Once named “The Friendliest City in the World” is a pretty bold statement for Puerto Vallarta, but it’s actually quite nice and seems to handle its notoriety in a rather genuine way, notwithstanding a “Senor Frog’s” cliche franchise bar on nearly every corner and numerous sidewalk touts selling wares and timeshares. More casually referred to as simply “PV”, it is one of Mexico’s premier resort towns on what was coined as “The Mexican Riviera” by Princess Cruise Line, which refers collectively to a string of cities and lagoons lying on the western coast of Mexico, named so because of their oceanfront resorts and popularity among tourists. And, I have to say, as Mexican beach towns go, I found this one pretty appealing.

Americans began their love affair with the city back in 1964 when Elizabeth Taylor arrived to film “The Night of the Iguana” and put the town on the map from the tabloid news she created with her steamy extramarital affair there with Richard Burton. It has been a popular destination since then and now, much like Fire Island is to New York and Palm Springs is to Los Angeles, it is also considered a most welcoming gay-friendly destination.

With no plan in mind, I went to the main part of town for a relaxing stroll on this beautiful day along the popular and populated El Malecon, the mile-long, casually winding, broadly paved oceanfront promenade lined with boutiques, restaurants, souvenir shops, street mimes and human statues, beachfront sand artists, and delightful public contemporary sculptures. I met up with our friends and travel companions John and Kathy, and we strolled together in and out of the sun along the boardwalk. Kathy and I did some shopping for real 925 sterling silver jewelry, usually sold by weight and for which Mexico is well known. We found what we were looking for when Kathy recognized the shop of an artist from whom she had previously purchased and knew to be of good reputation.

As the temperature rose with the mid afternoon sun, we decided to catch a taxi back to the ship, which took us uphill through the backside of town, along a city freeway among the local homes and businesses, where the real Puerto Vallarta lives in all its somewhat gritty, but honest self.