If you want a real Mexican moment, go to Garibaldi and visit some pulquerias.

So who is down for putting a crew together for the NFL game in Mexico City. I already purchased my flight months ago. I have no accommodation yet and no tickets (to the best of my knowledge aren't on sale yet). So we can get a crew together to tailgate or something. Maybe a few guys would like to split a dope Airbnb? Seems like a great opportunity to get organized because this event will be amazing!

Quote: (06-24-2016 11:25 PM)Cattle Rustler Wrote:  

If you want a real Mexican moment, go to Garibaldi and visit some pulquerias.

Are there still pulquerías in Mexico City? The last time I looked, the ones that were supposedly in downtown had closed. They must be making an upscale comeback. Here's a listing from 2014, before the city was rebranded as CDMX: http://mxcity.mx/2014/07/top-7-de-pulquerias-en-el-d-f/

Here's a pulquería I ran across recently in Tláhuac, the far southeast corner of the city limits, almost rural but oddly accessible by metro.

Hey!

I would have one question:
Do people speak in Mexico City decent English, or is it like in most/all South American countries, where people mostly speak Spanish and no or hardly English?

Quote: (07-10-2016 05:56 PM)Highlander Wrote:  

Hey!

I would have one question:
Do people speak in Mexico City decent English, or is it like in most/all South American countries, where people mostly speak Spanish and no or hardly English?

It's not really possible to give a general answer. If you're talking about service personnel, then in some areas, almost everyone who has contact with tourists/foreigners can manage transactions in English, especially in areas that receive a lot of tourists. In other areas, they'll have to go find the one guy in the back who can count to ten. I know a luxury hotel, hundreds of US dollars a night, where no one at the front desk has enough English to take a reservation or respond to simple requests in English.

If you mean socially, then lots of people speak some English and lots really don't. Ability follows socioeconomic class and education to a large extent, but even the typical upper middle class Mexican with a first-class education may not be functional in English. It's amusingly common that his "pocho" driver/chofer, who has lived/worked in the US at some point as an illegal immigrant, speaks better English than his master.

Ok, thanks a lot!

That is the thing with countries in SA- like in the Phils where i am living, everyone speaks English very well.
Do not get me wrong, also in the Phils I anyways make the effort to learn their language (Bisayan , where I live) and have a teacher.
But Im a realist - mostly I do so to show the locals some respect and because it makes fun to learn a language.
But i doubt i will ever be able to really have deeper convos or at least not so early - so for social regard, it is really a big advantage that people in the Phils do speak a lot of English...

Just a heads up for those guys interested in getting NFL tickets for game in Mexico City, tickets go on sale July 26th. I believe you can get tickets on NFL.com/mexico site and if they sell out worst case just get some when you fly down.

"NBA to host two regular-season games in Mexico City"

Quote:Quote:

PHOENIX and MEXICO CITY — The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Zignia Live announced today that the Phoenix Suns will take on the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs in the first consecutive regular-season games in Mexico Jan. 12 and 14, respectively, at the Mexico City Arena. The games will mark the first time the league hosts two regular-season contests in Mexico in the same season.

Screw the NFL! As a basketball fan I'd much rather go to this game and watch Dirk or the Spurs put on a show.

January should be nice, I will be keeping tabs on this for a trip.

Gonna share one of my new favorite clubs in Mexico City called Beyork Loreto. Polanco level talent with Roma prices. Last night I got a bottle of Don Julio 70 for 1700 pesos.

Its located in San Angel in the south of the city, and each time I've been there was great ratios.

Quote: (07-20-2016 05:59 PM)redbeard Wrote:  

"NBA to host two regular-season games in Mexico City"

Quote:Quote:

PHOENIX and MEXICO CITY — The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Zignia Live announced today that the Phoenix Suns will take on the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs in the first consecutive regular-season games in Mexico Jan. 12 and 14, respectively, at the Mexico City Arena. The games will mark the first time the league hosts two regular-season contests in Mexico in the same season.

Screw the NFL! As a basketball fan I'd much rather go to this game and watch Dirk or the Spurs put on a show.

January should be nice, I will be keeping tabs on this for a trip.

