Neighborhood recommendations

[rdetata]

Hola!
I'm a new member and looking forward to learning from you all...so thanks in advance :)

From Jan 20 to 25, I'll be in Guanajuato City getting a feel for the city and exploring neighborhoods I might want to live (I'm moving in the Spring.) I'd love to hear your recommendations for where to go; for this upcoming trip, I'm merely looking for areas to walk around, chat up a neighbor two, etc.

My idea of a great 'hood is, of course, first and foremost, the folks who live there. Are they open and welcoming or wary of newcomers? Are they dog friendly (I have a super sweet, friendly, quiet dog who goes nearly everywhere with me)? Are there markets, shops, etc. close by (not big store)? And I'm looking for good light - an area that's particularly sunny. I realize these attributes may not exactly apply to GC's neighborhoods, but hopefully it helps for your suggestions.

I look forward to hearing from you!
Muchas gracias!
Roberta

[roberb7]

First, I doubt that there's any neighbourhood in GTO that isn't dog-friendly. A better question is, do the people in it know how to use pooper scoopers?

I'll put in a some words for my neighbourhood, Municipio Libre. Yes, there's plenty of sun here, and the people are reasonably friendly. An important issue for me is, it's far enough from downtown so I don't get all the downtown noise, particularly church bells. A drum and bugle corps only comes around an average of once a month.

It's reasonably safe; there's a policeman that walks a beat during the daytime.

I can still walk to the centre of town in a half hour. The Pozuelos mall is a short walk; the Cantador mall (Bodega Aurrera/Office Depot) is a bit further.

The buses could be better. My preferred choice is the Sprinter that comes around every half hour, but it doesn't go to the centre; it goes to the Alhondiga, then up to the Soriana. One alternative is the Pipila/ISSTE bus, which does go to the centre, but isn't very reliable, and is often packed to the rafters. It's also possible to walk to the Hotel Real de Minas, and from there there's buses downtown every couple of minutes. And if you're going to Embajadores or Paseo de la Presa, you can walk to the "glorieta" by the Pozuelos mall, and catch a bus from there through the tunnel.

[Sue100]

You mention that you are looking for a lot of sun. I don't live here, but I have rented for several weeks at a time on the north side (above the Panoramica at Temescuitate) and on the south side (Paseo de la Presa around Zaragoza, near street level of Paseo de la Presa). Each of those locations received a lot of sun either only in the morning or only in the afternoon. At the moment I am renting in centro around Plaza de Allende, and for the first time staying somewhere that gets sun all day. I would also be interested in hearing about the amount of sun people receive in their neighbourhoods.

[Mikel1]

Embajadoras for us. Sun is going to depend on the individual house, it's orientation to the sun and height and proximity of adjoining buildings. A house on a hill with a southern exposure will be sunnier.

[DonJuane]

Do you speak Spanish? Gringos don't seem to clump together here like is common in other locations. They're all sort of "independent agents" which to me is refreshing if you are used to Chapala, San Miguel, etc drinking and social clubs. So what I am saying is that you will need some Spanish skills if you want to chat in depth with neighbors. Not many people here speak English (no need), so Spanish will be required in general.

As far as sun, you're talking about a city that has one of the steepest valleys for it's "el centro" in Mexico, so the sun will be limited unless you have a place with a terrace or you find a place up higher around the surrounding mountain sides. And the higher you are, the more you have to walk to get home or the more in taxi fees to drop you at the top to walk down that you will have to add to the budget.

[rdetata]

@roberb7 I will never understand the not picking up poop thing and unfortunately it happens everywhere. Thanks for the wealth of info about Municipio Libre, it’s now on my list to visit!

Thanks @Sue100! I’ll be steering north.

@Mikel1 Love the name of your neighborhood – it’s on the list!

My number one priority @DonJuane, is to learn to speak Spanish to integrate as quickly as possible. I’ll be immediately enrolled in Spanish immersion so ideally I’d love a home-stay type of environment, but with my own place. And OMG…I’m really not able to comprehend the steepness. I’ve been thinking “well, I’m from San Francisco I know all about hills.” I think I’m about to get my butt kicked hahahaha

Thanks again for helping this obvious novice! I’m so looking forward to putting you invaluable advice to use when I visit in about 10 days. ?