Home Furnishings, Decoration, Services San Miguel de Allende Mexico San Miguel de Allende Mexico Announcements & News


San Miguel de Allende Mexico / Home Furnishings, Decoration, Services San Miguel de Allende Mexico 

Home Furnishings, Decoration, Services San Miguel de Allende Mexico Announcements & News San Miguel de Allende Mexico

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San Miguel de Allende -- Today is Friday, March 19, 2010 05:13 at our loyal server in the USA

November 21, 2006

Greetings:

    Your VIP Club welcomes ROMANOS RESTAURANT BAR into the club. Romanos, Hernandez Macias #93, 152-7454. Romanos has become a San Miguel landmark restaurant. Now under new ownership, Dave and Patrice Brucia offer the same hearty menu with good-sized portions as beforehand while adding some new entries. Romanos is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday. VIP Club members may take 10% off their bill. Romanos does not take credit cards.

    VIP Club member Beatriz provides Tango lessons at her studio, located at Zacateros 21. She offers members a 10% discount when paying for a month's worth of lessons.

    VIP Club member Ross MacDonald wants members to know that beginning November 24 the San Miguel Fitness Center and MacDonalds Casa de La Salud are having their first annual membership drive with many discounts and price reductions for the gym, vitamins, chocolates etc. Ross also will soon have a new website under San Miguel Fitness that will provide discount coupons, a medical referral service and other valuable and diverse services to sanmiguelenses. Do know that the San Miguel Fitness Centers offers 20% off to VIP Club members.

    VIP Club participating boutique and fashion center, "Goldies" has moved off Canal and is now located at Zacateros #19, in the old Clan Destino location. Hours are daily: 10:00-am-6pm, 154-7521.

      Maru Riba, owner of VIP Club participating restaurant La Princesa, on Recreo, would like members to know La Pricesa has a new chef, Angel Flores, who comes with sterling credentials earned at Camino Real Hotel in Mexico City and while in Cancun. La Princesa now offers a new and diverse menu with many various specialties.

     Silvia, of L'invito fame, has opened another local pizzeria with wood burning oven located on the corner of Calzada de la Luz and Calzada de la Aurora. Her other location is Ancha de San Antonio, 32B. Both are open everyday providing home delivery.  Call 154-6228 or 154-1000.

     Members do know, if you are in business or an artist, who might be having an event or even a garage sale, Your Club will be more than glad to post your event in our newsflashes. Yet do know, if your event is time sensitive, we can not guarantee we can send your notice out right away because we only send out newsflashes that are germane to new club business, so get your notice to us early. Do know that the VIP Club website is being viewed more and more by our robust membership <www.vipsanmiguel.com>. Your Club's site's advertising rates are very reasonable.

     Brrrrrr . . . everybody is talking about the weather. All will use more propane. Remember Your Club's discount from Noel Gas. So far the reports are good with many members saving big time on their propane bill. One member, who has three properties, says they paid or their VIP membership just with the savings. Also, with the weather getting colder, the poor out in the campo lack warm clothing. Both Biblioteca Publica and our local post of the American Legion have drives to collect coats and sweaters to give to the less fortunate. Why not look in your closet and permit your older garb to warm the needy.

    Your Club wants to wish our American membership a Happy Thanksgiving. It goes without saying how much we all have to be thankful for here in San Miguel. A belated Happy Thanksgiving to our Canadian members.

     Thank you for the good turn out and VIP Club members who attended my reading at the Authors Sala on November 10, and special thanks to Susan Page and the steering committee who were thoughtful enough to invite me to read excerpts from my work, it warmed my heart.

     Please include,  member Arden O'Rourke, in your prayers and good thoughts. Arden, a fine lady, was involved in a horrific auto crash with an 18 wheeler up at the border. Presently she is in a coma in San Antonio, Texas, and she's in trouble. A silver lining might be that, as of today, it has been reported  she has moved her arms and  legs and periodically has opened her eyes before slipping back in unconsciousness. Get back with us, Arden!

     Members and friends, please don't sleep with open flame heaters operating in bedrooms or you just might not wake up!!!

RIP: Elfie Guillen.

     Thank you for your continuous and loyal support.

Your San Miguel VIP Club

To some San Miguel de Allende means history and tradition, to others art or language, to many, just a place to call home. But, to all, there are a some things that make it unique and memorable, here are a few personal favorites…

THINGS TO SEE
San Miguel de Allende was, by 1790, one of the richest villages in Mexico, with a population over twice that of New York City at the time. The wealth came from the silver trade, and those that had made their fortunes took it upon themselves to build elaborate mansions, churches and theaters. This past grandeur is still evident, with outstanding examples of most styles of colonial Mexican architecture to be found.
Of note are the Templo de San Francisco, Templo de la Concepción (known locally as ‘Las Monjas’), the Oratorio de San Felipe Neri with its interior Santa Casa de Loreto, the Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramirez "El Nigromante” (a.k.a. Bellas Artes) and, without doubt, the Parroquia.

La Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel:

The original Parish Church, built in the late 17th century, was of relatively modest design. This changed dramatically in 1880 when the master stone mason, Zeferino Gutierrez was commissioned to create a new facade. A self-taught architect, Gutierrez is reported to have taken the inspiration for his design from drawings and postcards of European cathedrals. The resulting neogothic fantasy, whose soaring turrets can be viewed from almost any spot in town, has made the Parroquia one of the most photographed churches in Mexico. El Jardín:

Centered between the Parroquia to the south, colonnades of colonial arches to the east and west and the Presidencia, or historic city hall, to the north, this bustling park is the heart of the city. It draws visitors to sit and gossip on the wrought iron benches shaded by boxy laurel trees, to pause and listen to musicians playing from its central gazebo or to line the stone walls and cheer as one of the town’s many parades passes by.

Biblioteca Pública:

The English Public library is Mexico's second largest English language library. The rambling building contdecorated reading room, a restful inner courtyard with wireless internet service, a theater offering foreign film and live performances, a computer center and café. It is an not only an important part in the lives of many of San Miguel’s expatriate population but, due to its mandate of enriching the lives of local students, it is also an integral part of the community.

El Charco de Ingenio:

This privately funded botanical garden and ecological reserve, located on the outskirts of town, is dedicated to restoring and preserving Mexican flora and encouraging endangered wildlife to flourish. The extensive grounds house a conservatory of Mexican plants, with particular emphasis on cacti and succulents; a center where one can purchase plants; remains of an ancient wool mill and an historic reservoir that is home to native and migratory birds. All is linked by a network of paths, with wonderful views of the town and countryside, that are ideal for biking and walking, and allow access for rock climbing on the steep canyon walls. An adjacent Nature Park provides grounds for picnicking and horseback riding.

Tianguis:

Imagine what would result if you crossed a flea market, a farmer’s market, a 19th century food court and the closeout bin at a discount clothier? If you can’t, you should visit the Tuesday open-air market held by Plaza Real del Conde. Under the shade of multicolored tarps are hundreds of vendors hawking fresh fruit and vegetables, dried herbs, kitchenware, hardware, beauty supplies, clothing (new, used, or remaindered from American retailers), watches, CD’s (some of which might be legal) and everything else in between. Even if you only go for the sights you will no doubt end up buying something.

Reprint Permission from "Su Casa"--Your Home in San Miguel de Allende
© 2006 Imprint Publishing/Advertising
Telephone in San Miguel:152-0493
Mexican Coke: The 'Real Thing?'
By TOM RAGAN
Sentinel staff writer

WATSONVILLE

It's popping up just about everywhere in Latino communities across the United States: Mexican-made Coca-Cola in those old glass bottles, somewhat of an anomaly in the age of the plastic liter and twist-off cap.

Slightly worn and a bit gritty from all the coming and going, the 12-ounce bottles, which sell for roughly $1.25 a pop, are being bought up and sucked dry at record clips in cities across the country with large Latino populations.

And Mexicans and Mexican-Americans aren't the only ones swigging down the soda bottled south of the border, claiming it tastes different from its American-made counterpart, that its fizz seems to last longer because it's in a glass bottle.

If running diaries on the Web in the form of blogs are any indication, just about everybody who likes the heft of a good old-fashioned soda bottle is looking for the Mexican-made pop in the thousands of ma and pa convenience stores that cater to Latinos.

"Mexican Coke is selling like crazy bro, and I can't keep up," says Rudy Mendoza of El Gordo Taqueria on Main Street. Last week the 20-something Mendoza, Salinas born and bred, was cursing the underground distributor under his breath as the slightly green tinted bottles, with the words "Hecho en Mexico," started to disappear from his refrigerator.

In somewhat of a conundrum, the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co. has condemned the recent imports across the country as a form of "bootlegging."

But at the same time the company has recognized that it would be remiss if it overlooked the Mexican pop craze, which is why it is now buying Coca-Cola in bottles from Mexico and importing them to Texas and Southern California, two of the largest Mexican markets in the country, according to Mart Martin, a spokesman for Coca-Cola's North American division in Atlanta.

"We believe that the appeal of Mexican Coke is as much about nostalgia as it is about anything," says Martin. "It's like getting a piece of home in a bottle. You can't deny the fact that it's in a tall glass bottle, something you just can't find in most parts of the United States."

But it's the "same exact product," and Mexican bottlers are buying the ingredients straight from the company, says Martin.

"It's not like they're stirring it up in some backyard," he adds. "Coke is Coke is Coke."

