Tag Archives: Altaria Mall

Jan21

A Gringa Saturday

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A Gringa Saturday

Today I did something very uncharacteristic of me. I ventured into gringoland in the north area of Aguascalientes instead of walking around in Las Flores or in El Centro as I usually do on a Saturday. I spent the afternoon walking around in two very different places, along with Raul, Alethia and Emiliano.

Our first stop was Altaria. This is a huge indoor-outdoor mall which has grown considerably. The two landmark stores are Liverpool and Sears but there are other stores such as Bershka, Sephora, Sanborns and H&M to name just a few. There are also a multitude of restaurants such as Italiannis, La Creperia, and Chili’s. And of course you’ll find Cinnabon, Dairy Queen, Starbucks and the like. There is even a casino, movie theatres and quite a few banks. I heard lots of English spoken here today. Most gringos live in the north part of the city.

Our next stop was Costco. It was time to renew my membership and buy some cheddar cheese. Yes, that’s why I have a membership. Costco is the one place you can find cheddar cheese regularly. Occasionally I’ve seen it at HEB, but Costco is the most reliable. A bonus is that the cost of a membership is about $25 US while up in Washington it’s $65 US. And I can use my card all over the USA and Canada.

A few hours later I’m back in my own neighborhood, comforted by the hum of voices speaking Spanish.

Dec8

Half Time

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Half Time

Have I really been back in Mexico for three months already? I wonder where I’ll be three months from today. I’m not even sure which country I’ll be in. The travel restrictions appear to change daily, with Canada winning the gong show hands down.

So much for the future. The past came to me in the form of Facebook memories. Twelve years ago today, with Kyle and Kimmy beside me, I held Koal in my arms as he began his journey to heaven. There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t miss that little guy and long for one last cuddle.

And now for the present. Today Joanne and I began our search for Santa. Apparently the jolly old man doesn’t arrive in Aguascalientes for at least another week. This is what we found at Liverpool.

Next we headed for Altaria. While the mall was decorated, still no sign of Santa.

But we did enjoy a delicious lunch of enchiladas suizas! And there is still lots of time before Christmas to continue the search.

Feb19

Shopping??????

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Shopping??????

Aguascalientes is an exciting city with a treasure of museums, churches and parks to explore. I had originally intended to stay for one month. I am now into my second month and still have a list of places I want to go and things I want to do. Last Thursday I decided to check out the Altaria Mall instead of my usual exploring. A 20 minute Uber ride and I felt like I was in an entirely different world.

I’m staying in Las Flores which is a typical Mexican neighborhood. The Altaria Mall is like any American mall and has many of the chain stores such as Bershka, Pull and Bear, Radio Shack, Starbucks and more. One of the flagship stores is Sears, so I now feel like I am in Mexico as Sears has all but vanished in the USA and Canada. The other main department store is Liverpool.

As I strolled through the mall, I was amused to see that Liverpool was selling Krispy Kreme donuts. I selected a Boston Cream but was disappointed and realized how much I missed Tim Horton’s in Canada. 

I walked by ComicX and I recalled fond memories of the one in Mazatlan where I often went with friends. I couldn’t help but snap photos of these lovable characters.

Hours later I found myself back in an Uber headed for home. Along the way we passed a tienguis close to where I was staying. I traded my sandals for track shoes and headed back out.

This tienguis was primarily fruits and vegetables with only a smattering of other items. It was much smaller than the one I used to frequent in Tlaquepaque. I was enchanted by the birds in cages and of course enjoyed the people-watching.

That was my shopping day…….from one extreme to another.