Category Archives: Destination Overview

Bangkok, Destination Overview, Rainy Day Photos

Rainy Day Bangkok

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A Shot in the Rain: Bangkok

Shoppers take the monsoon rain in stride in Bangkok.
Photo by Jamie Rector
The eastern City of Angeles gets a lot more rain than the one in the west, with Bangkok averaging about 58 inches of rain per year compared to L.A.’s fifteen. A little rain, or even a lot, doesn’t stop the Thai people from going about their everyday business as usual. This month, writer and photographer Jamie Rector shares some of her favorite rainy day activities in Bangkok, Thailand. From the frenetic energy of a Muay Thai Boxing match to the serenity found inside the city’s thousands of Buddhist temples, Bangkok has something for every taste.
Kayte Deioma, Editor

Bangkok Features:

Destination Overview, Hollywood, California

Rainy Day Hollywood, California

A Shot in the Rain:  Hollywood, California

Abigail Stone as Princess Fiona from Shrek poses with her umbrella in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on a rainy day in Hollywood. A variety of costumed characters gather at this spot to pose for pictures with tourists in exchange for tips. Photo by Kayte Deioma

A Rainy Day in …Hollywood, CA

While sunshine is the norm in Los Angeles in the summer – at least after the morning haze burns off – winter brings its share of drizzly days and torrential downpours to La La Land. The last thing you want to be doing in LA in the rain is driving around on the freeways. Angelenos really don’t know how to drive in the rain. So I’m breaking Rainy Day L.A. down into neighborhoods that can be navigated without getting on the freeway.

This month we’ll look at things to do on a Rainy Day in Hollywood since that’s the place most visitors start and there’s plenty to do to keep you out of the rain.

Even though you can address mail to Hollywood, CA, Hollywood is not a city; it is part of the City of Los Angeles. Like many Los Angeles communities, it has a personality of its own. With glamorous beginnings as home to some of the earliest movie studios in L.A., Hollywood’s reputation took a dive into sleaze in the 70s and 80s. Since the late 90s, Hollywood has received a major face lift and staged a comeback as a glitzy destination representing the heart of the entertainment industry. There are still remnants of sleazy Hollywood with strip clubs, lingerie and sex toy shops interspersed between the tourist attractions, upscale restaurants and A-list nightclubs, but that’s part of what makes Hollywood, Hollywood.

Hollywood Features:

For more rainy day Hollywood alternatives, check out the Rainy Day Links page.


 

 

Destination Overview, Guadalajara, Mexico, Rainy Day Photos

Rainy Day Guadalajara, Mexico

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A Shot in the Rain: Guadalajara

Bodeguita del Medio Cuban Bar and Restaurant in Guadalajara, Mexico
A rainy night at the Bodeguita del Medio Cuban Bar and Restaurant in Guadalajara, Mexico. Photo by Kayte Deioma

 A Rainy Day in ….Guadalajara, Mexico

Violinist Sergio Caratachea Alvarez of the Mariachi Internacional de Guadalajara on Plaza de Armas with the kiosko and cathedral lit up in the background. Guadalajara, Jalisco, MexicoGuadalajara, Jalisco is known as the most Mexican of Mexican cities. It is the birthplace of such Mexican icons as Mariachi, Tequila and the Charro or Mexican cowboy. Many of the traditional folk arts we recognize as Mexican are also created here. It is Mexico’s second largest city with a population of 1.6 million in the City proper and over four million in the metropolitan area. Greater Guadalajara includes the municipalities of Tlaqupaque, Zapopan and Tonolá as well as the city of Guadalajara. Each has its own distinct historical center, but their modern suburbs have become intertwined.

A sudden downpour splashes in the fountain at Quinta Real Hotel, Guadalajara, Jalisco, MexicoThe “pearl of Jalisco,” as the city is known, has a wonderful climate for year-round outdoor activities with average high temperatures in the 70s and 80s all year long. June through September is the rainy season, with July averaging 20 days of rain. El Nińo conditions extended the rain through October this year. That doesn’t mean that it will rain all day long for days at a time, but you should always be prepared for a cloudburst.

My hotel, the Quinta Real, was prepared for this eventuality with umbrellas propped at every door and clear plastic curtains to roll down around thePatio Restaurant at the Quinta Real Hotel, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexicopatio restaurant for the duration of the downpour. I could have ensconced myself with a good guide book in my golden suite to wait out the rain at this all-suite boutique hotel with a colonial flavor. I could have taken up residence in the bar for a signature Mariana (a kiwi strawberry margarita with salt and chili powder on the rim of the glass), or lingered in the restaurant to enjoy any of Chef Gabriel Duram’s scrumptious meals accompanied by a variety of musicians who play for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I could have explored the collection of one-of-a-kind historical Spanish and Mexican artwork displayed throughout the hotel’s public areas, or spent some time catching up on email in the business center. And to tell the truth, I did all of those things, but still found some rainy and not-so rainy moments to explore other rainy day possibilities in this beautiful city.

Guadalajara Features:

Tapatio Hospitality Revisited: Sometimes You Really Can Go Back

Shop til you drop at Mercado Libertad

For more rainy day Guadalajara alternatives, check out the Rainy Day Links page.