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Barrio Hopping in Madrid: Take 3 [Las Musas]

Barrio Hopping in Madrid: Take 3 [Las Musas]

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Friend of the Guiri Guide, Kathleen Hershner, has lived in Madrid now for nearly 8 years and has experienced living in many barrios. She shares with us attributes of each, with her own personal flare. This segment will have multiple installations in order to provide you with the greatest of detail as you work to select your ideal home.

I tallied up the places I’ve lived (while bored, on a flight back from Menorca), and was surprised to find that I’ve averaged one move per year during my extended ‘visit’. Some have been short-lived and some long enough to feel like a real home.  In order:

LAS MUSAS

Las Musas. Nothing particularly amusing or muse-like/inspirational in this barrio, but it was efficient enough and the air currents flow more freely than they do in the center. At the time Iived there, it was the terminus of Line 7 in the east of Madrid, but has since expanded several stops farther east as a result of Madrid’s try for the 2016 Olympic Games. I replied to a classified ad in the InMadrid newspaper (great source for guiris looking for flats) and moved in with a pleasant young English woman who worked for a large U.K. publishing company.  Ruth had recently purchased a tiny, but cozy and totally reformed (American English: renovated) flat that had a HUGE triangle-shaped terrace.  My bedroom was tiny but I had my own bathroom (KEY!) and I got along well with my roommate.

The two best attributes this situation offered was a Mercadona supermarket on the ground floor – (super convenient but the built-in hazard of feeding any craving you may have during opening hours is a bit of a risk) and the O’Donnell bike path which was a 5 minute’s walk away.  This planned ring-around-Madrid was also nearing completion and I think Las Musas was its farthest outpost at the time. It was such a novelty to be able to run outside my office/bedroom for a quick burst of energy and relief from sitting in front of my computer editing books for my company. I could also ride my bike to the radio station in Barrio de la Concepción which was handy.  It was the closest thing I’ve had yet to living in the suburbs here in Madrid.  I didn’t find riding in the streets here much different than in Honolulu, except that the taxi drivers were aggressive and sometimes obnoxious towards cyclists, something that doesn’t happen in California where lawsuits aren’t covered by a Socialist healthcare system!

On an impulse, I bought my Westie puppy Scout from a pet shop on Calle Atocha and needed to move immediately because not everyone (including Ruth) thinks that puppy-rearing is ‘la ostia’. So it was time to move again…

Barrio Hopping in Madrid: Take 2 [Ibiza/Estrella]

Barrio Hopping in Madrid: Take 2 [Ibiza/Estrella]

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Friend of the Guiri Guide, Kathleen Hershner, has lived in Madrid now for nearly 8 years and has experienced living in many barrios. She shares with us attributes of each, with her own personal flare. This segment will have multiple installations in order to provide you with the greatest of detail as you work to select your ideal home.

I tallied up the places I’ve lived (while bored, on a flight back from Menorca), and was surprised to find that I’ve averaged one move per year during my extended ‘visit’. Some have been short-lived and some long enough to feel like a real home.  In order:

  • Tetuan – 4 months
  • Ibiza/Estrella area – 1.5 years
  • Las Musas – 8 months
  • Principe Pio – 3 months
  • Chueca – 2 years
  • Opera, 1st flat – 1 year
  • Plaza Mayor – 3 months
  • Opera, 2nd flat – 1 year

IBIZA/ESTRELLA

I moved to a 60’s-era flat on Pez Volador with a couple of older, male friends of mine.  They liked this area more than I did, but the flat was spacious, with a huge kitchen and that efficient way (that flats of this era had) of separating the bedroom/bathroom areas with the communal living areas. This one had four three bedrooms and 2 full baths and was about 1,200 euros 5 years ago….  You can live with 2 or 3 flatmates more or less harmoniously by closing the doors between the two; people who need to go to bed early  can do it without needing to make a public service announcement ala ‘can you keep it down, some of us have to work in the morning’!  It’s a safe, comfortable area populated by mostly families and older people and is very close to the Retiro and the bus connections at Conde de Casals.  The metros Sainz de Baranda, Estrella and Ibiza connect you via Line 9 and the ‘circular’ (Line 6) to the center of Madrid. The Canoe Club, the La Elipa pool and another, fabulous Olympic pool, Centro de Natacion M86, are all right there within striking distance.

I got a kick out of the fact that our kitchen window in the back of the flat looked out to the Hotel Colon. This 4-star is actually two buildings connected by a long passageway prompting me to nickname one ‘large colon’ and the other ‘small’.  It was fun to observe ala ‘Rear Window’ the various goings-on of Japanese and school group tourists in their rooms.  I never saw anything REALLY juicy or scandalous, but I lived in hope.

At about this point in my Madrid stay (about 2 years into it…) I decided to throw it in and go back to Marin County (California). But after a couple of months I was back in Madrid.  I returned to the same flat (my roommates were surprised, but happy to have the cook back in the kitchen) but I felt the need to move on to…..

Apartment Hunting on top the Madrid Tour Bus

Apartment Hunting on top the Madrid Tour Bus

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I know there are a lot of new students  who have recently arrived to IE and are in the process of finding a place to call home.   We’ve discussed the various neighborhoods we’ve lived in, but I’d also suggest seeing the city on top of a Madrid Vision Tour Bus to help in their apartment hunt.