The company, however, rarely elaborates on Coke's ingredients, and the secret formula is actually in a vault in a bank in Atlanta. Instead, the company line all along has been that there is "no perceptible taste difference" between Mexican Coke and the American-made Classic Coke.

As Martin says, "You have to consider the circumstances: the packaging, whether there's ice over it, the temperature, or whether it's in a can or a bottle. But what often happens is people think it tastes different because it comes in a bottle, and that's what we're trying to get our arms around. The 'why?' It could just be psychological."

Yet there is one kicker, and it's a fairly large one: Mexican Coke may contain the same secret syrup, but its sweetener is entirely different.

It's made from sugar cane, not corn syrup.

'The Real Thing'

Latinos are the fastest-growing population segment in the United States, and Mexico accounts for well over half of the roughly 33 million Latinos who live in the country, according to the 2000 census.

Certainly, this is not the first time the Mexican market has flexed its muscle, with an occasional borrowing from U.S. popular culture.

Look closely at the Mexican man wearing that Texas Longhorns cap or the World Series-winning Chicago White Sox hat. There's a chance it came from a market just off the plaza in Any Town, Mexico.

But then there's the real Mexican deal, like tequila, which has anchored many a margarita happy hour; or tacos, as popular as hamburgers, without which there'd be no Taco Bell.

Mexico's a country that's put the popularity of chips and salsa right up there with ketchup and french fries.

And in yet another nod to the lucrative Latino market, Frito-Lay just came out with a "fiery habañero" flavor of Doritos that all but requires a bottle of water during consumption.

It's no secret that the meteoric rise in the Mexican population in the past few decades in the United States has given rise to all products Mexican, which has made its way into the mainstream of the American psyche — from canned jalapeños to cheaper laundry soaps to the corn tortilla.

But taking a brand name like Coca-Cola and undercutting the American-made Coca-Cola distributors on their own turf hasn't gone over well with the largest soft drink supplier in the world, according to Martin.

Although the bottlers in Mexico are authorized and are making the cola above board, it's the non-Coca-Cola distributors — the guys who are wheeling and dealing it in an underground market — that are causing all the problems.

Lawsuits have been filed, but no dispositions as of yet.

"They're trespassing on the territory rights of many U.S. bottlers," said Coke spokesman Martin. "Bringing it into the country is not illegal. But what it does do from the Coca-Cola standpoint is it violates contractual rights that we have with our bottlers. And it has potential trademark right infringements as well."

The controversy has even bubbled to the surface in several blogs.

Ordinary Joes are mixing their thoughts and opinions with the best of the high-browed corporate types who've made careers out of analyzing products that sell and those that don't.

Grant McCracken, a noted anthropologist with a doctorate from the University of Chicago, wrote: "Some consumers now insist that Mexican Coke is a more robust brand than American Coke, not least because it is charged with meanings that American Coke never had, or long ago gave up. In particular, Mexican Coke is charged with a powerful nostalgia, a remembrance of childhood south of the border."

Karina Alejandre, 22, a recently arrived immigrant from Mexico who now cooks at El Gordo Taqueria in Watsonville, remembers her first sip of Coca-Cola.

And guess what?

It didn't even come from a bottle.

"We'd drink from plastic sandwich bags with straws inside," she said in Spanish, an imaginary straw in her hand. "We couldn't leave the store with the bottles."

Since Coca-Cola was founded in the late 1880s as a syrup mixed with carbonated water, it's gone from the soda fountain to the bottle to the aluminum can to the plastic liter.

And now it's back to the bottle, courtesy of Mexico, a country that's usually a few years behind the times, often fashionably retro because of it.

And in the backrooms of some Mexican tiendas in Watsonville, from El Gordo to D'La Colmena, cases upon cases of the Mexican Coke bottles sit, proof that there's a demand, which is causing a stir but saturating a Latino and non-Latino thirst across the country.

As McCracken notes, "The bigger challenge of the Coca-Cola Co. is to admit that even the magnificent corporation that has created and preserved the 'real thing' authenticity must now admit to the possibility that there are many authenticities. This is the lesson of plenitude. This is the lesson of the long tail."

Miguel Perez and Leticia Martinez, Watsonville residents, don't know anything about corporate lessons learned.

They just know what they like.

"When we run out," says Martinez, "I buy the smaller American-made bottles. They cost more, but they're worth it. I love drinking Coke from the bottle."

from www.santacruzsentinel.com
THINGS TO DO

Though known as a retirement haven San Miguel offers a wealth of leisure time activities to those that don’t believe retirement means rest. It has a reputation for outstanding hiking and biking, horseback riding and instruction, birding and rock climbing. More conventional pursuits, such as golf and tennis are also at hand and San Miguel has a number of fully-modern gyms and exercise studios.

