GUIDES | Page 19 | Puerto Vallarta Scene

Presidencia Square (Plaza de Armas), Puerto Vallarta

The Presidencia Square (Plaza de Armas) is the center of official political and cultural activity in Puerto Vallarta. There is a large, two story building housing government offices (and Vallarta’s Tourism Office) and a large outdoor patio with a central bandstand. This complex is located between Puerto Vallarta’s Malecón at the Los Arcos Amphitheater and the Guadalupe Cathedral.

The Plaza has free wifi.

There is easy, secure, paid parking two blocks away in the new Malecón Parking Building.
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CECATUR Auditorium

CECATUR Auditorium
Also called the Agustin Flores Contreras Cultural Auditorium

Located at the corner of Zaragoza and Matamoros (Near the Main Plaza) in Centro Puerto Vallarta. There is no convenient parking available for this venue and taxis are recommended.
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PUERTO VALLARTA NEWSPAPERS & MAGAZINES

It is easy to keep up with the news in Puerto Vallarta. There are many news websites and printed newspapers and magazines. Of the Spanish online resources, Noticiaspv, Siempre Libre and Opina stand out as the most comprehensive and these are my choices for actual news reporting.

Of the English resources, Banderas Bay News probably leads, followed by the weekly touristy editions of PVMirror and the Tribune (being weekly greatly diminishes their value as a timely news source). Vallarta Today has some good news and is edited by a talented person who knows Vallarta very well, but it often misses the mark as a reliable resource. All of the English publications are primarily advertising media and “the news” is secondary, at best.

“99.999% of what happens in life is not news.” — Loesje

The BANDERAS BAY NEWS: An English language web-magazine with a lively online mix of fluff (advertisements disguised as “news”) and local and international news. Video features. “Left” leaning editorial policy.
WEBSITE: The BANDERAS BAY NEWS:
EMAIL: Info (at) BanderasNews.com

BAY VALLARTA: The bilingual English/Spanish (with a smattering of German), bi-weekly printed and web event calendar magazine of Vallarta Online. The printed version is fantastic. The online version leaves a lot to be desired (if you value information). If you go to the Spanish language version of the internet guide, it much more complete than the gringo version. It is now available as a PDF download. Very nice.

WEBSITE: BAY VALLARTA:
PHONE: From the US or Canada: 011 +52 (322) 223-1127. Local Phone: 223-1127. Phone from Nuevo Vallarta: 01 (322) 223-1127. FAX: 011 +52 (322) 223-0560.
ADDRESS: Vallarta Online, Blvd Francisco Medina Ascencio #1692, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, C.P. 48330.
EMAIL: news (at) vallartaonline.com

EL FARO: A Spanish language weekly newspaper for Puerto Vallarta. Available online in PDF at EL FARO. (You have to go through a bit of loud flash programming to get to the PDF, but it’s worth it. The whole news paper is available online.) El Faro is associated with La Explosiva 590, a local radio station. It is the grand fuddy duddy of Vallarta Newspapers with a strong conservative slant. Funny if you know the scene here. Pedantic if you don’t.
WEBSITE: EL FARO
PHONE: 01 (322) 221.0573
ADDRESS: Plaza Marina, primer piso, Oficina N# 101, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. C.P. 48354

FOTONOTA: News Photographs of many diverse subjects concerning Puerto Vallarta. “Una imagen dice más que mil palabras.”

WEBSITE: http://www.fotonota.com/

GUADALAJARA REPORTER: The only real English language newspaper for Jalisco State and Puerto Vallarta. The Reporter covers Vallarta only incidentally, but even with this minimal coverage, it is the best, if not the only, “newspaper” in town. The reporting is professional and accurate. An internet subscription is $30 (US) per year and is well worth it. Some free stories are also posted on the website.

WEBSITE: GUADALAJARA REPORTER

LA JORNADA: A Spanish language online and print newspaper for Jalisco (headquartered in Mexico DF). La Jornada is a progressive, left-center publication critical of PAN and PRI and supporting, editorially, recent same-sex marriage and abortion initiatives. It is sympathetic to the Zapatista movement and the PRD and is somewhat affiliated with the National Autonomous University of Mexico. It has very little news related to Puerto Vallarta but quite a bit related to Guadalajara.

