Standing Ovation, great trip report! You touched on some of my favorite cruising places.

The hotel issue is a good one to start with. I think first-time or infrequent visitors to the D.F. are leery of hotels that are so inexpensive, because, in their home cities, rooms cost so much more (and rooms at the price you quote are considered “dumps“). But, in Mexico City, it’s very easy to find clean and safe hotels that’ll allow you to bring back guests, in the US$11-20 price range . . . as you detail.

It’s obvious that you like LaCasita - it’s a favorite of mine, also. Obviously, which of the two locations one likes best will be determined by personal preferences. You like the one on the Viaducto Miguel Aleman in Colonia Algarin . . . while I prefer the large, rambling, two-building complex on Insurgentes in Colonia Roma. Isn’t it great that there are two to choose from! Getting to the location on Miguel Aleman is best done by taxi, because one has to traverse some dangerous neighborhoods to get there by foot, even if coming by Metro (the Lazaro Cardenas station is a 15-minute walk).

If you’re a fan of pozole, some of the city’s best pozolerias (restaurants selling pozole) are just a several block walk from LaCasita-Miguel Aleman, and one could easily combine great food with great sex!

Cruising the Metro is always fun in Mexico City, but, for most visitors . . . I think the entire experience/prospect is a bit intimidating. There’s been a crackdown on gays at some of the more notably gay Metro station platforms, and some guys have been taken into custody, shaken-down, and/or arrested. In some locations, cameras have been installed to monitor the activities and aid the police in their efforts. The crackdowns come and go without notice, so one needs to be careful. Because the rail cars themselves are so jam-packed during rush hours, it’s not uncommon to do some groping and to get groped while riding the trains. On more than one occasion I’ve had a guy unzip my pants, grab hold of my dick, and start beating me off . . . all the while the people standing around us are oblivious to what’s happening (or, better yet . . . maybe they’re doing it to one another!). My own experience with the sex-on-the-Metro you refer to seems to be mostly possible on the last couple of trains each night, and on just about all Metro lines. In general, the legend of the last car on trains being gay is, I think, just one of those stories that gets started and keeps gaining strength, irrespective of reality. But, you obviously experienced some of it, and it was certainly real at that time. I do find a lot of playfulness on the Metro . . . guys doing heavy cruising, fondling, touching, etc.; and, when the train pulls into their station, the guys just bolt for the door, look back with a big smile, and wink! It’s fun. On the other hand, I’ve taken lots of guys off the Metro back home, and have had a fantastic time. I think one could ride the Metro for the entire day, and never get bored!

And , now . . . the Viena Bar, one of my favorite watering-holes in Mexico City. While it does serve some hard liquor, the Viena is more of a beer bar than anything else. I’ve always found the bar a great pick-up place, because so many customers are looking to “get it on.� As you know, it draws the cross-section of the city’s gay community - from the suit and tie businessman stopping by after work, the college student on the way home from evening classes, disco queens prepping for a night out, macho cowboy-types in full regalia strutting their stuff, to the boys for sale . . .looking for a customer. Whatever you’re looking for, it’s likely you’ll be able to find it at Viena. Relatively few foreigners go to this bar, and I like that just fine. Overall, I find this one of the least pretentious gay venues in town. About the waiters . . . they all might seem ancient, but they're not . . . there's three younger brothers who wait tables also (between the ages of 30-40)! For those who haven’t been to Viena, it’s a block’s walk from the Bellas Artes station on the new subway line that terminates at Garabaldi Plaza, and about 3 long blocks from [/i]Palacio de Bellas Artes[/i] and another Metro station, on another line, bearing the same name. The bar is best visited between the hours of 7/8 p.m. and Midnight . . . it closes early. If I had three thumbs . . . I’d give it “Three thumbs up�!

