El Parque El Llano

By Douglas Favero
So you're a family with kids under ten and your first day in Oaxaca is all planned out. You're going to chill around the Zócalo and the Cathedral, maybe head up the tourist-catering Calle Alcalá to Santo Domingo, the church, ex-convent and now museum of Oaxacan history, and stroll through the adjoining botanical garden before turning back to the Zócalo along another tourist-friendly street.
But what about Day Two?

Here's an idea. Go back up to Santo Domingo, but this time keep going north. Just a few blocks up and a couple to the right is Parque Llano, a local favorite. Why?

Because of the trees, the fountains, the grass. You'll always find an empty bench. I don't know how-maybe because the park somehow evades many tourist maps. The shaved ice and the frozen popsicle sticks at the northern and southern boundaries of the park give to your tongue what your eyes and ears are already experiencing, a sublime treat.

If you have young kids, you'll be the greatest parent ever not only because of the cool treats you've just bought them, but also because you're walking them straight to the big fountain in the middle of the four-block-long park, where there is an electronic kiddy-car rental every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon from 4:30 to 8 o'clock. You'll see about fifteen vehicles, miniature monster trucks and Barbie jeeps and the like, conducted by kids from ages four to ten cruising around the fountain and down the walkways. Fifteen pesos every ten minutes is all it takes to give your kids the ride of their lives, or at least the afternoon. Once the kids have had enough near misses with strangers, round them up and walk west just a block on Gomez Farias and check out the newly renovated Parque de Conzati before making the return south to tourist-map terrain.