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Guadalajara, JAL Mexico

williemackgarza

By williemackgarza
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williemackgarza

williemackgarza 1826

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So thinking of visiting for 5-6 days in August. Have searched with not much luck. Looks like its the rainy season.

Looking at an airbnb in Americana.

Never been so looking forward to it.

Restaurants, bars, clubs, markets,cultural spots, close places to travel to? A friend has family in Tequila country (near Jesus Maria) so probably head there for a day. Car rental or just uber it around town?? Going with a buddy.

Any help or recs appreciated, muchas gracias.

And go…

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mycox

mycox 582

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Chapultepec is a nice are to stay with a lot of bar/restaurant options. Just use Uber - it's cheap. My friend and I got an Uber to Guachimontones which is a must see (about 30 minute drive) and then we asked about driving to Tequila which is another hour away. The nice guy drove us all around Guadalajara showing us sites and small cities for the day. I think the total cost was around $100.

Tlaquepaque is fun. Go there on a Friday or Saturday night - or both nights.

Visit the markets for some good food. I don't remember where all we ate, but you can't go wrong eating the seafood. Find a good torta ahogada. Eat birria and drink plenty of Cazuela. And of course tequila.

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Bevo&Pevo

Bevo&Pevo 5213

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30 minutes out over in Ajijic is a small restuarant named Tango.  Muy bein.  Pro driving tip-be aware of what you might consider freeways.  There will be random speed bumps (most of which are not painted) and red lights.  Last thing, at a gas station there is usually an attendent who will fill your car up.  No need to get out.

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RollLeft

RollLeft 5045

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Plaza Guadalajara in the Centro Historico is very nice both during the day and at night.  I usually go there on the first day and purchase tickets from any of the vendors there in the square for a hop on hop off tour of the city or any tour for that matter.  If you have never been I would recommend it/them.  I think the basic hop on/off includes one pueblo magjico, in the area.  Usually, Tlaquepaque which is a must.   By doing that tour you get oriented and a birds eye view of much of the city including the area you are staying in, which is very nice.  It also gives you an idea of where you may want to go and where you can walk.  You can easily walk to Chapultepec or to the Centro from Americana.  You can also hop on and off the bus as needed if you see a place you like.  La Casa de Waffle is good for breakfast, nearby your stay or La Chata near the centro. Best to get to La Chata early as there is often a line to get in. Besides doing a tequila tour like you are, Chapala is pueblo majico that is also very nice.  The city really is pretty easy to navigate but it is deceptively spread out.  Oh yeah, Tortas Ahogadas! You can't not try a few of those.  Much like you eat Cochinita Pibil in the Yucatan or Oaxaca, TA are from Jalisco.  As is Vicente Fernandez and Mariachi.  All the best!

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williemackgarza

williemackgarza 1826

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So I did end up going for 6 days and just got back last week. Austin to CDMX to GDL. Flights were quick easy and breeze thru mexican customs in CDMX.

Took uber from airport to airbnb in Ladron de Guevera right outside americana. Really nice place with 24 hr security and huge balcony overlooking the City.

First night we ubered over to Plaza Andaras to grab a quick bite and look around. Went to a few bars, Magdalena was nice but could tell they thought their shit didnt stink and they were turning away people with reservations that were not "dressed" appropriately. So we left and heard mariachis playing in LA 20 bar/restaurant. We stayed there till 2a drinking and listening to mariachis. Gotta say was pretty cool and the mall and where we were was jam packed till 2a. My kinda music and atmosphere. Drank victoria beer and killed a bottle of Tequila Clase Azul reposado. Pretty damn good sipping tequila with no aftertaste or bite, sooth as a babys ass. Got an uber back to the ABNB and got the drivers info. Cool guy with a nice ride that new everywhere to go.

2nd day took a private car tour to Tequila. Stopped for breakfast at a small hole in the wall place on the way called LaCurva de La Torre. Ate some carnes en su jugo, fresh corn torts, cafe con pilonzillo and some huevos. Was all pretty damn good. Next stop was at Tequila Tres Mujeres distillery. Was cool to see the tequila process and we got to taste test a shit load of different tequilas and wall around. Cool to see the process and how the different types of tequila are aged and walked thru the cava where the barrells are kept. Was surprised to see that this 1 distillery makes tequila in the names of like 15 different brands so these all basically taste the same from the same place. Next up stopped at Cantaritos El Guero. Drank a few cantaritos listening to mariachis playing all my favs from ramon ayala, chente fernandez and all types of norteno music. I had thought the banda craze had taken over around here but was glad to hear great old school music while sipping on a few cantaritos. Next on to Tequila. Walked around el centro and the museums and the jose cuervo distillery. Pretty cool little town that was packed with drunk tourists. Grabbed a few beers and tequilas walking around town. The guide did take us out to a new local spot with huge swings where you could swing out off a cliff edge and see a huge valley. But nah I thought the swing looked a little suspect and didnt give it a go. I liked seeing the workers in the filed hand harvesting the agave plants and all the mexican people around. Was really caught me off guard was how green and moutainous the area was. I had assumed it would be flat and dry. The Tequila volcano made the area fertile for the agave and the fields were filled with volcanic rock and red dirt. Was green everywhere. On the way out of town in Tequila the guide took us to Hotel Matices. Was a cool little hotel with little cottages that where made to look like Tequila barrels. We went to a restaurant they had built under ground in a cava. Ate some mole de pollo, aguacate and fresh corn tortillas. All was on point. We finally got back to GDL around 7p and drove by AKRON Stadium home of the Chivas.

