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Mexico City

SimonBolivar

By SimonBolivar
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Zepol87

Zepol87 9,188

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12 minutes ago, BigNastyHorn said:

I see there is a Texas Exes chapter.  Anyone ever been down there during a game?

 

As a side note, we booked Pujol a few months back.  Kinda booked our trip around it. Really looking forward to the mole. 

Can't speak to the exes chapter but a soccer buddy owns pinche gringo. It is where we have our USA vs Mexico soccer night before parties. I have been when they have the games on. If the weather is nice the place opens up and it is pretty dope but understand that it is bbq in mexico city.

http://www.pgbbq.mx/

 

 

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Spankytoes

Spankytoes 1,742

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39 minutes ago, texasdago said:

If y'all want, I can check with someone about whether the Exes chapter gets together for games.  I know people... 

I forgot that there's an F1 race down there next weekend. My buddy hooked up us with Paddock passes. One of those TVs will be on the game. 

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SimonBolivar

SimonBolivar 10,958

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Trying to get the woman to agree to another trip on 11/10-11/12, but this might be tough up hill sledding with another trip out of town planned for the next weekend. Interjet can get us there for $556 (combined) not bad for last minuteish. We used them in May and had no problems with DFW->MEX.

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BigNastyHorn

BigNastyHorn 28

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3 hours ago, SimonBolivar said:

Trying to get the woman to agree to another trip on 11/10-11/12, but this might be tough up hill sledding with another trip out of town planned for the next weekend. Interjet can get us there for $556 (combined) not bad for last minuteish. We used them in May and had no problems with DFW->MEX.

Flew Interjet two years ago from Cancun to Havana.  Thought it was a great airline with roomy seats and I am not a small dude.  The free international booze didn't hurt either. 

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Spankytoes

Spankytoes 1,742

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Interesting city. Was there during the Day of the Dead celebrations, which was cool. Didn’t get a chance to see the pyramids. 3 days was just about right. Don’t understand the allure of multiple visits beyond the cheap price. Felt like the “Little Mexico” of any big city except with more US chain restaurants. Decent food and nice people.

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19,114

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Interesting city. Was there during the Day of the Dead celebrations, which was cool. Didn’t get a chance to see the pyramids. 3 days was just about right. Don’t understand the allure of multiple visits beyond the cheap price. Felt like the “Little Mexico” of any big city except with more US chain restaurants. Decent food and nice people.

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Yeah, but you also do not see the allure of Paris, so...

Just goes to prove different strokes for different folks.

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Spankytoes

Spankytoes 1,742

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10 minutes ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Yeah, but you also do not see the allure of Paris, so...

Just goes to prove different strokes for different folks.
 

Oh, I see the allure of Paris. I just think it’s a vastly overrated travel destination that everyone should visit once or twice. (Like Times Square) But I’m also not a foodie. Paying $500 for a 7-course/7 bites tasting menu and a bottle of wine that I can’t tell the difference from a two buck Chuck is wasted travel time and money for me. Paris is pretty. So are 50 other European destinations at half the cost, a quarter of the people and none of the attitude. 

Mexico City, in comparison, is not a pretty city despite a decent panoramic view from a higher vantage point. The city center is interesting but it’s a run-of-the-mill old church/square/shopping district/park destination. We stayed in Roma and ate at Teppen at the Hyatt Refency in Condesa for dinner. We hit up the Architecture and Anthropology museums, both which were very disappointing. (But Free that day) The Dia de Muertos exhibit downtown was meh. It was the same setup in my picture above on different carpet backgrounds and a few purple tiered cake dioramas. La Merced was more stressful than anything. We had to dodge cars and a bulldozer through packed areas that sold the same fruits, vegetables and $0.99 store crap that no one is interested in buying.(Points for not having to endure the aggressive sales pitches every 10 feet) The food was average, outside of the guacamole which was outstanding. Of the Top 10 things to do, we did 7 of them. I’m sure the pyramids would have been interesting to see, but it rained on Saturday and we opted to skip them. Overall, it was a less interesting version of Lima with better food options.

