A peek at Colonia Cuauhtemoc, my Mexico City neighborhood

Back when we started our apartment hunt, I had my mind set on living in trendy Roma or Condesa. They’re pretty much where all the American expats live. (Unless they’re trailblazers living in the Centro.)

After looking at a few Condesa apartments, we realized what our budget would buy there — a bathroom with mold splotches, or a spotless, but small, one-bedroom. In Roma, which I adored for its colonial buildings and leafy plazas, we didn’t see anything we liked in the short time frame we had.

And so we moved to Cuauhtemoc, because it was the closest to Crayton’s job. It’s a quiet, middle-class colonia bordering the Zona Rosa. Most of the cafes and restaurants cater to the business crowd, and comida corrida is abundant. After 9 p.m., the streets are pretty empty.

For the first month we lived here, I felt a pang whenever my Condesa and Roma friends talked about the cool cantinas they went to, or the cool salad spot they visited for lunch. We lived in residential, middle-classville. We did not live in the hottest neighborhood. Basically I needed to get over it.

Now, seven months after moving in, I actually really like it here. I love living a half-block from Reforma, and being able to walk to the Zona Rosa. (Which is gritty, and loud, and has cheapity-cheap beer.) We can walk to Roma Norte if we want a glass of wine. And we have a tianguis a 10-minute walk away, in Parque James Sullivan. I love my cheese dude there. We bought a jalapeño asadero from him a few weeks ago.

Last week, after walking to San Rafael to see a free concert, we wandered by a neighborhood jazz joint I’d been wanting to check out, Papa Beto’s. We peeked in the windows and the place was packed — maybe here was where all the Cuauhtemoqueños were secretly hanging out.

The doors were locked, so we ended up at Las Máximas, a beer joint about a stone’s throw from the Telmex building on Parque Via. We played some futbolito and Crayton won. (By pure luck.) Then we walked home.

Have I mentioned how much I love not driving?

Here are a few more places I like visiting in my neighborhood, in case you ever find yourself passing through. (Or in case a friend of yours ever raves about Condesa, and you can say, “Umm… I heard Cuauhtemoc was kind of cool too.”)

Tacos El Caminero. Seriously, best salsas EVER. It’s at Rio Lerma 138, a block from the American Embassy.

Berretín. This is an Argentinean restaurant with great pizza and a good wine list. It’s at the corner of Rio Lerma and Rio Guadalquivir, just a few doors down from Papa Bill’s.

Comida Libenesa. Great falafel, but unfortch the guy takes foreeeever to make one sandwich. Worth it if you’re not in a hurry. At the corner of Rio Nazas and Rio Tigris.

Mezzo Mezzo. A warm little pizza joint with hip clientele, a vegetarian-skewed menu and thin-crust pizza, baked in a brick oven. Try the poblano and corn pie. Downside: They don’t serve alcohol. (Sometimes a girl wants a glass of wine with her pizza!) Rio Neva 30A, between Rio Lerma and Reforma.

Bar Gold. A cantina at the corner of Antonio Caso and Serapio Rendon in San Rafael. Great place to grab a beer, eat free popcorn, and listen to a salsa band churn out the hits.

Tandem. Sometimes open and sometimes not, but great for a pint and ambient house music. Rio Nazas 73, at the corner of Rio Tiber.

Juega el Gallo. Attentive staff, great salads and tacos, and loud and crazy on fútbol nights. My only gripe is that they close around 8 or 9 during the week. How can a place call itself a cantina, and close at 8 p.m.? Rio Rhin 75, at the corner of Rio Papaloápan.