I might check it out as well....don't know what planet your on but NFL is far better than NBA on the entertainment side and fans. Not to mention who cares about old as$ Dirk and the suns anymore. there's like only 5 teams anyone wants to watch in the NBA anymore. Plus the NFL game in Mexico will bring a circus to town for an entire week. Point is mute anyway as the sporting events are 2 months apart and you act like they are in competition with each other. Either way I look like a NBA player NFL Wide Receiver. So I will be getting scooping up all the little SexyMexi groupies that don't know the difference between Wesley Matthews and Amari Cooper. Gonna be a good time in Mexico!

Quote: (07-23-2016 04:42 PM)DMario Wrote:  

Gonna share one of my new favorite clubs in Mexico City called Beyork Loreto. Polanco level talent with Roma prices. Last night I got a bottle of Don Julio 70 for 1700 pesos.

Its located in San Angel in the south of the city, and each time I've been there was great ratios.

Nice, will check Beyork next time.

NFL Monday night game in Mexico City sells out in 30 Minutes. I think we know now Which American sport is King in Mexico.

I've been in Mexico City for 5 months now so I'll post an update on some of the venues I usually visit that aren't discussed on the forum often. As said multiple times, tips go extremely far in Mexico City. Bartenders and bouncers will definitely remember you, and allow you entrance, drinks, while all the Mexican people are still waiting in line.

Also, the Mexico City party scene has been very unstable lately with the Police shutting down clubs for "Safety Violations". Pata Negra and Nuyoriquina is finally back open and Celtics bar has been closed for over two weeks now. With this being said, expect to wait in longer lines.

Polanco

The Key: It's located inside a small mall on Presidente Masaryk along with about 3 other clubs. The cover is 400 pesos with a reservation ($21) and 500 pesos without. Included in the cover charge is open bar until a certain hour. These prices are pretty much the same at every club on Masaryk. There are definitely some dimes in here and all have been extremely approachable and speak English. Buying a bottle here is extremely expensive.

https://www.facebook.com/TheKeyClub/

MIC: MIC is a hiphop/reggaeton club. Entry for me has always been free, and the music is always great. The girls are a bit lower class for Polanco, and dress a lot sluttier. Drinks and bottles are cheap. If you are Black I would suggest coming here. The closing times are very iffy, sometimes it closes at 12 and sometimes 3. I've pulled from here consistently

https://www.facebook.com/micpolancoclub/

Love Polanco: I've been here once for a fashion week party. Girls were hot..the guys were friendly. Security can be kinda dickish. I was on the list but my friend wasnt, but we eventually got in. This place is also supposedly good on Wednesday nights.

https://www.facebook.com/lovepolanco/

An honrable mention is the Polanquito pool parties. Its a magazine and they've been having Pool Parties about once a month. They girls there are always hot. I usually get a table and post up with my Friends and a few bottles of Alto Tequila.

https://www.facebook.com/Polanquito-373266956123192/

Roma

BoomBox:Hip Hop/Reggaeton place, I still havent been yet.

https://www.facebook.com/Boombox-Reggaet...514571383/

Janis: Its an after hours club located near Gin Gin and Walther, this is the place that most people go to when all other clubs close. Talent is extremely mixed. I believe cover is 300 pesos ($16).

https://www.facebook.com/janisroma/

Poe Located inside the restaurant Partners and Brothers (try their bacon french fries). My girl friends tell me this is one of the best clubs in the city. I think entry is pretty exclusive.

https://www.facebook.com/PoeSpeakeasy/

Barrezito Next door to Poe and Gin Gin. I don't really like it. They have live music and theirs always alot of guys.

If you guys want more places let me know.

NFL Monday night game in Mexico City sells out in 30 Minutes. I think we know now Which American sport is King in Mexico.

UNDISCOVERED MEXICO CITY

I've lived in Mexico City for several years now. Here are some ideas for day trips within the city itself. They're not generally considered places of interest for tourists but they do show an undiscovered / off-the-beaten-path side of Mexico City that few visitors experience. You do need some basic Spanish for most of these, for your safety if nothing else.

