[Crawford]

I apologize for an English thread, but my Spanish is terrible.:(

I will be visiting Guadalajara on business from July 24-July 30. I will be staying by the World Trade Center and the Plaza del Sol. I really have no idea where this is in relation to interesting neighborhoods in Guadalajara. Most of my clients will be on the West side of town.

I will have lots of time to explore in the late afternoon and evening. I want to visit interesting neighborhoods and unique attractions. Any thoughts? I have never visited Guadalajara and am ignorant in regards to its sights, other than it is Mexico's second largest city, a major business center, and doing quite well economically.

Oh, I will have access to a car, though I won't be driving, so feel free to recommend spots that are only accessible by car.

Good places to eat and drink are also welcomed. :cheers:

[Joe_Black]

New Yorker
You can enter to this website, is in english and it has a lot of information about Guadalajara.

www.allaboutguadalajara.com

You can also visit a newspaper with news in english for Guadalajara metropolitan area.

www.guadalajarareporter.com

[valdano7007]

Hello New Yorker,

Caught me after a long day work and feeling like writing. So here we go. Guadalajara is a very interesting city, some say it is the most mexicans of cities, because most traditions identified as mexican where either born here, or are currently practiced here, like drinking tequila straight up, Mariachi music, and such.

Considering you will be here on business, and perhaps will not have time to go around interesting places outside the city itself, I will try to tell you which spots you can visit that are within a 1-hour drive from where you will be staying at.

Starting with the typical tourist spots, a visit to downtown Guadalajara is a must, specially if you like history and architecture. You can start by visiting the Cathedral and walking around the "Cruz de Plazas" (Square Cross), whoch is a series of plazas around the cathedral itself. Most buildings around this area are very old, some dating back to the 16th century. Then there is the "Teatro Degollado" (Degollado Theatre), a nice example of neo-classical architecture.

You can continue walking east from there to the Instituto Cultural Cabañas, an UNESCO protected site, one of the most emblematic buildings in the city. Originally a house for orphan children, it also served as a military garrison and monastery. Today, shows and echibitions are held here, and some of Mexico's finest muralists have their work depicted in its walls.

Next, a visit to Tlaquepaque and Tonalá will make a nice tour of the typical mexican craftmanship. Here you can find what is called "artesanias", which literally mean "art crafts". The streets of Tlaquepaque provide a nice walk while you visit craft shops, and maybe eat a typical mexican meal at one of the various restaurants around, some of the most famous include "El Parián" (which used to be the central square) and the "Abajeño".

If you have time, you can take the 1-hour drive to Chapala Lake, and visit the towns of Chapala and Ajijic. Thousands of retired Americans and Canadians call Chapala's shores home, the number well into the thousands.

If you are into Golf, you will not be dissapointed. There are several premium golf courses in the city, all within a 30 minute drive from the World Trade Center where you will be staying.

My personal favourite is the Guadalajara Country Club golf course, located inside the city, just a 15-minute drive form your hotel. Non-members can play there Wednesdays (green fee is $150 plus caddies and cart). I consider it to be the best course in the city, but there are others as well.
El Palomar Country Club course (now called El Cielo Country Club) is a unique course, located on top of a mountain boasting with pine trees. Is a difficult course, but the sights of the city form the top of the mountain make it a must if you visit the city and you like golf.

And finally, if your thing is food and the nightlife, there are countless places to go. First, food. If you like steaks, I recommend "La Matera", maybe the best steak in town. Argentine style and perfectly cooked. Try yours with a premium south america wine. You need a reservation at least 24 hours in advance on weekdays, and 2 or 3 days on weekends. There is also "Los Inmortales", "Angus Steakhouse" and "La Estancia Gaucha", all great steak restaurants.

If you like fusion style food, I can recommend "Nude" restaurant, located near downtown, on Lopez Cotilla street. Great cocktails and wondeful food, and once you've eaten, and on weekends you can go up to the 2nd floor where a club called "Simoné" will bring you back to the 80's and 90'2 with nice music.

The best thing, if you will be here with locals, is to follow their advice, I think you will have a nice time here.

[chex]

thats a good explaination... just a few more places to visit like restaurants, bars or historic... but if u can say a bit more of what u would like to see, we can be more specific...
just to consider one thing, its the raining season, and sometimes u can get very wet, hehehe....

[Crawford]

New Yorker
You can enter to this website, is in english and it has a lot of information about Guadalajara.

www.allaboutguadalajara.com

You can also visit a newspaper with news in english for Guadalajara metropolitan area.

www.guadalajarareporter.com

Thanks! The all about guadalajara site is very useful. It will definitely come in handy. :)

[Crawford]

Hello New Yorker,

Caught me after a long day work and feeling like writing. So here we go. Guadalajara is a very interesting city, some say it is the most mexicans of cities, because most traditions identified as mexican where either born here, or are currently practiced here, like drinking tequila straight up, Mariachi music, and such.

Considering you will be here on business, and perhaps will not have time to go around interesting places outside the city itself, I will try to tell you which spots you can visit that are within a 1-hour drive from where you will be staying at.

Starting with the typical tourist spots, a visit to downtown Guadalajara is a must, specially if you like history and architecture. You can start by visiting the Cathedral and walking around the "Cruz de Plazas" (Square Cross), whoch is a series of plazas around the cathedral itself. Most buildings around this area are very old, some dating back to the 16th century. Then there is the "Teatro Degollado" (Degollado Theatre), a nice example of neo-classical architecture.