WEBSITE: http://www.lajornadajalisco.com.mx/index.php
EMAIL: Lajornadajalisco (at) yahoo.com.mx
TEL: 36 15 62 09 y 19

MANO A MANO: A buy and sell weekly publication with free classified ads (mostly in Spanish but some in English). The printed version comes out on Fridays and is 3 pesos. After Friday, it is distributed free in many locations. The online version is more current than the printed version.
WEBSITE: http://www.manoamano.com.mx/index.php
ADDRESS: Peru #1115, Col. 5 de Diciembre, Puerto Vallarta
PHONE: 01 (322) 22 238 88

MERIDIANO VALLARTAThe online digital PDF version of this major newspaper chain’s Vallarta edition.

The NEWS With a history dating back 58 years, The News was proud to be the only English-language daily in Mexico. The daily circulation of 10,000 reached out from Mexico City to the whole country. This newspaper has recently changed hands and is now nothing more than a USA TODAY for expats living in Mexico. Very little Mexican news and a lot of the ‘normal’ Americanized news.

NNC – Nayarit Network Communication The principle portal for the Meridiano Newspaper group. Politics, Sports, Police Reporting, Social and International news. Videos, podcasts and traditional news stories.

NOTICIASPV: A Spanish language online ‘newspaper’ for Puerto Vallarta. Contains many news photos and stories and columns produced locally. Apparently closely aligned with PAN, the right-wing political party here in Mexico and many stories are slanted with that political/editorial view. The website has many annoying popup ads and a constantly running “live stream” video that drains bandwidth.
WEBSITE: http://noticiaspv.com/
NOTICAS PV RADIO: http://noticiaspv.com/sitio/radio/

NotiVallarta “News” in Spanish and the website has a new look with much easier access to information for both Spanish and English speakers.

PV MIRROR An English language website with quite a bit of news of interest to the expat community. Also a fine resource for Puerto Vallarta history.

The PV Mirror also has a web “newspaper” PDF edition that can be viewed weekly at http://www.pvmcitypaper.com/

PVNOTAS.COM This news website appears to be a function of the PAN (religious right-wing) political party here in Vallarta and presents somewhat slanted news and features in that direction. It does not appear to be especially gay-friendly.

Extremely sensationalist and definitely NOT FREE (in both spirit and price). Available both in print and on the web. This publication is the perfect source for a fix of bloody dead body photos. The details in the stories are not always totally accurate but the range of news coverage is quite large.

TRIBUNA DE BAHIA
The online, Spanish language parent of the English Vallarta Tribune. The difference between the two is that this is a real newspaper and the English version is solely an advertising medium. Politically, it is a PAN supporter but it is broad-based in its news coverage.

TV PUERTO VALLARTA A local internet “TV” station in English that presents Youtube feature videos of local events and traditions.

VALLARTA OPINA Quite a complete online and printed local newspaper. (Spanish). Politically and editorially, it is a PRI supporter but it functions more as a society news medium than a hard-core political propaganda mouthpiece. Old school.

VALLARTA TODAY: A local English language printed weekly news paper of quite limited circulation and a “daily” news website.

The VALLARTA TRIBUNE: An English language weekly printed advertising magazine directed to the the Canadian and American expats and tourists in Puerto Vallarta. Very much advertising fluff. The online version is a PDF download.
WEBSITE: The VALLARTA TRIBUNE:
EMAIL: editor (at) vallartatribune.org

VALLARTA VIVE: A Spanish language electronic medium covering news, events and general opinions (columns) about Puerto Vallarta. Always current and constantly updated.
WEBSITE: http://www.vallartavive.com/default.asp

EL VALLARTENSE“El corazón del hombre necesita creer algo, y cree mentiras cuando no encuentra verdades que creer” — Mariano José de Larra

PUERTO VALLARTA BLOGS

It’s possible to learn a lot about an area by the blogs written in and about it. Here are some that I’ve come across. If you know of more, or if you publish one yourself, let me know. — Rick

