Monterrey, the capitol of the state of Nuevo León, is the city that I've visited the most in Mexico. It's only about a 2-and-a-half hour drive from the Texas border, and about 7 hours from Austin, where my mom lives.

I've made this trip many times, but still get excited as soon as I start seeing mountains in the distance!

And so do the girls! This means we're almost there!

This time around, we didn't go out much. We were there to spend time with my grandma, after all, not sightsee. One beautiful Saturday we did go downtown, however, looking for something new to explore!

In NYC, the taxis may be yellow, but in Monterrey, they're green! :P

We first stopped by Morelos Street to see some artesanías (arts & crafts).

Just across the street from this is the Macroplaza, the 2nd largest plaza in the world!

Cooling off by the fountain was fun.

Goofing off by the Fuente de la Vida/Neptuno.

Buying stuff (that I didn't really need) from vendors. How can you say no to that face?

PARQUE FUNDIDORA

The land where this park is located was once property of a steel mill. A few of the old industrial structures are still in existence, including this one that houses a restaurant. It's all very beautiful.

This park is HUGE! Here you can find tons of walking paths, multiple playgrounds, an artificial lake, a convention center, a hotel, and even an ice skating rink.

We watched the zipline for a bit, while rehydrating. It was HOT!

Cool pieces like this decorate the park...

PASEO SANTA LUCíA

An artificial river that connects the Macroplaza with the Parque Fundidora, it was finished in 2007, and was inspired by the San Antonio riverwalk. Voted one of the 13 man-made maravillas (wonders) of Mexico!**

This was my first time visiting the Paseo Santa Lucía. Motorboats go back and forth between the two parks all day, and at only about 1 and a half miles long, the ride takes about 20 minutes. 50 minutes round trip. A cool feature - free wifi all along the riverwalk!

40 pesos for a round-trip ticket, or about $3.50 in American dollars

Waiting patiently in line!

My beautiful primas (cousins) were with us!

So many things to see! This building is one of the newest in Monterrey.

There are multiple fountains (I counted more than 20!) along the riverwalk.

This fountain sounded like a machine gun when the water hit!

If they can they play in the fountain, why can't we? - my daughters asked!

Art was everwhere! Mosaics, sculptures...

The boat stops at the Museum of Mexican History, where you can hop off if you'd like. We've been to the museum  many times, so opted to stay on the boat and go back to Fundidora park, where we had left the car.

This is a sculpture in front of the museum.

THE FOOD

Just because we didn't go out much doesn't mean I didn't indulge in some good food! Street food, mostly - tacos, papas asadas (grilled potatoes filled with all kinds of good stuff), hamburgers, fruit with chile and lime, chicharrones (pork skins), just to name a few. My cousins would bring me all sorts of yummy things! I also had plenty of my tía's tamales.

Tacos de carne asada

Nieve estilo Jalisco
The texture of this sorbet-like dessert is amazing! So smooth. I love the mango/chamoy combo.
Chamoy is a sour/spicy sauce. Maura preferred uva. Grape!

Empanadas
Pumpkin is probably the most popular, but I like the ones with cajeta! You may know it as dulce de leche.

Elote en vaso (corn in a cup)

This is so unhealthy but SO good. Fresh corn, cream or mayo, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, powdered chile. Mine was made with yellow cheese, too... skip that.

Mexican sushi

My first time trying sushi in Mexico! It was... different. Very little actual fish present, lots of fried options.
Good, though! Especially washed down with a couple of margaritas.

But the BEST part of visiting Monterrey?

Seeing family.

This is Maura with my abuelito José.

Oh, and I can't forget the little Mexican dogs. After all, that's where our little Chiquito is from!

**The other 12 man-made wonders being: Calakmul, Campeche; Underground roads in Guanajuato; Mexico City's Historic District; Chichen-Itzá; Chepe Railroad in Chihuahua; Mazatlán, Sinaloa;  Palenque, Chiapas; Tajín, Veracruz; Teotihuacan; Tulum; Xochicalco; and Monte Albán, Oaxaca. My friend Ana of SpanglishBaby just wrote a great post about Monte Albán, actually. continue reading