The First Sighting

In spring thousands of jacaranda trees blossom throughout Mexico City.  They are at their peak in March and early April.  However, there are always some trees that bloom early.  I usually see a few of them in February.  It is a bit like seeing the first robin back in Ohio.  When will I see the first blooming jacaranda?

Even though this winter has been colder than usual, I had my first sighting last Wednesday.  It was still January, and this tree was blooming!

 It is located in the Alameda, a downtown park that has a large number of jacarandas.  It is one of the best places to see the purple blossoms of springtime.

Although it may not seem like it for those north of the border going through an especially rough winter, spring is on its way!

Melanoma and Other Graffiti

I was looking out the window on the Metrobus last Wednesday and saw a billboard which caught my attention.  Later in the day, I had to return and take a photograph of it.

I obscured part of the profanity with a paint shop program on my laptop (to maintain my blog's "G" rating), but you get the idea.

Generally, I detest graffiti and profanity, but when I saw this billboard I wanted to applaud.  I can't imagine that this movie is going to get much box office here in Mexico.  I know that Alejandro and I won't be going to the cinema to see it.  I hope that it fails miserably.

Later in the day when I was downtown, I saw another bit of graffiti directed toward the orange Pendejo.  If you don't speak Spanish, I will let you figure it out.

Beautiful but Expensive

If you are looking for high quality Mexican handicrafts, and not just some cheap tourist knickknacks, the place to go is to one of the FONART stores.  FONART (The National Fund for the Promotion of Handicrafts) is a government agency that supports the preservation of traditional popular arts.  The merchandise in their stores represents the best work of Mexican craftsmen and artists,

The two FONART stores on Patriotismo Avenue and Paseo de la Reforma have been closed, and they have been replaced by a store at Los Pinos Cultural Center in Chapultepec and a newly opened store in the Historic Center.  The newest store is located in a portion of an 18th century colonial palace.  Last week I went to check out the store.

 

Many of the pieces are beautiful museum quality works of art with high prices to match.  But really when you consider the craftsmanship and consider what similar items would cost in a fine arts shop in the U.S., the prices are not bad.

I collect jaguars figures, but this big, black jaguar from the town of Amantenango del Valle in the state of Chiapas is too large for my apartment, and its price would be a splurge.  It costs around 7000 pesos, or about 400 U.S. dollars.

Even larger is this jaguar from the same town.  It is around 13,500 pesos, or about 790 dollars.

The town of San Bartolo de Coyotepec in the state of Oaxaca is renowned for its black pottery.  This lovely piece is priced at 2800 pesos, or about 160 dollars.

This enormous piece of pottery from Michoacán is 11,500 pesos... 670 dollars.

This large "pineapple" pot, also from Michoacán, costs 10,000 pesos, about 580 dollars.

I have a couple of small, hand-hammered copper vases from the town of Santa Clara del Cobre in the state of Michoacán.  However they did not cost as much as this large piece which sells for about 15,500 pesos or 900 dollars.

I loved this vase from Guanajuato decorated with butterflies... but not enough to pay more than 5,400 pesos (about 315 dollars).

Lest I discourage anyone from shopping at the FONART stores, not everything is high priced.  Although I didn't buy anything on this visit, I usually find something I like that is more affordable.  

This lovely lacquerware box from the state of Guerrero is 622 pesos, about 36 dollars.

These dolls from Amealco, Querétaro, cost 295 pesos, about 17 dollars.

And these hand-painted clay Christmas tree ornaments from Tonalá, Jalisco, are only 50 pesos each, less than 3 dollars.

Cacti on the Plaza

If you have been reading this blog for a while and have a good memory, you might recall that last year, to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the founding of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan (present day Mexico City) there were scores of fiberglass figures of "nopales" (prickly pear cacti) along the Paseo de la Reforma.  Each one was painted by a different local artist.  The connection between the "nopales" and the founding of the city was that, according to legend, the Aztecs had been told by their god to establish their city where they saw an eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus.

I read that the city's main plaza, the Zócalo, is currently decorated with cacti figures.  I assumed that they were the same ones that had been displayed along the Paseo de la Reforma last year.  I was downtown last week and passed through the Zócalo.  It's been a while, but I really could not recognize any of the painted figures from last year.  So, I think that this is a whole new crop of cacti on display.

I did not take the time to photograph all of them, but here are a few of the "nopales"...

This one included a quote from José Guadalupe Posada, the 19th century engraver who created "La Catrina", the elegantly dressed skeleton that has become an icon of the "Day of the Dead".

