San Miguel de Allende, Mexico: San Miguel Shoe store; things to do

San Miguel Shoe store  

Calzada de la Luz #48, 01-415-154-47-02.

Martha Muniz at San Miguel Shoe store in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

For the treacherous, cobblestone streets found here and throughout Mexico, the thick elastic-strapped sandals designed by Martha Muniz are de rigueur. In addition to having sticky soles that grip the cobblestones and sidewalks, they are very comfortable, inexpensive (start at about $25), and even attractive. They come in many colors and several heel heights, but if your foot is larger than U.S. 8 1/2 they will be almost impossible to find here. But fortunately they are also sold at high end shops in the U.S. and on the internet, though it is much more fun to buy them, and wear them, at the source. They make the perfect souvenir.   Martha--the designer and shopkeeper here--is usually made up for prime time and wearing a monotone outfit--Paris Hilton pink, navy blue, black--she is definitely part of the show.



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image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico: Best Western Hotel Monteverde Express; hotel review

Best Western Hotel Monteverde Express 

Volanteros #2, Zona Centro, 5 blks. from main plaza, (800) 543-0099.  4 stars.  30 rooms.  Continental breakfast. 

Partially built in the 16th century by Spanish nobility, the hacienda-style Best Western Hotel Monteverde Express retains colonial flavor with its large courtyard garden featuring a four-century-old fountain.  It is fortified from the main street by a high wall and moat-like ditch.  The cozy breakfast room has a brick barrel ceiling with white beams and red tile floors.  Breakfast or lunch in the courtyard can be pleasant.  My suite had four double beds!, one tiny bathroom with a shower/tub and toilet “closet” separated by two perilous steps from a vanity/sink in the room.  Housekeeping was immaculate.  My spacious room overlooked the street, so I know that dogs bark relentlessly some nights, and a far-away rooster announces dawn.


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image courtesy of hotel website 

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico: Bugambilia; restaurant review

Bugambilia 

Hidalgo 42, Centro, 415-152-0127. Open daily.

Established in 1945, Bugambilia is the town’s first, and oldest, restaurant. And it is one of the few that still serves authentic Mexican dishes. I enjoyed lunch here last week in an atmospheric central courtyard dining area with heavy furniture and colorful flowers galore. A delicious tortilla soup (sopa Azteca) got my taste buds ready for a spectacular seasonal dish, Chiles en Nogada--a poblano chile filled with a beef-nut-almond mix and topped with a creamy sauce sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. It features the colors of the Mexican flag and is fabuloso. I'd make the trip again just to eat this dish one more time. All this, and live music nightly. Ole!


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Introduction to Dolores Hidalgo, Mexico

Dolores Hidalgo, Mexico 

30 min. N of San Miguel de Allende. Mexico’s independence from Spain was fought out here in Dolores Hidalgo in1810. Today the town is known for its ice cream and beautiful handmade talavera pottery. Ice cream vendors have carts at the four corners of the central square, and the flavors are unusual—shrimp, tequila, mole, avocado. The town is also known for great carnitas. It is one of the premier places in Mexico to buy Talavera pottery at a fraction of the prices in the United States or even nearby San Miguel. Artists are seen at work painting in shops.

talavera pottery made in Dolores Hidalgo, Mexico

●Our Lady of Sorrows church 

is a carved from rose-colored quarry stone and a gorgeous example of churrigueresque architecture.


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image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Introduction to Guanajuato, Mexico

Near Leon and not far from San Miguel de Allende, and about 200 miles west of Mexico City and 200 miles east of Guadalajara, Guanajuato is more or less in the center of Mexico. Its altitude is 6,500, and it can get chilly. Founded by the Spanish in the early 16th century, it is the capital of the Mexican state of the same name. More of a workers’ town than San Miguel, it sees fewer foreigners but is vibrantly filled with young adults. Attractions include the childhood home of muralist Diego Rivera, who was born here in 1886, and the ever-popular mummy museum. A World Heritage Site since 1988, this unique town sports narrow alleys (don't miss "kiss alley," depicted in this image), pedestrian streets, colorfully painted buildings, colonial architecture, multiple plazas, underground traffic tunnels, and no traffic lights.

Kiss Alley in action in Guanajuato, Mexico

Watch my video overview of the city:

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image c2009 Chris Gray
video c2009 Carole Terwilliger Meyers