ART NOUVEAU IN MEXICO CITY

When it comes to architecture, Mexico City is nothing if not eclectic. Here are some photos of a rare example of European style Art Nouveau design in the city. Located at Chihuahua 78 in Colonia Roma it was built in 1916 by the group Arquitectura Prunes. The building fell into disrepair following the earthquake of 1895, but was remodeled in 2006. Too bad they couldn't come up with a better idea than the prison-style window grates on the ground floor. 

VEGAN TACOS

Although I am neither a vegan nor a vegetarian, I'm always on the lookout for non-meat options at street food stalls. Some tacos de guidados stands offer rajas con crema, calabacitas, or chiles rellenos, but in  general, it's the carnivores who reign in Mexico City. So I was intrigued when I noticed a little white stand at a corner near my house with the sign 'Vegana Taqueria'.  I've been several times now,  and have noticed the crowds growing each time.  Oddy, all their tacos are named after meat (chorizo de soya, trigo al pastor, etc.), and with all the toppings provided, you might have a hard time telling the difference. I did notice they use quite a bit of oil in the preparation, so I'm not sure how healthy these guys are, but they sure taste good.  

Vegana Taqueria is located on Calle Manzanillo near the corner of Chipas in Colonia Roma (one block from the Sears store, half a block from Insurgentes). Here's a link on google maps: 

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=19.411534,-99.166074&num=1&t=m&z=17

Open 6:30PM until midnight daily

More Vegan discoveries:

Next door to the taco stand:  https://www.facebook.com/veganiRB

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Forever Vegano, at the corner of Merida & Guanajuato, in Colonia Roma, Web- facebook.com/forevervegano

Teléfono- 55 6726 0975

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Article from the LA Times:
http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-d-mexico-city-vegan-20160320-story.html

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Another article:  http://www.elle.mx/estilo-de-vida/2015/08/28/cinco-restaurantes-veganos-deliciosos/

UNDER 50 PESOS: Where to Eat in Colonia Roma

I've worked in Colonia Roma for almost nine years and have watched, amazed, as the place turns into hipster heaven (or hell, depending on your point of view). Roma has become the most talked about destination for creative cooking, with excellent restaurants like Maximo Bistrot, Rosetta, and Delirio drawing crowds from all over town.

On most workdays, however, I'm not looking to spend the kind of money you need to eat in these places. And sometimes I just want to eat, not to dine.

Luckily, Colonia Roma abounds in inexpensive places to eat well. I'm hoping my readers will respond with their favorites, but I'll keep this list short--limited to places I've been to multiple times, always with happy results. You're not likely to be asking for the recipes at these places, but you are likely to leave feeling contented.

Tacos de Canasta (at the corner of Jalapa and Álvaro Obregón). Quick, cheap and satisfying describes a lunch of a few tacos de frijol, topped with spicy green salsa, at this corner puesto, where a few plastic stools and an overhanging tree make up the ambience.

Torta stand (Tonalá between Queretaro and San Luís Potosí). A bowl of roasted jalapeños on the counter wins this simple stand in the middle of the street an extra star.

Comida Corrida: When I want something a little more comfortable than standing on the street, I'll go to one of the many comida corrida places that abound in Roma, which serve office workers and students in the area who can't make it home for mom's cooking. A complete meal will include a soup course, rice or salad, a main dish, agua del dia, and often a bit of dessert (usually jello or canned fruit). In many places the soup will be watery, starches will abound, sugar and salt will be the only flavorings. The following places are all a cut above average. They often get full after 2pm, but the turnover is fast.

El Axotleño (Coahuila 152, between Monterrey and Medellín). This busy place, adjacent to the Mercado Medellín, is my first choice for a satisfying comida corrida. Even an often dull dish, like albondigas al chipotle, comes to life here.

CoffeeLand (Zacatecas 117, near Orizaba). The sign here is so small you might miss it, but students from the adjacent university know this place and fill it daily. The only danger here is the basket full of fresh totopos (fried tortilla chips) that you'll find on each table--hard to resist.

Krika's (at the corner of Chihuahua and Monterrey). If you're in a hurry, this is the place. I've never seen waiters move so fast in Mexico.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT A BARKING DOG IN MEXICO CITY

A gringo moves into an apartment in Mexico only to discover that his landlord's dog barks…a lot. After one particularly frustrating and sleepless night, followed by a day of endless yapping, the tenant finally works up the courage to complain to the landlord.
"Isn't there something you can do about that dog barking all the time?" he asks, trying to restrain his fury.
"But señor, why do you listen?"the landlord asks.

