Oaxaca

Relish a Radish? Come to Oaxaca

Published February 20, 2025 | By Clark Norton

By Robert Waite

Oaxaca, Mexico – I have a confession to make. I tend to shy away from places whose names aren’t obvious to pronounce, much like someone might hesitate to order acai berries at a smoothie stand.

Oaxaca is one of those places. Hence, I have been to a dozen or more spots in Mexico but never ventured there. Until now.

I was lured by the city’s annual one-of-a-kind Noche de los Robanos (Radishes) festival, along with Oaxaca’s reputation as a stellar foodie destination and cultural center. Its reliably mild December weather was a bonus.

The language enablers were my Santa Monica-based daughter and her husband. Not only do they know how to pronounce Oaxaca – waa-haa-kuh – but some members of his family hail from there.

Oaxaca, with a population of about 700,000, is located in Mexico’s far south. At an elevation of 5,102 feet,… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, cultural travel, Mexico, Uncategorized | Tagged Mexico, Noche de las Robanos, Oaxaca, Radish Festival | 4 Comments

Are These Really the World’s Top Cities?

Published July 13, 2017 | By Clark Norton

Kyoto’s Kinkaku-ji Zen Buddhist Temple of the Golden Pavilion. Photo by Dennis Cox/WorldViews

Barcelona, Spain. Udaipur, India. Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Rome and Florence, Italy. Santa Fe, New Mexico and Charleston, South Carolina, U.S..

Luang Prabang, Laos. Ubud, Indonesia (Bali).

Cape Town, South Africa. Hoi An, Vietnam.

Kyoto, Japan. Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Oaxaca and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

What do these cities have in common? If you said “very little,” you’;d be right, but you’d also be wrong.

They were all voted into the top 15 of the “World’s Top Cities” by the readers of Travel + Leisure Magazine. The criteria included sights/landmarks, culture, cuisine, friendliness, shopping, and overall value.

Where are the Usual Suspects?

Notable absences include London, Paris,. Venice, Prague, St. Petersburg, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Vancouver, Hong Kong…not even such trendy destinations as… Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Baby boomer travel, Cities, Europe | Tagged Barcelona, Cape Town, Charleston, Chiang Mai, Florence, Hoi An, Kyoto, Luang Prabang, Oaxaca, Rome, San Miguel de Allende, Santa Fe, Siem Reap, Ubud, Udaipur | 7 Comments

According to government and private surveys:

Leading-edge baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1955) and seniors account for four out of every five dollars spent on luxury travel today.
Roughly half the consumer spending money in the U.S.--more than $2 trillion--is in the hands of leading-edge baby boomers and seniors.
Baby boomers (born 1946-1964) travel more than any other age group.
When asked what they would most like to spend their money on, baby boomers answered “travel” more than any other category, including improving their health or finances.