I’ll admit, I usually avoid these double decker tour buses in most cities and opt to tour on foot, but my parents were visiting, and I let them pick the activity for the day.  Plus, they were a little jetlagged from the flight the day before, so walking anywhere was out of the question.

The Madrid Vision has two tours one of Historic Madrid and the other of modern Madrid and each tour last about 75mins.  The adult one day pass is 17.00 euros, and for the children ages 7-12 or Seniors 65+ it’s 8.50 euors, and children under 7 are free.  They also have two day passes, and discounts if purchase tickets online.  We purchased our tickets in person by the Prado Museum, but there is also a kiosk in Sol.  The nice thing is that you can hop on and off either line, they have the audio tour in English and 6 other languages and their buses come by every 10mins.

I admit even after living in Madrid almost a year,  this was still a nice way to see the different neighborhoods, and get a feel for the way the city is laid out and from vantage point that you don’t have as a pedestrian.  It could also help those who are new to Madrid trying to figure out where to live, because you can tour various parts quickly and see how busy or noisy an area can be day or night.  If you’re fortunate enough to have already found a place, then if anything it’s nice treat for anyone who comes to visit you, jetlagged or not.

Madrid Vision Various ticket kiosks throughout the city, or you can purchase your tickets online

Neighbourhood: Chamberi

Neighbourhood: Chamberi

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I don’t always love living in Madrid, but I do love living in Chamberi. This may sound strange, but I feel like I have picked the best barrio (neighbourhood) for my charachter. Let me explain.

Chamberi is popular for young professionals and there are many ‘up and coming’ areas within this barrio. That means that it’s got some great stuff, but not everyone knows about it yet. For example, the El Mundo Restaurant awards, had many winners in Chamberi.

A centre point for the area is Plaza Olavide. This is a mainly pedestrian area with a fountain in the centre, benches and playgrounds, all surrounded by some lovely cafes, restaurants and shops. I love the tea shop that sells loose leaf teas and coffee. And the cafes are perfect for whiling away weekends chatting with friends over a few drinks and tapas, or in the cool of the summer evenings sipping vermouth (my new favourite tipple).

Also I love the market, even more so after 8 months of getting to know the shop keepers (even with my limited Spanish) I get a friendly face and they let me know when they get new and exciting things in.

Plus there is everything you need in Chamberi – several supermarkets, including a giant Carrefour at Quevedo; beauty shops, hardware shops, good metro connections (I am less than 5mins walk from Iglesia, Quevedo and Canal which are all on different metro lines) etc etc.

In fact, working from home, with my gym a 15min walk away and many friends in the area, I rarely have a need to leave. And when I do I can usually walk there – Sol takes me around 25mins, Malasaña 10 mins and Chueca 20mins.

My Neighborhood-Barrio de Las Letras (Huertas)

My Neighborhood-Barrio de Las Letras (Huertas)

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We have enjoyed living in our neighborhood in Madrid, Barrio de Las Letras or the Neighborhood of the Writers.  There are so many things to think about when selecting where to live in Madrid.  I can at least guide you through this wonderful historic district.

We live in the heart of Madrid, and thus the oldest and arguably the most historic part as well.  Bordered by Plaza de Sol, Prado, and the Reina Sofia Museum of Modern Art, this area is easily accessible by line 1 on the metro or about five different buslines that run up along in front of the Prado.

The buildings here were built as far back as the late 1500’s, but most have been gutted and updated inside, while the historic exteriors remain.  For instance our building was built around the same period, but as a single family townhome, and then it wasn’t until the 1980s that it was converted into apartments.   Pluses for this is that it has newer plumbing and electrical, and the original exterior walls are about a foot thick.  The Cons for some of these buildings is that they are smaller apartments than in some of the newer neighborhoods, thus most apartments in our area are only one or two bedrooms.

Our area is a very working/living neighborhood, in the sense that most of the owners in our building own businesses down below such as a hair salon or the drycleaners.  It also a very traditional area in the sense that a lot of stores observe siestas, Spanish holidays and are closed on Sundays.  The closest “true” supermercado is about a ten minute walk to Sol from our place, so I do most of my food shopping the true European way, by buying my meat in one store, fruit in another, and cheese in another shop.

Another plus to this neighborhood is that all the narrow streets are closed off in the evening to traffic, only taxis, neighborhood residents, and emergency vehicles have a pass card to get through.  This really makes the area conducive to outdoor cafes, and the typical 5pm Spanish stroll.  Plus, it keeps it quiet in the late evenings.  The exception being Huertas, of course, which is lined with bars, small clubs and traditional Spanish restaurants all with the black wrought iron that reminds me of the French Quarter in New Orleans.

Besides the wine bars and jazz clubs in the area that I have written about in other posts, there are also two historical sites that are worth checking out.  One is a plaque in front of the home of the great Spanish writer Cervantes, author of Don Quiote.  Then down the street from his place is the playwright Lopa de Vega’s home, which you can tour. (and well worth it)

Barrio de Las Letras is great area to live in if you like to be near all the culture during the day and tapa hopping by night all with a mix of traditional and eccentric locals, as well as tourists.  Good luck if you are in the process of finding an apartment in Madrid.

Cervante’s home Corner of  Calle Cervantes and Calle de Leon, 28014 Madrid, Spain

Lopa de Vega’s home Calle de Cervantes, 11, 28014 Madrid, Spain 914 299 216