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sfmacaws

Feb 3, 2007, 9:59 AM

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San Francisco South

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This will probably be of limited interest to many of you but for those who are interested, Mimi and I realized yesterday that Mérida is just full of the many friends of Dorothy!

While talking to the seller's real estate agent yesterday, he twice mentioned his partner. I took him aside afterwards and just asked him if there were a lot of gays here. He laughed at us! He said that it is the gay mecca of southern Mexico. I started asking, how about xxx? of course. and xx? oh yes and the sellers? of course. on and on. It seems that the only people we have dealt with in the last week that are straight is our agent and his girlfriend and they are incredible cool and sophisticated.

We ended up going to dinner at a hotel restaurant that was excellent, gay owned, gay chef, many large tables with all men who tripped our gaydar. I don't know if we were sleeping before or just not paying attention because now it is very obvious to us.

It makes sense, we do seem to congregate in cities with impressive architecture, and one thing you can always count on is that the property values go up when we move in. I remember the Castro when it was not a great neighborhood and the houses were all falling down. Same for Noe Valley and other parts of San Francisco. Well, it looks like the centro of Mérida is going through the same transformation.

At dinner we talked about it with Nelio and Pati our agents who are from Mérida. They said that the attitude here is open and not very judgmental. Some of the people I asked about above are nationals and are out in their work and lives here. They especially compared it favorably vs the north of Mexico, Monterrey being their example of the most homophobic city in Mexico. I hope the acceptance lasts if there is a large influx.

So, without intending to, Mimi and I have landed again in what could become a gay ghetto. I knew I liked this city, I just didn't know that it was my extra gene that picked it.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

Bubba

Feb 3, 2007, 2:20 PM

Post #2 of 13 (2018 views)

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Re: [sfmacaws] San Francisco South

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Jonna;

Snap out of it!!!!

"Gaydar?" I like that.

It makes sense, we do seem to congregate in cities with impressive architecture, and one thing you can always count on is that the property values go up when we move in. I remember the Castro when it was not a great neighborhood and the houses were all falling down. Same for Noe Valley and other parts of San Francisco. Well, it looks like the centro of Mérida is going through the same transformation.

Good God, woman. are you taking credit for the renaissance in San Francisco´s slums and tired, run down victorian neighborhoods and, then, after your work had been accomplished there, following the yellow brick road to the Dowager Señora Mérida who, despite her historical elegance has been showing signs of decay and neglect? Locals, whether in beautiful old San Francisco, Merida or Mobile (Bubba´s old stomping grounds) always fail to appreciate what they have and need a shot of new blood to revive the community treasures they have taken for granted.

I dare say that San Francisco´s gay community of the 1970s could not have spearheaded the revitalization of the Western Addition, the Castro, Noe Valley and other victorian neighborhoods without the capital supplied by (nominally) heterosexual redneck bankers such as Banker Bubba doling out home improvement loans to buy the lumber to refurbish homes in neighborhoods most people were scared to even drive through much less live in.

My hat´s off to all of us.

By the way, the expat driven reconstruction of the previously rundown Mérida historical center has been a good thing overall. Mérida centro was being deserted by locals and allowed to go to seed just as happened in Mobile in the 60s and 70s and many parts of San Francisco in the 50s and 60s. What you and others are doing there is good for the community despite the fact that you are mostly foreigners and many of you are weird enough to make Dick Cheney apoplectic. These houses the expat community are refurbishing were totally neglected and in serious disrepair.

Unfortunately, I no longer am in a position to finance this reconstruction. What the hell. Refurbishment without incremental debt growth is good because it precludes the need to flip properties. Less fees for bankers, though.

(This post was edited by Bubba on Feb 3, 2007, 2:26 PM)

Rolly

Feb 3, 2007, 2:58 PM

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Re: [Bubba] San Francisco South

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That was Bubba's 3,261st post making him the number one poster on MexConnect. Esperanza is number two at 3,047. They have pushed me from first back to number three. I must get busy to reclaim the title! Eeegads, this is only 3,012 for me. JR, who once held the title, is way back at 2,658.

I often wonder what the hell we find to talk about in so many posts.

Rolly Pirate

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On Facebook as Rolly Brook

Bubba

Feb 3, 2007, 3:36 PM

Post #4 of 13 (1994 views)

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Re: [Rolly] San Francisco South

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That´s it. I have to find another hobby.

(This post was edited by Bubba on Feb 3, 2007, 5:33 PM)

hopalog

Feb 3, 2007, 5:52 PM

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Re: [sfmacaws] San Francisco South

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That is TOO funny! I see Kathe is busy with her conversions. :)

Hell's Half Acre

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Bubba

Feb 4, 2007, 8:27 AM

Post #6 of 13 (1937 views)

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Re: [Bubba] San Francisco South

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By the way, the expat driven reconstruction of the previously rundown Mérida historical center has been a good thing overall. Mérida centro was being deserted by locals and allowed to go to seed just as happened in Mobile in the 60s and 70s and many parts of San Francisco in the 50s and 60s.