1000 BARS » What can you say, the name of this blog says it all. One man traveling the world and stopping in interesting bars along the way. Scroll down in this part of his blog for nice pieces written about Puerto Vallarta and Bucerias. (English)

ASK A MEXICAN » Not really a blog but a newspaper column (the progenitor of the blog). Gustavo Arellano takes on racism and La Raza in his Orange County Weekly Newspaper column that will either have you laughing in your cerveza or heading up to California to punch him out. (English)

BILL TAYLOR’S TRISTAR NEWSLETTER » Written by a real estate dealer here in Puerto Vallarta, this blog is totally his opinion and included many inside news stories and opinions. A good variety of interesting items, along with the pitches….

INTERSECTIONS » by Daniel Hernandez, a voice of post postmodern Mexico. An intelligent, wide-eyed political street view of life in Mexico today. Great blog. (English)

INSTANTES » Jessica Soler’s excellent photo blog of Puerto Vallarta and Mexico. (Spanish)

THE MEX FILES » A very opinionated and well-written blog about Mexico in general and everything else on occasion. A personal take on the latest news from Mexico with a definite lefty slant. Great Blog.

MEXICAN TRUCKER ONLINE » Excellent, informative and Current. About much more than trucking.

After spending 35 in the trucking industry as a company driver, owner-operator and on the other side of the desk in management, in addition to having lived in Mexico for more than 10 years, I feel I am uniquely qualified to rebut and rebuke the patently false allegations and defamations by the protectionists, isolationists, xenophobes, bigots and just plain assholes who pass their evenings calling into radio talk shows rendering expert opinions on a subject they know nothing about.

MINGO MEXICO » Tracy Park’s elegant travel/photo blog. “Musings on my travels…mostly to Mexico.”

This blog is rapidly morphing into the most interesting and informative blog currently being written about Puerto Vallarta. With each post, the author adds great photos and literary sketches of Vallarta’s social and cultural scene. He also covers adjacent locations and experiences. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a forthcoming book derived from this blog.(English)

PACO OJEDA Not so much a blog as a website describing the art and writing of Paco Ojeda, one of the more creative artists in Puerto Vallarta. Ojeda is also the force behind The VU, Vallarta Undiscovered.

PLATOS EN MI COCINA » A Vallarta cooking blog by Brenda (I am : One cup Rachael Ray, 1/4 cup Martha Stewart, a tablespoon of Tita de la Garza [From “Like Water For Chocolate” “Como agua para chocolate”] and a pinch of a shopaholic squeezing tomatoes and scanning the aisles and produce bins for the best picks and pans.). Brenda, a US expat, living in Vallarta, also authors the AllVallarta website and runs the AllVallarta Forum. (English)

PVBEAT » A very fine photoblog by Shanti.

PUERTO VALLARTA BLOG » Originally from Germany, Claudio Giovannelli came a few years ago with his Mexican wife to Puerto Vallarta because of her job at the local University C.U.C. This blog is a log of activities and events here in Puerto Vallarta.

PUERTO VALLARTA DIRECTORY » A directory blog of Puerto Vallarta business and Activities.

SANDORA » An extremely insightful photo/blog about Puerto Vallarta from someone with a very good eye who has watched closely every step of its change. (Spanish)

SHE SAID » This blog is a compilation of the She Said newspaper column by Anna Reisman, the editor of the Vallarta Tribune. If you want to know what’s happening around town, this is a great place to start. Anna is a Canadian expat who has lived in Puerto Vallarta since 1994 and who has recently received her Mexican citizenship. (English)

SPARKS MEXICO » “Stories and photos about my travels in Mexico since 1998. I’m now retired and living in Melaque, Jalisco – the Costalegre.” A very nice photoblog along with creative writing.
(English)

SPCA VALLARTA OK, this isn’t your ‘normal’ touristy blog about Puerto Vallarta. It’s a blog about the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and the work they do and the pets they have available for adoption. While you’re there, drop a peso or two into their hope chest for continuing their good work…. (This blog is in English and Spanish)

TACO DE OJO Paco Ojeda’s blog about photography, gay culture, film, art, eroticism, Mexico in general and Puerto Vallarta in particular. Excellent. (Spanish)

THE TEX-MEX CONNECTION » “Random notes about Harold and Sue’s Mexican adventures.”

