A Night out on the Town

I was invited to attend a fundraiser for the building of a Long-term Care facility for Puerto Vallarta at one of the local hotel. There were 4 of us that went, Alfredo, Dan, Coastas and myself. The drive is being spearheaded by Alfredo's Mother whose grandfather founded Puerto Vallarta. Deep roots and a strong sense of social responsibility, she is involved in several charities and initiatives. Needless to say, she is an amazing woman.

The event was hosted at one of the local hotels with a casino night theme. They had blackjack, roulette, porker and craps tables set up throughout one of the ballrooms. The hotel was ...well ...AMAZING. Classic Mexican design with 40 foot archways, intricately inlayed tiles and a staff that could write the book on hospitality. With complimentary cocktails and appetizers, we got down to busy. Each of us were given $2000 worth of script which we could cash in (if we had anything left) to enter a raffle for additional prizes.

Ok the games were fun, but the appetizers (I know...more about eating) were out of this world. Brushetti with different kinds of cheeses, tapenade, chicken skews marinated in various sauces from a sweat/sour to smokey with a bit of fire. But my favorite was banana piece wrapped in bacon and then dipped in a mango sauce. I ate too much.

Given I was one of the few "gringo" there, make it all the more enjoyable. I have known Alfredo for many years along with his family so it was nice to have the opportunity to see them again and catch up.

We left at midnight and headed back to Old Town for nightcap at Garbo's. Ordered a glass of wine instead of a gin and found that to be a much better choice. Once they closed at 2:00 am, we had to end the evening having tacos on the street at one of Alfredo's favorite taco carts. There we all were at 2:30 in the morning, in a driving rain storm, eating tacos, laughing and enjoying the company of old and new friends. Home at 3:00 am, and up at 6:30 am, ready for a coffee.