He-do-nist
noun
a person who believes that the pursuit of pleasure is the most important thing in life; a pleasure-seeker.
Part of the #TeamChallenge proposed by @ErmesT
#TeamMexico
You might have heard that we Mexicans like to party. Well, let me tell you something, that statement is both right and wrong. We do like to party, but more than you can imagine. I am going to share with you my guide for an excellent and pleasurable weekend in my hometown of Guadalajara, Jalisco, México. I must say that this post is inspired in the New York Times series “36 hours in”, in which they feature a different city every time. They’re really good articles, you should read them.
Ok, before we get down to the good stuff, lets state some facts for those of you that never heard of Guadalajara, or maybe you have, here they are anyway.
Guadalajara is the capital city of the state of Jalisco in western Mexico. Jalisco is where both mariachi and tequila were born, we have a saying that goes Jalisco is Mexico, we’re a really proud bunch. Guadalajara is the second biggest metropolitan area in the country behind Mexico City, actually, the metro area is composed of five different cities: Guadalajara, Zapopan, Tlaquepaque, Tonalá and Tlajomulco. Weird names, I know.
We call ourselves tapatíos, it doesn’t have any translation, but that is what a native from Guadalajara is called. The city is also called “La perla tapatía” or “La perla de occidente”, meaning Tapatio’s pearl and western pearl respectively. Guadalajara has an estimated population of five million people, so as you can imagine, we have lots of traffic.
The area is also known as Mexican Silicon Valley, there are a lot of international tech companies than inject big cash flows into the city. Household names as Hewlett Packard, Dell and Intel have enormous offices and factories in our city.
We are pretty crazy about football, we have two teams in Mexico’s top-flight league: Atlas and Chivas. Both teams kind of suck nowadays, but they have produced some of the most recognisable Mexican players in the last 20 years, such as: Rafa Márquez, Chicharito Hernández, Oswaldo Sánchez, Andrés Guardado and Carlos Salcido.
Typical dishes are tortas ahogadas (translates to drowned torta/sandwich) and carne en su jugo (meat in its juice), I’ll talk about it later.
1 USD = 19 MXN
Now that you know some facts, let’s proceed with the entertainment. A subject that, if you allow me to say it, I excel at.
I was born in Guadalajara but then I moved around until I finally was back in 2012, ready for college and to wreck the city (ok, not really, but I did like to party a lot). Since then, Guadalajara has changed a lot, skyscrapers rule the city and hip, trendy spots are waiting to be discovered. Here’s my guide for a fun weekend in Guadalajara. Friday to Sunday!
FRIDAY
To start things off let’s have an epic meal at one of Latin America’s 50 best restaurants. La Docena is inspired in Cajun country food, serving poboys, shellfish and more seafood awesomeness. You’ll find out, many of the locals like to spend the whole afternoon drinking there before hitting a bar o nightclub. Up to you fellas, my go-to order is Peruvian ceviche, a dozen of tabasco oysters, another dozen of fresh oysters and ask for the specials. Obviously with a handful amount of beer, try Minerva, one of Guadalajara’s very own. There’re two locations, one in Andares zone and the original one in a complex called Punto Sao Paulo, try the original, the service is way better. Moving on.
After your great meal, the drinks start to roll. This Hilton Hotel is one of the newest and trendiest in the city, it has a beautiful view of the financial district, good lounge music and fantastic cocktails. Also, it’s really close to La Docena. Good spot to chill, catch the sunset and rest a little bit before we dance under the bright lights. Good thing is that Ubers in Guadalajara are reasonably cheap and easy to catch, you can get stuck in traffic for an hour an pay $7 USD total, not kidding. For us Mexicans, not that cheap, though.
We are on a roll now, don’t be weak. El Rey Mezcalería or King Mezcalería is a well-renowned place in the most hipster part of town referred to as Chapu, it’s near Chapultepec Avenue, hence the name. Soak down mezcales and beers for less than $60 MXN (that killer combo is only available on Fridays). They play good house music. It can get really crowded, so prepare to be in line at least 15 minutes, I recommend to arrive before midnight. No trip to El Rey is complete without eating at the pizzas in front of the entrance, they’re commonly known as Pizzas del Caracol or Pizzas del Rey, fantastic option to rest from the booze. Every night they have one different veggie and meat pizza available.
