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doug paxton's avatar

"...foreigners should consider coming to Mexico because the culture, people, physical environment, and history are compelling them to do so." Yes, go Mike!

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Mike Leavy's avatar

I guess I am opinionated about some things 😁. Thanks Doug!

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Victor D. Sandiego's avatar

Many years ago I lived in SMA for about 6 months. A Mexican lady friend of mine invited me to go on a short tour in a small bus. She was the guide / hostess. Somebody asked her if she lived there in centro where we were launching. And I'll never forget her matter-of-fact answer. Oh no, I don't make enough for that. Made me sad to hear that.

Also, this may sound strange, but after years of seeing that Princess Bride meme, I finally got around to watching the movie. Maybe the last person on the planet.

Thanks Mike!!

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Mike Leavy's avatar

Yes - centro in SMA and the Condesa and Roma neighborhoods in CDMX are good examples of how the influx of US dollars have priced most Mexican locals out. Gentrification has been top of mind in Mexico for a while now, I think mostly due to the arrival of "digital nomads" in those CDMX neighborhoods during and post pandemic. Gentrification is a complex dynamic (ha - worked part of your substack title in there), which is why I put a "sigh" in there when I said I might write about it. I certainly don't understand the give and take of it, or what the "right" or "better" solutions are. But yes, it is sad to hear stories of displaced locals when the rents become beyond their reach.

Now as for you waiting so long to watch The Princess Bride, we're just going to need to talk about that, Victor 😉.

Thanks for the comment!

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Victor D. Sandiego's avatar

Yeah, I recently heard La Roma has skyrocketed. I used to live there too, not too long, and also years ago. The prices seemed about normal at the time. These days...

The Princess Bride was within the last 2 months. I know, I know, "inconceivable", right? I liked it, it was fun!

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Christy Brandt's avatar

So what I think you're saying is "we should all go to mexico cuz it's cheaper?" right? :-0

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Mike Leavy's avatar

Exactly right. I’m glad my message is getting across 😉!

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