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| petiteparis Quote | Reply | This message was updated on 7/22/2005 9:23:42 AM by petiteparis | DF: Mx City Notes posted on: 7/21/2005 5:42:05 PM Mexico city is the most overwhelming city I have ever been in. 24 million people, traffic everywhere but one hardly sees anybody in rush mode like in most major Euro/US cities. People just drive and resign themselves to the traffic. Major highways are under construction at the moment, and some - like the Barranca del Muerto access road - will remain closed for two months while they build a second floor to the bridge. There is madness as soon as the plane stops and one waits for the "movable terminal" to take passengers to their gate. Signs everywhere saying M1, M2 - Migracion, customs in Spanish, depending on where you are arriving from. Finally exiting the airport, construction detour traffic is unavoidable. Beautiful street names - Reforma, Las Lomas, las Aguilas, Tecamachalco, Tacubaya, Naucalpan, Las Flores, San Jeronimo - flash by. Highways are wide, but as soon as one takes the turn-off, streets turn very narrow and, in most cases, cobblestone. Vistas of the Popocatepetl volcano, green cliffs, and perma-gray sky. Crosses and even little shrines to La Virgen can be seen in many places. In snazzy shopping centers like Santa Fe one can shop for adorable leather bands with little religious medals with cartoon saints/virgins that say "plis cuidame mucho" "que no me asalten" "San Antonio, mandame un novio" (please take care of me, or don't let me get robbed, or send me a boyfriend") All the pretty niñas bien wear their catholic chic on their wrists, with trendy big watches and rings, and suede pumas that match the sweater around their neck, hair in a pretty ponytail, their accent a sing-songy melody as they order their venti starbucks coffees. Speaking of, at starbucks here one can get a passport that gets stamped to win free coffees and other sbucks gear. Starbucks here also offers sandwitches like the London, with roast beef and veggies in a chipotle sauce, or the Spanish one with serrano ham and manchego cheese. The coffee is better here, and there are plenty of cafes all over, like Society or El Emir for authentic middle eastern coffee blends. The food is amazing, and the best place to try is San Angel Inn (sanangelinn.com) set in a gorgeous hacienda with lovely gardens, and probably one of the best restaurants in the world, full stop. The Bazar del Sabado market is the top artesania experience - noshing on a pepitoria (brightly coloured wafers with honey and pumpkin seeds - delish) as one takes in the best in Mexican local art, and local fare like sopes, tlacoyos, memelas. Nearby in Altavista, restaurants like La Buena Fe, and La Palmera are great for dinner and drinks plans. Shops like Tous, Tane and Benetton, Vuitton and Dior are sprinkled in for good measure. Reforma is another shopping/resto street - and home of La Linterna restaurant, owned by Italians and frequented by polititians. Politics are impossible to avoid - '06 elections are around the corner, and everyone has an opinion of the candidatos from PT, PRI, PAN, PRD or Verde. Currently, the government has egg on its face due to some highly charged PSAs on national insecurity. Since victims of kidnappings feel the govt. has not done enough, they banded together to form an ad campaign that is nothing close to shocking - In one, an angry man says vehemently that when his first finger was cut off by kidnappers he felt fear, when the second one was cut off he felt pain, and when the third one was cut off he felt rage. And this is why he will do anything in his power to get the government to respond to the national insecurity problem - and if they need helping hands - at this moment he raises his mangled hands - here are his own. It's hard to put into words, but the effect is powerful - to the point that the government has tried to ban them because they were not approved of. The day I came back, the Argentinian coach of the Cruz Azul footie team was kidnapped leaving the field. It's an insecure city, it's mayhem and beauty. It is not a pretty city in some areas, and some others are beautiful enough to take the breath away - a lovely mixture of colonial architechture, pyramids and sckyscrapers. I will always go back. |
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hper
Resident Indiana, Tulsa and Phoenix Expert Quote | Reply | |
DF: Mx City Notes
replied on: 7/22/2005 8:39:33 AM I haven't been back to DF since I spent a month there back in '97, but your description makes me want to see it again! It is a beautiful city, full of contrasts. |
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DCMom
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DF: Mx City Notes
replied on: 7/22/2005 10:10:54 AM What an interesting story - thanks for writing it. When I visited my granddad last spring, he reminisced about his trip to Mexico City with my grandma back in the early '70s. I still can't believe they went there ... two 60-somethings, neither of whom spoke Spanish, got on a train in Pittsburgh and got off in Mexico City and had a great time. |
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¡Ño!
Wendylicious Quote | Reply | |
DF: Mx City Notes
replied on: 7/22/2005 11:16:26 AM DF is glorious. I loved every minute i was there |
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