Staying in a Mansion in Puebla

Over the weekend Alejandro and I took a getaway from Mexico City and went to Puebla, which is located about two hours to the southeast of the capital.  I went online to book a hotel for us, and made a reservation at the Hotel Villahernán.  It is a small "boutique hotel" housed in an early twentieth century mansion in the heart of the colonial center of Puebla. 

It wasn't a bad choice, although I don't think that I would stay there again.  The price of $70 US certainly was not bad for a three star downtown hotel.  The location, just a couple blocks from the main plaza of Puebla, was excellent.  The room was comfortable, although the decor was a bit gaudy.  In spite of the heavy wooden shutters that could be closed across the windows, there was still a great deal of traffic noise from the street outside.  There were numerous little things that were mildly annoying...  one of the lamps in the room did not work, the hot water in the shower was not constant.  The free breakfast was satisfactory, but not exceptional.  There was free valet parking, but the parking garage used by the hotel is some distance away.

So, all in all, it was fine for a night's stay at a decent price, but I do not recommend it highly. 

  

 The view from the balcony

Rethinking Uber

I have always looked upon Uber with a bit of disdain, imagining it as a pricey car service for people who think that they are too good for an ordinary cab, and as a company that is taking business away from regular taxi drivers.  This past weekend, I had my first experience with Uber, and I have to admit that I was rather impressed.

Last Friday night Alejandro and I went downtown to see Mexico City's Festival of Lights.  It was well after eleven by the time we had seen the lights, and we still had not had any supper.  The restaurants in the historic center were either closed or had long lines.  So we took the Metrobus to the Zona Rosa neighborhood, and ate at a place called "Casa de los Abuelos" that is open late.  By the time we were done eating, it was nearly 1:00 A.M.   

Since the Metrobus stops running at one, I said that we could just hail a cab to go back to the apartment.  Alejandro said that he would use the Uber app that he has on his phone.   The app connected us with a driver and even displayed a map showing the driver on his way.  In less than ten minutes, he had arrived.  He was very courteous and pleasant.  What shocked me most of all was the price...  41 pesos.  That's about two dollars!  Granted, it was not a very long ride, perhaps a couple miles, but I doubt that even a regular taxi would be any cheaper.  (Of course I am sure that the prices in other countries are much more expensive.)

It was a very positive experience.  However, I doubt if I will ever use the service myself.  You see, I am a dinosaur.  The only cell phone that I have is a very cheap, basic phone that I have for emergencies.  None of this I-Phone or Smart-Phone stuff with all its apps for me.  I will continue to do things the old-fashioned way... either call a taxi or hail one on the street.

 

City of Lights

This weekend the Festival of Lights is being held in Mexico City.  There are special lighting displays throughout the historic center.  On Friday evening Alejandro and I took the Metrobus downtown, getting off near the Monument to the Revolution.  Here was one of the most impressive of the displays.

The Monument was bathed in blue light, and lasers were projected from its upper level.

The fountains in front of the Monument were also illuminated.  Some people were crazy enough on this chilly night to run through the fountains.

The laser lights extended for a mile and a quarter, and could be seen all the way down Juárez Avenue, Madero Street, and to the city's main plaza, the Zócalo.

Another impressive display was at the Palace of Fine Arts.  Images were projected on the facade of Mexico City's great theater.

The festival attracted large crowds.  Even at 11:00 the streets were crowded with people.

Skyscraper Report

Once upon a time, the Paseo de la Reforma, the Champs Elysee of Mexico City, was lined with elegant mansions.

Today, the monument -studded boulevard is lined with skyscrapers.

On previous trips to Mexico City I have reported on the construction of new office towers along the Paseo.  It's been nine months since I was last in the city, so I wanted to see what progress had been made since then.

Here you see the triumvirate of Mexico City's tallest buildings all bunched together along the Paseo de la Reforma, close to the entrance to Chapultepec Park.  

To the left is the Torre Bancomer (Commercial Bank), the second tallest building in the city.  In the middle is the oldest of the three, the Torre Mayor.  It is now the third tallest building, but for a number of years it reigned as the tallest structure, not just in Mexico, but in all of Latin America. To the right is the newest building, the Torre Reforma, now the tallest in Mexico.  All three buildings are close to each other in height.  The Torre Mayor is 739 feet tall, the Torre Bancomer is 771 feet, and the Torre Reforma is 800 feet. 

Construction on the Torre Reforma is almost complete.  Frankly, I don't particularly care for it.

The other side is worse.  It looks like a slab of concrete with holes in it.

At least the project saved one of the boulevard's last remaining mansions. It is being incorporated into the skyscraper's ground floor.

Next door to the Torre Mayor (in fact, practically touching it) is a new project, another office tower called Chapultepec Uno.  When completed it will be the second highest at 790 feet.
I don't like the fact that these four buildings are close together in height and so close together in location.   It doesn't make for a very interesting skyline.

Down the boulevard, another building, which was under construction when I was last here, is now completed.  The Torre Diana is actually located on the next street over from the Paseo de la Reforma.  It is not nearly as tall, but I like the architecture better.  Depending on the light, it looks a shimmering tower of ice.

 

Most of the Torre Diana is already filled with tenants.  A number of large corporations have offices here, including AT&T, which recently arrived in Mexico.  The area by the entrance is nicely designed with fountains.  Several stores and restaurants occupy the ground floor, and more are coming.

