Life in the City

[Gringation]

Originally Posted by BruceWedding

Awesome! Where is it?

And I've got to checkout this Bodega place too.

Mega Comercial Mexicana is located on Avenida Kabah, in the same shopping center as Costco. (Also right next to the soccer stadium) Probably not the cheapest option, but they have the best/freshest produce section I've ever seen in Cancun, plus it's never crowded!

[matkirk]

Superama on the Bonempak has quite a good selection of cheese as well next to the meats.

The best ham/turkey etc. I've found is the brand Peñeranda - jamon tipo york and the pechuga de pavo sin sal are both great.

[rawkus]

Can only second Gringation when it comes to Mega on Kabah: By far our favorite place for groceries. Fruits and veggies pretty much always seem fresher than other places(especially Wal Mart centro and the disgusting Chedraui on Av Tulum). I always buy my salmon and tilapia in Mega as well.

The cheese-area is well organized and has decent supply for a decent cost.

Plus, one does not have to be stalked and harassed by the meat/cheese sales people like in Wal Mart, jaja

Another plus: Have never had to put up with obnoxiously loud reggaeton and techno in Mega.

[ToriB]

Originally Posted by V

Sometimes changes bring unintended consequences, as we all know, and it's no exception with attempts to improve "life in the city".

Several months ago, large numbers of new city buses hit the streets of Cancun, a welcome development for those of us who use the city buses to get around. Unfortunately, this change brought some unintended consequences.

The problem is that these buses represent several different private companies, and with more buses on the streets an intense competition for passengers has arisen, prompting the drivers to a recklessness less common, before. Many of them, maybe a majority, are driving faster than ever, and making abrupt stops, throwing passengers about. I was in a near miss, recently, in which the driver was speeding on Av Tulum, at the roundabout near the ADO, when a line of cars ahead suddenly slowed. The driver hit the brakes, but couldn't stop in time: fortunately, there was enough room in the roadway for him to miss the cars ahead by veering to the side. Without that clearance, there would have been a terrific, rear end collision.

I'll do my part by "taking names" and filing reports of reckless driving, but I'm afraid this may not get better until a serious accident calls the problem to the authorities' attention.

I travel mostly by bus, HZ and City, and I must say, inspite of not having much religion in me, I do say a few silent words once seated on a bus. I wonder why there are no accidents...I have yet to see one...with these monster hell on wheels. I haven't seen any difference when it come to their driving, as V has pointed out. Just more morons fighting to get to the next full stop to rip off us customers.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by Jim in Cancun

Not sure if anyone has noticed but 3 or 4 of the big stores (Bodega Aurrerá being one of them) this week have been closed and fined for selling out-of-date products so check dates.

I read that earlier in the week.

I always heard that once stuff gets near its sell by date in the centro locations it gets shipped out to the outlying supermarkets to be sold at a cheaper price.

I'll give it a miss I think.

[rawkus]

BruceWedding:

Swung by Costco today and found a 24-pack of Coke Lights for 162 pesos.


Edit: Now I see that you asked for "Diet", rather than "Light".

[BruceWedding]

Originally Posted by rawkus

BruceWedding:

Swung by Costco today and found a 24-pack of Coke Lights for 162 pesos.


Edit: Now I see that you asked for "Diet", rather than "Light".

Thanks, Coke Lite will work.

I went to Mega today and loved it. Finally a reasonable facsimile of a US supermarket. But, the mentioned imported cheese section was sorely lacking and it did NOT have most of the cheeses I mentioned.

[pocodinero]

Bruce,

Try this place for the cheese that you might crave. Try calling them first before you make the trip there. The Central de Abastos is full of businesses that cater to the Hotels in the area and are usually open to the public. Great place for fresh veggies and high quality meats.

CHARCUTERIA FINA S.A. DE C.V. - C/V DE CARNES FRIAS -
Teléfono - (998)8865537 - Cancun, Cancun

Domicilio: CARRETERA CANCUN-AEROPUERTO CENTRAL DE ABASTO BODEGA 25-26 - EJIDO ALFREDO V BONFIL - CP: 77560 - CARRETERA CANCUN-AEROPUERTO CENTRAL DE ABASTO BODEGA 25-26 - EJIDO ALFREDO V BONFIL - CP: 77560 - Cancun

[Gringation]

Originally Posted by BruceWedding

I went to Mega today and loved it. Finally a reasonable facsimile of a US supermarket. But, the mentioned imported cheese section was sorely lacking and it did NOT have most of the cheeses I mentioned.

Glad you liked Mega!

