Event: Venezuela

You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.Venezuela dispatchNew restaurants are popping up in Caracas. Nightclubs are bursting at the seams. The streets are eerily safe — with big exceptions. Could a revival be on the horizon?Caracas “has the wages of Zimbabwe, the public services of Bangladesh and the prices of New York,” a political analyst said.Credit...Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York TimesVenezuela dispatchVenezuela’s Capital, Laid Low by Misrule, Is Stirring Back to LifeNew restaurants are popping up in Caracas. Nightclubs are bursting at the seams. The streets are eerily safe — with big exceptions. Could a revival be on the horizon?Caracas “has the wages of Zimbabwe, the public services of Bangladesh and the prices of New York,” a political analyst said.Credit...Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York TimesSimon RomeroSimon Romero is a former bureau chief in Caracas, where he covered the dismantling of Venezuela’s democracy. In February he returned to Caracas, where he reported this article.Published Feb. 26, 2026Updated Feb. 27, 2026, 11:51 a.m. ETAt the 360 rooftop bar, in the heart of Caracas, all the tables were taken, even though drinks can cost more than several months of base wages for many.Sitting with friends on a recent February evening, Verónica Sanguino, 19, who works at a fish market, said she had saved for weeks to afford the night out at the open-air lounge.Her group clinked wine glasses and nibbled on ceviche as they sat with a stunning view of the city, which was bombed last month by U.S. forces during the capture of Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro.“We go out just to slip away for a moment from this country’s reality,” Ms. Sanguino said.In a city that refuses to be humbled…