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zoeq

Mar 12, 2004, 9:27 PM

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Aguascalientas

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Anyone on line living here or know about it? We're looking for Old World European charm - piazzas, sidewalk cafes, narrow streets...

gpk

Mar 13, 2004, 8:03 AM

Post #2 of 15 (1754 views)

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Re: [zoeq] Aguascalientas

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I've visited Aguas many times--never lived there. It's really a pretty modern city--I don't think you'll find the old world there. Parque San Marcos is great, though.

esperanza

Mar 13, 2004, 8:09 AM

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Re: [zoeq] Aguascalientas

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Parts of Saltillo are as you describe, as well as the city of Guanajuato.

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tfyoung

Mar 13, 2004, 8:11 AM

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Re: [zoeq] Aguascalientas

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Have you visited Guanajuato? Having never visited Europe, I don't really have an Old World comparison. But I get more of an Old World feeling there than other places. There isn't much of a foreign influence there. The people seem friendly to foreigners, but they aren't turning backflips to attract them. Google for Guanajuato photos and see what turns up.

zoeq

Mar 13, 2004, 9:55 AM

Post #5 of 15 (1732 views)

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Re: [gpk] Aguascalientas

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What attracts you to Aguascalientas? Is Parque San Marcos there or is that another city? I had a Mexican travel agent speak so wistfully about Auguascalientas - she is going on her honeymoon there - that I was intrigued. Thanks for your response.

zoeq

Mar 13, 2004, 9:57 AM

Post #6 of 15 (1731 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Aguascalientas

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Hello Esperanza, I have a student named Esperanza - a lovely lady from Guadalajara now living in LA. I teach English. I've seen your responses a few other times - I'm thinking you must be a great cook. Is that right?

zoeq

Mar 13, 2004, 10:04 AM

Post #7 of 15 (1730 views)

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Re: [tfyoung] Aguascalientas

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I am going to see Guanajuato this summer if all goes as planned. I love the pictures of it. I lived in Nice for about 6 months in the year 2000 while my daughter studied on a scholarship. I found that I liked living among people in another culture. It's interesting and very different. I also didn't mind being an outsider. Those who wanted to speak to me did and those that didn't, well, I knew where I stood. I also loved being without a car and walking everywhere or using the train, sometimes the bus. It was tough to come back to LA to the great distances to get anywhere - I consider driving 45 mins to see a show a great distance now. In France, I walked four blocks to see live opera or ballet. And there were 30 restaurants in nearly any direction within blocks. As you might guess, I loved Nice, but my daughter is in LA and I don't want to live that far away from her. Thanks for your reply.

mepsi

Mar 13, 2004, 11:39 AM

Post #8 of 15 (1716 views)

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Re: [zoeq] Aguascalientas

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I'll add my agreement on Guanajuato. We lived there for several months many years ago and found it to be a really delightful place with many cultural attractions, in part due to the State university there. Walking is easier than driving in most cases and bus service is also good.

Another city that is as you describe might be Zacatecas. Not as many cultural choices as Guanajuato and a good bit colder in the winter but another favorite place for us. The Rafael Coronel Museum is one of our favorite museums in all of Mexico.

A personal view of Aguascalientes is it's a nice place for a modern manufacturing city.

Monte

Monte

zoeq

Mar 13, 2004, 2:41 PM

Post #9 of 15 (1691 views)

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Re: [mepsi] Aguascalientas

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Thanks for your reply. what kinds of cultural activities are you referring to in Guanajuato? Do you speak Spanish? What are the restaurants like?

mepsi

Mar 13, 2004, 5:26 PM

Post #10 of 15 (1674 views)

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Re: [zoeq] Aguascalientas

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I apologize for that. I hit "preview" and it deleted my message.

As I said previously, it has been a long time since we lived there but they still have the Cervantes Festival as well as several other local festivals. I'm sure the concerts and other types of events are still sponsored by the University as well.

My Spanish has severely deteriorated due to lack of sufficient use.

I have no knowledge of current restaurant conditions but there were several excellent ones when we were there.