A serious qustion.

One generation of humans is not superior to another generation despite technological advances doomed eventually to oblivion. Why, then, did the generation living in Mobile and San Francisco and Mérida in 1955 not see what the generation living in those places in 1970 saw?

I think I know why or I would not have posed the question.

Give me your presumed reason.

esperanza

Feb 4, 2007, 8:30 AM

Post #7 of 13 (1935 views)

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Re: [Bubba] San Francisco South

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LSD?

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

roni_smith

Feb 4, 2007, 10:01 AM

Post #8 of 13 (1919 views)

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Re: [Bubba] San Francisco South

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A serious qustion.

One generation of humans is not superior to another generation despite technological advances doomed eventually to oblivion. Why, then, did the generation living in Mobile and San Francisco and Mérida in 1955 not see what the generation living in those places in 1970 saw?

That is an interesting question, one with many answers as there is no one factor that can explain it all. One thing the generation living in those places in 1955 did not see where the changes that happened between 1955 and 1970 :-).

In a lot of US cities during the latter part of the 60's white flight was happening.

Earlier than that, the availability of VA home loans to veterans of WW II and Korea, along with increased prosperity, drove housing booms outside of central cities, which were already built out. The increase in car ownership played a role.

That does not explain Mérida. I do not have enough knowledge of Mexico to do more than speculate about that.
------
Planning for Mexico Move Blog

bunny

Feb 4, 2007, 10:04 AM

Post #9 of 13 (1918 views)

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Re: [sfmacaws] San Francisco South

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Hey, I think it's *very" interesting. And if you meet any dishy single lesbians as your social life unfolds, please spread the word that there is impressive architecture here in Morelia, too!

Gretchen

esperanza

Feb 4, 2007, 11:10 AM

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Re: [bunny] San Francisco South

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Here in Guadalajara, too. <raises arm and waves dishily>

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

sfmacaws

Feb 4, 2007, 12:32 PM

Post #11 of 13 (1888 views)

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Re: [Bubba] San Francisco South

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Quote

Good God, woman. are you taking credit for the renaissance in San Francisco´s slums and tired, run down victorian neighborhoods and, then, after your work had been accomplished there, following the yellow brick road to the Dowager Señora Mérida who, despite her historical elegance has been showing signs of decay and neglect?

Well of course I'm not taking personal credit for it, although I did my part for one victorian in the Noe Valley before bailing for the bucolic beauty of Marin County. I bailed because I was sick of never having a summer, I wanted at least a few months of hot weather before the endless gray returned.

Anyway, that was a royal we. I will admit that the guys did more in that area than the women, not my favorite admission by the way. My feelings on it are that if there is an extra gene involved, most men got one for design and most women for processing. Luckily in my view, I got the design gene. Nothing puts me to sleep faster or makes me want to run screaming down the road faster than a bunch of "lesbians" processing their feelings. But, put me in a room of gay men talking about renovating their houses and I'm in heaven.

Yes, I will give the bankers some credit (heh!) for helping the process but in fact, in the beginning in SF, the bankers were not willing to put a lot of money into what they considered slums. A lot of the early restoration was done on personal loans and savings and combined incomes. You bankers jumped on board when the re-sales started happening.

Back to Mérida, I think that much of the money going into these beautiful old homes is also coming from combined incomes and savings. Someday, there will be more bankers around wanting to make loans. In fact, it may well be that some enterprising part of the community will decide to start making loans for restoration. If I were younger or had any ambition left I think it would be an interesting way to make a living. We could be partners Bubba, but then we'd have to give up this life of retirement and leisure...nah.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

hopalog

Feb 5, 2007, 11:31 AM

Post #12 of 13 (1828 views)

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Re: [sfmacaws] San Francisco South

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Oh man. I am SO bummed! I was so excited by all the Real Estate Porn of the colonials in the centro but we are SEVERELY hampered by the simple fact that we're both quite hetero. Maybe I can try to convert but I've talked to Jamie at length and while he'd be more than happy to watch me "convert", he's not the least bit interested in conversion himself. More to the point, violently opposed. I suppose I could entertain the prospect, especially if it involved a lovely restored colonial as a result, but adding one more person to the trailer just might tip the scales into insanity.

Is there a time limit for the conversion to produce the desired affects in home restoration? Would it be a life-long prospect or can we convert simply during the restoration? I really need to know; if we're going to restore, I want a GOOD restoration!

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sfmacaws

Feb 5, 2007, 7:54 PM

Post #13 of 13 (1792 views)

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Re: [hopalog] San Francisco South

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No, you don't have to convert. There are also a lot of straight people there and they have beautiful homes as well. I think as long as you can talk about color and lines and lintels vs arches you are accepted :)

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán