On the Boardwalk

On the Boardwalk

Puerto Vallarta's malecón is the Champs Élysées of PV—only shorter, warmer, and less expensive. Along the mile-long cement walkway bordering the sea, small groups of young studs check out their feminine counterparts, all in meticulously pulled-together casual clothes; cruise-ship passengers stretch their legs; and landlocked tourists take a walk before dinner. Even those who have lived here all their lives come out to watch the red sun sink into the gray-blue water beyond the bay.

Every night and weekend is a parade. Vendors sell agua de tuba, a refreshing coconut-palm-heart drink. Empanada, corn-on-the-cob, and fried banana stands congregate near the Friendship Fountain and its trio of leaping bronze dolphins. Peddlers sell helium balloons and cotton candy. Clowns, magicians, and musicians entertain in the Los Arcos amphitheater.

Some of PV's most endearing art pieces are not in galleries, but here en pleine aire. Stretching along the seawalk is a series of bronze sculptures that are constantly touched, photographed, and climbed on. These nonstop caresses give a bright bronze luster to strategic body parts of Neptune and the Nereid, a mermaid and her man. Higher up on its pedestal, Puerto Vallarta's well-known seahorse icon retains a more traditional (and dignified) patina.

Rotunda on the Sea, a wacky grouping of chair-people by Alejandro Colunga, is a good spot to sit and watch the sea and the swirl of people enjoying life, although around sunset, others waiting their turn make it hard to linger.

The three mysterious figures that compose In Search of Reason, by world-famous artist Sergio Bustamante, are just as otherworldly as the jewelry, painting, and statuettes sold in his three Vallarta shops. Look for the pillow-headed figures climbing a ladder to the sky. Across from Carlos O'Brien's restaurant, Ramiz Barquet's Nostalgia is an ode to the artist's reunion with the love of his life at this very spot. You can find more of Barquet's work at Galería Pacífico.

Gary Thompson, owner of Galería Pacífico, leads public sculpture walking tours mid-November through mid-April. The free two-hour tours, which do not require reservations, leave Tuesday mornings at 9:30 from the Millennium sculpture, next to the Hotel Rosita, after a briefing by its creator, artist Mathis Lidice. Tours end at the gallery, where sculptor Ramiz Barquet answers questions and presents a brief demonstration of modeling in clay.

Extending south from Calle 31 de Octubre to Los Arcos outdoor amphitheater and the town square.