3rd day went to el centro of Guadalajara. Walked around and checked out the sites. Ate a bunch of tacos and tried the tortas ahogadas. Gotta say the torta was not really that good for my tastes. Was just different. We then took a ride over to Tlaquepaque. That was a cool area and the Centro was clean with some nice shops and bars/restaurants. Went to Casa Luna and the food and drinks were good. Got some tacos al carbon and fresh torts and salsa. 

4th day plan was to go to Chapala. Driver took us to breakfast at Terraza Angelo. Was a buffet style place but had homemade dishes and lady making tortillas and gorditas by hand. Had chilaquiles, pan frances, quesadillas y arros y frijoles. Was outstanding and its set in a cool little garden open air courtyard. We left out for Chapala and stopped at the Vicente Fernandez ranch Los Tres Portillos for a quick tour. Was cool to see. Made Chapala early and walked around town shopping and checking out the sites. Had a few cold modeles on the shoreline. The lake is the largest lake in Mexico and is huge. The driver then took us to Ajijic, a smaller retirement area. Place was dotted with both retired Americans and Mexicans. Cool to talk to some gueros who knew good and proper espanol. We wandered for few hours checking out the stores and bars. On the way back to town we stopped at Birrieria Chololo and ate birria. Was pretty good a bit different but again the fresh chips, fresh salsa and torts were amazing. 

5th day we went to Tonala to check out the artisan shops that mostly sell to the higher end stores in Guadalajara that mark that shit up. Saw some amazing art work and had made furniture. Some leather sofas with detailed upholstered designs that would cost $7-$10k here in the states for like $375. Was crazy. We went back to Zapopan and ate and bought some parting gifts and we called it a day.

We came home early on day 6. Back to CDMX and then to Austin. I gotta say security lines we went through were near non-existent.

The uber guy wanted only like $150 bucks for the day but I was like fuck that and filled him up daily and gave him double that. He seemed genuinely happy and even brought us a parting gift of a bottle of reposada tequila when he dropped us off a the airport. Cool to see Guadalajara as I had never been. Never made it to Ave Chapultapec much except in passing which I wish we had seen. I liked everything about GDL. Was like CDMX with less people on the street. Traffic was probably 3/4 as congested. Of course GLD is about 2-3 million mexicans while CDMX has 20-30 million.

Thanks for all the recs and hit me up if you need any tips or more specifics on where we went.

Will post pics later.

Now back to CDMX for F1 and later the world cup for viewing with my people.

Fuck off with any typo correctionsss.

Adios mofos

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tx 3 putt

tx 3 putt 77246

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On 8/19/2022 at 7:45 PM, Zepol87 said:

Hit up Tonala and grab a torta ahogada at the mercado on a Sunday in the city center. Nothing compares to those. Last time I was there for my damn Jordan basketball shorts stolen from my hotel room one night when I was out. Pissed me off

 

I wish I could go back ....... very nice part of town. My buddy was having some doors made for his house on lake chapala, there was a door shop, several other shops for home items. Jewelry shops, other shops, all nice. Center area was 4 huge restaurant patios, in a huge square. Split four ways, just damn beautiful. Down one street, was another restaurant, very nice. The served a boiling green sauce, poured over a chunk of white cheese, damn delicious. The whole afternoon was great. I'd stab everyone here, except zepol to go back for another afternoon. all the drinks and food, so damn good 

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tx 3 putt

tx 3 putt 77246

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Ajijic is over crowded, waaaaaay too many Americans. Weird crowd for sure, lot of leeches for sure. Large Karen population, they think they can do whatever they want for sure. If you like 50ish, thick, big, loud white women, you’re in heaven. Last time I was there, a firefighter from pa was just plowing through big chicks. He was fun to drink with ha 
 

Music box was a cool little bar, but it was over Americanized. 

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futureman

futureman 22513

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this place slams if any of you make it to GDL.  you can see the chica pressing the tortillas.  also if anyone here is mexican can you explain what the fuck a cuerno taco is?  I know that it means horn but surely that can’t be it.  also ojo.  are they chopping up a cow’s eye on the plancha there or what?  I stuck to pastor. 

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futureman

futureman 22513

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1 hour ago, TornACL said:

I had ojo tacos at Los Cucuyos in CDMX and as I recall they pulled the eye out of the big stock pot with all the meats and chopped it up for the tacos. 

It wasn't my favorite. Think real barbacoa but about 20x fattier and stickier.

yeah I’ll pass on that. 

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