You can continue walking east from there to the Instituto Cultural Cabañas, an UNESCO protected site, one of the most emblematic buildings in the city. Originally a house for orphan children, it also served as a military garrison and monastery. Today, shows and echibitions are held here, and some of Mexico's finest muralists have their work depicted in its walls.

Next, a visit to Tlaquepaque and Tonalá will make a nice tour of the typical mexican craftmanship. Here you can find what is called "artesanias", which literally mean "art crafts". The streets of Tlaquepaque provide a nice walk while you visit craft shops, and maybe eat a typical mexican meal at one of the various restaurants around, some of the most famous include "El Parián" (which used to be the central square) and the "Abajeño".

If you have time, you can take the 1-hour drive to Chapala Lake, and visit the towns of Chapala and Ajijic. Thousands of retired Americans and Canadians call Chapala's shores home, the number well into the thousands.

If you are into Golf, you will not be dissapointed. There are several premium golf courses in the city, all within a 30 minute drive from the World Trade Center where you will be staying.

My personal favourite is the Guadalajara Country Club golf course, located inside the city, just a 15-minute drive form your hotel. Non-members can play there Wednesdays (green fee is $150 plus caddies and cart). I consider it to be the best course in the city, but there are others as well.
El Palomar Country Club course (now called El Cielo Country Club) is a unique course, located on top of a mountain boasting with pine trees. Is a difficult course, but the sights of the city form the top of the mountain make it a must if you visit the city and you like golf.

And finally, if your thing is food and the nightlife, there are countless places to go. First, food. If you like steaks, I recommend "La Matera", maybe the best steak in town. Argentine style and perfectly cooked. Try yours with a premium south america wine. You need a reservation at least 24 hours in advance on weekdays, and 2 or 3 days on weekends. There is also "Los Inmortales", "Angus Steakhouse" and "La Estancia Gaucha", all great steak restaurants.

If you like fusion style food, I can recommend "Nude" restaurant, located near downtown, on Lopez Cotilla street. Great cocktails and wondeful food, and once you've eaten, and on weekends you can go up to the 2nd floor where a club called "Simoné" will bring you back to the 80's and 90'2 with nice music.

The best thing, if you will be here with locals, is to follow their advice, I think you will have a nice time here.

Wow, tons of good advice! Thanks!

I will definitely check out the Cathedral and the Cruz de Plazas. The Instituto Cultural Cabañas also sounds interesting.

We are already planning on visiting Chapala Lake.

I LOVE steak, especially Argentine-style, so La Matera and the others sound great. I might also check out that Nude/Simone place; it sounds like my kind of place.

Do you also have any recommendations for simpler, authentic places (taco stands and the like?) Thanks again!

[Crawford]

thats a good explaination... just a few more places to visit like restaurants, bars or historic... but if u can say a bit more of what u would like to see, we can be more specific...
just to consider one thing, its the raining season, and sometimes u can get very wet, hehehe....

Casual, authentic Mexican places for the locals (not just business types) would be great!

I don't mind the rain. It rains alot in NYC, and I'm originally from Germany, where it also rains a ton. I hear that Guadalajara has quite temperate weather for Mexican standards, which is good, because I can't stand extreme heat.

[blue_man100]

Wow, tons of good advice! Thanks!

I will definitely check out the Cathedral and the Cruz de Plazas. The Instituto Cultural Cabañas also sounds interesting.

We are already planning on visiting Chapala Lake.

I LOVE steak, especially Argentine-style, so La Matera and the others sound great. I might also check out that Nude/Simone place; it sounds like my kind of place.

Do you also have any recommendations for simpler, authentic places (taco stands and the like?) Thanks again!


You MUST try the "Tortas Ahogadas", is a very typical plate (like a mexican sandwich)....

There are several places where you can eat the Toratas, but I don't remember the names of the restaurants...maybe the local forists can help you.

[Crawford]

I just got back from Guadalajara and I want to thank everyone for the helpful comments! What a city! I had such a great time!

Guadalajara is a clean, modern city that is obviously very prosperous. The people are extremely friendly, and the women are very beautiful.

I ate extremely well, especially at roadside stands and informal highway open-air restaurants (basically a counter and a tent roof over a few tables). In fact, the cheap places ($9 U.S. for two people) were much better than the fancy restaurants. I found a place in the Minerva neighborhood that had incredible pozole. It was some of the best food I ever had. I also ate very well at a famous roadside place that specialized in Mexico City-style food. Forgot the name, but it was on a major highway with some new street underpasses, a few km east of the Plaza del Sol (near a Starbucks, a KFC and a Blockbuster Video).

I was also impressed at the huge shopping malls. The Plaza del Sol is very pleasant and the newer, fancy Plaza Gallerias is one of the nicest malls I have ever seen.

I visited Tlaqupaque, which is very interesting. I also went to Chapala, which was nice but a bit too touristy, with too many gringos. Overall, I had a great experience. Thankfully, I will visit again in the fall.

[kiwiboy]

I'm really really glad to hear you had a good time :D

That means my fellow mexicans are doing a good job and are treating well our tourists wherever they come from, that's very nice to hear, we'll be waiting you back soon with open arms!

BTW you do know where to eat, roadside stands is where you find the best food :D