I'm keeping my fingers crossed now that I appear to have found a decent high speed internet shop in Queretaro, about a three hour bus ride northwest of the DF.
After puttering around near my Zocalo hotel on Wednesday--and taking a couple hundred photos of the vibrant street life in the area--I found myself held over in the big city for another day to take care of some housekeeping (laundry, to be precise).
With Thursday afternoon at my disposal, I decided to make the return trek out to Coyoacan to take photos and check out the museums.
It was another long walk from the metro stop to Frida's Blue House, and there was a long line of tourists at the ticket counter, so I continued my way back to Trotsky's house.
The admission, at 55 pesos--which includes a 15 peso "permit" to take photos--was reasonable, and I can confirm that history buffs would enjoy a visit to this museum since apparently nothing has been drastically changed since 1940 when the Soviet exile and mortal enemy of Stalin was knocked off in his study by a mysterious Spanish NKVD assassin.
I made full use of my photo permit.
Back at Frida's house I found I had to give it a miss for another day because of a temporary cash shortage. At 120 pesos (including photo permit), the admission charge was a bit steep for me, and the museum didn't accept credit/debit cards.
Friday morning I managed to tear myself away from the comforts of the capital and set out for Queretaro--a town I visited once before.
Queretaro is a well-kept colonial city with many pedestrian walkways and the usual high number of strolling musicians. Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende are both but a short bus trip away, and I'll probably head there tomorrow.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Growing Roots in Mexico City
I had a feeling Mexico City would be right up my alley, but I didn't think I'd end up staying more than3-4 days initially.
Yet the attractions here are so numerous that I decided this morning to scout some cheaper hotels, and I ended up taking a $21 room in the Zocalo district, so now I won't make a move north to Guanajuato until Thursday at the earliest.
Since I have only two weekends left on this trip, it looks like a plan to spend the coming weekend in Guanajuato and St Miguel de Allende, and I would still have a few days' leeway to explore some more of that region--with plenty of time to close out the following weekend back in the DF.
I want another weekend in the big city because until today I haven't taken very many photos, and I'd like to revisit Condesa and Coyoacan for that purpose. And if I decide to try a couple of the many museums here, there will be plenty of time for that.
Here are some of my impressions and observations of this great city now that I've been here a little more thanfour days:
1.) This a city that never sleeps, and the sheer number of people out and about at any given time is astonishing.
2.) There are very many itinerant musicians, and some of them are excellent players. Just now I photographed a 10-12 piece Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble with vocalist busking on one of the pedestrian streets. They had a huge crowd gathered, and as I dropped a plastic blue 20 peso note in the "hat" I noticed that it had plenty of company with other blue notes and 10 peso coins.
3.) But it's certainly not all mariachi and musica latina. I've also seen classical cellists, jazz sax players, many violin/guitar duos, solo guitarist/singers, and more.
4.) This city has tons and tons of cops, they are everywhere and everywhere. Yet paradoxically many Mexicans don't equate the number of police with safety. David Lida writes that there are perhaps 20 seperate´police agencies operating in the DF with total numbers approaching 100,000--a huge ratio even for such a large city. The main problem is the average cop gets a fairly low salary, forcing many of them to solicit small bribes from motorists and others in order to make a decent living.
5.) I've spent the bulk of my time so far in two neighborhoods: the Alameda Park and Zocalo areas. Amidst all the hustle and bustle of people working, eating, selling things, playing music, organ grinding, and hustling for the next peso, I have seen very little actual begging. Apart from the occasional elderly woman or a woman with 2-3 children, there seems to be almost no panhandling to speak of in these two primary locations.
6.) Many people I meet in the course of a day-a waiter in my hotel, a mom and pop store proprietor--have friends and/or relatives in el norte.
7.) Vehicle traffic can be brutal at nearly any time of day, but if you use the Metro at the right time (skip rush hours) it is very fast, relatively comfortable, and for only 30 cents per ride it's one of the best bargains of the city. Not at all like the slow, gloomy, and sometimes scary New York subway or Chicago el, the Metro is comparable to the system in Paris: long trains with quiet rubber wheels arrive once every 2-3 minutes, and the nine or ten lines cover a huge swathe of DF territory. And like Paris the station maps are excellent, so it's difficult to get lost underground.
8.) I love the food, and the coffee is great too. Just as Californians have developed their versions of sushi, so too have the Mexicans. I stopped for coffee in chain which featured on the menu the usual espresso and latte/cappucino drinks as well as French and Italian water, pastries, ice cream, sandwiches, Mexican lunch and dinner specialties, Mexican-style sushi, and more. . .
