My first week in Guadalajara, Mexico

This week has been a very interesting one to say the least. I arrived with way too many things: my two duffel bags, my bike, and my 45 lb dog Gin. As I write this, I am sitting in a beautiful “living cafe” full of young, friendly people, essentially all Guadalajarans. I ate a quesadilla de chapulín which is a type of cricket or grasshopper that is commonly eaten here (they are dried and covered with spices & lime, yum!) and had my spot on iced chai tea latte, all for $100 pesos (~5 usd!). If it isn’t obvious by this point in my story, I am really enjoying my time here. I will say, thats not how it started and I really have needed this whole week to get to this point of being comfortable and happy. Let me explain what I’ve learned so far so that if you come here you may be able to jump right into things!

Transportation

Arriving in Guadalajara is quite easy, as you exit the airport there are actually people with dolleys who offer to help you with your baggage to your taxi/Uber. They do not ask for payment but you ma certainly give them a tip (people are very appreciative of tips here, even seemingly small amounts). Guadalajara has taxis, the metro, Uber, and an app called DiDi that is similar to Uber and just slightly cheaper. I have not used DiDi yet because it has only been a difference of maybe 10 pesos which is like 50 cents and I am comfortable using Uber.

The metro is very useful, it has 3 lines that go north-south, northwest-southeast, and west-east. Check out the map below to see a rough illustration of where the metro runs. It costs USD 45 cents per trip and can get packed during the busiest times.

The bus system is there but I did wait for a bus that ended up being 20 minutes late, so I cannot attest to how reliable/timely they are.

The public transportation cards can be bought at any metro station and refilled there as well, this card can be used in the metro or the bus.

Neighborhoods

The most important thing to consider before coming to Guadalajara is where you want to live. Here is a map of my favorite neighborhoods and suggestions for each:

The circles are the neighborhoods I suggest finding accommodation in. Especially the neighborhood of Americana which has a high concentration of international restaurants, cafes, and the cities night life; as well as being a pretty neighborhood with a 10 minute walk to the metro and lots of bus stops. The second circle which is around the Catedral de Guadalajara is a nice neighborhood with pretty architecture, lots of stores and restaurants, and very central for use of the metro and the bus system. Also, somewhere in between those circles would be a good place to be if you can find something, then you’d be getting the best of both worlds, and still be in a nice neighborhood!

The star represents where I currently live. I originally had an apartment in Americana, but it turned out to not be safe for my dog and I therefore had to find somewhere else very quickly. I actually don’t mind my current location because it is one block away from the Belisario Dominguez metro stop and from there I can very easily navigate the city. I am also 4 blocks from my gym and a boxing gym which were each about 17 USD for the month.

Centro neighborhood near the Guadalajara Cathedral

restaurants/cafes

After being here for a week, I have found the highest concentration of nice restaurants and cafes is in Americana. I have eaten out about once a day here (something I usually do not do but is very feasible here due to prices), and I have yet to be dissatisfied or even slightly dislike anything I have ordered. This neighborhood has a very diversified selection of international food in addition to higher end Mexican restaurants. If you are a foodie, I would highly suggest staying in this area and sampling many different restaurants in this neighborhood during your stay! Here is a list of restaurants and cafés that I’ve tried and give 5 stars!

Dizzy Cactus- Mexican- Brunch
Ronda- Spanish- Lunch/Dinner
Izakaya Ebisumaru- Japanese- Lunch/Dinner
Endémico Vivero- Coffee/Cafe- Light dishes throughout the day
Hierve la Sangre- Mexican/Italian- Dinner
La Tetería- Coffee/Tea- Light dishes throughout the day

prices

Prices in Guadalajara are very reasonable— for food/drinks— for someone coming from the US with a US salary. The most expensive area I have gone to is the Americana district, but I still will not spend more than $15 on a nice dinner with a glass of wine. That being said, most things you see on the menu are about $6-8. I haven’t had a meal that was necessarily large in this neighborhood, but for me they are definitely filling and of normal quantities. I did recently go to the Dizzy Cactus for brunch with the host of my Airbnb, who ordered the chilaquiles and was not full so he ordered something else (breakfast sandwich more or less) which was gigantic and he could not finish it.