I’m glad I went, but I’m just not seeing the excitement of multiple trips there some people have. I wanted more street food, carts and mariachis. What I saw was chain restaurants, excruciating turnkey organ playing and the equivalent of going to the International Bazaar in Dallas with more potholes. I think my expectations were unrealistic. Or, maybe I just don’t dig on Latin America like I do Europe and Oceania. Had a great time hanging with friends, but I don’t feel compelled to go back.

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TornACL

TornACL 7,715

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Not sure exactly what neighborhoods you were in, but street food is in absolute abundance. Granted, we never ate in the Polanco hotel district (except for Pujol) or in much of the city center / museum / tourist areas. 

Basically we had no agenda and stopped at any taco stand or cantina that seemed to have a decent local crowd waiting. On one Friday we must have eaten at six different places. Even if it sucks (which was rare), you're out 2 bucks. No biggie. 

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Spankytoes

Spankytoes 1,742

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9 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

I didnt see many chain restaurants where we went outside of the usual McDonalds and BK crap. Gotta remember it's also nice because we're there in 2hr unlike your 5+hr trip from NYC so price point and time wise it's great for us. 

Across from our hotel you had to pass the 7-11 to get to the Chili’s, PF Chang’s, Subway and Krispy Kreme where the street deadended at Carl’s Jr. and Starbucks. We were adjacent to the WTC, so I admit that my description is skewed. The tourist areas themselves had the normal McDonalds, BK, Starbucks and crappy pizza chain fare. I just expected more live music bars aligning the street and food trucks. Maybe it’s me, but the “talent” there is severely lacking, albeit everyone was very welcoming and excited to see us. I got interviewed 3X about my thoughts on Mexico from students.

I get the travel time thing, which I admit plays a role. I can reach Iceland or the UK in the same amount of time or drive to Montreal. (Albeit, not nearly as cheaply once I land) Another part is being jaded by NYC. Not much impresses or surprises you anymore with cultural destinations because you see it everyday. But, from Dallas at least, I don’t see the advantage of Mexico City over an LA or Miami. Hell, hang out at Jupiter/Walnut and you’ll have a great time experiencing the culture.

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Spankytoes

Spankytoes 1,742

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9 minutes ago, TornACL said:

Not sure exactly what neighborhoods you were in, but street food is in absolute abundance. Granted, we never ate in the Polanco hotel district (except for Pujol) or in much of the city center / museum / tourist areas. 

Basically we had no agenda and stopped at any taco stand or cantina that seemed to have a decent local crowd waiting. On one Friday we must have eaten at six different places. Even if it sucks (which was rare), you're out 2 bucks. No biggie. 

We were at the Crowne Plaza Hotel de México in Roma, which turned out to be a pretty nice hotel. We tried a few tortas, taco stands, quesadillas, etc. and they were fine. Outside of our dinners, which we did a hibachi and Mexican restaurant that were pre-planned, we tried to eat as local as possible. There were several taquerias, but I suppose I expected there to be more food stands.we didn’t cover the entire city and stuck to the safer areas. (No Zona Rosa, for example) On our last night, we were struggling to find things to do outside of eating our fill of guacamole and pounding Modelos and tequila.

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Spankytoes

Spankytoes 1,742

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1 minute ago, SimonBolivar said:

Yeah DFW to LA or NYC is just as easy and great as Mexico City if not better (depending on what you want of course), but man I can't disagree more with Miami. It has the same bro culture like Dallas to me.

I agree that the South Beach guy’s are dbags. But Calle Ocho is a fun time. CDMX wins in the people department hands down. But, and I can’t stress this enough...what district are the hotties in? The only cute ones we saw were about 15, no pedo.

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SimonBolivar

SimonBolivar 10,958

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17 minutes ago, Spankytoes said:

I can’t stress this enough...what district are the hotties in? The only cute ones we saw were about 15, no pedo.

I personally like the Chilanga ritzy white girl look, but it certainly isn't TCU dance team quality.

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mycox

mycox 582

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1 hour ago, Spankytoes said:

Across from our hotel you had to pass the 7-11 to get to the Chili’s, PF Chang’s, Subway and Krispy Kreme where the street deadended at Carl’s Jr. and Starbucks. We were adjacent to the WTC, so I admit that my description is skewed. The tourist areas themselves had the normal McDonalds, BK, Starbucks and crappy pizza chain fare. I just expected more live music bars aligning the street and food trucks. Maybe it’s me, but the “talent” there is severely lacking, albeit everyone was very welcoming and excited to see us. I got interviewed 3X about my thoughts on Mexico from students.

