bevvym

(I have been advised to remove this post from the general travel forum and post it here even though it does not pertain entirely to Mexico and Central America.)

My husband and I love to travel and are looking to improve our Spanish. We communicate pretty well in Spanish now and spent two weeks in Madrid last summer. We would like to spend August 2017 in a city where we can further immerse ourselves. We aren't looking for formal Spanish lessons. The cities we're considering right now are Cuenca, Ecuador, and Mexico City. I have a feeling there's lots more to do in Mexico City, but it seems like there's lots of culture and nightlife in each place, and also each has a great climate. (Getting out of Atlanta in August would be a major bonus.) Does anyone have thoughts about either city or suggestions of other places we should consider? We like to travel with our two small dogs, so we will mostly stay put and not travel extensively out of the city we choose. We prefer urban areas over rural. It seems both Cuenca and DF have pet-friendly lodgings. Thank you for any advice you may have!

Stewbear

You might consider Guanajuato thought by some a the most beautiful city in the world. Certainly one of the most colorful with house often painted in bright pastels.
Tons of culture in this university city, Fab architecture, excellent food & warn people But little English spoken, I am told it reminds many of a city in Spain.
Check It Out!
PS Basically a pedestrian city as the bulk of car traffic is underground on roads built through old subterranean river beds.

Stewbear

PS
http://www.neverendingvoyage.com/gua...#comment-62242

suze

If you want Mexico but something a tad smaller than the DF you could look at Guadalajara?

baldone

Funny how you get advice on Spanish from 2 people that don't even know the language?
Given your criteria, I'd be inclined to choose CDMX with lodging near or in Condesa or Roma as both areas are great for walking your dogs.
That said, "Mexican" Spanish may not be as exact as compared to what's spoken in South America, but you'll be fine.

bevvym

I am very appreciative of the advice given so far. Thank you, everyone!

Stewbear

Extraño como un obsesivo compulsivo sabe lo que otros tienen conocimiento de.

baldone

C'mon, Stew. A machine translation? That's downright embarrassing.
bevvym, if you drill down on Google maps to the Roma/Condesa area, you can find Parque Espana and Parque Mexico, both are popular for dog walkers all hours of the day and night. Not obvious from the map is that Avenida Alvaro Obregon in Roma has a green space in the median popular with dog walkers too. Many of the cafes in the area allow pets.

suze

baldone,

Sorry, I did not realize that I needed to speak Spanish myself in order to know that the language spoken in Mexico City and Guadalajara is Spanish.

suze

Could you two please knock it off, and answer the question asked here?

Stewbear

I am only going to reply to Tonto once more than I promise never again.
I do not pretend to be a linguist but endeavor to speak the language wherever I travel. I have been studying Spanish since my mid 40's.still taking two courses a year at home & two more on the Internet. I am also a volunteer at the College preparatory high school in Guanajuato working with youngsters on their English. In addition I am a librarian at the English Language Free Library on day a week in GTO where many of our members are indeed young Mexican students.
I also live in a city of California that has a 47% Latin population so lots of opportunity to listen & speak Spanish here. If I wanted to sink to Tonto's level is might suggest that the speakers of Spanish as a first language is higher in my home city than in his as according to some San Miguel has the largest American Expat population in the world!
Baladie I am sorry you found my honest reflections on SMDA upsetting to you but they are my honest thoughts. They certainly are not negative as much about his city I find attractive. I do prefer GTO but Thank God we all have such choices.

I truly believe Guanajuato is Gods gift to Mexico & myself!
So Ole skinhead how about we just ignore each other saving this BS for off the board or if you wish come on over to GTO to discuss it in person.
PS I am arriving Thursday AM for my annual 2 month visit. You can find me most days at the Tal coffee house on Presa.

cybor

Dear OP,
Being in a big city is a great idea if you get get yourself into the smaller less tourist-ed barrios. I often find that many people in Mexican cities are at least bilingual and or from other countries. This generally can mean that many people will speak to you in English. It's to help you and/or they are in a hurry or they want to practice their English.
Going to a smaller city/pueblo may not get you as many cultural activities but you may hear more Spanish speak.
I suggest having you come to Merida but it's pretty hot here in the summer months. Many houses with pools and A/Cs are rented out during those months for much less.

cybor

Edit - 'I'd' suggest

suze

<so to just blurt out "Guadalajara" because it's close to PV>

No, I "blurted" it out because it's the second largest city in the country.

Stewbear

To the OP
FYI Guanajuato has many lovely parks to run dogs in including one that my apartment overlooks on The Presa Blvd with disposable storage sites. Another much larger one up the street that abuts the Presa lake it's self.
Beyond that one is a huge area above the dam where many run their dogs.
So lots of choices.

bevvym

Everyone, I can feel and understand your passion for travel. Thank you for the advice and for the recommendations for the places you love most. I wish I could visit them all, and maybe I will be lucky enough to be able to do so!

Cybor, I agree that it's helpful to be around non-English speakers.

Christina

If you really don't want heat, you might consider farther south in South America, such as Buenos Aires or Montevideo, Uruguay where it is Winter, I guess. The temps there will only be about 55-65 in the afternoon, I imagine. The type of Spanish you want to learn may be another issue, the base of all is Spanish, of course, but some countries have accents I have a little more trouble understanding than others (like Cuba or probably Argentina, to be honest). I have friends from both Ecuador and Uruguay, I think those are good choices. ALso, August is the off-season so accommodations should be cheaper. And that is kind of the rainy season in mid-Mexico still, it's not a major problem but it will rain a lot more there than in Buenos Aires in August, the monthly precipitation is about half the rate of DF. The lively Tango festival starts in August in Buenos Aires.
http://therealargentina.com/en/dog-f...-buenos-aires/

Since you don't intend to take Spanish classes (why not?), I guess how people speak in neighborhoods is more important. I know there are lot of English-speaking and foreigners in Guadalajara, it is friendly to them.



Lots of good choices, I think you need to focus on a country perhaps.

ClementineLdn

I would not recommend Buenos Aires or Montevideo for someone who is learning Spanish. Not only is the accent very different to most other varieties of Spanish, but they use 'voseo' and a lot of the vocabulary is different too. Same goes for Chilean cities to a certain extent.

I know a lot of Spanish teachers in Spain who identify themselves as language snobs, and they all rate Colombia as the country with the 'best' Spanish. I wouldn't want to comment on which variety is 'best' but I do think the Colombian accent is very clear and easy to understand.

I would also recommend taking language classes. I don't see how you'd learn much just from being there unless you are somehow having in-depth conversations with locals. Otherwise you just practice asking for bus tickets and ordering food.

dwdvagamundo

Second not choosing Buenos Aires: the accent there is unique to Argentina.

But if you've never been to Mexico City, then that's where I'd choose. Lots and lots to do. Or a city in Peru--Lima or Cuzco.