Puerto Vallarta Featuring 9 Michelin Chefs at Vallarta Gastronomica Food Festival

Puerto Vallarta will continue celebrating its Centennial with another event of international importance when it hosts the 10th annual edition of the Vallarta-Nayarit Gastronomica food festival

San Francisco and Puerto Vallarta become Sister Cities

PUERTO VALLARTA AND SAN FRANCISCO JOINED IN ‘SISTERHOOD’

US Mexico Sister Cities Association Connects the Pacific Coast Ports in Strategic Alliance to Foster Tourism

Puerto Vallarta and San Francisco are now sister cities. The sisterhood, formalized under the auspices of the US Mexico Sister Cities Association, was recently announced by Puerto Vallarta city officials in a ceremony celebrating the strategic partnership between the two Pacific Coast ports.

Puerto Vallarta’s Interim Mayor, Rodolfo Domínguez Monroy, led the twinning ceremony, accompanied by the General Consul of Mexico in San Francisco, Gemí José González López; the President of the Tourism Commission, Martha Susana Rodríguez Mejía; and the city’s Tourism Director, Ramón González Lomelí.

The partnership is expected to promote cultural and commercial ties between the cities, which have shared a historical legacy since the 1960s. The two conurbations are also both home to large LGBT communities, a thriving demographic sector that contributes to the Puerto Vallarta’s greatness, Rodriguez Mejia noted at the twinning ceremony.

She added that San Francisco, with the highest per-capita purchasing power in the U.S., is close to Silicon Valley, home to small and large technology corporations from around the world, which could be replicated and developed as a second major industry — in addition to tourism — in Puerto Vallarta.

Oliva Izaguirre, Mexico’s National President of the US Mexico Sister Cities Association, pointed out that Puerto Vallarta serves as an important example of a city with optimistic, enthusiastic and intelligent inhabitants being united with other important cities to strengthen bonds of friendship, to share experiences and to collaborate in different areas such as culture.

In addition to celebrating the new sister city status, Mayor Dominguez Monroy also introduced a team of local business owners who will make up the local committee to oversee the work done under the alliance, which will also work to foster tourism. Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico and United Airlines all offer direct flights between Puerto Vallarta and San Francisco.

The sisterhood between Puerto Vallarta and San Francisco is not affiliated with Sister Cities International. The US Mexico Sister Cities Association (www.usmsca.com) is based in La Jolla, California.

10 Wellness Vacations to Check In and Check Out

Vacations are for spending time doing exactly what you want, and what many people want now is a life-enhancing experience. Hence, the popularity of wellness and adventure travel experiences. Here are ten such trips that are memorable and active.

Madame Tussauds San Francisco Unveils Virtual Reality Adventure Experience

The Virtual Room at Madame Tussauds San Francisco

Madame Tussauds San Francisco unveils a new interactive live experience for visitors to “Be a Hero” in the city’s first team-based virtual reality (VR) adventure.

The year is 2217. A team of time-travelers have disappeared and a temporal rift has been detected in the past, risking humanity’s disappearance from the Earth – forever. The mission: save Earth from its dystopian future. Journey through history to solve puzzles and challenges. Unlock the secrets of Ancient Egypt. Repair the moon lander. Fight dinosaurs before they hunt you down. Dive to the bottom of ocean. All of this to correct the mistakes of the past before it destroys life as we know it. Each player will have his/ her own dedicated room, specifically designed and equipped with the latest virtual reality gear.

Developed in partnership with Virtual Room USA, the collaborative virtual reality experience allows groups of 2-4 people to participate in up to four 15-minute timed challenges all while communicating with their teammates.

The Virtual Room is a separately priced attraction from Madame Tussauds with tickets from just $10. The experience is designed for players ages 12 years and up and perfect for groups of friends, family, team-building, birthday parties and more.

ABOUT MADAME TUSSAUDS SAN FRANCISCO

Welcoming a fabulous 10 million guests though our world-famous doors every year, Madame Tussauds gives you the chance to experience the ULTIMATE fame experience. We have nearly 25 unique locations around the world, from New York to Shanghai, Amsterdam to Sydney – and, of course, London, where the story began. Throughout our 250+ year history, Madame Tussauds has brought to life thousands of celebs, stars and heroes – in mind-blowingly accurate detail – giving visitors the opportunity to brush shoulders with their idols and LITERALLY reach for the stars! Truly immerse yourself in our famous worlds and get a taste of life of the rich and famous, as in 2018, the opportunity to become the star continues! Through a combination of our historic artistic methods (that date back centuries, by the way!), immersive sets and pioneering modern tech – guests can experience fame and get closer to the action like never before. Madame Tussauds San Francisco opens daily at 10 a.m., 365 days a year and is located on Fisherman’s Wharf at 145 Jefferson Street. Find on Facebook: @MadameTussaudsSanFrancisco and Instagram and Twitter: @TussaudsSF.

The Chicago Riverwalk has Food, Music, Views and Great Art

Chicago is known by many names: The Windy City, the City of Big Shoulders, the Second City, Chi-Town, Chicagoland, Foodie Heaven. The Chicago Riverwalk is a great place to see all of that in action.

Yoga with Alpacas is a Thing

First there was cat yoga, then there was kitten yoga, followed by dog yoga, and of course goat yoga (Northern California). However, we never expected that there would be Alpaca Yoga, which is now a thing in Kentucky and Tennessee.

Interested? The Alpaca Owners Association is offering an hour-long yoga class with a group of friendly and beautiful alpacas at the Natural Fiber Extravaganza in July.

Sponsored by Long Hollow Suri Alpacas/ New Era Fiber. The classes will take place in the back yard area of the Wilson County Exposition Center on Friday, July 13 and Saturday, July 14 at 8 a.m.

Yoga instructor Sheri Link leads the class. “This will be a fun event,” said Sheri. “Bring a mat, water, hand towel and your sweet spirit!”

A Yogi for 8 years, Sheri leads a monthly class at Feathers and Friends Alpaca Farm in Franklin, KY. She teaches hatha yoga at Byrum Porter in Orlinda, TN and at her studio, Mind, Booty and Soul Fitness in Franklin, KY. Additionally, Sheri leads yoga classes at various events through Free Spirit Gypsy Heart Yoga, the wandering Yogis.

Yoga with alpacas can be more than a fun, new activity to talk about later with friends. Sheri recalls one participant at a recent Yoga with Alpacas event she led.

She wrote me a letter thanking me for the class. She explained that her nephew had been stabbed by a drunk neighbor while trying to defend his wife and daughter just months earlier,” said Sheri. “Because of this incident, he suffers from PTSD and panic disorder. These issues can manifest in physical pain. Night terrors and insomnia also plagued this young man. Following the event, he told his aunt that he hadn’t felt so relaxed in months and slept so well that night. You never know what people are going through and to have a hand in easing their pain gives me insurmountable joy.”

Admission to the Natural Fiber Extravaganza Sponsored by Long Hollow Suri Alpacas/ New Era Fiber is free. Workshops and seminars are available to paid registrants or can be purchased a’ la carte. Details are available at www.FiberExtravaganza.com.