I get the travel time thing, which I admit plays a role. I can reach Iceland or the UK in the same amount of time or drive to Montreal. (Albeit, not nearly as cheaply once I land) Another part is being jaded by NYC. Not much impresses or surprises you anymore with cultural destinations because you see it everyday. But, from Dallas at least, I don’t see the advantage of Mexico City over an LA or Miami. Hell, hang out at Jupiter/Walnut and you’ll have a great time experiencing the culture.

Quote

Felt like the “Little Mexico” of any big city except with more US chain restaurants. Decent food and nice people.

I don't know what you were doing, but you were doing it wrong as far as the food, bar scene, and culture goes. I will agree the talent is hard to come by.

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texasdago

texasdago 7,575

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I will say... of all the areas to hang out in Mexico City, Zona Rosa is close to last on my list (unless you want to add fun places like Tepito or Tacubaya).  There are tons of great areas... Polanco is nice if you want to see the "Beverly Hillsish" aspect of Mexico City but its not where you go for culture or real local experience.  Combine the main areas of Mexico City with side trips to Desierto de Los Leones, Tepotzlan, Tepotzotlan, Teotihuacan, etc the possibilities are endless.  As for street food, Mexico City is one of the world's greatest street food destinations.  Did you go out after dark?  I mean, I know you ate sushi at a hotel in Mexico City so.... 

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Spankytoes

Spankytoes 1,742

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13 hours ago, mycox said:

You were at The Crowne Plaza Hotel? You weren't in Roma. Roma is further north and you should have spent most of your time there and in the La Condesa area.

The Polanco area isn't special.

You are correct. We were in Colonia Napoles. Not sure why I thought it was Roma. Maybe I was looking at another hotel in that area at some point? Other than exploring the WTC area a bit, and hitting up a bar across the street, we didn't stay near the hotel much. We mostly split out time between the Hyatt Regency area in Polanco and the Central tourist district. 

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Spankytoes

Spankytoes 1,742

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Saying CDMX feels like the “Little Mexico” of any big city except with more US chain restaurants is laughable.

Also Zona Rosa is very safe in my opinion (unless you are scared of the gheys)


You’re right, it’s a knee slapper...

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I only went off what I read about Zona Rosa. Didn’t feel compelled to check it out.
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texasdago

texasdago 7,575

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19 hours ago, Spankytoes said:

 


You’re right, it’s a knee slapper...

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I only went off what I read about Zona Rosa. Didn’t feel compelled to check it out.

 

That area looks awful.  I'm just trying to wrap my mind around staying in an area like that in Mexico City when you could stay in Condesa and not see any chains other than local chains.  

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texasdago

texasdago 7,575

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Yeah, if you didn't explore Coyoacan, San Angel, Condesa, Xochimilco or even wander through Chapultupec, there are many reasons to go back.  Maybe I'm not sure what you like to do on vacation but after having been 4x in 2 years, every time we leave feeling like me missed out on a lot.  Did you go see any live music?  Lucha libre?  

 

BTW, for those who like jazz, strongly recommend this place in the centro.  In the basement of an old bank in the centro... http://www.zincojazz.com/

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Spankytoes

Spankytoes 1,742

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3 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:
I'm still confused by Spanky eating at Teppan in the Hyatt (which is in Polanco). Why would you go to Mexico City to eat Japanese? Especially since you live in a great city for Japanese. I am confused.
 
Mexico City is amazing and incredibly cheap.
 
 


We met up with our friends from the British F1 Petronas team. They were staying at the Hyatt

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Spankytoes

Spankytoes 1,742

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On 11/1/2018 at 10:00 AM, texasdago said:

That area looks awful.  I'm just trying to wrap my mind around staying in an area like that in Mexico City when you could stay in Condesa and not see any chains other than local chains.  

