Nativity figures and accessories, decorations, Baby Jesus figurines of many hues and sizes (and gorgeous gowns of swaddling clothes), garlands, pines, sparklers, elf costumes, devil’s pitchforks, cuetlaxochitls, Santa caps, treats, and holiday fantasies.

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photography, San Miguel de Allende

A Christmas walk through San Miguel de Allende

The Jardin Principal, the towering Christmas tree, and the surrounding streets have been well-lit for the holidays since Dec. 6, That was the night of our first thunder-and-lightning drenching in weeks.

Timing is everything.

And the rains cooperated, stopping within minutes of the official Christmas tree lighting ceremony and the accompanying fireworks. (What would a tree lighting ceremony be without fireworks? Well, in San Miguel, what would any event be without fireworks?)

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photography, Reviews, San Miguel de Allende

Red sun in the morning

The sculpture is called “Sol” by Colombian artist Edgar Negret, a pioneer in abstract geometric sculptures.

You can find it on the entrance grounds of the Rosewood Hotel San Miguel, a spot where they seem to favor large works of art that pulsate in a light wavelength between 610 and 780 nanometers.

The previous sculpture there was called “Britannia” and it was just as red.

It works, too.

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photography, San Miguel de Allende

Around the Dia de Muertos parade in 90 pictures

OK, I can sit here all night and write about the beautiful Catrinas and Catrins. About the amazing make-up jobs and costumes. About how people came from all over the world just to parade from Calle Cordo to the Ancha to the Jardin in Centro.

Did I mention this is San Miguel de Allende, the most magical city in the world?

No, I didn’t. And I won’t go on because this is one time, my friends, when pictures speak way louder than words.

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