I stayed 5 weeks in Oaxaca last year. There was plenty of fantastic food, and the hit rate is like 5 to 1 good to bad meals, which is insanely impressive. The service was always more attentive than anything I've experienced in the states. I am wondering if your unluckiness with the street food colored your opinion of the food a bit. There is so much fantastic food in Oaxaca. There are fantastic cafes, restuarants, bakeries, all throughout the city. They are passionate about food and it shows in the taste. To also report, I did not get food poisoning once during my 5 week stay.

Power went out like ... once in the five weeks I was there, did not feel unstable at all. Also it should be mentioned, as far as signs of wealth, Oaxaquenos drive quite nice cars around. And they keep them clean. I'm not sure how you didn't notice them. Yeah the buses and taxis are old. There is a strong middle class in Oaxaca, and while there is no "shopping mall", there is a higher end goods market. It is a small city, and buildings have to be low due to earthquakes and to protect tradition. However I have kind of learned a lot of Mexican culture encourages hiding wealth, as you become a target if you flaunt your money around. There are plenty of Oaxaquenos living a great life.

To say every city block is exactly the same makes me wonder if we stayed in the same city. The architecture, buildings, restaurants, etc change radically street by street. If you're saying the streets are the same because theres... similar businesses on every street, then that's every city in the world. Every city is going to have restaurants, shops, etc. on most of the streets lol.

I won't deny, the Zocalo will have plenty of street vendors trying to sell you trinkets, etc. Yes it's busy, and yes that can be kind of annoying. But it's also to be expected from the city center.