"Not even death can erase art and culture."

Wintry Cleveland

I found a couple of webcams from my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, on the internet.  You can see that the city is in winter's grip.

This view is from the Terminal Tower, the city's iconic 52-story skyscraper. It appears that part of Lake Erie is frozen.

  

This is Edgewater Park along the shore of Lake Erie to the west of downtown.  What a gray, desolate scene.  It gives me shivers just to look at it.

As I write this at 10 AM, Cleveland is under a cold weather advisory.  The temperature is 13 degrees Fahrenheit, but with the wind chill it feels like -2.  Brrrrr.

No Kangaroos!

Yesterday I posted a couple of cartoons that I found on the internet dealing with the Swiss.  From the same source I found this cartoon about Switzerland's neighbor Austria.

I found this very amusing  When I visited Austria some years ago, every souvenir shop had tee-shirts and baseball caps that said, "No kangaroos in Austria."

(image taken from the internet)

It's funny, but also a sad commentary on the geographic ignorance of so many people from the United States.

Cartoons about the Swiss

I found these cartoons on the internet, and since they deal with the people of Switzerland, one of my ancestral homelands and a country I have visited several times, I found them particularly humorous.

  

Glad I'm Not There

Ohio, along with most of the eastern half of the country, was hit with a massive winter storm.  A couple of my former colleagues who are still teaching have kept me posted.  Classes were cancelled today.  Another snow day!!!

One of them sent me photos of the snow.

Fortunately, none of my friends in Ohio have reported that the electricity is out.  Their furnaces are working, and they are snug inside.

According to the forecast, the temperature tonight is going down to 0 degrees Fahrenheit.  Some schools have already announced that there will be no classes tomorrow either.

Meanwhile, here in Mexico City, our nights and early mornings remain chilly.  However, the sun is out, and the afternoon high is supposed to reach 77 degrees.

A New Membership

Back in Ohio for a long time I had a Sam's Club membership.  When I moved to Mexico, I was pleasantly surprised that my membership card was recognized at the Sam's Clubs down here.  However, I never had a membership for Costco.  Alejandro does, and you might remember that we found the dry cherries that I need to make my Christmas fudge at a Costco not too far from the family house.

I was looking at Google Maps, and I realized that there is a Costco about a twenty-five minute walk from the apartment.  This past weekend I suggested to Alejandro that we go there so that I could get my own membership.  That way, I wouldn't need to rely on Alejandro whenever I wanted to make some fudge.  He said that he would be able to add me to his membership.

So, on Saturday we walked to the nearby Costco.

We walked through the store first to make sure that they had the dried cherries.  They did, so I picked up a couple bags as well as a bottle of Mexican vanilla.  We checked out and then went to the membership desk.  I was added onto Alejandro's membership, my photo was taken, and I was immediately given my own card.  And my card is recognized at any Costco throughout the world, so I can use it if I should ever need to go to a Costco when I am in Ohio. 

 

Tax Time

 

Paga antes, paga menos...  Pay early, pay less

It's that time of year when Mexico City homeowners receive the 2026 bill for the "predial" (property tax) in the mail.  You can pay each bimester (every two months), but if you pay for the entire year before the end of January, you save 8%.  If you pay for the entire year before the end of February, you save 5%.  I don't know if there are any localities in the United States that have a similar program, but I think it's a pretty good deal.

Easter's Coming?

It's still January, but when I was at La Comer supermarket last week they already had Easter merchandise on display.

Easter has always been a strictly religious holiday in Mexico.  Secular aspects like the Easter bunny and Easter eggs were alien to the Mexicans.  But judging from all the rabbit figures for sale, I guess they now know about the Easter bunny.  Gee, the next thing you know, they'll be having an Easter egg roll on the Zócalo!

Where to Eat?

Any visitor to Mexico City who goes hungry has him/herself to blame.  This is a city that is filled with places to eat... from gourmet dining to fast food.  While neighborhoods such as Roma Norte and Condesa are famous with "foodies" for their culinary offerings, on almost any major street you will find place after place to eat.  I was thinking about that the other day as I walked two miles down Insurgentes Avenue to go to La Comer supermarket.  On the walk back, I decided to count and photograph all the eateries that I passed.  I did not include street food stands, although along this stretch of Insurgentes there are not as many as in other parts of the city.

So, let's see.  Which place would you chose for a bite to eat?

Before we even leave the building where the supermarket is located, there is a "Casa de Toño", a chain of restaurants known for their "pozole", a thick hominy soup.  They are very popular, although I went to a "Casa de Toño" once and was not impressed.