Maybe you went on a bad day, but I know I've seen almost all of the cheeses you mentioned:

1. cheddar
2. bleu cheese
3. feta
4. swiss (although it wasn't as "hole-y" as what I used to have in the States)

Don't remember seeing gorgonzola, but then again I've never looked for it.

Good luck

[BruceWedding]

Originally Posted by Gringation

Glad you liked Mega!

Maybe you went on a bad day, but I know I've seen almost all of the cheeses you mentioned:

1. cheddar
2. bleu cheese
3. feta
4. swiss (although it wasn't as "hole-y" as what I used to have in the States)

Don't remember seeing gorgonzola, but then again I've never looked for it.

Yes, they had cheddar and feta. I bought the feta and it didn't taste anything like what I call feta. I didn't see any bleu cheese or swiss and definitely not gorgonzola.

I needs me some strong, stinky bleu cheese LOL

[Gringation]

I've bought bleu cheese there several times! They usually offer several different brands. Maybe try in another week or two?

[T.J.]

IMPORTANT TO ME: BOHEMIA DARK, $84 at Soriana.

TORI B: Let's go to Laura's for dinner. She has all the good stuff. BUT we can bring beer. We know how to do that.

TORI B: "Not much religion" ?? You can do something about that and I can help. It does a body good. Soul too.

[pocodinero]

Costco is another place to find a good selection of cheese. Over the weekend, I bought some Feta and Fresh Mozzerella. I enen saw a selection of Provolone, Jarlsberg, Mozzerella wrapped in proscuito, blue cheese and baby bell among others. The even had a tasting table of a variety sharp swiss cheeses

[BruceWedding]

Now I have to buy a damn Costco membership I guess. Already had Sams and bought City Club when I moved here.

[V]

For us, the biggest hardship of "life in the city" is the noise, especially at night.

Recently, a nightclub called the "View" opened in the Solaris Shopping Center (I think I've got that name right, it's across from the bullring). Two Saturdays ago, as I recall, it was blazing away with the most incredibly loud music I've ever been exposed to. At around 4 AM it was still going and I went to investigate, and fume.

Since that time, I haven't heard it, and last night I went by and it was darkened. Can it be that neighborhood complaints shut it down? I live more than a KM away, and it was disturbing us: I can't imagine what it must have been like for those closer to the scene, if they were trying to sleep.
____________________

In the recent past, Las de Guanatos has built a permanent outdoor seating area in the parking lot of the bullring, just in case we couldn't hear their music. At 3:40 AM not so long ago I had to find out who was making all the racket, and it was coming from them....

A fifteen piece mariachi band was playing, from 1:30 AM to 4:30 AM (Wednesdays and Thursday evenings, as it turned out). They had seven trumpets, a bass horn, and a very large and loud drum. The sound of this band carried for more than two KMs; in fact, when I first heard it, I walked north (sound echoing off buildings can make it hard to determine the direction, initially).

On a bad night, like these, all windows and doors shut, a/c on, and earplugs in still do not keep you from hearing the music.

These performances also seem to have now ceased: can it be that neighborhood complaints have had their effect? The police will respond to complaints of noise, in my experience, but to shut down a commercial operation I think they must get a chorus of complaints before they will act decisively.

[Cancun Fun]

That sucks V....all we hear out here after dark is birds and crickets!

[rawkus]

That rem inds me of ONE thing that I really and truly miss from Sweden: Zoning!! Residential, commercial and industrial. Its as easy as A, B, C

V: When we moved to Retorno Cielo(across the park from you), there was a nightclub called Roof Garden or similar, in the now closed down(?) Plaza Nayandei, right next to TV Azteca.

That nightclub blasted loud music till 4-5 am, almost every damn night. Well, a neighbor that lives in one of the houses when you enter from Bonampak, went to complain... He ended up getting stabbed and beat up, by what reports say was one of the owners. The cops didnt really intervene as they were "hanging out" with the idiot owner, so he struggled back to his house and told the guard on our street, whom then called the cops.

Hope you get it sorted in the long run. Im sure LOTS of people have complained.

[V]

It seems that when the phone rings often enough at police HQ, they do something about it! So far as I´m aware, the "View" was only operational for one night. Someone like Val, who lives across the street, may have a different report to make.

What was remarkable about the very large Mariachi band was how loud they truly were, even without amplification. No wonder armies have used trumpets to communicate, even over the din of battle. On a quiet night, that sound can carry for miles, and bass drums even more so....

[T.J.]

Chedraui at Plaza Las Americas has a great cheese section.