Why, indeed? It's a question I've often discussed with ex-pat friends, many of whom have dealt with the issue of unwanted noise in Mexico. Appreciation of noise is definitely one of those cultural divides. Over the years, I've been able to develop a slightly more Buddha-like attitude to disturbances beyond my control, but being from New York City, where complaining is an art form, there's always a part of me that screams out for justice.

The problem got bad in my neighborhood a few months back when someone across the street got a new dog and left it on the roof unattended, and then left for work all day. It went on for months. You could hear the pain in the poor dog's throat. One day I counted more than 10 hours of non-stop barking. We were able to identify the building where the dog lived, but hesitated to contact the owners directly, not knowing how they might respond.

But guess what? There was relief available from our very own municipal government! You can contact the Procuraduría Ambiental y del Ordenamiento Territorial del DF and make a complaint about any environmental issue. You can make a denuncia on the internet through their website:

                                                    http://www.paot.org.mx

            Or even better, go directly to the office at Medellin 202. 4to. Piso, Colonia Roma Norte
                                                         (Click HERE for map link)


Eventually we got an email, in elaborate beaurocrat-ese, saying that someone had visited the dog's owners and seen 'Nina' and her 4 pups. There was no elaboration about how the matter was handled, but we haven't heard a peep since. 

COLONIA ROMA, Part 2: BRAD'S PAD

CREATING A PIED-Á-TERRE IN MEXICO CITY

Colonia Roma (see my last post) has become one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Mexico City, and it's attracting increasing numbers of foreigners. I wrote a previous post about an American/French couple who retired there.

When my friend Brad (an American who lives in Mexico and New Orleans) first told me about his new apartment in Roma, I thought he was joking.

“It’s on top of an fabulous art-deco building. You walk down a narrow alleyway, past the old incinerator, up a rattling metal staircase, then zigzag through lots of laundry cages to get there. It’s got five rooms and a tiny balcony that overlooks a synagogue. Oh--and it all measures 32 square meters.”

Five rooms? Thirty-two square meters (about 350 square feet)? It sounded like a dollhouse to me. I was skeptical.

Brad found his apartment by walking around the neighborhood and writing down the phone numbers of any ‘for sale’ signs he saw.

“I covered every street in Roma. I looked for about 10 days to find this apartment. It’s the only building in the neighborhood designed by Francisco Serrano, the architect of many art-deco gems in La Condesa. Unfortunately, the building is in a sorry state. Nobody pays maintenance, so nothing gets repaired. But I’m up on the roof in my own little world. It was pretty awful when I found it,” he confessed. “But the place had good bones and the price was right.”

As a foreigner, he needed a permit, which cost about 600 dollars, to buy the property, . “In general, the buying process went quite smoothly. I had to find three Mexican citizens to vouch for my character. That was a little odd but it all worked out, and now I have the escritura (deed) in my name.”

Three months later he invited me over for champagne to celebrate the completion of his renovation. After climbing and zigzagging to his rooftop hideaway, I was amazed to see what a combination of daring and imagination had achieved. This doll’s house is a real home.

The apartment has a funky, retro look, while maintaining the integrity of the original architecture. The boldest move was to paint the living room, dining room and bedroom all one color. Even the ceilings are a vivid pink (Comex bugambilia).

“I jumped when I first saw the color chip,” Brad confessed. “But once the apartment was furnished, and lit up with carefully placed lighting, it took on a warm glow. I painted the ceilings the same color so there wouldn’t be lines to show how small the apartment really is.”

The tiny bathroom is completely covered in half-inch glass tiles—six different colors in a random pattern that creates a lively feel. The tiles undulate over pipes and bumps in the wall, giving it an organic, slightly humorous look.

A small balcony faces the street, and there's an outdoor dining area in the jaula, a fenced-in area that was used to house the gas tanks and to hang laundry. "Having a bit of outdoor space makes a huge difference," said Brad. "Otherwise the place might feel claustrophobic."

The furniture is an eclectic mix gathered from flea markets and antique stores. “Some things were really inexpensive, like the sky-blue floor tiles in the kitchen--they practically gave them to me. What I spent the most money on, by far, is the portrait over the sofa of an Indian girl by Alfonso X. Peña, a contemporary of Diego Rivera who hasn’t yet gotten the recognition he deserves.”

