Monterrey is the third largest city in Mexico, with about 3 million people. It's not a very touristy city, but the people are kind and friendly and there is a lot of great stuff to see and do. I only spent 3 days there, but looking back I wish I had stayed longer.

There are a lot of sites to see in the downtown area. The Macro Plaza is a large public space featuring parks, monuments, museums, and government buildings. The most prominent monument is the Faro del Comercio (Beacon of Commerce), a 230-foot-tall day-glo orange concrete slab designed by Mexico's #1 modern architect Luis Barragán. It rises up from amongst all the traditional Greek-god fountains and men-on-horseback statues.

In general, the architecture in Monterrey is very modern, since the city was mostly built in the late 20th century. The Mexican style of modern architecture is very colorful, often consisting of geometric shapes of concrete or stucco painted in bright orange, yellow, purple, or hot pink. An excellent example of this architecture is the modern art musuem, The Museo de Arte Contemporaneo (aka the MARCO). The building itself is even more impressive than the fine modern art housed within it. The bright-colored geometric interior also contains lots of marble and several interior waterfalls. Another good museum in Monterrey is the Museo de la Historia Mexico, which gives a good overview of the history of Mexico.

Overall, Monterrey is very urban, with tall buildings, heavy traffic, and crowded streets, but it is surrounded in all directions by beautiful mountains.

The culinary specialty in Monterrey is cabrito, or young goats. They are cooked over open flames, and you will often see their charred carcasses proudly displayed in a restaurant window. It tastes like a cross between lamb and pork.

Interior of the MARCO

Downtown Monterrey (On the side of that tower is a picture of the state little-league champs)

View of the mountains from downtown

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