The Big Easy might be known for its festivals and easy, musical atmosphere, but it’s also home to a lively river and ocean port for leisure cruising.
19.04.2024 - 10:16 / nytimes.com
I stepped off the platform at the gleaming new Maxcanú train station, eager to see the magnificent Maya archaeological site of Uxmal. All I needed was a taxi to take me there, a trip of about 30 miles away.
There are no taxis, said the stationmaster, as we stood on the polished limestone floors of the high-ceilinged station, which was cool and breezy despite the brilliant late-morning sun outside. And I was the third person in two weeks to get off at Maxcanú expecting to reach Uxmal, he said.
I was midway through a five-day trip to explore the brand-new Maya Train and several of its destinations in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. Designed to run 965 miles (1,554 kilometers) around a loop of 34 stations when completed, the train will whisk passengers in cool comfort through colonial cities, archaeological sites, splashy resorts and tropical forests.
Now I was stunned. Wrangling a taxi has never been a problem in Mexico. But the drivers gathered in the main square of Maxcanú offered only beat-up vans that hopscotch through small towns, where I might or might not find a taxi to Uxmal. The next van was leaving in 45 minutes.
Yucatán’s layers of history have long held me spellbound. During earlier car trips, I have clambered up deserted Maya temples and palaces, stepped into the cool naves of massive 16th-century churches and visited restored haciendas, testaments of the ostentation — and hardship — of the peninsula’s 19th-century plantation economy. Traveling by train, I thought, would allow me to steep myself in more of that history.
But as I found in Maxcanú, a train won’t necessarily get you to where you want to go.
During my February trip, I traveled on the only route then available, an east-west leg that opened in December and runs from Cancún to Mérida, and then south through the port city of Campeche to the Maya site of Palenque (a short route between Cancún and Playa del Carmen opened last month, with three trains a day). I encountered scheduling confusion, unfinished stations and a dearth of trains — just two operating daily each way between Cancún and Campeche, and only one to Palenque. Overnight sleepers and special dining trains seem years away.
The Big Easy might be known for its festivals and easy, musical atmosphere, but it’s also home to a lively river and ocean port for leisure cruising.
Being a mom is all too often a thankless job and one day a year is surely not adequate to express to your mater just how much she means to you. Nevertheless, Mother’s Day is the one occasion on the calendar on which everyone is supposed to deeply and genuinely express to Mom her importance in their life, so it’s worth making the most of it.
Cinco De May0 is right around the corner and American drinkers are expected to toast to the holiday with roughly 127 million liters worth of tequila. While the annual holiday is a relatively minor observance south of the border (commemorating the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862), in the US it’s turned into a sweeping celebration of Mexican culture.
Living in the United States is not cheap—especially as prices continue to soar, from groceries to transportation to housing. According to recent reports, an American household spends an average of $61,334 per year on their expenses, with housing being the largest expense, at almost $1,800 a month. So why not move someplace where it costs a whole lot less to live?
Make that five new ships for Carnival Cruise Line in just 18 months.
Since 2022, when World's 50 Best first began ranking North America’s 50 Best Bars, New York City and Mexico City have vied for the top spot. Always the bridesmaid, CDMX's Handshake Speakeasy has earned second place for the last two years in a row (first trailing Attaboy, then Double Chicken Please—both beloved Lower East Side joints). This year, however, the Colonia Juarez cocktail bar takes first place at long last.
For a tiny frontier town that cropped up the year after Texas separated from Mexico, Austin sure has grown up.
Austin's incredible live music and culture scene has resulted in skyrocketing popularity in recent years – it's quickly become one of the most visited cities in the US.
Travelers from around the world have decided their favorite hotels for 2024 and Tripadvisor has unveiled the final results of winners for its annual Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Hotels Awards. The awards celebrate this year’s highest rated hotels based on Tripadvisor reviews.
Tim Williams, the Texas-born actor who played the Trivago Guy didn’t know he’d been replaced until he saw a new Trivago commercial last December.
Get ready for the Battle of the Cruise Ship Giants out of Miami.
Holland America Line is turning 151 and is celebrating by offering $1 deposits, up to 45% off cruise fares, and more.