9.) It's the rainyseason, but there hasn't been much rain at all, though often there is cloud cover. It's been very temperate in the daytime--70s and low 80s--and sometimes quite chilly at night!
10.) Finding a good internet shop has been surprisingly difficult--I'm still looking for a good fast one with plenty of lightso I can manage the tricky Spanish language keyboards--but I'm not complaining much since it's still only one or two bucks per hour to use. Compare that to Kinko/Fedex in the U.S. ($12 an hour) and you're laughing. . .
Yet the attractions here are so numerous that I decided this morning to scout some cheaper hotels, and I ended up taking a $21 room in the Zocalo district, so now I won't make a move north to Guanajuato until Thursday at the earliest.
Since I have only two weekends left on this trip, it looks like a plan to spend the coming weekend in Guanajuato and St Miguel de Allende, and I would still have a few days' leeway to explore some more of that region--with plenty of time to close out the following weekend back in the DF.
I want another weekend in the big city because until today I haven't taken very many photos, and I'd like to revisit Condesa and Coyoacan for that purpose. And if I decide to try a couple of the many museums here, there will be plenty of time for that.
Here are some of my impressions and observations of this great city now that I've been here a little more thanfour days:
1.) This a city that never sleeps, and the sheer number of people out and about at any given time is astonishing.
2.) There are very many itinerant musicians, and some of them are excellent players. Just now I photographed a 10-12 piece Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble with vocalist busking on one of the pedestrian streets. They had a huge crowd gathered, and as I dropped a plastic blue 20 peso note in the "hat" I noticed that it had plenty of company with other blue notes and 10 peso coins.
3.) But it's certainly not all mariachi and musica latina. I've also seen classical cellists, jazz sax players, many violin/guitar duos, solo guitarist/singers, and more.
4.) This city has tons and tons of cops, they are everywhere and everywhere. Yet paradoxically many Mexicans don't equate the number of police with safety. David Lida writes that there are perhaps 20 seperate´police agencies operating in the DF with total numbers approaching 100,000--a huge ratio even for such a large city. The main problem is the average cop gets a fairly low salary, forcing many of them to solicit small bribes from motorists and others in order to make a decent living.
5.) I've spent the bulk of my time so far in two neighborhoods: the Alameda Park and Zocalo areas. Amidst all the hustle and bustle of people working, eating, selling things, playing music, organ grinding, and hustling for the next peso, I have seen very little actual begging. Apart from the occasional elderly woman or a woman with 2-3 children, there seems to be almost no panhandling to speak of in these two primary locations.
6.) Many people I meet in the course of a day-a waiter in my hotel, a mom and pop store proprietor--have friends and/or relatives in el norte.
7.) Vehicle traffic can be brutal at nearly any time of day, but if you use the Metro at the right time (skip rush hours) it is very fast, relatively comfortable, and for only 30 cents per ride it's one of the best bargains of the city. Not at all like the slow, gloomy, and sometimes scary New York subway or Chicago el, the Metro is comparable to the system in Paris: long trains with quiet rubber wheels arrive once every 2-3 minutes, and the nine or ten lines cover a huge swathe of DF territory. And like Paris the station maps are excellent, so it's difficult to get lost underground.
8.) I love the food, and the coffee is great too. Just as Californians have developed their versions of sushi, so too have the Mexicans. I stopped for coffee in chain which featured on the menu the usual espresso and latte/cappucino drinks as well as French and Italian water, pastries, ice cream, sandwiches, Mexican lunch and dinner specialties, Mexican-style sushi, and more. . .
9.) It's the rainyseason, but there hasn't been much rain at all, though often there is cloud cover. It's been very temperate in the daytime--70s and low 80s--and sometimes quite chilly at night!
10.) Finding a good internet shop has been surprisingly difficult--I'm still looking for a good fast one with plenty of lightso I can manage the tricky Spanish language keyboards--but I'm not complaining much since it's still only one or two bucks per hour to use. Compare that to Kinko/Fedex in the U.S. ($12 an hour) and you're laughing. . .
Monday, August 15, 2011
Walking Tours in the DF
Once again, I have to acknowledge Jim Johnston and his "opinionated" guide to the DF. At first glance, I didn't think much of this slender volume, but when I realized he maps out several suggested walking tours of select neighborhoods, I decided that his book is almost written for me. Since I really enjoy walking miles through Latin American colonias, I've found his book to be an indispensible companion for my visits yesterday to La Condesa and my trip to Coyoacan this morning.