In Iztapalapa, La Central de Abasto is an enormous indoor wholesale food market, the biggest in the world. Wikipedia in English: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_de_Abasto. You can get there on foot in 10-15 minutes from metro Apatlaco or metro Aculco.

Another forgotten part of Mexico City is all the way to the north: Cuahtepec. Take the metro to Indios Verdes and take a bus from there. Because it's isolated geographically -- there's only one road in -- it feels very much like a small village. There is some street life at night. You'll never see another foreigner there. Order an elote (corn on the cob) on the street and walk to the plaza.

To the south, there's the semi-rural 'delegation' of Milpa Alta. I've been exploring and walking around neighborhoods there (the first bus of the trip leaves from metro Tasqeña).

Tláhuac is located in the southeast of Mexico City. Take the new metro (line 12). It's an aboveground/elevated train for most of the line, so you get to see neighborhoods and churches along the way. That could be your whole trip, actually, but if you get off at the end of the line, walk around and you're in a small town not far from agriculture. Earlier in this thread I published a photo of a pulquería there. You don't feel like you're in Mexico City at all.

Neza (Nezahualcóyotl) is a famously sketchy neighborhood to the east of Mexico City (actually in the State of Mexico). Take a bus (a combi, actually) from metro Pantitlán that goes along Avenida Pantitlán. That could be your whole trip, or get out and eat something.

Chalco is on the same general side of town (state of Mexico). Take a bus from Metro Santa Marta. Get off and walk around. Dirt roads. I had some custom bookshelves made there once.

Another way to experience the city is to just get on any bus and take it to the end of the line, wherever it's going. The trip is the adventure. Just tell the driver you are going to 'la base' or mention one of the places listed on the windshield sign. It's liberating to not have a destination in mind. You can do the same with the metro.

These are all potential 'escape/get-away' destinations if you're based in Mexico City, just visiting and want a short day trip without a car or the guidebook. Mexicans would find these recommendations to be bizarre at best. They can't imagine the appeal. An interest in these kinds of places and experiences sometimes gets denigrated as 'poverty porn' but there's nothing at all like them in the US, so that by definition makes them potentially interesting, to me at least.

Thanks to naswanji for suggesting I write about Iztapalapa. His Mexican Cultural Calendar Datasheet is here: thread-57884...pid1380670.

Man have you ever walked along Avenida Sao Paolo or La Merced?

Never seen so many hookers in one place, like literally the corners were filled with them on each side.

What about Cuatitlan Izcalli, Cd Satelite or Tlane?

Quote: (08-28-2016 02:00 AM)Cattle Rustler Wrote:  

Man have you ever walked along Avenida Sao Paolo or La Merced? Never seen so many hookers in one place, like literally the corners were filled with them on each side.

Here are some not-well-known Mexico City activities that are more centrally located that those of my previous post.

La Merced Market (near Metro Merced) is a huge indoor market (mostly meat, fruits, vegetables, lunch places). It's more centrally located than La Central de Abastos. Entire aisles are dedicated just to selling avocado. As Cattle Rustler said, there's a heavy presence of street prostitution in the immediate area (not in the market itself).

Quote:Quote:

What about Cuatitlan Izcalli, Cd Satelite or Tlane?

An in-city excursion with views is the modern Tren Suburbano, servicing commuters who live in the north end of the city. The train leaves from Buenavista Station (not too far from downtown) and heads north to Cuautitlán. Take it outbound in the morning or early-mid afternoon. You have to buy a card (not just a train ticket) at the station.

The Buenavista Station train station (just outside Metro Buenavista or Metrobus Buenavista) is itself impressive. Above that is a small shopping mall with the best free views of Mexico City (go up to the food court). Right around the corner is the modern Vasconcelos Library. The inside looks something out of science fiction movie. There are easy chairs and couches where you can read or chat; small conference rooms; multimedia room where you can watch DVDs or play musical instruments they provide (piano, guitar, violin; ID required).

Speaking of quiet places inside the city, hidden inside Chapultepec Park is a quiet nature area called the Audiorama. It's a place for contemplation and reading. They pipe in classical, jazz or new age music. Look for it near the Escuadrón 201 monument, not far from the Niños Heroes monument (metro Chapultepec). Admission is free. Check schedules.

