Shopping in Guadalajara

We went on a bus trip with the Lake Chapala Society to Guadalajara to do some shopping.  We went to Costco, Mega (think if J.C. Penney had a grocery store), and the largest mall in Guadalajara (Galerias Guadalajara).  Here is their website:  http://galeriasguadalajara.com/index.php?lang=es

 Galerias Guadalajara has 160,000 m² and more than 250 national and international companies with a wide variety of attractions for the millions of customers that visit every year.  For entertainment, they have the first IMAX screen in the city, exclusive 4DX Cinepolis rooms as well as its renovated VIP lounges. 

If you are hungry, they have many different kinds of restaurants:

Full-service dining: 

• Outback
• Applebee's
• The Cheesecake Factory
• Chili's
• City Cafe
• Italianni's
• Sushi Factory
• McDonald's
• P.F. Chang's 

They have the usual fast food restaurants in their Food Court, such as Carl's Jr., Domino's Pizza, Hong Fat, Japan Roll, Mr. Sushi, Sbarro, Super Salads, Subway, Taco Inn, among others.

For lovers of sport, health and physical well-being, Galerias Guadalajara offers exclusive attractions such as 

• Sports Galleries, where you can perfect your golf technique, advised by experts in the best facilities, in addition to being able to enjoy their soccer fields;  
• Galerias also has one of the city's best equipped Sport City fitness centers, including boutiques and specialty shops to practice your favorite sport;  
• Also you can find the Spa of Claudia Sánchez for personal care.

The mall had a very luxurious feel to it.  Here are some pictures of the mall:

And, of course, Mike got something from Starbucks!

Lake Taco

How would you like to get a taco while getting your car washed?  You can do that at Lake Taco where there is a car wash next door.  Here are pictures:

 

Get your car washed while enjoying a taco next door!

Lake Taco (Polynesian decor)

Great view amid outdoor dining

However, my favorite place to eat so far is:

Trips's Burgers.  If you're from Southern California, you'll know what In-N-Out Burger is.  Well, Trip's is just like that!  I was so happy to discover this place.  It's in a shopping center (Centro Laguna) that I love -- all outdoors.  

Trip's Burgers

This outdoor mall is considered to be one of the best shopping centers on the banks of Chapala.  

In addition to the food court, the mall is anchored with a cinema (6 theaters) and a casino.  It also has retail stores and other eating establishments.

Stores include:

• Telcel Service Center (cell phones)
• Steren (electronics)
• Martí Outlet
• Chevrolet Centuria
• O'Rourke Real Estate Investments
• Lloyd Real Estate
• A T & T
• Fusion Art Gallery
• Christine's Hair Salon
• Frau Spa
• Smart Home
• Smart Move
• Dormimundo (mattresses)
• CI Bank
• HSBC

Dining options are:

• Black Coffee Gallery
• Wing's Army
• Subway
• Trip's Burgers
• Scandinavia Bakery
• Bravo Bake Shop
• Yue Lai
• Zhen Si Chicken
• Pizzeria Romeo and Juliet
• Gambinelli Gelatos
• Taqueria los Tarascos
• Gourmet House
• Okuma Sushi

 

Our First 30 Days

We arrived in our new home exactly one month ago tonight.  Our landlords greeted us with freshly-made banana bread, groceries, and a bottle of red wine.  It was a wonderful welcome for these weary travelers.  We were so glad to finally arrive, with all of our 12 suitcases and 4 carry-ons.

My landlady was explaining how everything works and they gave us their phone numbers, if we needed anything else.  How great is that!

However, we arrived with the flu and couldn't take it all in right away.  And I couldn't eat anything for several days.  When they found out we were sick, they delivered soup, soda crackers, and medicine to us the very next day.

Luckily it was only a 72 hour flu and once we felt better, we started to work unpacking and getting things done.

What We've Accomplished So Far

• Opened a bank account.
• Rented a car for 2 months.  (We can buy one once we get our permanent residency I.D. card)

Cute little Chevy Spark

• Went shopping, near and far 
• Near:  Walmart, Super Lake, Soriana's, Dollar Store
• Far:     Costco, Office Depot, Mega

• Joined the Raquet Club

• Got a cell phone

• Went to the Mexican consulate and started the residency process

• Joined the Lake Chapala Society

• Went to two events at the Raquet Club (potluck, happy hour) and met a lot of our neighbors

• Found our new doctor (Dr. Santiago Hernandez at Chapala Med) and had new-patient doctor appt.

• Found our new church, and went there for the first time on Easter Sunday.

So, enough with the boring stuff.  Here's some pictures that I have taken so far.

These are pictures from our patio:

Sunset, looking toward the lake

Blue sky

Looking toward the Raquet Club