If you thought that this was it, well my friends it is not. Follow the leader, let us call the third Uber of the night and move on to the next destination: Galaxy 1985. Before I continue, I must say that it is not that safe to be walking around at night, unfortunately, there have been quite some armed robberies, so please call for an Uber. NEVER DRIVE. This is one of my favourites! Galaxy is the 80s themed nightclub. The vibe is very eclectic, nobody cares how you are dressed (which is a very weird thing in Guadalajara). You can buy single drinks, but I recommend buying a bottle, is not that expensive and you’ll get a table. Dance off and get ready for a nasty hangover. Now you can go to sleep.
SATURDAY
This might not be the best place to cure your hangover but is really really tasty. Maison La Creme, a french bakery and coffee shop to save you from all evil (at least for a little while). A cozy spot next to a park in the heart of Providencia neighbourhood, one of the most affluent and beautiful in the city.
If you are insanely in pain I’ll leave you a link with a list of my favourite restaurants to fix that matter: https://goo.gl/maps/cFxHTyE2iWg4tnci8
If you are not a napper, then head to Andares Mall to walk off your sins from last night, you can do some shopping, catch a movie or just relax in one of its many restaurants. After that and when you are hungry El Almacén offers top-quality steaks in a beautiful and modern part of Guadalajara (it’s actually Zapopan, but who cares). The Andares area is the newest and poshest of them all, it is filled with modern buildings, designer stores and top-notch restaurants. Other restaurants that I recommend in the area are Juniko, Loló, La Vaca Argentina and La Moresca.
I’ll probably take a long nap after that steak, but if you’re down to more action you’ve come to the right place. Walking in the afternoon in Colonia Americana is beautiful, you’ll see old mansions and streets filled with precious trees decorating hipster coffeeshops. You can walk down to Expiatorio church, a gothic building that is a staple of the city, and next to it is the Museum of the Arts MUSA. If you keep going straight you’ll eventually get to the city centre, it’s always crowded and noisy, it has its things, but that’s the most touristy place in the city. Save it for your next trip o for Monday.
Final night in the city. Dorothy is the place to go if you are fond of nightclubs and everything that comes around them. You have to go out with a bang! It’s gonna be really crowded and expensive, but the atmosphere is fun and the music is loud. You should wear your best outfit because the guys at the entrance don’t like t-shirts and tennis shoes, heels for the ladies, shoes or loafers for boys. When you google this place, you’ll see a terrible rating, don’t let them fool you, all good nightclubs are expensive and posh in Guadalajara. I did not make the rules. If you’re a more calm person then skip this place and head to Habanero Negro. Only been here twice and had a great time. You have live folk music, good Mexican food Yucatan style and affordable beers in hipster paradise. The band Tame Impala visited this place before a concert. True story.
SUNDAY
You can’t leave the city without trying it’s most iconical dish: Torta Ahogada (drowned torta is the literal translation). A torta with sauce and your favourite carnitas (pork fried meat). Add a beer and you’re ready to go. Tortas Ahogadas Los Colomos is an ahogada institution, serving for over 30 years locals and visitors alike. Try the spicy sauce, it will unleash hell, but you’ll get over it if you’re scared you can always ask for the regular sauce with no spice at all. Another fantastic Torta Ahogada joints are Los Güeros and Tortas Enrique.
A cool way to explore the city is renting a bike and enjoying “Vía Recreativa”, every Sunday from 8am to 2pm the city closes all major avenues for cars; so bikes, skates, roller skates, scooters and people walking rule Guadalajara every Sunday morning. The best route is Avenida Vallarta, you’ll see some of the city’s iconic edifications and monuments.
For the grand finale, welcome to El Gallo Altanero, my very favourite spot in Guadalajara. Sunday’s are the best day to attend. Try grabbing a spot before 7:30, can get very busy after. Live DJ, dancing, fantastic tequila cocktails and killer chicharrón quesadillas in the second floor of an amazing café. Fun fact, this was the place I talked about in my Connect Live application.
I hope you enjoyed my city or at least this post makes you wanna pack a suitcase and come. Cheers friends!
