I always say if a picture is worth a thousand words, than a video is worth a thousand pictures. We’ve written about Fifth Avenue a few times, and even shared a video (see Out and About in Playa: Fifth Avenue – New Video Tour of Dining and Nightlife!). Today I’d like to share another video. A few people in the office put this together for Quadra Alea Condos, a beautiful, spacious condo complex downtown; the video is great for anyone interested in life on Playa’s Fifth Avenue.
Just remember: Everything in the video is within a short walking distance downtown!
(If you can’t see the video, click here.)
I hope you enjoyed watching it as much as we did making it … and hopefully, you will soon be enjoying Fifth Avenue in person!
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Personally, I love Mexican food! While there are dozens of other important reasons that motivated me to make Mexico my home, the great food here is most certainly near the top of the list!
Earlier today, I wrote about the village of Tepoztlan, a truly magical village just south of Mexico City – an area which I just happen to be visiting right now for my work with AMPI. I focused on the hill with the mysterious ancient pyramid on top and the old convent. I would also like to share a bit more about the town itself.
The Town
Vendors offer very fresh and tasty fruit and vegetables at amazing prices. There is also an area where they prepare food, and you can enjoy everything from quesadillas to roasted grasshoppers, to full meals of traditional Mexican dishes like “mole” (a think black sauce that is both spicy and sweet usually served over chicken.)
Just yesterday, I arrived here in Cuernavaca (a beautiful colonial city about 1 hour south of Mexico City). While the trip is for the swearing-in ceremony for the 2013 board of directors of AMPI (the Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals), being back here in central Mexico reminds me of some of my favorite places that I used to visit.
One of those places is the village of Tepoztlan, about 30 minutes east of Cuernavaca, or about 45 minutes south of Mexico City. This village is nestled in the rugged hills that separate the capital from the state of Morelos, where both Cuernavaca and Tepoztlan are located.
The church itself, which is attached to the convent, is a beautifully maintained colonial church, complete with original decoration, which has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Just on the other side of the federal highway in Playa del Carmen there is a beautiful little park known as “La Ceiba”, or “Parque la Ceiba,” its full name in Spanish. I’ve written about this park before – 
Annual Xcaret Market – Xcaret is a nearby theme park focusing on Mexico’s culture and history; every year they have a market in which they sell out the previous year’s left-over stock. There are some great deals on very nice clothes!
I look forward to posting more about specific events and visits in La Ceiba. It’s certainly one of my favorite places just to walk around or sit down and relax in a very natural setting while the kids enjoy playing!
Trendy, yet still somewhat unknown, vibrant and “happening,” but still quiet and relaxing, modern and elegant, yet still natural; these are some of the words that could be used to describe the community known as Coco Beach in Playa del Carmen.
For the past while, Bea and I have given a fair bit of attention to Little Italy and the stretch of 
Coco Beach deserves some attention from anyone who loves Playa because it’s new and seems to be the most promising up-and-coming community; I’m guessing within five years or so the community will be lively like Little Italy, not to mention famous!
The community is very new, and mostly residential. There are a few restaurants, bars and pizza shops showing up as well. As Fifth Avenue continues to grow, Coco Beach is becoming the next hotspot in the downtown area. Two new hotels along the previously undeveloped area just north of Coco Beach have made its location very central in town.
Most importantly, it’s simply a nice place to walk around in or ride a bike through; personally, I like riding my bike to the community, and then getting off to just enjoy a walk; sometimes I head down to the beach, but other times it’s just a pleasant way to “pass through.”
When traveling back to their home country, most expats will follow the “snow-bird” pattern, choosing the hotter summer months. Basically, this is the way the option that makes the most sense for the most reasons. You avoid the most extreme heat in Mexico, while enjoying at least part of the milder northern summers and avoiding the worst part of all of it altogether – freezing cold and snow.
Another reason is that some people miss the Christmas spirit as they know it from back home. This may be true especially early on after moving. Yet, after getting to know 
1. Xcaret
This beautiful little park is just across the highway from downtown and, besides being a relaxing place to spend an afternoon walking around or sipping a coffee, it serves as a center for events and culture for both locals and many expats. The park is largely supported by Xcaret and offers an extension of that park’s activities, with events running on Nov. 3 and 4th. These include theater, photography displays and workshops for face painting and funeral masks – all with Day of the Dead themes, of course.
5. Fundadores Park