Traveling: Impressions From Mexico City

 

(Drivebycuriosity) - My wife and I visited Mexico City earlier this month and stayed there 10 nights. We lodged in two hotels in two different areas of the city so we could explore the metropolis more intensely. My wife and I walked there a lot as usual. Hiking is the best way to explore a city and to discover things.

 

We were much impressed. Mexico`s capital is a cosmopolitan and vibrant mega-city. According to Wikipedia the metropolis has a population 8.9 million, comparable to New York City (urban area 21 million wikipedia ). The city looks like the larger sister of Los Angeles, she is a huge sprawl and stretches over the vast Mexico Valley with oases of modern high rises.

 

As you can see the megapolis is surrounded by high mountains. Some peaks were partly covered with snow. The volcano Popocatépetl (elevation 5,426 m17,802 ft 70 km/43 mi; southeast of the city) is still active and at one morning we could see a thick cloud of smoke & ash.

 

Mexico`s capital is a patchwork which is assembling very different parts. The metropolis isn´t as wealthy as LA  - but there are some posh parts which look almost like Beverly Hills, with luxury shops & restaurants and 5 stars hotels, including the neighborhoods Polcano, Roma & La Condesa.

 

I was impressed by the modern architecture I found in many places.

 

There are a lot skyscrapers Manhattan would be proud of.

 

Above some beautiful designed constructions.

 

Some places remind me of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood.

 

But I also love the traditional parts in the center of the city with an amazing post-colonial architecture.

 

There are lot of classy 17th & 18th century buildings.

 

Mexicans seem to love colors. On our hikes we discovered plenty of picturesque streets & places.

 

And the decorative markets & flower shops are real eye cookies.

 

Fortunately the huge city offers many lush parks and gardens.

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But the classy and pretty parts are surrounded by a sheer endless sprawl.  I took this picture on a bus ride to the Pyramid of the Sun about 40 km/25 mi north of the center (Pyramid)

 

I was impressed how much art I saw there. The metropolis is really a mecca of art and advanced culture. I spotted so many monuments and sculptures all over the city.

 

Mexico City has a legion of fascinating museums, you can find them at almost every corner, at least in the center of the metropolis. The National Museum of Anthropology  is my absolute favorite, a must see (mna.inah.gob). The huge institution has a massive collection of historic Mexican artifacts and also teaches about human evolution and the history of Mexico. We where overwhelmed and could see just a fraction of the exhibitions, but we were already amazed by the myriads of beautiful and stunning exhibits (here my report  Anthropology).

 

I also loved the Museo Arte Moderno & the Museo Nacional De Arte  (see my posts moderno & nacional ). Both institutions focus on Mexican artists - from different periods - and they are completing each other. Above "El diablo en la iglesia" (1947) by David Alfaro Siqueiros, one of Mexico´s celebrated muralists, followed by Apotheosis of Peace" by Alberto Fuster & a mural from Museo Nacional De Arte.

 

The metropolis has many privately owned museums. The Museo Soumaya is a must see (see my report Soumaya ). The place, which belongs to the billionaire Carlos Slim, shows on six floors an impressive selection, including old masters and impressionists. I also enjoyed visiting the Museo Jumex (Jumex ), which is owned by the art collector Eugenio López Alonso and looks very chill, thanks to the design by the British David Chipperfield Architects. We could see there some temporary exhibitions. They are neighboring each other in the posh neighborhood Polcano and attract a cool crowd. I am also fascinated by the Museo José Luis Cuevas located in the Convent of Santa Inés  complex, constructed around the year 1600.  (cuevas)

 

The Palacio De Bellas Artes offers fine murals and has interesting temporary exhibitions (we saw there shows with work by Kandinsky & the Mexican artist Ricardo Martinez ). We also enjoyed visits at Museo Nacional de San Carlos, which focuses on Old European Masters, but also has other exhibitions (San Carlos), Museo Casa de la Bola, located in an amazing 17th century mansion with a lush garden & the Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporáneo, where we saw a temporary exhibition with work by the late American artist Nancy Spero (Tamyo).

 

Unfortunately there is a lot of traffic and the Mexicans are driving awfully fast, aggressive & reckless. Crossing the streets - which are often highways - is dangerous. Pedestrians have to run for their lives when they cross the streets. And the massive car exhaust pollutes the air which is hard to breath.

 

Fortunately the metropolis has a subway which is fast & reliable (what you cannot say about New York`s subway).

The climate is influenced by the elevation of 2,250 m (7,380 ft). Even though the city is in the tropics the weather is not tropical. In day time we experienced temperatures in the low 70s F (20 C) or a bit below, in the early mornings we got chilled by around 50 F (10 C). It was mostly dry,  there were just some short showers.

When I am in a foreign city I am on extra alert, but we felt safe all time. The security may be enforced by a massive police presence. We could see a lot of cops everywhere - especially in the subway stations -, and often we noticed the blue flashing lights from police cars, which keeps the criminality at bay. Many places have extra armed guards and in one museum they wore bullet proof vests.

It seems that the majority lives from baked corn (tortilla), there are ubiquitous corn bakers on the streets, and we could smell it everywhere. But the cosmopolitan city offers also classy restaurants. We enjoyed the spicy sauces that usually accompany the meals and some places offered an amazing fusion of Asian & Mexican cuisine. My favorites were Eloise in the district San Angel ( eloise.rest) & Azul in the neighborhood Condesa  ( azul.rest).  I ways surprised how good the Mexican wines were, they have some really nice Chardonnays & Cabernet Sauvignons.
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We had a lot of fun there and may go back some day.