Getting the flavor of...

Mexico’s controversial Maya Train

There’s a new way to explore the Yucatán Peninsula, said Jimmy Thomson in The Washington Post. Tren Maya is a 966-mile railway that traces a loop through the peninsula, connecting the states of Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Chiapas, and Tabasco. Since work began in 2020, the project has been criticized for its worker injury rate and for damaging archaeological sites and jungle ecosystems. Also, the railway’s official website, entradastrenmaya.com.mx, is hard to navigate. Even so, Tren Maya “feels destined to become a must-do for any traveler eager to explore beyond Cancún.” Last month, I rode the segment between Mérida—Yucatán’s bustling capital—and Valladolid, a smaller city near the Mayan ruins of Chichén Itzá and Ek’ Balam. Though such sites can’t be spotted until you disembark, I couldn’t complain. “The cars are immaculate, comfortable, and quiet.” Because my fellow passengers were mostly Mexican families, “the atmosphere was bordering on festive.” Once construction of the line ends in June, “I’d gladly hop on another ride.”

A hipper Fort Lauderdale

Believe it or not, Fort Lauderdale has gotten cool, said Matthew Kronsberg in The Wall Street Journal. I grew up in the suburbs of the Florida city, which was always beautiful and “often fun,” but never as interesting as Miami. But Fort Lauderdale in recent years “has developed a swagger I’d never imagined.” No longer a destination just for spring breakers and retirees, the city has attracted a diverse influx of young adults. Fifteen craft breweries have sprung up across several micro-neighborhoods, and “an onslaught of new restaurants has snagged national attention.” I hit a wine bar in Progresso Village, a brewpub in Flagler Village, and, in nearby Hollywood, a huge farmers market that exemplifies “the cultural cornucopia the region has become.” With “so much to love inland,” it “took me a while to make it to the beach.” Out by the water, you can enjoy quiet natural beauty, but the beach neighborhoods are undergoing their own renewals, with top restaurants and hotels arriving regularly. In North Beach Village, the “friendly, scrappy vibe” evokes Miami’s South

Beach circa 1995.