Heading out down the avenue, we pass a bar and grill called "Wanted" that sells burgers, ribs and beer.  I always find it a bit annoying when businesses have signs in English (this is not a neighborhood with a heavy concentration of "gringo" tourists).  It is as if the business is trying to say, "Look at us.  We are so cosmopolitan!"  I will concede that in this case the English requires fewer letters than " hamburguesas, costillas y cerveza".

Next up is a place called "La Santi" which bills itself as a "comedero y bebedero" (eatery and drinkery).  It must be new since it does not show up on Google's street view taken in 2024.  On the side street there are a couple of street food stalls.

"Terraza del Mar" (Terrace of the Sea) is, as the name implies, a seafood restaurant.

"Mariachito" (Little Mariachi) is a restaurant, bar, and terrace which serves Mexican food.  As I passed I could hear a mariachi band playing inside.

Another Mexican restaurant is "Chidos y Rifados" (Cool and Awesome).  In addition to "a la carte", they have an "all you can eat" buffet for 160 pesos (about 9 dollars U.S.).  Cash only for the buffet.  Inflation appears to have reared its ugly head, because new prices have been pasted onto most of the items on the menu.

Chicken wings seem to be very popular here, and there are several franchises.  "Rebel Wings" is a chain based in the U.S.

Then there is KFC.  Yuck!  There are so many chicken places in Mexico City.  I don't understand why KFC is so popular.

I had never eaten at a Carl's Jr. before in the U.S.  Alejandro and I went to one farther up on Insurgentes Avenue.  It wasn't bad, but we have a couple of Mexican burger joints that are much better when we crave a hamburger.

Wing Stop is another U.S. based chicken wing restaurant that has expanded internationally.

"Mr. Pampas" is a Brazilian style steak house.  

"Toks" is a major chain of casual dining restaurants in Mexico City.  They are generally better than their main competitors, Sanborns and VIPs.

I had never heard of "Pane en Via", so I looked it up afterwards on the internet.  They have a number of branches and a variety of offerings on the menu.  But their specialty appears to be baguette sandwiches.  Next to the restaurant is another street food stand.

"Santana" is a Mexican restaurant that offers an all you can eat option ("todo lo que puedas comer"), but they don't say how much it costs.

"Daikoku" offers "Yakiniku"... Japanese BBQ grilled at the table... similar, I suppose, to the "hibachi" restaurants in the U.S.

"Taco Pub", a bar and restaurant serving, guess what?

"Festín"... another place that feels it necessary to put their signage in English.  Come on, we're in Mexico!

"Las Barricas" is a Mexican restaurant.  There's valet parking stand in front.  Sitting near the entrance is a musician with a harp.  Perhaps he is going to perform for the diners.

I don't know if we should count these as restaurants.  "Porfirio" is a chain that sells churros, a fried dough pastry that you might call the Hispanic version of the doughnut.  It is traditionally served with hot chocolate.  And then there is the ubiquitous "Starbucks". 

"Las Delicias", a restaurant and bar with mariachis.

"Yoko Ramen", a chain serving Oriental food.

Another taco joint.

"La Vid Argentina" is an Argentinian steakhouse.  I ate here once with Alejandro and some of his friends.  It's a nice, white-tablecloth restaurant.

"Los Guajolotes" (The Turkeys) is a "lonchería" (lunch place).  Guess what it's specialty is?  Did you know that the turkey was first domesticated in pre-Hispanic Mexico?  "Guajolote" is a word derived from the language of the Aztecs.  In other Spanish countries a turkey is called a "pavo".

If we included "Starbucks", then we have to include "Punta de Cielo" which is a Mexican-owned competitor.

"La Rural" is another chain of Argentinian steakhouses.

Surprisingly, sushi is quite popular here, and there are several sushi chains in the city.  "Sushiroll" is one of them.  Alejandro and I ate here once, my first and only time eating sushi.  I really was not impressed.  Alejandro, who likes sushi, said it was not that great.

You might say that "Italiannis" is Mexico's version of "Olive Garden".  We have eaten at two of them.  This one was not bad, but that was years ago.  Later we ate at another one, and it was disappointing.

And last, and probably least, there is a "Burger King" with a "Dominos Pizza" around the corner in the same building.

So that's thirty restaurants in a two mile stretch of Insurgentes Avenue.  Looking at Google Maps afterwards, I think I somehow missed a few.  Also keep in mind this is just one side of the avenue.  There are at least as many restaurants on the other side of the street.

There is something for virtually every taste!