Mexico City
A city of contrast
As the plane made a hard turn toward its final descent into Mexico City I caught my first good view of the Western Hemisphere's largest city. I was ready for an endless grid of streets trailing off into a smog filled valley. Instead, to my delight, I was treated to clear skies and a downtown of sleek modern skyscrapers. Already I was learning my first lesson of Mexico City: it is a complex city that defies simple description. I had come on this extended weekend getaway with my wife hoping for some real adventure and discovery in a city far removed from any previous travel experience. As I surveyed the city from the air it was obvious this would be a city with plenty to explore.
In the above picture you can see two oval shaped green patches. The bigger green patch to the right is Parque Mexico and the smaller one is Parque Espana. If you look closely you'll notice a green strip encircling Parque Mexico. That is Calle Amsterdam where our hotel was located in the Hipodromo neighborhood, part of the broader Condesa neighborhood. The entire area was hit hard by the earthquake three weeks before our arrival. Photo courtesy of: https://www.westjet.com/assets/wj-web/images/destinations/mexico/dfedmex/mexico-city-aerial-view-landscape-from-airplane.jpg
After clearing customs we got to experience Mexico City rush hour traffic as our cab driver made his way across the city. I certainly wouldn't want to live that out every work day, but it was exciting seeing the window washers and food vendors going door to door through the backed up traffic. After turning down a side street, traffic melted away as we entered the leafy neighborhood of Condesa. Always eager to explore my wife and I wasted no time at the hotel and went for a walk in search of Parque Mexico. I didn't know what to expect since the area was said to have been hit especially hard by the earthquake that had occurred just three weeks before our arrival. However, as we walked past the many cafes and churro shops fronting the park, it seemed to be business as usual on this Friday night. Everyone was out on the town enjoying a nice fall evening. Couples went for romantic walks through the park and happy conversation spilled out onto the streets from the cafes. The scene around the Parque Mexico reminded me more of Paris than of any Latin American city I had been to. Parque Mexico is an large oval park encircled by Calle Amsterdam, a street split by a tree-lined median complete with walking path and lined by some of Mexico City best restaurants and bars. The oval used to contain a horse racing track but long ago was filled in with apartments, shops, and restaurants. The surrounding area was the pinnacle of Mexico City culture in the 1920s during the art deco movement and many fine architectural gems can still be seen today. One of those buildings that lined the park had to be abandoned after suffering serious earthquake damage.
The building to the left had to be vacated because it was deemed unsafe after the earthquake. Windows were askew and big cracks in the plaster were noticeable. Residents of this building were amongst the lucky ones. A similar building a few blocks away completely collapsed into a heap of rubble.
The following morning we explored some of the must see spots of Mexico City. We toured the Frida and Diego house and walked the Coyoacan neighborhood, once home to Gabriel Garcia Marquez as well as Frida and Diego. The weather was perfect for walking and exploring. We came across a quinceanera photo shoot in front of an old church, some sort of young woman rally, and a fabulous art market taking place in a big park. The art was truly top notch and reflected a wide variety of styles.
The following morning we woke up early and set out to join one of the truly great events of Mexico City, the Sunday morning bike ride down the Reforma, the big boulevard highlighted by the golden Angel of Independence. It took awhile to figure out the rental bike system but once we got it we pedaled out of the Parque Mexico to join the Sunday morning riders.
Rental bike stations are located all throughout the city. Locals primarily use the bikes for commuting purposes. Once you set up an account, they are very affordable and easy to use.
Laura leading the charge toward the Angel of Independence. We would soon be joined by large numbers of riders that started to join up coming from all directions. Traffic is blocked off from the Reforma and some lanes are blocked off from several connecting streets. It generally works out real well but we did see one unfortunate young man get hit by a car. He brushed himself off, laughed it off, and rejoined the ride.
Laura posing in front of the Angel of Independence. We biked from Chapultapec Park, past the angel, and on to the great plaza of Mexico City, the Zocalo.
At the Zocalo we located the Diego murals in the Palacio Nacional. The murals depicting the history of Mexico the surround the second floor courtyard are indeed impressive and worth the hassles of getting past some real tough security. We didn't have our passports with us so we had to return to the hotel, fighting some tough subway traffic to get it. The trip back, though, gave us a chance to check out all of the Sunday entertainment that was provided in just about every park we passed. We saw a breakdance combined with jumprope routine that really stopped the crowd. We saw a lot of musical groups performing a wide array of music, but the thing that will stick with me the most was the groups of chess players in one of the subway stations. There were about a dozen tables set up to host games that pitted young against old and people of all walks of life. As someone mildly disheartened by the cell phone culture it was an uplifting sight.
Laura admiring the Diego murals at the Palacio Nacional.