V - If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. The Mojitos at LDG are very good but you MUST have them open a new can/bottle of agua mineral or they will be sort of flat. Fidel would never approve.

Seriously though, I am sorry you have to put up with middle of the night mariachis.

When it gets noisy at my home, I open a window and seranade the offenders with my futbol horn, that is louder and more shrill than a train whistle. That won't work in your case.

[V]

That nightclub blasted loud music till 4-5 am, almost every damn night. Well, a neighbor that lives in one of the houses when you enter from Bonampak, went to complain... He ended up getting stabbed and beat up

Rawkus, have you reflected on how likely that move- of complaining to the business owners- was to actually improve things, when the owners depend on that entertainment to attract their customers?

The only potentially effective route is to complain to the police, every time the music cranked up. If enough people do that, the police will act.

I"m still curious to see what Val's observations have been, since he lives closer to the source of the noise- about the club called the "View" and about the very large mariachi group that plays from time to time, usually from 1:30 AM to 4:30 AM on Wed and Thurs nights, at Las de Guanatos.

[rawkus]

V: He didnt approach the owner. He walked up to the cops hanging out just next doors, told them, confirmed phone calls over several weeks.

Then the owners goons(guards, if you will), approached him and started pushing him. Just seconds after that, the owner came, hit the guy in the face, before the goons jumped it. Then he got stabbed by that particular owner(think the place had 2 owners). The cops he approached at first, didnt intervene in any way at all. The man was left and the owner and his gorillas went back inside. We are talking about a man who at that time was 63 years old....

What got the cops to finally show up, was the guard on our street.

People reported the place for several years.

Edit: The cops only came because of the stabbing - they barely even glanced at the nightclub when our neighbor pointed out where it all happened.

[V]

Then the owners goons(guards, if you will), approached him and started pushing him. Just seconds after that, the owner came, hit the guy in the face, before the goons jumped it. Then he got stabbed by that particular owner.

It's not pretty what happened to the guy, but in these circumstances it makes more sense to organize a community response, once you have identified the source of the noise. These problems, when they occur, affect hundreds of home owners to some degree; in our case, all those living within about a two KM radius.

In my experience, the police are very responsive to complaints of noise at night: it gets a little more complicated for them when the source of the noise is a club, or other entertainment venue; and, in those cases, you can't do better than a community response which strengthens the hands of the police in dealing with it.

[rawkus]

Originally Posted by rawkus

People reported the place for several years.

Thats what people had done even before we moved there, with absolutely no positive results whatsoever.

Dont know if there was a different nightclub before "Rooftop Garden"(or something like that), but the years we lied there, with the nightclub, were really stressful. People facing east, also had their apartments illuminated thanks to the strobes, lights etc.

The stabbing was what finally started the cops to even bother coming. Sad that it had to go that far, but, it did and later they closed. Dont know if it was that or simply the lack of income, as that entire plaza slowly died out.

Personally, I call the local cops as little as possible. Its such a blend: One guy/girl really cares, whilst most of them couldnt even be bothered at all.

[rawkus]

Found an older article on the "Roof garden".

Here is the original article(Spanish): Novedades de Quintana Roo



Here is the translated text(bare with the, at sometimes, very strange translation, haha):

New complaint against terrace-bar by the noise arises

Now, neighbors of the supermanzana 4 affirm
that the scandal does not leave them to sleep in peace
By Linen Vine

