…I’ll be here. Any guesses?
Hint: it’s a city in an ancient Spanish-speaking State with some of the highest unemployment in the industrialized World, horrendous pickpocketing and petty theft issues, a thriving gay culture, open prostitution on main streets, and a growing violent crime rate fueled by increasing numbers of disaffected young African males. And no, that’s not San Francisco or Los Angeles, smart alecks.
What the heck, I’ll take a stab at it…
I was going to say Rio de Janeiro, but you said “ancient”… so I’m going to guess Morocco, or maybe Melilla?
Puerto Vallarta
Tom’s closer than Thor, but neither of you are on the proper continent.
At first I thought Manila, but the water is too clean.
Then I recognized the hotel.
It’s Barcelona. Specifically, the Hotel Majestic, on Paseo De Garcia. I’ve been there.
Oh and yeah, Spain has a 67% unemployment rate among “immigrants”, most of whom are north african, middle eastern, or from muslim eastern europe.
Chris wins the cigar! It’s our first time in Barcelona (or Spain, for that matter) and yes, we’re staying at the Majestic. It’s a “happy retirement” trip for my Mom.
Barcelona is a beautiful, awesome town.
The crime is pretty easy to deal with. Money belts and moving in a group! Also, be VERY wary on Las Ramblas and the medieval quarter.
Most of the street crime there is very indirect – it involves (clever) trickery and looking for easy victims. Cutpurses and pickpockets work in teams and distract people, or pose as undercover police. All it takes is a second….
Have fun! Do all the Gaudi stuff – Park Guell and Iglesa de Sagrada Familia are great. It’ll be hot, but hey, it’s Barcelona – who cares?
RIo in brazil.
Kyle, thanks for the tips. Money belts — check. Stout ballistic nylon shoulder bag and strap, with a lock, and nothing particularly valuable inside — check. No purse for the wife — check. There will be four of us, so moving in a group shouldn’t be a problem.
All the guides and online sources seem to say “no shorts — shorts peg you as a tourist and you’ll be a target for criminals” but seems to me if you’re careful it doesn’t matter whether or not you’re a target. And if it’s HOT I’m wearing shorts, dammit! Plus, I’ve seen websites with photos of locals wearing knee-length shorts, so….
I’m taking long pants for nice restaurants, and will wear them during the day if it’s comfortable, but for the most part I’ll bet I’ll wear shorts for comfort unless you tell me it’s a really bad idea.
You can get really light-weight pants that will do the trick. They’ll actually help keep you comfortable due to the blazing sun. I am a huge fan of shorts and wear them to work all the time, but in Spain, they are seen as excessively informal. You would be better off with very lightweight pants that look decent.
Expect temperatures in the 90s to low 100s. The sun is BLAZING hot. It’s worse in the interior, where it gets more humid, as well. August is the worst. 😉 Barcelona isn’t so bad due to those sea breezes.
You will be pegged as an American tourist anyway, so who really cares, I guess?
Also note that a decent percentage of local shops and restaurants are going to be closed… as the locals bug out due to the weather. This trends highest in August, but July has some impact, according to some friends of mine that lived there for a while. Your hotel staff will be very helpful when it comes to finding what is open. At the very least, it’ll sort of be a ghost town during mid-day. Things will be buzzing in the morning and evening/night, though.
I have heard that they have tightened up some weapons carry laws there, or at least security in museums and such, but you should be good with a decent folding knife, so long as you’re not going into places with metal detectors.
Have a blast!
Okay, points noted. I’m still bringing the shorts, but will pack enough slacks for the week too.
Pingback: Random Nuclear Strikes » Doggie Cam