As for Baños Mina, it’s always been a favorite of mine (but, not the favorite). It’s considered more of a “working class� gay bath, and that moniker is just fine with me. Compared to the other gay saunas in town, it draws a younger crowd, but all ages, sizes, shapes, etc, are represented. I think it’s open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., the longest hours of the gay baths. I’ve often gone there when it opens, because some of the disco boys are looking for a place to work-off the liquor, get some rest, crash for awhile . . . and they’re ready to settle down and get it on! Just about all times of day are popular, with the 8-11 a.m. period being popular with the “office boy� set, afternoons popular with students visiting after class, and evenings drawing people after work. There are two sections of these types of baths, vapor general, which is the large open areas with hot/dry steam rooms, relax/massage room, showers, toilets, etc. And, there’s the vapor privado (or, I think that’s the name), they’re the private steam rooms where you can take someone you meet on the street into a private room with private sauna facilities, etc., and order beer, sandwiches, soft drinks, etc.; these are also the rooms where the masseurs/studs take their clients. One caution about these saunas, especially the Mina I think . . . and it's that there’s lots of unsafe sex taking place. As for the fucking, as Standing Ovation said happened during his visit, most of this seems confined to the several toilet stalls . . . because the guys don’t generally like to do this in front of others . .. and the stalls have little space (e.g., bending over the toilet, etc.).

If you’re into cruising the parks, the large fertile cruising grounds of Alameda Central is a couple of blocks from the Mina, and, rather than take one of the park hustlers (or even just someone unknown to you) back to your hotel room, it might be better to bring your “selection� to the Mina, rent a private room, and get it on there . . . lots of friends of mine do just that (and some of the “guests“ enjoy the hot shower and opportunity to clean-up a bit, they‘ll not be offended). The bath is located on Calle Mina, just off the corner with Paseo de la Reforma, in Colonia Guerrero . . . you can get there by Metro (Hidalgo station), or bus from along Reforma.

And on to Tom’s Leather Bar. This place, too, is a favorite of mine . . . primarily because of the excellent “back room� (ahh, “behind the curtain�) opportunities, and because of the overall ambiance of the place . . .it draws a very nice crowd of mixed ages. I’ve never thought that people hide the reason why they go to the bar, it’s for sex . . . and nobody seems embarrassed about it. I think the owner is an architect or engineer, and that would explain the unique decor, which unlike anything I’ve seen elsewhere in Mexico. I also think it’s more of an “American-style� bar than are most other gay venues in the D.F. If you’re into cigars, and cigar smoke . . . then this is a place for you; the owner and some of the help love cigars, and aren’t bashful to demonstrate their affection. I’ve never really liked the occasional strippers I’ve seen there, but, we each have different tastes. It’s a short walk to LaCasita-Insurgentes, and a trip to both could be combined for a night-out!

I’m not a fan of Cuernavaca, but I’ve been there a dozen times over the past decade. My favorite cruising area in the plaza principal . . . on Saturday night . . . when the lonely soldiers are strolling by! There are some dark/shaded areas underneath the portales of nearby buildings, and the areas make great “get to know you� and “meet and great� spots out of view of others. Many soldiers are available for a little R&R, and, if they’re your “cup of tea,� then it can be heaven. Also, like most other Mexican towns . . . people work a six-day week and Saturday night is the night to go out and howl. Guys that aren’t typically found in these public areas and/or cantinas during the week will be out on Saturday night, including lots of guys from surrounding, small, towns who come into town to check it out; and, some of these “sightseers� are ripe for the picking!

I noted your reference to Eduardo David's "Gay Mexico: The Men of Mexico" books, a book which I’ve often recommended to users of CFS as a good primer on gay Mexico (some of my exploits are referenced in the book!). Unfortunately, the authors no longer update the book, but it’s available for purchase online from Floating Lotus Books. I think that anyone who has an interest in gay Mexico ought to buy the book for their “library.� Thanks for mentioning the book.

I’ve always thought of Mexico City as one of the best-kept secrets in the gay world, and it seems that you share that opinion, also. Standing Ovation, thanks again for taking the time to post such an excellent and detailed trip report . . . it will be helpful to many.

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