You might find this link of interest:

http://www.visitmexico.com/...s/r_cen/s_gua/d_gua/

Monte

gpk

Mar 14, 2004, 2:51 PM

Post #11 of 15 (1622 views)

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Re: [zoeq] Aguascalientas

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Guanajuato is fairly famous for NOT having any great restaurants. Truco 7 is funky and has great mole and the restaurant in Valenciana (outside of town) used to be good. Otherwise, you have to go to San Miguel (about an hour away) for higher quality fare. It's a great town for hikers, too, since car travel is virtually impossible. It is always pleasant to visit, but sometimes overcrowded-- it's a very popular tourist spot for Mexicans because of it's colonial charm and historic importance as the site of the execution of the leaders of the War for Independence.

raferguson

Mar 14, 2004, 6:23 PM

Post #12 of 15 (1602 views)

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Re: [zoeq] Guanajuato and Zacatecas

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Guanajuato city, in the state of Guanajuato, is one of our favorite Mexican cities. Yes there are sidewalk cafes, but other Mexican towns have them as well. I like the feel of the town.

The streets are narrow, one way, and extremely confusing. The street layout is actually three dimentional, with subterranean roads and tunnels. The last time I drove into town I hired a taxi driver at the edge of town to lead us to our hotel, easily worth the money to avoid aggravation. Parking is also a problem. If you can't walk there, take a taxi! There are pedestrian-only streets and areas.

Guanajuato is the state capital, has a university, and has many cultural events. We enjoyed the Cervantes festival, but arranged to avoid the weekend during the festival, when the town gets a bit crazy with people from Mexico city.

I usually do not see a lot of foreigners in town, although I have seen more foreigners in the summer months. I understand that the town has American residents, but not a large number of them.

Tourism is a significant local industry. There are many museums in town.

Anyway, Guanajuato is a very interesting town, and may be to your taste if you like the old feel of old cities, and if you like cultural events.

Someone mentioned Zacatecas, another nice town, also a state capitol with a university, and perhaps the best museums in Mexico. We were blown away by the Goitia museum, which is not written up as a must see in the guidebooks. Probably not as many cultural activities as Guanajuato, based on my limited experience. High, can be cold in the winter, we were there after a cold spell that killed a lot of cactus, cracked engine blocks despite antifreeze, turned the streets into skating rinks, etc.

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zoeq

Mar 15, 2004, 10:50 AM

Post #13 of 15 (1567 views)

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Re: [raferguson] Guanajuato and Zacatecas

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Thanks for the well-thought out replies. I really appreciate this window to Mexico since I haven't yet seen it. Am planning a trip in mid June - I teach English as a Second Language and the scheduling is a problem. What do you think of Guadalajara or sections thereof. I'm thinking the restaurant scene there would be more varied. Since I am a trained chef, I love to experience great food. I hear there is smog there also, something I'd like to escape from LA.

Any preference on airlines or airports between Puerta Vallarta and Mexico City and anything in between?

Zacatecas sounds interesting - I am thinking I will take a bus to all these places for the two weeks I'm there. I don't plan a restful trip, but to see all I can see. Any suggestions give insight.

jeffsitka

Mar 15, 2004, 6:35 PM

Post #14 of 15 (1531 views)

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Re: [zoeq] Guanajuato and Zacatecas

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You might get a better deal flying into GDL or Mexico City, but Leon will be closer to the towns you want to visit. I usually fly Alaska Airlines, but I've also flown Delta and Mexicana to different cities in Mexico. Sometimes the airlines discount off-season trips to Puerto Vallarta. But, PV is long bus ride from where you want to go. If you have the option, I recommend ETN when traveling inter-city by bus. It costs more, but they may have the most comfortable buses on the road.

zoeq

Mar 18, 2004, 12:41 PM

Post #15 of 15 (1474 views)

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Re: [jeffsitka] Guanajuato and Zacatecas

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Thanks for your post. This is helpful information and makes this website very valuable. Does anyone know of a place to stay in Aquascalientes? And what would you do for your first night flying into Guadalajara? Where would you stay? Thanks all.