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Welcome to Monterrey!
The City of Mountains
is Mexico with an International influence.
With a bit of
European flair and a touch of "Americana," Monterrey is a
culturally hip city. Despite the fact it's located in north central
Mexico instead of along one of the country's popular and beautiful coastlines,
it boasts tremendous culture and nightlife.
Surrounded by the Sierra Madre mountains – centered by the Cerro
de la Silla (Saddle Mountain – it is distinctive in its look
and feel.
It is, first and foremost, and industrial giant. It is Mexico's third-largest
city and attracts many American business travelers. As such, just about
all the locals speak fluent English (some are even easier to understand
than those heavy Texas twangers that fly in from the States). This is
also one of the wealthiest cities in Mexico.
Monterrey
Visitor's Guide
Dancers provide traditional Mexican entertainment at the city's main
plaza.
Arrival and Accommodations
Monterrey is an easy two-hour flight
from Dallas. The airport is located about a half-hour from where you
will want to stay and play and it does have an ATM machine, so it's
a convenient place to load up on the pesos. Shuttles and taxis are readily
available.
The heart of the hotels is known as Centro Monterrey –
there's a Sheraton, Fiesta Americana, even a HoJo's (don't laugh, it's
clean and perfectly located).In the heart of a lively square, it is
walking distance to the prime party spot of Barrio Antiguo. Between
the two is the huge Grand Plaza of Monterrey with a park, beautiful
buildings and an outdoor bazaar. The square has authentic Mexican music
and dancers every weekend and there's an outdoor bar to sit and enjoy
the moment.
There are two offices that offer information to tourists. Infotur at
the corner of Zaragoza and Matamoros is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to
1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. On weekends, the hours are 10 a.m. to 5
p.m. (Tel: 45-0870). The other office is at the corner of Contitución
and Zaragoza. Hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Tel: 44-4343).
Getting Around Town
Once situated in Centro Monterrey, it's hardly necessary to get to
other places about town. Still, taxis are readily available; having
a hotel make arrangements is better than flagging down a ride off the
street.
The People
The locals
are as lovely in personality as they are in appearance.
For those tired of the tourist towns
of Mexico, full of people hawking blankets and Chicklets and waiters
who change the price of a cerveza according to their mood, Monterrey
is a breath of fresh, clean air.
The people are warm and friendly. They enhance the experience of the
city and send people away with a good feeling about Monterrey.
In the clubs, it's quite common to have mua chicas (very young
girls) as part of the crowd. These are not giggly American schoolgirls,
mind you; they are well-dressed, mature in behavior and could easily
pass for someone in their mid-20s. In reality, they are 16 or 17. This
can catch unsuspecting men (even locals) flatfooted. Always be sure
and sneak in a ¿Cuantos años tienes?"(how old are you?) at some
point in the evening.
Monterrey Nightlife
Party on: It's
Mexico and locals at places like La Galeria Cafe like to cut loose.
Monterey is a mix of cool bars and hip
nightclubs. Generally, the dress is upscale with a casual flair.
Clubs are quiet until midnight and are open until 4 a.m. The drinking
age is 18, though inspection of age identification is spotty at best.
Weekends are the most crowded. Sunday evenings and early weekdays can
be slow.
Drink prices, at least in the bars and restaurants, are incredibly
cheap for those used to the tourist cities. Local cervezas are a little
as 250 pesos. Nightclub prices are higher.
Monterrey's nightlife is built around its many large dance
clubs.
Two words: Barrio Antiguo. Monterrey's "Old Town"
is the heartbeat of this city's nightlife and it's filled with huge
dance clubs with some very cool bars sprinkled in between. It is concentrated
on two main streets with a couple of side streets. A seemingly-endless
line of cars roams the streets and hundreds of people are walking from
one place to another.
On the bar scene, the best place is La Galeria Cafe. The candlelit
bar features interesting artwork, hypnotic music and a casual, very
local crowd. It's almost as if you made a wrong turn and wound up in
a hip bar in some European city. This is an outstanding place to start
the evening. It does serve food, mainly appetizer-style.
A bit quieter, Cafe Infinito is a lounge with a loft overlooking
the street. The wine and cheese platter is the call here.
La Tumba is a traditional, local live music club. La Hacienda
has a rooftop patio, lots of women and is always happening.Cachagua
is a bar with funk and jazz.A funk band plays Wednesday nights and the
places gets really rocking. Cadaques, named after the city in Spain.is
a very cool Mediterranean -style bar and lounge.
On the complete opposite spectrum, Calypso is a loud and often
lively bar-restaurant by the Sheraton in Centro Monterrey.
Largely, Barrio Antiguo revolves around huge dance clubs. At Fonda
San Miguel, people line up before the place even opens. The most
upscale of the clubs, it's also the most popular. It has a large stage
and people are dancing everywhere – on the floor, between the tables
and in the aisles.
The more laid-back locals prefer Cafe Iguana. The crowd is young
and unpretentious and the scene is far more casual than the other clubs.
A band plays Mexican pop music; it's basically a Hard Rock Cafe without
all the plaques.
Bar Rio is huge and the doormen are known for their selective
entrance policy. On the other hand, Monastero will let in just
about anybody. This place is huge, has a second level that appears to
be on the scale of a huge stadium's balcony and has a live band. The
waiters dress like monks, an interesting touch.
Looking for a change of pace? Museo Metropoloitao de Monterrey
is the best bar not in Barrio Antiguo.
Shakes & Chills is an after-hours reggae bar behind Barrio
Antiguo. There's no sign on the door but everybody knows this place.
Sightseeing
and Activities in Monterrey
Vendors sell hats, pottery and other items at the
Grand Plaza of Monterrey's
When away from clubs, one could easily
spend a day roaming through and enjoying a nice lunch in the Centro
Monterrey area. Fudora Park is also good for running, rollerblading,
etc. Monterrey is home to many good museums, such as the Museo de
Arte Contemporaneo, the Museo de Historia Mexicana y Paseo Santa Lucia
and the Museuo de Culturas Populares y Case del Campesino.
Dining and Restaurants
In and around Centro Monterrey are several
good restaurant choices. On the upscale side, it doesn't get any better
than Luisiana. It features high-quality Mexican food in a soothing,
romantic atmosphere.
On much lower scale is Monastero, a down-home Mexican restaurant
with hearty food for 100-150 pesos. Kind of a "sister" establishment
to the nightclub of the same nam, here the waitresses are nuns. But
they do serve margaritas (2-for-1 weekdays until 9 p..m.). The salsa
is so spicy it carries a bigger kick than Adam Venaturi.
For a lively restaurant/bar, La Hacienda in Barrio Antigo has
a festive atmosphere. A three-piece band plays local music and the camerons
are tasty. Pass on the margaritas, though. It's a good warm-up before
hitting the bars.
Outside of the main area, Teca Luna is on a major street on
the outskirts of town. It has Mexican food and a band and is very busy
on weekends. To get there, just take a cab.
The Language
Spanish is, of course, the language of
Monterrey. However, most people are fluent in English. Monterrey does
have its own local twist on the native language. For instance, when
people are feeling good, they are "chido (pron. "cheedo).
Other "feelin' good" local terms are: con madre, padre,
fregon, esta chingon and con garias.
Time Zone
Monterrey is GMT -7, the same time zone
as the Central United States.
The Weather
The temperature ranges from 70F in the
winter to mid-90s in the summer. It can get cool in the evenings (though
not in the summer). Monterrey is bathed in sunshine, so the weather
is almost always favorable.
 Next
stop on the Mexican Party Bus: Baja
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