Mexico please

[Sam]

I'm not doing those 'So, ... then' titles, as I've mentioned before.

Two weeks from tonight I'll be flying into Mexico City. I've got a wedding to go to in Acapulco which will mean I'm down there from the 25th until the 1st of March at least.

I've got the football fixtures, and a fair idea of a couple of good salsa clubs (Mama Rumba sounds good) and stuff to see in and around DF, but if anyone's got any particular recommendations of places they've been to and loved that aren't the places I'll obviously be checking out anyway (in either the capital or Acapulco), please do tell me.

I'm thinking of heading out to Pachuca for one night, fixtures permitting, because their team have qualified for the Copa Libertadores and none of the Mexico City sides have done. That's a maybe, but an almost definite is a night or two in Cuernavaca on the way down to Acapulco.

Is the altitude likely to be a problem for me in DF? I've not been that high before for more than a few hours, when I went to Puente del Inca in Mendoza Province, Argentina.

Um... that's all, for now.

[Jon]

Mexico please

Can't remember the altitude being a problem at all when I was there, Sam.

Going to see the pyramids is a must-see really, they're a few miles out of el DF but worth it. The Anthropological Museum is great and you could easily spend a whole day in there. The other Museum I'd recommend is the Mexico City Museum, set in the grounds of a lovely park. Great for getting a handle on the history of not just the city but the whole country from the Spanish conquistadores onwards.

Never managed to get to Trotsky's house nor Frida Kahlo's house but they were both recommended to me.

Street vendors are everywhere and, unless you're really squeamish about it, it really is the way to go food-wise.

I was told to avoid the metro and only take taxis from official ranks. But I ignored this advice and did both. You'll be fine as you speak Spanish. The metro in particular, was impressive and very cheap.

Enjoy it - I'm mighty jealous. Have you got a preference for a football team? Mine is Chivas but I didn't in fact get to see any live games when I was out there.

[Incandenza]

Mexico please

Cruz Azul, Sam! And many thanks to Jon again for the keychain.

While you're in Mexico City, try a michelada--a sort of beer cocktail that will probably sound gross if I describe it, but it's delicious.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Mexico please

I noticed a little shortness of breath the first day or so I was in Mexico City but nothing really significant.

My time in in Mexico was over thirty years ago and mainly in the south: Yucatan, Campeche, Chiapas (anyone know if it's still "closed" BTW?) so I can't really give any useful advice. Except, if it's running, (see above re: Chiapas) the train from DF to Merida is one of the best I've ever been on, totally magical.

[ad hoc]

Mexico please

I didn't notice the altitude in DF Echo Jon's bigging up of the museum (I'd say quite possibly the best museum I've ever been to anywhere) and the pyramids which are about 40km from the city centre. Trotsky's house was definitely worth visiting as was Frida Kahlo/Diego Rivera's (and they're just round the corner from each other). I had a big interest in Muralismo at that time, so I visited a lot of the places where you can find murals by Orozco and Rivera, and loved all of them. I still love all that stuff. I also, one afternoon, was taken by some locals to a place called Xochimilco, which is an area of old canals dating back to the Aztecs, where you get on a kind of flower-decorated punt and navigate yourselves through a maze of waterways with Mariachi bands occasionally appearing - either on islands or on other boats - to serenade you. Quite, quite bizarre and utterly fascinating

I got my pocket picked while I was on the subway (it was utterly packed and when the train came in the crowd surged forward, and I felt the hand in my pocket, but could do absolutely nothing about it). Fortunately I only lost the free map of the city they give you. hah. However, despite that I'd recommend using the subway, only trying to do so when it is isn't absolutely rammed. Not sure when that would be, but you could ask.

[Cavalry Trouser Tips]

Mexico please

How long are you staying in Acapulco? I hear you go crazy if you're there a while.

[Sam]

Mexico please

I'll be in Acapulco for about four nights, CTT. I shall try and avoid looking at the moon too much.

Thanks so far everyone, Xochimilco was on the telly here last year ad hoc, so I'm definitely going to check that out, and of course the pyramids are a must.

Football-team-wise my mate's wife is a Pumas fan and I rather like what I've heard about them, but I'm not massively bothered. Tigres have a player (Lucas Lobos) who I saw for Cádiz last season and who, being an Argentine, has bizarrely become a bit of a favourite among a section of my website's readers, entirely independent of the fact that my best mate built a Football Manager team around him shortly before I actually went to watch him play. I'm not too fussy though - I've no idea yet which shirt I'm going to come back home with.

Obviously, the desire to see a match at the Estadio Azteca means that América are the only side I'm absolutely certain I'll be going to see, which is annoying because (in spite of the presence of Salvador Cabañas in their forward line) they're probably the Mexican club I like the least.

[Incandenza]

Mexico please

SamLKelly wrote:

Obviously, the desire to see a match at the Estadio Azteca means that América are the only side I'm absolutely certain I'll be going to see, which is annoying because (in spite of the presence of Salvador Cabañas in their forward line) they're probably the Mexican club I like the least.

Good man, Sam.