 

Heading farther down the boulevard, I came to this glass office tower.  It is obviously brand new, although I am not sure that I remember it under construction the last time I was here.

The building is called the Torre Reforma Latino.  (Obviously the name Torre Reforma had already been taken.)

The Spanish teacher in me questioned the grammatical correctness of its name.  The noun "torre" is feminine, so shouldn't it be called "Torre Reforma Latina"?  Alejandro explained to me that the structure is built on the former site of one Mexico City's most important movie theaters, "Cine Latino", and the name is a reference to that.

 

Culinary Therapy to Chase Away the Blues

For nearly 24 hours, from the evening of the election until well into the next day, I had no appetite at all.  Although I still have a lot on my mind, my appetite is back to normal.

Last night Alejandro and I went to one of our favorite restaurants, "Angelopolitano".  I have written about it a number of times on this blog.  It is located in the neighborhood of Roma Norte about fifteen minutes from the apartment.  "Angelopolitano" specializes in the food of the city and state of Puebla.

I always have a difficult time deciding what I am going to order there, because there are so many scrumptious dishes on the menu.  Many times I will order the "chile en nogada", the decadently delicious stuffed Poblano pepper covered with a cream walnut sauce.  But my other favorite on the menu is something called "champandongo".  As far as I know, this dish is a creation of the restaurant.  I have never seen it anywhere else.

I began with lentil and bacon soup... very tasty... and for my main course I went with the "champandongo".  It consists of layers of chicken and tortillas covered with a rich "mole" sauce and cream.  Yum!  I finished with a dessert of "natillas',  which reminds me a bit of creme brulee.  The total bill for the two of us came to about $27 U.S.

BEFORE

AFTER

(I figured that it would be rude to lick the platter clean!)

Slowly Emerging from my Funk

I cannot remember the last time that I was as depressed as I was yesterday.  The chilly, rainy weather here in Mexico City was a perfect match for my mood.  I did not leave the apartment except to pick up my laundry.  The doorman of the apartment building and the lady at the laundry commiserated with me.  I think that the entire population of Mexico is saddened and mystified by our election results.  Their attitude tends to be more philosophical... "We have managed to survive with an idiot President for four years.  So will you."   Of course Peña Nieto doesn't have access to a nuclear button or wield the same type of clout to mess up the entire world.

I tried to take a nap since I had not slept the night before, but I was unable.  I spent a great deal of time writing emails and reading those that had arrived from friends and family.  My cousin Hans Peter suggested (only half jokingly, I suspect) that I could come to Norway and seek asylum.  As much as I enjoyed my visit to Norway last summer, I don't think I could handle the high cost of living or the long, dark winters.

In the evening my friend Alejandro and I went out for supper.  By this time I was actually feeling hungry since I only had a bowl of cereal all day.   It was still raining, and, because of the road construction going on, the streets are a muddy mess.  I didn't want to go far.  Right across the street from the apartment there is a nightclub.  We had never realized that there was a restaurant attached to it.   We looked at the menu at the entrance.  There were a lot of interesting, traditional Mexican dishes .  The prices were rather high, but I figured I deserved a bit of indulgence.  So we went inside.  

The service from the very beginning was superb... very formal but at the same time friendly.  One of the appetizers they had was "papadzules", a favorite of mine from the Yucatan.  "Papadzules" are similar to an enchilada but are filled with hard boiled eggs and covered with a pumpkin seed sauce.  They are delicious, although not every restaurant gets them just right.  We shared an order, and they were perfect.  When I complimented the waiter on how delicious they were, he brought out the chef so that I could tell him personally.   For our next course we each had soup.  I had a creamy soup filled with vegetables, chunks of cheese and tortilla strips.
For our main course Alejandro had Mexican meatballs.  (I had a taste and they were very good.)  I ordered the chicken breast in "mole poblano".  The chicken was a tad dry, but the "mole" was excellent.  Alejandro is a "mole" connoisseur, and when he had a taste of the sauce, he concurred.  We finished with dessert.  Alejandro had a cornmeal cake with "rompope" (the Mexican version of eggnog) drizzled over it.  I had crepes with "cajeta" (Mexican caramel).

I asked for the bill, and it was the most expensive meal that we have had on this trip... 805 pesos for the two of us.   But that comes to about $40 U.S.  Forty dollars for all that food, plus drinks (I had sangría, and Alejandro had a Coke Zero and a cappuccino), plus the wonderful service and lovely atmosphere!  It would cost twice or triple that if you could find a comparable dining experience in Cleveland.  (That's not meant as a slam against Cleveland.  We have lots of excellent restaurants, but I doubt if you could find those particular dishes.)

Well, as you can tell from my description of supper, I was beginning to come out of my state of depression.  Also, I am starting to formulate a plan of action for the future.  That is helping to improve my frame of mind.

This morning is still a grey, and dreary outside... but I got up and fixed myself some "quesadillas" for breakfast.  The next four years are going to be dreadful, but unless that idiot triggers a nuclear war or a worldwide depression, I intend to survive.    

Despair

The weather in Mexico City this morning is gray and chilly and mirrors my own gloomy disposition.

I am sad for my country, ashamed that so many of my people fell for that vile demagogue (although at this point it still appears that Hillary narrowly won the popular vote), and fearful for the future of my nation and the planet.

I do not want to live in Trumpland.  I have lived in the same house since I was three years old, so the idea of pulling up stakes is daunting and frightening for me.  Nevertheless, I am going to have to do a great deal of thinking and consider the logistics of moving to Mexico.