Martes y con mucho calor...........

Pues en estos dias se ha sentido demasiado calor en Monterrey y las temperaturas van de 42°C a 44 °C el dia de hoy amanecio un poco nublado pero a pesar de lo nublado el calor siguio sintiendose en realidad muy fuerte,,, esperemos se equilibre un poco mas el clima ya que se estima para el fin de semana lluvias aisladas!!! Ojala que refresque un rato......


Saludos "calurosos" a todos y nos vemos pronto.

McAllen Prepares for Thousands of Baptist Attendees...

McAllen Host BGCT Representatives
as they plan for THOUSANDS to gather in our tropical city!

Committed to hosting the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) annual conference in McAllen Texas, several staff members will be flying in (from Dallas) to join us for a couple of days of intense planning and tours. Meeting with community and church leaders of the valley, these individuals will be cementing details for their much anticipated annual BGCT conference, scheduled to be hosted at the McAllen Convention Center in November of 2010! While certainly a "business trip," we certainly know how to camouflage the work obligations by adding great dining on local cuisine, tours of local venues, and an overall "spoiling" experience. I'm looking forward to sharing the palm-tree dotted horizon, local dining and music, and – of course- our outstanding growth!
My favorite part of hosting these pre-event (or selection) site visits is the expressions of our guests, as they see our McAllen Convention Center for the first time. Though I've seen it countless times by now, I still LOVE the impact of driving onto the circular drive and passing the beautiful reflection pool and landscaping. A modern day structure, the breathtaking convention center blends our tropical landscaping and modern amenities to give McAllen's events a (BIG) state-of-the-art venue.
Whether or not my guests have a need for the convention center, I can't help but take a detour to this building and gladly accept their immediate request to walk around inside. From the towering palm trees (and yes their real!) inside the east entrance lobby to the monarch butterfly (larger-than-life) chandelier in the popular ballrooms, you can't help but nod your head in appreciation. As I've spend more time in tours, my curiosity has been stirred by guest's questions, and I find myself excitedly sharing my discoveries of this building's unique details – training myself not to talk over the official guide in my excited chatter. ;). What can I say? It truly is a landmark, not only for McAllen, but Texas. For me, it epitomizes the progress and commitment of our city; making McAllen a unique contender in today's market!
While here BGCT staff will also be visiting with local hotels and event venues. You might think that finding accommodations for over 800 rooms a night would be the hardest part, but with a genuinely amazing staff at our McAllen hotels, I'm finding the hardest part is squeezing in as many local restaurants and venues as I can in 24 hours! Because there's so much to share with these planners as they prepare, it's more difficult to narrow down what we can offer! Looking forward to recruiting, yet a few more, McAllen fans! Oh and, here's to the palm trees looking tall and perky, the tropical breeze switched on, and the jalapeños sharp! (That recipe never fails!) I'll keep you posted. jo

Travel Writer in McAllen last week with Ernie

WOW!

Those were the travel writer's words over and over again as I showed her the new 17th Street District.

She mentioned that it reminded her of Austin's 6th Street back in the mid 1970's.

Then, we stopped into "The Patio" restaurant. What a great place!!!

Earlier, we toured Quinta Mazatlan, McAllen's World Birding Center. We saw an owl and a woodpecker. Even I was freaking out with our luck!!!

She loved the New McAllen Convention Center!!!

She was amazed at the growth and how safe she felt in McAllen, Texas!!

Of course she really enjoyed the tour guide, namely Ernie Arredondo.
What a GREAT GUY!!!!

Ernie

Southwestern Texas Synod May 15-17, 2009

This coming weekend we will be hosting another convention, "The Southwestern Texas Synod." So far it looks like moderate size group coming to enjoy of the tropics here in McAllen, TX. Roughly, 500-700 are expected to be here starting this Friday, May 15, 2009-Sunday, May 17, 2009 at our new McAllen Convention Center . http://www.mcallenconventioncenter.net/

Quinta Mazatlan

I had lunch today with Colleen Hook, the Director of McAllen's wing of the World Birding Center, Quinta Mazatlan. Quinta Mazatlan has so many wonderful programs for locals and visitors, and it is hands down the best place to de-stress in the City. It's acres of walking/birding trails with bird feeders, water features, and nature nature nature. I love it!

El mejor Regalo para las Madres…...

Ir de shopping a McAllen y muchos de los regios ya se prepararon desde el puente del 1ro de mayo pero muchos otros aprovecharan este 15 de Mayo, que también será festivo para comprar y consentir a Mama…


Feliz día de las Madres!!!

I just finished reading a fascinating article about the brush country in South Texas - which is very near to Mcallen! The brush country didn't used to have so much brush! It used to have a lot of grassland interspersed with brush, but the suppression of fire by people living here caused more brush to grow and less grass. Some "critters" flourish in this dense brush, but others, that like grass too - quail for instance - decline in these conditions. So, the point of the article is that some fire is good! Still lots of research work to be done on this issue. But one point remains true, we have lots of "critters" to see here and it's fun watching them. If anybody is bringing a group to South Texas and wants ideas on how to see - and get some great photos of wildlife - the Mcallen Chamber is eager to help you get connected. Give us a call! the number is 956-682-2871.