Gleaming beachside hotels and residences on Acapulco Bay -- seen from a distance -- suggest a sense of jet-set glamour. At night, the view is spectacular as ever. (Alan Solomon / Chicago Tribune)
Eclipsed by resort towns like Cancun, Acapulco is working to return to its glory days.
Bathers enjoy the calming waters of Acapulco Bay off Playa Condesa in the heart of the city’s tourist zone. (Alan Solomon / Chicago Tribune)
Acapulco and its tourism industry began here, at Playas Caletilla and adjacent Caleta. (Alan Solomon / Chicago Tribune)
A pair of egrets — two among countless birds here — keep watch on a channel winding through jungle toward Tres Palos Lagoon, one of Acapulco’s two lagoons (Coyuca is the other) offering access by small boats-for-hire. (Alan Solomon / Chicago Tribune)
A Mexican coastal classic — huachinango al mojo de ajo (garlicky whole red snapper) — is done right at venerable Beto’s Restaurant on Playa Condesa. (Alan Solomon / Chicago Tribune)
A fisherman on Playa Las Hamacas, near the cruise ship port, offers chefs (home and professional) the day’s catch fresh from the sea. (Alan Solomon / Chicago Tribune)
A pathway at the Hotel Los Flamingos, once owned by John Wayne and Hollywood pals and still in operation, adds nostalgia to one of Acapulco’s most splendid views. (Alan Solomon / Chicago Tribune)
A soldier keeps watch along Avenida Costera Miguel Aleman in the heart of Acapulco’s tourist zone. It’s common to see military personnel, as the city addresses concerns over safety. (Alan Solomon / Chicago Tribune)
A mosaic by famed Mexican artist Diego Rivera — his initials are in the lower right, alongside a jocular self-portrait — adorns the wall of a private home near La Quebrada. (Alan Solomon / Chicago Tribune)
Beach vendors offering hats, carvings, balloons, jewelry, juices and succulent snacks remain part of the Acapulco experience as they have been for decades. (Alan Solomon / Chicago Tribune)
A boy with a board watches and waits as fellow surfers ride the waves off Playa Bonfil, south of Acapulco’s airport. (Alan Solomon / Chicago Tribune)