Have a shitload of IHG and Hilton Points and needed 3 separate rooms since no suites were available. Areas to stay were dictated by that. One guy is a broke actor and the other is married with kids and traveled on a “pass”. We needed a quick and cheap weekend getaway where I could end up in Dallas at the end for a work project. CDMX seemed like a good option since none of us had been. Our friends being there for the race that weekend sealed the deal.

I’m in no way saying that it’s a shitty destination. Just that I don’t see why people are clamoring to fit a return trip into their schedules when there are better options down south. It was a good change of pace for me personally but it didn’t wow me. It’s worth a look, not a head turn.

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JohnnyShotgun

JohnnyShotgun 34

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On 10/30/2018 at 9:58 PM, Spankytoes said:

We hit up the Architecture and Anthropology museums, both which were very disappointing.

What the actual fuck?! The Anthropology museum is world class my man. After reading this retarded statement from you, I knew right then and there your review was fucking whack and you probably should just stay out of Mexico. 

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Spankytoes

Spankytoes 1,742

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1 hour ago, JohnnyShotgun said:

What the actual fuck?! The Anthropology museum is world class my man. After reading this retarded statement from you, I knew right then and there your review was fucking whack and you probably should just stay out of Mexico. 

Which part specifically? The recreated statues, the fake pyramid carvings or the tiny caveman models depicting scenes where we need to use our imagination on how a fraction of a clay bowl was used? Outside of the rain column, and the surrounding area, it was pretty shitty. There was nothing interactive beyond a short film in Spanish. I also prefer having actual artifacts in an archeological museums I visit rather than some made in China extravaganza. Perhaps I’m just spoiled or asking too much?

I get it, visiting CDMX is the height of culture for some of you. I challenge you to get out more. JFC, you’d think some of y’all work for the Board of Tourism or tie your personal self worth to an opinion of someone on the internet. I’m glad you had a good time. I wasn’t blown away by anything. It’s a generic Latin America city with a few more modern conveniences. Ugly, dirty and cheap. That’s the typical formula.

 

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JohnnyShotgun

JohnnyShotgun 34

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Either you are trolling, or just a complete idiot. Sure there are some reprodcutions and models, but the museum is loaded with authentic, historic pieces. The 24 ton Piedra del Sol is stunning, and for me pretty awe inspiring. The giant Olmec heads, dozens of Aztec statues, the Disc of Mictlantecuhtli, are just a few of the stand out pieces at the museum. 

I apologize for the name calling. You either get it and are inspired by it, or your not. You are clearly not, and that is ok. To each their own.

 

 

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texasdago

texasdago 7,575

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Yeah, I really don't get the hate for the anthropology museum.  It is absolutely fascinating... not only the collection but the incredibly setting and architecture.  I first saw that museum when I was 11 or 12 years old.  Always stuck in my mind.  Seeing it again in 2016 for the first time in years was no less impactful.

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Dbeasy

Dbeasy 15,068

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Question for the México City experts. I used to travel there on business a lot about 10-15 years ago. I haven been down there since that time period.

I have to go down for a meeting in two weeks. I’m thinking about flying down early on Friday with the wife and hanging out for two days with her. How is safety these days? Can we get around ok on our own? My wife is very leery of Mexico these days. Will she freak out over anything? I used to avoid the green taxis when I went. Don’t know what it’s like these days.

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PenelopeWitherspoon

PenelopeWitherspoon 19,114

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Question for the México City experts. I used to travel there on business a lot about 10-15 years ago. I haven been down there since that time period.

I have to go down for a meeting in two weeks. I’m thinking about flying down early on Friday with the wife and hanging out for two days with her. How is safety these days? Can we get around ok on our own? My wife is very leery of Mexico these days. Will she freak out over anything? I used to avoid the green taxis when I went. Don’t know what it’s like these days.
It's fine. Use Uber. Its cheap.
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JohnnyShotgun

JohnnyShotgun 34

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I'm not an expert, but I can tell you safety was not an issue when I took my wife, teenage son and his buddy last summer. Just like any major city, be smart, courteous, and aware and you will be fine. We used Uber everywhere and it was very easy and affordable. Our hotel was a couple of blocks from the Zocalo and we did a ton of walking to the sites around there. I felt safer there than I did on my last trip to New Orleans. Enjoy!

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