Most of the time I truly enjoy being in Mexico City, but occasionally this city really gets on my nerves. Last Friday evening was one such occasion. So pardon my negativity while I vent.
As I have previously written, several relatives and friends of Alejandro's were here for a visit. On Friday after work Alejandro was going to leave his car here at the apartment, and we were going to take the Metrobus to meet them for supper. We walked over to the bus stop on Insurgentes Avenue. There was a steady flow of buses headed south, but we were headed in the opposite direction. Finally some northbound buses came by, but they were Route 2 buses which after a couple stops veer off of Insurgentes in another direction. They came one after another, and none of them were very crowded. Then there were some buses whizzing by, completely empty, but with signs saying "Fuera de servicio"... "Out of service". Finally some Route 1 buses came, but they were all packed like cans of sardines. A few people waiting at the stop would literally push their way into the buses, but not us. After three or four sardine cans had come and gone, we decided to get on one of the Route 2 buses. At least it would take us a couple stops closer to our destination. From there we were going to walk the 1.5 miles to their hotel.
While we were walking, Alejandro got a phone call from the group. They had left the hotel, and were headed to "Casa de Toño". We were to meet them there. I thought, "Crap!" "Casa deToño" is a popular chain of restaurants. Why it's so popular, I don't know. They serve a decent bowl of "pozole" (hominy soup), but I think their food is mediocre. It is certainly not worth a half hour walk. There was a line waiting to get into the restaurant, but our group had been already been seated. The place was a madhouse. The noise level was so high that conservation was impossible. The table was really too small for all of us, and the waiters kept bumping into me as they passed by. I felt as if I were crammed into a Metrobus.
By the time we were finished with supper, the Metrobuses were less crowded, and we make it back to the apartment.
It was definitely not one of my better evenings in Mexico City!
Now you know why I hate the metrobus!
ReplyDeleteIn all seriousness, though, big city living has its challenges, especially when it comes to coordinating meetups with friends and navigating restaurants.
Side note: I *think* the original Casa de Tono is in Santa Maria la Ribera...or there at least is a very popular restaurant there of the same name. I got violently ill after eating there.
It all depends on the hour. Just today I was on a nearly empty Metrobus, and the last couple days coming back from the centro at around 4 P.M. I had a seat.
DeleteI looked up the website for the Casa de Tono. The first restaurant was in Azcapotzalco. Santa Maria la Ribera was the second. There are now 32 branches. For that kind of restaurant I much prefer "Casa de los Abuelos".