[Jon]

Mexico please

"Obviously, the desire to see a match at the Estadio Azteca means that América are the only side I'm absolutely certain I'll be going to see, which is annoying because (in spite of the presence of Salvador Cabañas in their forward line) they're probably the Mexican club I like the least."

Yes, those were exactly the feelings I had when I was there too. Ursus is a Pumas fan too so you'll be in good company. I was considering them, due to the Hugo Sanchez connection, but I decided to go with Chivas as that was the team the friend who I was staying with supported.

[Sam]

Mexico please

I like Ursus's thinking generally (Barca, Fiorentina...), but I've never quite been able to forget he also likes Boca fucking Juniors, so that isn't quite enough to sell me on Pumas.

What'll happen is, I'll know after I've been. I get a feeling every time. In Lisbon I came away liking both 'big' clubs, but (just) preferring Benfica. When I arrived in Montevideo I really, really, really wanted to like Peñarol, but the vibe on the streets of the city just sort of exuded to me that they were an obnoxious bunch of cunts, and so I've ended up with Nacional, in spite of their shit kit (well, that's of the two big clubs, because it sort of feels like you've got to favour one over the other in Uruguay. The Uruguayan club I actually call my own are Rampla Juniors).

By the way does anyone know whether Acapulco have a (presumably local league) team? I've been unable to find any evidence of the place even having a football stadium...

[Incandenza]

Mexico please

In terms of food, I just watched Anthony Bourdain's recent Mexico episode last night, and you might want to check it out. Basically, go to the street vendors, but you probably knew that already. He did go to one place that specializes in tacos al pastor.

Part 1:

there are links to the rest of the parts on the right from there (he's basically in Mexico City all through part 3 or 4).

If you don't know the story, al pastor is pork roasted on a spit, like shawarma. It was brought to Mexico by Lebanese immigrants, and now it's mostly served in tacos.

I'm really hungry now, and I'm jealous you're going to the source. I mean, I get basically the same quality of Mexican food here, but there's something about being in the place it originated from.

[Wyatt Earp]

Mexico please

God, that food looks lovely.

I'd love to go to Mexico. Not just for the food, though partly for the food.

[radmonkey]

Mexico please

Oh, I just like to mention that Copa Libertadores qualifying in Mexico is done through an offseason round-robin tournament played in the US. Most teams play their A/B teams.
So basically, it has no bearing on the quality of the team.

I was born in Mexico City and spent a good amount of time there. But most of the good touristy must-see crap has been mentioned.

Although I'd hit up Tlatelolco.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaza_de_las_Tres_Culturas

It's a square that has an old spanish convent built on top of Aztec ruins. But eventually they built a housing estate around the square.
Which would be notable enough, but it was also the site of the Tlatelolco massacre in 1968, which was a turning point in Mexican history.
When most people realized they were living in a dictatorship and it wasn't so benevolent after all.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlatelolco_Massacre

[Lucky Louie]

Mexico please

One year on, a bump to the top again. Would welcome sage advice, as ever, from OTFers.

A few of us are off to Mexico on the 16th Jan for about 3 weeks, so aiming to catch at least one game. My limited Spanish tells me that the first two weeks are "interliga", then they go into their respective divisions, is that right?

We're dotting in and out of DF and have some mates who live there to advise, but any other suggestions welcome. At the moment, Cruz Azul v Pumas on the 23rd looks promising, others will I guess depend on where we get to, and we haven't worked out a plan yet.

Any further advice would be really welcome - including non-footballing advice, obviously...

[diabloinglés]

Mexico please

Chivas - TOLUCA on 16th
Cruz Azul - Pumas on 23rd
Pumas - TOLUCA on 31st

These would be my pick of the fixtures
I'm biased as a Toluca fan though.
All 3 are good places to watch a match and will have a great atmosphere.

I'm also very jealous.
Hope you have a great time.

[jason voorhees]

Mexico please

All my contacts are on the Cancun side.

[Sam]

Mexico please

Bumping back to the top has highlighted the fact I never checked back in to thank everyone for the advice, so thanks everyone for the advice!

Lucky Louie, I think the thing that I was least prepared for was the sheer fucking size of Mexico City. I frequently go right across London when I visit my best mate (he lives on the other side of it) and I obviously know Buenos Aires, which is significantly larger than London, well. But Mexico City's just another level of largeness.

Unless you, like me, are a World Cup Final Venue Collector, I wouldn't bother going to the Azteca specifically - you can't get anywhere near the stadium when it's not a match day. It's very easy to hop off and back on the tren ligero if you're heading south to or from Xochimilco, though. And I recommend you do that, too.

Oh and the museum. It really is amazing.

Also the food. You been yet, Wyatt? If not, I'll tell you this: it's worth going for the food alone. Even if it weren't a fantastic country in every other respect as well. The food is mind-blowing.

[jefe]

Mexico please

The Interliga isn't the Mexican league I don't believe, it's the quickie 6 or 8 team tournament that Mexico uses to allocate its Copa Libertadores spots. And is usually played in the USA, doubleheaders in Dallas and Houston this time.