“I’m not sure I’d have the nerve to do this kind of thing anywhere else but in Mexico. There’s something about the light, about the culture in general, that makes strong colors feel natural. It’s one of the things that keeps me coming back. And I love living in Colonia Roma--it's constantly changing and getting better all the time.”

Brad spent about $30,000 to buy his apartment and other $15,000 to renovate and furnish it. Once you own property in Mexico City the expenses are reasonable, e.g. his property tax last year was a whopping 195 pesos (about $16 US--yes that's sixteen dollars, not a typo).

If you're thinking of moving to Mexico City check out my previous blog for more tips.

Note: Read my review of Colonia Roma's hip Hotel Brick at www.luxurylatinamerica.com--a great place for a drink and people watching.

COLONIA ROMA RISES

We rented our first place in Mexico City in 1998 in Colonia Roma, before it became the hotspot it is today. The 2-bedroom 1950's era apartment was cheap enough (3000 pesos a month) to overlook the ugly block with its earthquake damaged buildings and garbage strewn vecindades. How things have changed since then!

Roma is one of Mexico City’s great hodge-podge neighborhoods. Inaugurated in the early 1900’s, it was the first fully planned subdivision, with underground cables, running water, and even a trolley line. It was home to famous politicians, actors, writers and bull fighters.

From the beginning it was a mixed neighborhood, a sociological experiment in egalitarianism. Grand mansions sat next to apartment buildings and single family houses of various economic levels. Parks, fountains, and lots of trees helped create the French ambiénce beloved of president Porfírio Díaz.

The mix of high-low, rich-poor, beautiful-ugly became more pronounced over the years. In the 30’s the money moved west to Condesa and Polanco. Decay set in. The houses of the Porfirato period were torn down and replaced with more utilitarian buildings, often of breathtaking ugliness. Mansions became offices or schools. The earthquake of 1985 severely damaged the area, leaving it neglected and unloved, like Norma Desmond in ‘Sunset Boulevard’.

But now it seems the time has come to bring the old diva out of retirement, dress her up, and put her in a new show. Restaurants, cafés, bookstores, boutiques, art galleries, and organic food stores are sprouting like whiskers on an adolescent’s chin. Weekend markets entice crowds to stroll down the tree-shaded alleé which runs the length of Avenida Álvaro Obregón, Roma’s main drag. Even the garbage collectors add to the eclectic mix—one truck I passed was blaring Roy Orbison’s ‘Pretty Woman.’

The neighborhood is perfect for a walking tour. The intersection of Calle Orizaba and Álvaro Obregón is the hub of the area. Along Orizaba are two small parks, Plaza Rio de Janiero, with its reproduction of Michaelangelo’s naked David (there are lots of naked men in the fountains of Colonia Roma—the camellón of Álvaro Obregon is lined with them.) A few blocks south is Plaza Luis Cabrera. Streets branching out from here are the most interesting in Roma. Stroll along Colima, Tabasco, Durango, or Jalapa to soak up the feeling of yesteryear that Roma offers. Below are some photos to give you a preview.

Some Highlights of Colonia Roma:

1. Casa Lamm—Cultural center in an old mansion

2. Hotel Brick—have a drink at the swanky bar

3. Broka--Comida corrida & tapas bar

4. Rosetta—Superior Italian food in a lovely old house

5. Delirio—Cool lunch spot with great take out items (try the lemon/cardamom marmalade!)

6. Trouvé and Chic by Accident—Retro home decor stores

7. MUCA—Contemporary art museum

8. MODO—Museum of design—collections of weird objects

9. Artes de Mexico—small craft store in a great old house

10. Art galeries--Arroníz, OMR and Nina Menocal are three of the best

11. El Pendulo--Bookstore, café, cabaret theater—great rooftop.

12. Taco stands at Álvaro Obregón and Insurgentes—street food heaven

13. Weekend markets: Vendors set up along Álvaro Obregon on Saturdays and Sundays. Saturdays only there's a flea market in the park at Cuauhtémoc and Tabasco. Sundays only there's a tianguis in the other park at Álvaro Obregón and Cuauhtemoc--there are great food stalls along Tabasco.

14. MOG, Asian fusion food, retro/futuro decor

15. Bar Covadonga, The ultimate Roma-mix bar.

My first apartment (below). The pozole verde at the place downstairs is one of the best things you'll eat in Mexico City (it's on Zacatecas between Córdoba and Merida).