THE VALLARTA BLOG » VallartaBlog, A Slice of Puerto Vallarta Life.” An excellent blog about Puerto Vallarta by a creative and talented writer / photographer.

VALLARTA BLOG (2) » A very commercial blog about Puerto Vallarta with original photographs along with many stories lifted from other sources.

VALLARTA REAL ESTATE WEBLOG » Published by John Youden who founded the multiple listing service in Puerto Vallarta (Multi-List Vallarta) in 1988. John also owns the Vallarta Lifestyles Publishing Group, which includes a number of magazines such as Vallarta Lifestyles, Costa Vallarta and the Vallarta Real Estate Guide.

THE VU » VALLARTA UNDISCOVERED, Vallarta’s first podcast by Paco Ojeda. Great photography and in-depth podcasts about Puerto Vallarta.

WANDERING STAR » Perhaps Puerto Vallarta’s best blog… (Spanish/English)

PUERTO VALLARTA FORUMS

Here is a listing of all known and active Puerto Vallarta Forums.
Updated, June 2010

Joining a Forum or Message Board is the best way to learn about the people who live here in Puerto Vallarta. The information is usually first-hand and subject to vigorous revision and correction by other members of each individual forum. Commercial and petty biases become apparent immediately and the truth has a way of standing out from the babble.

ALLVALLARTA MESSAGE BOARD FOR PUERTO VALLARTA
Founded in 2001, this is a popular Puerto Vallarta forum of expats and tourists, with a slight conservative slant. Connected to the AllVallarta commercial booking website. Not censored.

GAYMINGO
A group for gay mingos (gay persons who feel a strong connection to things Mexican…or desire to). No censorship. A free an open forum.
No personal attacks. No spam. Legitimate advertisements of gay businesses in Mexico are welcome.

OUR VALLARTA
Our Vallarta is an offshoot of the Vallartascene Forum created in response to the unpredictability and, dare I say it, craziness of the owner of that board. Somewhat civil, conservative and practical, this forum is also an adjunct to Cafe Roma, a bar/restaurant in Puerto Vallarta.

PHILO’S YAHOO MUSIC FORUM
Philo’s is a bar, restaurant, performance venue in La Cruz, on the North Shore of Banderas Bay. If you live up there, it’s a great place for music and pizza. Philo also runs benefit concerts and language classes. He’s involved with the community….

PUERTO VALLARTA GAY TRAVEL FORUM
“Welcome to Everyone, but specializing in Gays and Lesbians visiting or living in and around Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Never been? Want to go? Been there and wish to find more to do, offer your opinions, hot spots? Post your favorite bars, happy hours, shows, pools, shops, restaurants, lodgings, tours, massages [some aromatic], hang-outs, beaches, romantic spots…”

PUERTO VALLARTA MEXICO FORUM
A popular Puerto Vallarta forum run by the commercial tourist booking website http://www.puertovallarta.net/

TRIPADVISOR PUERTO VALLARTA FORUM
A franchised, extremely commercial forum centered on selling hotel reservations in Puerto Vallarta. Heavily censored for quite a variety of reasons. Good for people who don’t have a clue which hotel to book (and like to be told by promoters).

VALLARTA OLD TOWN SOUTHSIDE
A sophisticated forum for Puerto Vallarta. This board is slightly censored by the moderator for commercial and content reasons.

“Old Town or South Side, south of Rio Cuale, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, is a fun location to stay, walk, shop, dine, hang out at the beach called Playa Los Muertos. Here members share their favorite spots, restaurants, bars, shops, places to stay, opinions, music venues, art galleries, news, activities and side trips.”

VALLARTASCENE FORUM
A free and open forum written by and for expats and visitors in Puerto Vallarta. Run by the same people that run this website, PVScene.com. VallartaScene is considered by some to be a tad hedonistic and liberal in comparison to most other tourist travel websites: It is. And it is not censored except for spam and insanity.

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