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There is a Bienal de Arte, also. I am impressed at Ciuidad del Rio. Not the kind of neighborhood I like, but I will enjoy it. It is remarkable the amount of construction that took place since my previous visit, and it is still going on. Too upscale everything for me.

Time will tell, but the few clues we have from this last election suggest swing voters have had enough of Trump and his antics. Virginia is a swing state, which can easily vote for either party in statewide elections. Elections in that state are usually close, either way. The Democratic candidate for governor won with a 15% margin over her opponent. The Attorney General vote went to the Democrat by 5.5%, despite texts he sent in 2002: “Three people, two bullets. Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot. Gilbert gets two bullets to the head,” the text reads in part, referring to Gilbert and the two dictators. (Gilbert was the Republican Speaker of the [Virginia] House at the time) https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/04/politics/virginia-democratic-nominee-attorney-general-facing-pressure For Lieutenant Governor, Ghazala Hashmi won by an over 10% margin--the first Muslim woman in the nation to win statewide office. Every single one of those 3 positions was previously held by a Republican. https://www.cnn.com/election/2025/results/virginia In New Jersey, the only other state with a governor's race, the Democrat won by an almost 14% margin.  https://www.cnn.com/election/2025/results/new-jersey A Muslim also won New York City's mayoral race, with 9% more than his closest opponent (and 43% more than the Republican), even though Jews make up 12% of the city's population. Zohran Mamdani won every borough except Staten Island. https://www.cnn.com/election/2025/results/new-york-city-mayor In California, an election to abandon nonpartisan commissions' role in drawing US Congressional districts (in response to similar moves in Republican states) won by an almost 2:1 margin, even though only 45.3% of California's voters are registered as Democrats: https://electionresults.sos.ca.gov/returns/maps/ballot-measures/prop/50 https://www.ppic.org/publication/california-voter-and-party-profiles/   Elections are decided by swing voters. I believe we know what swing voters are thinking at this time. Where possible, Republicans are doing what they can to dilute votes from Democrats, and lawmakers in several states, such as Texas, have been successful in doing that. We were touring Maine last month, and Republicans had put forth a measure to make it more difficult to vote absentee/by mail. We saw plenty of "Yes on 1" yard signs throughout the trip (much more than no signs), and were worried. Maine is another swing state, with one Republican US Senator and one Independent. That ballot measure was trounced, by an almost 30% margin. (Also a gun control measure won handily).   https://ballotpedia.org/Maine_Question_1,_Require_Voter_Photo_ID_and_Change_Absentee_Ballot_and_Drop_Box_Rules_Initiative_(2025) Much can change in 1 year, and Republicans continue their shenanigans where they can (without direct voter involvement). I think that independent voters now have a dim view of Republican misdeeds, at least as of this time, however.  

Thx 4 the update

Menaughty, doesnt this also show how clever u were preferring a hotel rather than a bnb ? I would NEVER meet an un-vetted stranger at a place without immediate backup.

Forgive my ignorance: what's "finger smell"? My imagination is failing me )-: