Garden Oasis in the Big City

Guadalajara is a huge, amazing city!

The central historical area feels just like Europe. Beautiful buildings, seating at cafes on the squares - shopping, people, pigeons, music and so much to see!

This city has about 12 squares - a huge cathedral and more than enough walking streets to keep you busy. Get a map from one of the main Tourist Info booths - or you'll just get a small b/w copy... Best one we found was at the Info booth (I'm sure they must be everywhere... ) at the far west end of the walking zone - Plaza Tapatia-

This end of the sites is a good place to start or end... the huge market is just south of this square. At night - just across the street (further to the west) you can see the Mariachis band members waiting to get hired... this is not a part of town to take the kids. But it's fun to have a look.

The main cathedrial has a plaza on every side of it - so it was hard on the first day to figure out which way things went. With the front of the cathedral facing north: the plaza to the west is a major shopping area, 'quick-food' cafes and such. Plaza to the east is the main 'drag' of walking streets... and has the main arts theater.

Plaza to the south - at the back of the cathedral - has a large pavilion where there is almost always music of some sort going on.

The people of Guadalajara are OUT - talking, going places, meeting in the squares. There are native tourists out in force - taking horse drawn carriage rides with their family - shopping: It's sort of an 'LA'- shopping destination. Lots of shop owners come to G. to get things for their businesses.

Our lodging was a small 'hotel' 4 rooms in a garden oasis just north of all this. It had a small cafe in the front that made it a great B& 'Buy you own breakfast'... I liked that best - The grounds are amazing - designed by Bob Clark

The 'house' offers use of the mac computer - a local phone and one to the state. There where some great 'like' minded guests staying there - and it was fun to exchange adventures and recommendations.

One our most fun days was a trip to the zoo - on the tip from some other guests who had gone there the day before. It was one of the largest, cleanest and most 'reproductive' zoo I have ever been in. Totally worth a day!