Another relaxing place in the city that is not well known is Parque Bicentenario, recently developed on the site of an old oil refinery in the 'delegation' of Azcapotzalco (northwest end of Mexico City). Take Metro Auditorio or Metro Polanco to the Refinería station. Entrance is free. There are some cool exhibits of native plants and flowers. There are also some sports fields, bike/running paths and a reservoir. The place has been virtually empty when I've gone.

Quote: (08-27-2016 09:34 PM)ElFlaco Wrote:  

Another forgotten part of Mexico City is all the way to the north: Cuahtepec.

Sorry, the correct spelling is Cuautepec. Full name: Cuautepec de Madero. The full name of the town of Chalco (not the whole 'delegation') is Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias. Hardly anyone uses the long versions in speech but they're helpful to know if you're Googling for info.

This could go in the Trump thread but those of us with fewer than 250 posts have been asked not to post there.

Candidate Trump is about to visit Mexico City (where I live) to meet with the Mexican president. Mexicans are outraged by this for two reasons:

1 Many "thinking" Mexicans detest their president, Peña Nieto, a pretty boy who is seen as a puppet for nefarious forces within his party. By definition, he can do no right. Currently he's getting a lot of heat for trying to break the teacher's union, although it's hard to think of a single change that offers so much possible benefit to the country. Sadly, Mexicans believe in the lose-lose solution.

2. Mexicans of all stripes feel that their country has been offended by Trump and they take it personally. Inside Mexico, the lower classes are vilified by "right-thinking" people as 'nacos'. However, move these same undesirables across the border and suddenly they're national heroes. So strong is Mexican pride that only recently have Mexicans warmed up to the idea of extraditing El Chapo (twice escaped from Mexican prison) to the US. Extradition would be an admission that Mexico itself can't contain him.

Mexicans are fanatically obsessed with their image on the international stage. Past Mexican presidents have spoken openly about the need to look good internationally and hide the dirt. This comes without an understanding that in order to look good, you have to work on being good. This is a national character flaw.

There's actually a theory here that the US wants to keep Mexico weak in order to better exploit the country. Perhaps that is an agenda of elite globalists but Americans in general don't think this way. Mexicans do not understand that Americans don't spend any time thinking about Mexico or about what Mexicans do in Mexico. Americans care about what happens in the US.

I don't bait my Mexican friends about all of this. I recognize that the topic is so explosive for them that they aren't capable of rational discussion on the topic. But what I would ask, if I could do openly, is:

1. Would Mexico be better off or worse off under a Trump presidency? Wouldn't Mexico possibly be forced to fix its internal problems? Wouldn't you rather make Mexico great (again)? I honestly believe a Trump presidency could be great for Mexico.

2. Why are you so concerned about what an American president says about your country? What little things do you do every day to make your country, your city and your community a slightly better place? There's not much that outsiders can, or even should, do. Mexico will ultimately have to be fixed by the Mexicans themselves.

From the direction things are headed here, I can see that it will become increasingly difficult to hide my views. My twitter timeline is completely schizophrenic, a mix of American pro-Trumpers and Mexicans on the other side.

2 is what inhibits people, and societies from becoming great. The inability to be honest, identify issues, and then solve problems shows a lack of maturity and insecurity. Insecurity is the root of all nonsensical behavior because it's the weak's way of trying to have power.

Although the above is true, maybe I'm asking too much and should just admit, like I have though all my life, that at best 15% of people are worth a shit. It's probably less than 10%, but hey, I'm an optimist.

Shifting this thread back away from politics.....

I will be in DF next week for a couple weeks if anyone wants to meet up or needs a gringo wingman.

I live here if anyone wants to meet up

What's everyone doing for Independence Day tomorrow in DF? Are tonight and tomorrow night good nights to go out and meet girls or is it a more family oriented holiday here than the 4th of July is in the US?

Tomorrow night I will probably troll Zocalo, then I will go to a club or something

I'll be here for a while if anyone wants to meet up.

I'm going in December