House and Garden Tour:

One the more popular activities in San Miguel is the weekly tour of the town’s premier residences, if one judges by the over 10,000 visitors who participated in 2005. Over 300 local home owners open their doors on every type of architecture and interior decoration imaginable; a good source of inspiration and ideas for future residents. Tours depart from the Biblioteca on Sundays at noon, tickets can be purchased at the door from 11 am. onwards.

Hot Springs:

The road to Dolores Hidalgo is dotted with hot springs producing warm to hot, mineral-rich water. Facilities range from those of luxurious spas to more traditional Mexican balnearios with gardens, restaurants and picnic areas; and may include any number of pools. The pools themselves can be indoors, under the open sky or in rock-lined grottos, and range in size from small, perfect for soaking, all the way up to Olympic, ideal for laps or swimming.

Fiestas:

While all Mexicans love a party, it seems that no town enjoys a celebration or fiesta more than San Miguel. Local citizens take to the streets with verve and enthusiasm for traditional holidays, to honor local heroes and patron saints or sometimes, it seems, just for the fun of it. There’s always something happening; all marked with music, dance and fireworks. Of note in the upcoming months is the Chamber Music Festival in early August, September’s San Miguelada or ‘running of the bulls’ and week-long Fiesta to honor San Miguel Arcángel and the Brass & Wool Fair and Jazz Festival held in November.

Wining & Dining:

Whether you are an avid gourmand or someone who just likes to pick up food—fast, you will appreciate life in San Miguel. There may be no large chain restaurants, but there is a local cafe on almost every corner, offering tasty, freshly made specialities. And you are sure to discover that the towns premier restaurants can vie with those of larger North American cities for taste, style and presentation.
After dinner, those in search of culture will find that their choices include gallery openings, theater, concerts, dance or foreign and classic film. Those who prefer lifting a glass can do so in everything from hard-drinking cantinas or friendly sports bars and pubs to nightclubs featuring rock, salsa blues or jazz (often live) or elegant rooftop terraces and intimate hotel lounges.


Reprint permission from "Su Casa"--Your Home in San Miguel de Allende
© 2006 Imprint Publishing/Advertising
Telephone in San Miguel: 152-0493
Another interesting perspective from Mexonline

Located 60 kilometers north of Queretaro, the colonial gem of San Miguel de Allende, population 80,000, is situated on a hillside facing the Laja River and the distant Guanajuato Mountains. Declared a national monument in 1926, San Miguel is a picturesque city of arched colonial mansions, flower-filled patios, and winding, terraced cobblestone streets. It is particularly beautiful in March, when flowering jacaranda trees are in bloom. Roof top views and gardens of this colonial city It is Mexico's most celebrated artists' community, and has been luring artistically-inclined Mexicans and foreigners (about 3,500 Americans and Canadians) for decades.

Instituto Allende, founded in 1951, is an intellectual center and arts academy of renown. There are also many other institutes focusing on arts, literature, and language. Despite this Anglo invasion, San Miguel is very Mexican village. The city boasts a thriving cultural and entertainment scene. Many events (plays, lectures, art classes) are in English.

The renowned San Miguel Music Festival (featuring Mexican and international artists) happens each December. A city with six patron saints and dozens of churches, San Miguel hosts a full calendar of religious festivals throughout the year. The town's biggest bash is San Miguel Arcángel, a celebration honoring the town's chief patron saint. The event includes a running of bulls through city streets, traditional dancers, and lots of merriment. It is held each September 29th.

El Jardin, the city's main plaza (zocalo) is a great starting spot. You can't miss the city's landmark, La Parroquia, the pink, gothic church on the main plaza. La Parroquia on the main plaza is as recognizable an icon for San Miguel as the Eiffel Tower is for Paris. It is one of a few features that distinguish San Miguel from the state's other colonial city attraction, Guanajuato.

For shopping, the city boasts some of Mexico's best craft shops and fine art boutiques. Variety of merchandise is exceptional, as is the workmanship. Its dining scene is top notch. Nouvelle Mexican cuisine, plus a diverse assortment of international dining options have given San Miguel a reputation for having the best "small town" dining in Mexico.

Most of San Miguel's sightseeing highlights are clustered around the compact downtown area. This is a wonderful city for aimless wandering along its narrow cobbled lanes. One of the best city views is from the town's Mirador, located on a hill to the southeast of the city center. At the foot of the hill is El Chorro, which spouts a natural spring where the city's women come to do laundry. Further along is Parque Juárez, a shady green belt with ponds, fountains, and benches. If you are looking for an authentic Mexican town with international flair, centuries old history, and a relaxing almost peaceful feeling, San Miguel de Allende is the vacation (or retirement spot) for you.