patrick.net

Ancient helicopter pads.

zzyzzx says

BayArea says

Interesting choice of location

Shithole.

As bad as SF or Oakland?

Mexico City has some nice neighborhoods, like most large cities.
I was amazed how much fun Plaza Garibaldi was, how good some restaurants were, how cool the Anthropology Museum was.
I didn’t mention hot chicks because evidently it’s a family trip.
However, I would not wear a Rolex, nice jewelry or carry a lot of cash.
If Uber doesn’t work for you there, ask the desk at the hotel to summon one for you. Then repeat after the restaurant or museum.
Get whatsapp on your phone and if you like the uber guy tip him well; he’ll give you his whatsapp and you now have a driver.
I told a lot of my friends that Mexico can be a blast if you have money.

Why don't you visit someplace nice like Poland.

Poland… shhh don’t let the secret out.

Mexico can be great but you also have a lot of danger and need to be smart.

I’ve experienced 5 great trips to Mexico and 1 nightmare where I was drugged and lost all consciousness for 6-7hrs in Puerto Vallarta.

BayArea says

1 nightmare where I was drugged and lost all consciousness for 6-7hrs

And hopefully not a smart bottom.

Fortunately no

BayArea says

1 nightmare where I was drugged and lost all consciousness for 6-7hrs in Puerto Vallarta.

Another reason to drink beer. Damn near impossible to drug it unless draft. It happens stateside though too if you're having mixed drinks. No place is ever safe and you need to be aware of your surroundings. Not blaming you, just giving some advice. Shouldn't happen anywhere. Humans are fucked up though. I'm paranoid and have anxiety issues though. I trust nothing and nobody for the most part.

I'm actually getting sketchy feelings from our local bar we play volleyball at. Sucks, but I might stop playing. Might be the economy but getting a seedy element lately. Makes my skin crawl with some of the people there. Some I know are shit heads.

My experiences in Mexico have been great. No sickness and I always forget to use the water bottle to brush my teeth. Only liquids I'll drink are Mimosas in the morning and a lighter beer throughout the day. Might be a bit dehydrated by the end, but I feel fine. I ain't ordering a Margarita or anything like that or drinking any water. Alcohol dehydrates, but a lighter beer has a lot of water in it as well. I pee clear on this method 24/7. Get a morning Mimosa buzz (different than beer), take a shower, have sex and then nap for an hour. Then start in with a beer. That's the kid free formula for me on vacation. I'm up at 5am and stay up till 1am and feel great.

Ya, it’s important not to slip up with the street smarts

The incident I’m referring to above was a waiter at a restaurant bringing out a shot of tequila that I took thinking I was safe. Lights out shortly after taking that one shot. I woke up 6-7hrs later. If you’ve ever had this happen to you, you wake up clear and you know exactly what just happened (it’s not like waking up obliterated after blacking out on excessive alcohol).

Let me guard down and was reminded what goes on down in Mexico and how vulnerable tourists can be.

I went back to the restaurant, nobody knows anything, nobody willing to help. Spoke to police who had no interest to hear any of it. The incident soured me on Mexico.

Booger says

Why don't you visit someplace nice like Poland.

Been there. Krakow is beautiful but Warsaw is not. The polish people are very friendly.

Krakow is beautiful
Gdańsk is beautiful
Countryside is beautiful
Baltic is beautiful

BayArea says

Mexico can be great but you also have a lot of danger and need to be smart.

I’ve experienced 5 great trips to Mexico and 1 nightmare where I was drugged and lost all consciousness for 6-7hrs in Puerto Vallarta.

Do you still have both kidneys?

I lived there for almost 5 months in 2021 while I was waiting for Europe to allow Americans in.

I loved the tour of Palace of fine arts. An art deco masterpiece filled with murals by Mexico's finest muralists.

For antiques and just culture watching, the best is Tiangis La Lagunilla on Sundays only. It's one of the largest open air antique markets with great bargains on bronzes and bibelot of all sorts. Well worth spending time there. Plus, the covered stalls that sell the counterfit Gucci/Prada etc, is equally amusing. They have food stalls and very colorful characters. Just make sure you keep your wallet in a safe spot.

Dinner at:

Pujol.

Rosetta

Rosa Negra Polanco

Taboo Polanco

Amaya for the best soft-shelled crabs

For lunch: Go to El Huequito for the finest most finger-licking succulent al pastor tacos. I prefer to have them bring me a big plate of the al pastor meat and lots of home made tortillas and sauces and guacamole and to make my own soft tacos. They are so delicious that it's worth going to Mexico City, alone just for their food. Never found anything else like it in the US and certainly not here in Europe.

**AVOID** don't ever go into TEPITO. It's a tianguis market you don't want to venture into. Drug deals and dangers of all sorts there. Just don't go. Isn't worth it.

