ATM exchange would be my preference - we did that in Munich. In this case though we’ll be in a rush to meet our shuttle at the airport. And our all-inclusive which is quite far from town has said in the paperwork that no currency exchange available on premises. I’ll dig into that a bit more to see if that also means no ATM.
If you’re only going to be at the resort they’ll likely accept US dollars. All the Mexican resorts I’m familiar with, do.
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Our Wells Fargo does the exchange for all the banks locally.
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We used ATM’s last year in Canada and Scotland to get local currency. Not huge amounts, and felt we got a fair exchange rate.
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Thanks for all the quick replies! We found another reason to drive down to area of AAA and ordered our 4400 pesos (about $250, small bills). It likely more than we’ll need, but I expect this will not be our last Mexico trip. We’ll pick them up in a few days, when delivered to the AAA store. Ha, that time I’m hoping our nearby daughter will be free to meet for dinner or something.
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When we went to Rivera Maya a few years ago, dollar bills were very much appreciated. As I mentioned elsewhere, after leaving a couple of dollar bills on our table after meals at our all inclusive, we were treated as royalty. The staff would reserve a table in the area of the dining room with a view for us. 
I don’t think we even exchanged any $$ the second time we went there.
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A question for any sewing experts (really anyone who sews). What would be a good sewing machine for someone who sews occasionally (mostly altering clothes, hemming and most recently masks)? Previous machine was a 25+ year old Kenmore 386 which still works well but now has a new home and handler. Would like something similar to shorten the learning curve.
I know nothing about sewing, but my D recently expressed interest and I noticed that Wirecutter (NYT) had recently reviewed sewing machines. Might be worth checking out.
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For an occasional sewer, almost any machine will do, does not have to have any fancy features or electronics. I consider myself to be an experienced sewer (clothing, draperies, alterations), and my machine is a low-end Brother that, at the time, was about $200. I had a serger that I rarely used and eventually gave away because the Brother is my workhorse, no need for speed or finished edges.
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I looked at Costco.com and bought a Janome machine online. I’ve been quite happy with it as a replacement for the White sewing machine I had previously bought at Costco. (The machine simply wuit working when i was sewing fabric face masks.) It has a bunch of fancy stitches but can do simple sewing too, which is honestly all i need if for.
When I bought it, I believe it was like $200 or less.
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I know nothing about sewing machines but see the entry level Janome is on sale at Amazon for $199, to match the Walmart sale price.
https://www.amazon.com/Janome-2212-Sewing-Machine/dp/B003Y5CEJS
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I wanted mine from Costco so i could drive it 5 minutes from my house to return if it didn’t work for me.
Thanks, all! I’m looking at the Brother model from the Wirecutter review and the Janome (when I googled the old Kenmore model it said they were made by Janome). Great prices on both — IIRC old one cost $200-250 so definitely not looking to spend more. Unfortunately, Costco isn’t an option.
I learned to sew on a 50 year old table mounted Singer so have a liking for the brand but not sure it’s worth the higher price for occasional use.
When I needed a sewing machine for my vacation house, I went to a sewing center (they are still out there, but maybe few and far between) and bought a refurbished Bernina they had used for their sewing classes. I felt I got a very good price for a basic machine with all metal components. It will last a very long time and refurbished is just fine for my occasional use.
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Singers these days are made entirely out of plastic and are lousy machines. (I have a plastic one with 150 stitches. The tension has never worked well. It sits in my closet gathering dust.) My parents got me a Fashionmate ($99) for HS graduation and I had used it for 35 years when I gave it to my niece. She left it with my sister when she moved, so my guess is that sister sold it at a yard sale. I REALLY regret that decision.
Here’s another review on sewing machines: 10 Best Sewing Machines 2023 | The Strategist
I have a Viking Designer I (early 2000s,with hooped embroidery; bought it for 2/3 off at a Viking shop because someone returned it after three weeks to upgrade – this was a STEAL!) and a Janome 6700p. My Viking never would have made it through mask-making, though. Can’t get parts for it any more, so I use it only for embroidery. I got the Janome in December 2019 (perfect timing) and it has kept me sane. It’s a terrific machine. Is perfect for masks, quilts and anything else you want to make.
I’ve heard that some quilt stores won’t honor warranties on Janome machines bought at warehouse/discount stores. Call a local quilt store that sells them to ask. Also ask them if they have anyone who wants to sell a used machine or if they have someone who does repairs. THe repair person may have refurbished machines for sale.
I’m very happy with my Janome and am thinking about getting a smaller one to take to quilt sessions and when I travel. My 6700 is big (10" throat) and heavy (26 lbs) because of all the lovely metal parts!
Elna machines are also made by Janome. Bernina machines are wonderful, but very pricey.
My quilt groups (IRL and online) have a significant cohort of folks who use vintage machines. Hit the thrift shops and antique stores!
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This is great info! Thank you! All the sewing centers close by have closed and my friend who also sews moved away just before the pandemic. So, I don’t try to do much nowadays but for the occasional project.
I will take a look at the thrift stores here — would not have occurred to me to do that. I looked at other possibilities, including the local quilt store, for refurbished machines but found nothing that jumped out as a good deal! I’ll keep looking for a bit before buying.
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OK, here’s a random question. Does anyone know anything about Globus, a tour company?? We’ve traveled with Collette and Trafalgar and like them, but Globus has an itinerary we’ve been looking for (Montreal to Montreal, touring the Gulf of St Lawrence and Gaspe) and can’t find from other companies. We have family who traveled with Globus 30 yrs ago, so their info would not be helpful.
There are chat boards for cruises (river and ocean) and for Rick Steves tours, but we haven’t found any discussing tour companies.
Any info would be appreciated.
Why is there no chunky peanut butter on the shelves? I’ve been trying to buy my giant jars of Skippy Chunky for months now but I can only find the tiny jars. We go through tons of it.
Has anyone tried Charix shoes? They are supposed to be these incredibly well-made classic leather shoes from Turkey that you can wear for miles and miles walking.
Heading to Italy so trying to find something a little nicer than my Merrell’s hiking boots for the trip (and Danskos seem like they won’t cut it on the cobblestones!)
@VeryHappy - maybe the recall of JIF? Other folks buying up your Skippy?
https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/whats-behind-the-shortage-of-peanut-butter-on-grocery-store-shelves/ar-AAZ5mVn
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