Gentrification

[DonJuane]

Another thing that GTO is lacking compared to San Miguel is a gigantic garden with a focus of interest where the trolls of the afternoon can stake out their claims. The latest crowd I call the Fabios and movie producers who hang and do their numbers on the touring female population. In San Miguel on the front row facing the Parrouquia, on this side of the Jardin there are two rows of seats. One can find a seat on the back row and watch the charades transpring on the front row as various actors conduct their routines. The so-called movie producers dressed in stereotypical directors attire with the glasses hanging on a band around their neck and wearing beanie-topped director's hats will stake out a position on the front row, normally with a sidekick who is an outgoing person who serves as the front man for the movie producer. The two of them talk loudly between themselves about either their past film works or the plans he has for his upcoming project in San Miguel. This conversation is just loud enough to capture a couple of attractive females who stop to rest or are passing by (the movie producer always stands so he can capture the attention of both those sitting and passers by. The key is that he never begins a conversation with a stranger, thus the magic part of his style is it's always the female who breaks into the many pauses in the conversation to say "I couldn't help but overhearing but are you really ...." Once he nets them in you can see their face flushing as he tells countless tales of the many movies he has worked on, answering all the questions about various actors he has worked with. If they ever get around to asking what he's going in San Miguel, he's just scoping out a set for a bla, bla, bla movie he's working on. By the way, maybe he's having a cocktail party or he might be able to work in some time to show them some of the locations they are looking at for shooting their upcoming movie. Numbers are exchanged and usually the group of two or more females walk away with their faces lit up like a Christmas tree, not believing their luck to have run into this famous guy. Always wonder what happens later when they actually hook up.

Then there is also a guy who is almost always there on the front row mid-morning, especially during high tourist season. He has a big mane of wind blown salt and pepper hair that flows like a hair color commercial. He and his friend who is completely dressed in leather and has gold chains hanging on every extremity both stake out a seat close but not directly next to the movie producer. This guy who I have penned Fabio stands in front of his friend who is sitting on the bench and also speaks so loudly you can hear him half way round the Jardin. He makes quite a spectacle of himself, moving about as if acting in a scene and also claiming to "work in film" as does his friend who pass back and forth tales trying to draw the attention of a majority of passing Gringa female tourists walking the area. Once he lands his prey he begins constantly flattering them with compliments, speaking continuous tales of his complete knowledge of the city and Mexico as well. He'll continue to toss out offers to accompany them here or there until one sticks and coincidentally the pair of them exchange numbers, he embraces both shoulders and smacks an imaginary kiss on their cheek, and again the two guys give each other a slightly noticeable wink as the flushed faced females again walk away imagining future adventures on their soon to be encounter.

So luckily, we've still a little way to go before both we and Mexico have lost another city to the make believe.