I also hated the Ciudadella, it's the cities giant Olvera Street that you pay to enter and filled with tourist crap at higher prices than outside the walls. I walked around disgusted after I asked for the price of a Mexcian sterling silver charger, not antique, to which I was informed was the equivalent of US $1400, for one charger.

The Frida Kahlo house was not worth going to a really ugly part of Mexico City. Mexcio City is vast...like Los Angeles but times 10 or more. And taking a taxi or uber there takes a long time, once we got into the house we realize that the house is really devoid of much of her work. It was ugly dark and dreary...typical for Mexicans of that time period

The Anthropolgy museum is not to be missed one of the most beautiful collections of ancient artifacts housed in a masterpiece of mid century modernism. The tower with water feature is exquisitie.

The Soumaya museum is exquiste from the outside with a mediocre collection inside, alas.

I also loved the Museum Studio of Diego Rivera/Frida Kahlo designed in 1931 by artist/archtiect Juan O'Gorman. You get a real sense of place and tiem and it helps to imagine how pieces were done and then moved in and out of the studio. Really worth the trip to this small place. The museum is located in Colonia San Angel and is set in a neighborhood with charming cobblestoned streets and beautiful stores and excellent restaurants. Worth spending an afternoon of lunch shopping and museum excurcsion.

Thanks @WillyWanker That is some good advice. I will definitely avoid Tepito and the Cuidadella. We'll try to get to Tiangis La Lagunilla on Sunday.

Does anyone know anything about Teotihuacán or the other pre-Columbian sites around Mexico City? Best way to get to these places? We don't want to rent a car.

My wife is really into pre-Columbian art and culture. I like it too.

WillyWanker says

For antiques and just culture watching, the best is Tiangis La Lagunilla on Sundays only.

Tried that regretted it. A swarm of humanity in a maze of shops.

Somewhere in Mexico City is a specialty shop for any possible thing you want.

Patrick says

Eh, I don't get the dislike of Mexico. Most illegals are not even Mexican. I feel safer there than Chicago around blacks. Sure I'm a tourist but I've never remotely had one issue in maybe 10 trips. Never remotely felt uncomfortable anywhere. Have left resorts and gone into non-tourist areas. Visited local restaurants (very good).

I don't get the heat Mexico gets. Could they help us with the border more, for sure. Could they ship less drugs. Sure. It's generally not Mexicans crossing the border. It's central Americans and Muslims from across an Ocean. Costa Rica is okay, but the wife is there with friends currently. Freaks me out. It's not 1st world yet. 2nd world still with poor utilities and infrastructure. And kidnappers and rapist that can get away with it. Worrying week coming up for me. No males with them. Costa is good, but still edgy.

Mexico's cartel problems are becoming ours. It is spilling over the border and destabilizing their government and our investments there.

WookieMan says

I don't get the dislike of Mexico.

I actually like Mexico. But they do have a big cartel and violence problem.

Freida Kahlo is a retarted ugly bisexual Bolshevik.

If she wasn't a bisexual female communist, nobody would give a shit about her.

Patrick says

WookieMan says

I don't get the dislike of Mexico.

I actually like Mexico. But they do have a big cartel and violence problem

Eh... Never seen it. Been enough times to know. The violence is isolated. No different than Chicago or Baltimore. You can go to the Mag Mile in Chicago and be 99% safe. The cartels don't want to fuck with tourist areas which is much of the country.

WookieMan says

Patrick says

WookieMan says

I don't get the dislike of Mexico.

I actually like Mexico. But they do have a big cartel and violence problem

Eh... Never seen it. Been enough times to know. The violence is isolated. No different than Chicago or Baltimore. You can go to the Mag Mile in Chicago and be 99% safe. The cartels don't want to fuck with tourist areas which is much of the country.

You don't know enough people or been there long enough. I am Mexican and Permanent Legal US Resident living in California soon to be a US Citizen (and vote for Trump) and can tell you that; Although Commifornia (where I currently live) sucks compared to what it used to be, it's still way better vs any part of Mexico. The safe bubbles around there burst quickly.

Congrats on becoming a citizen soon. That's awesome. Glad you put in the work and did it the right way.

One of my favorite memories is meeting Ozzie Guillen (former Chicago White Sox Manager) at a bar in Greektown in Chicago. It was his 50th birthday and he got his citizenship that day and we got to party with him and his son. Not into football or other sports but Ozzie was one of my favorite players growing up and finally brought a world series to the White Sox (before the Cubs). The world series win was the year I met him. 3am. lol. Weird night.

My familiarity with Mexico is the Yucatan/Caribbean side. Never remotely had an issue there. Good hard working people. I suppose the cartels have no reason to go into that area? Of course usually at a resort, but we leave multiple days most trips and do stuff unsanctioned by the hotel we're at. Basically not an excursion the hotel provides. Never had an issue or felt concerned like I would on the South Side of Chicago.

WookieMan says

I don't get the dislike of Mexico.

It's a failed narco state.