I have honestly been eating out more then normal due to the fact that I have found it hard to find a supermarket I can find the things I want at. There is a Walmart here, but it is surprisingly expensive because they stock US products. I went grocery shopping there and spent $35, and I really did not feel like I left with that much. Although the markets are cheap, I have not found that the quality of the products was all that great, some fruits were moldy or rotting at one of the markets I went to, and I am realllly trying to not get sick.

The water out of the tap is NOT to be drank here, that being said I have not been charged for drinking water at any of the restaurants and my Airbnb host has a giant water container at all times.

Drinks/cervezas are not very expensive either. I paid 35 pesos ($1.75) for a Corona the other night and 90 pesos ($4.50) for a nice glass of wine at the Spanish restaurant listed above. A night out does not need to break the bank here. You can also grab cheap mini bottles at the convenience stores along Calle Chapultepec before you head in to party it up!

nightlife

I got to experience my first bit of nightlife last night. I met up with someone I met recently and we did a sort of bar-hop around to some cool places in the Americana/Chapultepec area. I felt safe being with my new friends and did not see any riff raff happening. There were also plenty of people in the areas I was at and a good mixture of men and women making their way to their next bar/club.

There was a good mixture of nice bars that were more low-key, and also some clubs that weren’t too crazy and quite impressively outfitted with lights and decorations. Here is a list of the bars/clubs I went to that were fun!

Kanna (club)
Jamaica go go (Mix club/bar- my favorite location of the night!)
El Rey Mezcalería (Bar when I was there at 10:30- my transition later)
TOM Topfloor (didn’t go, line was long but apparently a great rooftop bar!)
Barba Negra (rock ‘n roll bar)

safety

I have a somewhat unique situation since I have my dog with me therefore I constantly have her with me. I feel very safe with her by my side, but I still like to be very attentive and aware of my surroundings especially when in a crowded area. There is always the risk of theft in a big city, so I try to keep my phone in my bag unless I’m using it, and bring my bag to my front when on the metro.

I have been told by many people who have been here and other areas in Mexico to not walk alone at night. I have listened to this advise except when going to my kickboxing class that was at 8:30 pm one night but is only 4 blocks away, and heading back from dinner one night shortly after sunset. I think the most important safety advise is do not walk somewhere you are completely alone ex: no cars, no pedestrians, no shops open. If you stay in the popular areas you can expect others to help you. I have been in a situation where I was about 150 ft from a large gathering of people but alone where I was when something happened that was quite scary. It really is important to be in a somewhat herd mentality when traveling alone.

parks/green areas

For someone without a car, there are not many green areas/parks to visit close to the center. There is not a park suitable to throw the frisbee for my dog anywhere close to my apartment. Coming from Wyoming this summer where I walked out my front door, down the street past 5 houses and was on a trailhead essentially, it has been somewhat hard for me. This is just a frustrating reality of living in a large city.

dog friendliness

Most restaurants with outdoor seating are dog friendly. All restaurants and cafes I have mentioned are, I essentially won’t eat somewhere if I cannot bring her with me because I am not comfortable leaving her tied outside.

The metro does not accept non-service dogs.

Stores also have no problem with me bringing her inside to look around. Be careful of the street dogs, all but one have been absolute angels; but they will walk up to your dog and smell/ follow for some time, just a warning for anyone with semi reactive dogs.

Gin laying on me at La Tetería as I write this.

overall

My first week in Guadalajara has proven to be very important for me to learn about the city and get accustomed to the way of life here. I am very glad I got here a full week before my classes began because now I know what to do and will be able to use my shortened amount of free time wisely and as I find most pleasing. Hopefully this blog will help someone to get going in the city right off the bat. It is a nice city if you know where you’re going and what you’re doing. I would suggest coming over the weekend if you are only going to be here a short amount of time, because the weekends have great markets and the Sunday road closure for bike and pedestrian use.

It seems to be an enjoyable city to live in and settle for a while, but I would not say I can suggest it as a vacation spot in itself or as a getaway of any sort.

Gin & I on the Sunday open street, lots of other dogs running along with their owners!

Thanks so much for reading!

Allison