Neighbors of the supermanzana 4 required to the municipal government the closure of the terrace-bar The Roof Garden, in stock Nayandei, that as happens in the area of Tip Cancun, generates, among others inconveniences, noise that does not permit to rest the inhabitants of the zone.
In spite of existing a serious problem by the generating establishments of noise in the hotel zone, the municipal government continues permitting that be established this type of places, now even in the heart of the city.
The problem of the noise generated by the calls terraces-bar has gotten out of control and after being found in a dead end in the hotel zone, now extended to plaza Nayandei, in the heart of the center of the city.
The shrill operation of one of these localities called The Roof Garden and everything that involves, already alerted the neighbors of the supermanzana 4, who requested the intervention of the authorities.
The Committee of Neighbors of the supermanzana 4, represented by María of the Dew Martínez Matías, like the president, has done to arrive different positions to the municipal authorities so that do something on the matter.
In the sent positions, from November of 2006, little before to be inaugurated it cited plaza, the neighbors requested the intervention of the municipal authorities, upon realizing the noise that would be generated.
In one of the missives directed so much to the municipal presidency, as to the directions of Ecology, Urban Development, Health, Public Security and Civic Participation, they request that the The be closed Roof Garden.
The main motive of the complaint is because, just like the terraces located in Tip Cancun, in stock Nayandei functions the terrace to open sky, that according to the neighbors, emits noise far above the norm.
But not all remains there, the complaining affirm that in passed days even the police been present in an operating fort, before the great neighbors calls number so that they silenced the scandal.
And the fact is that, they indicated, in highly hours at night the parishioners leave the place in inconvenient state, and upon not there being capacity of parking in the plaza, they accommodate their cars set against their houses, where they assemble scandals of drunks.
Just like the neighbors affected by the noise in the zone of beaches, in this case the neighbors require that their right be respected to live in peace, like they did it since 25 years ago, when the zone only was a mangrove swamp.
"To promote the investment should not be at the cost of sacrificing the life of those that arrived first, that they raised this tourist pole and that today they work for recovering the peace in their homes", they indicate in one of the letters.
With the pressure that exercised since last year, the neighbors of the supermanzana 4 achieved that in said plaza they closed the bars "Scala" and "Wayans", nevertheless, now opened the The Roof Garden.
They are around 400 families the ones that live in the zone and that consider affected their auditory space and their fundamental right to rest with the hours of necessary dream for a healthy life.
At first sight the terrace can be observed where three horns are seen at least that give toward the street, near where before there was an emergency exit, for which the neighbors also are asked if they will include this service.

Enlarged the capital gain

Above all this situation, the bookkeeper and administrator of the plaza, Alfonso Zaldívar Mountain, defends its position and argues that the creation of the plaza even benefited the neighbors, upon being increased the capital gain of the zone.
It maintained that the neighbors complain until the noise of the fumigation and of the trucks that collect the trash, because they have not realized that they live in a zone a hundred commercial percent, aimed.
On the other hand, used that if the authorities gave the permissions and licenses of operation, should be because the establishment complies with all the norms that the law establishes.

[valgunn]

Living in Malecon Americas does have its pluses and minuses. Noise at night is an issue, but it hits us early 7-11pm when the kids are getting ready for bed and we want to watch a movie or sit out on the terrace. Most often it tolerable, except on busy/festive weekends when it gets started early. If the bass wasn't cranked to max dbs it would bother us at all.

We however are used to living in large cities and noise doesn't get to all that often. I could see how if could impact others. At this point we are still happy living in Torre Vancouver, and the views/conveniences are worth it. Need something from the grocery store, card swipe the private entrance in to the mall and walk to the grocery store. We are regulars at Cinepolis VIP and it's nice not having to drive. Gas for our car averages maybe $50 a month and that includes taking a trip or two to PDC or Tulum. Literally dozens of restaurants within a short walking distance. My wife is a big runner, so the running trail out to the HZ is very close. On one side we can see Isla Mujeres and the crescent arc of the hotel zone, the other is most of the city of Cancun.

Again as I mentioned we are city people, living in the centers of Barcelona, Berlin, Oslo, Paris, Dallas, and Miami. So we're aware of the negatives for making such choices.

[valgunn]

Originally Posted by V

I"m still curious to see what Val's observations have been, since he lives closer to the source of the noise- about the club called the "View" and about the very large mariachi group that plays from time to time, usually from 1:30 AM to 4:30 AM on Wed and Thurs nights, at Las de Guanatos.

Yeah the mariachi/jazz band is loud. Was wondering why the hell they were going full bore during the middle of the week. We caught some terrible karaoke from somewhere around the bullring as well one evening.

[valgunn]

We use Mega for fruit/vegetables and cheeses. Chedraui is just not very good for this and their meats as well--which we use Costco for. Other than bulk items, Chedraui is find with selection and price. I cannot stand Walmart, and avoid if at all possible--even the Superamas.

[valgunn]

Earlier in the thread was comparative costing. We've been here 8 months and we are living about 50% less than what we were in FL. Easy to calculate since we are FM2 rentistas that are not dependent on Mexican salaries. So we've saved a considerable amount so far. Groceries are about 2/3 of what we paid in the states. The worst for us is toys (8 year old triplets), video games, and certain electronics.

[rawkus]

Originally Posted by valgunn

even the Superamas.

Youre missing out: The Superama on Bonampak(not that far from you), is great in many ways. Fresh stuff, organized, never packed etc. Also, I always grab a chai latte next doors at Starbucks, hehe

I agree when it comes to Wal Mart - uuuggghhhh....

[V]

The worst for us is toys (8 year old triplets), video games, and certain electronics.

This may soon change in that Mexico is committed by international treaty to dropping its punitively high tariffs on Chinese imports, this year.