Nine stops south on the Metro from my hotel near the city center, the ride to Coyoacan is the equivalent in length to a trip on Chicago's El train from the Loop to Rogers Park. And from the Metro station it was another 20 minute hike to the center of the colonia, which feature's Frida Kahlo's Blue House and the fortress-like compound where Leon Trotsky lived out his final years of exile from the Soviet Union.
I had intended to pay 40 pesos to see the bullet scarred walls of Trotsky's villa--now a museum--but for some strange reason it was closed when I arrived. History fans will recall that the Russian former resident of the place couldn't escape the long reach of Stalin's arm, and this is where he met a very gruesome end--by icepick.
Johnston gives a special mention to La Guadalupana, a rustic old cantina which was the local hangout of Kahlo, her husband Diego Rivera, and their friends (including, presumably, Trotsky). The facade of the building today looks exactly as it did in the 1930s--offering a very real time-warpy feeling.
I have to give Johnston a big round of applause for his recommendation of Condesa tacqueria El Tizoncito where I thoroughly enjoyed a meal last night. The tacos al pastor (spiced red pork) were absolutely to die for: a huge plate of them, with about half a dozen different green and red salsas, for around five bucks. I must revisit the place soon!
Nine stops south on the Metro from my hotel near the city center, the ride to Coyoacan is the equivalent in length to a trip on Chicago's El train from the Loop to Rogers Park. And from the Metro station it was another 20 minute hike to the center of the colonia, which feature's Frida Kahlo's Blue House and the fortress-like compound where Leon Trotsky lived out his final years of exile from the Soviet Union.
I had intended to pay 40 pesos to see the bullet scarred walls of Trotsky's villa--now a museum--but for some strange reason it was closed when I arrived. History fans will recall that the Russian former resident of the place couldn't escape the long reach of Stalin's arm, and this is where he met a very gruesome end--by icepick.
Johnston gives a special mention to La Guadalupana, a rustic old cantina which was the local hangout of Kahlo, her husband Diego Rivera, and their friends (including, presumably, Trotsky). The facade of the building today looks exactly as it did in the 1930s--offering a very real time-warpy feeling.
I have to give Johnston a big round of applause for his recommendation of Condesa tacqueria El Tizoncito where I thoroughly enjoyed a meal last night. The tacos al pastor (spiced red pork) were absolutely to die for: a huge plate of them, with about half a dozen different green and red salsas, for around five bucks. I must revisit the place soon!
Colonia Condesa & the Zocalo
After a day or so of acclimatizing to the elevation here, I set out yesterday in earnest to acquaint myself on foot with some of Mexico City's neighborhoods. In doing so I also familiarized myself with the city's fast and efficient Metro (subway) and a couple of electric bus lines.
Colonia Condesa is a quiet, pleasant, relatively wealthy neighborhood with tree-lined streets just 10-15 minutes by Metro from the bustle of the downtown Alameda area. Condesa seems to be peopled mainly by upper middle class dog lovers, and the whole area has a large number of cafes and restaurants which were mostly busy with Sunday diners both times I visited.
Street musicians of all stripes compete for coins and peso notes--including a very fine instrumental trio of clarinet, accordian and contrabass who entertained the multitudes in the very cool and shady Parque Mexico. These guys played very intricate arrangements at high tempo of what sounded like music from the Balkans, and they appeared to be quite popular as their "hat" was filling with green dollar bills and blue 20 peso notes.
While the boys jammed for the gente, I enjoyed a coffee break at a sidewalk cafe that featured plastic dandelions in water-filled salt shakers.
In the afternoon I went hunting back near the Zocalo for other, possibly cheaper hotels from the one where I currently reside. The Zocalo's large plaza seems to be occupied by a permanent camp of anti-government protesters, but this didn't hinder in any sense the fun-seeking activities of the huge crowds of Sunday strollers. I managed to find a couple other hotel possibilities to file away for future reference.
The Hotel Fleming, where I stay now, is perfectly fine but just a tad above my daily budget. Its location is unbeatable, though, especially for the Metro and the Alameda park.
Colonia Condesa is a quiet, pleasant, relatively wealthy neighborhood with tree-lined streets just 10-15 minutes by Metro from the bustle of the downtown Alameda area. Condesa seems to be peopled mainly by upper middle class dog lovers, and the whole area has a large number of cafes and restaurants which were mostly busy with Sunday diners both times I visited.
Street musicians of all stripes compete for coins and peso notes--including a very fine instrumental trio of clarinet, accordian and contrabass who entertained the multitudes in the very cool and shady Parque Mexico. These guys played very intricate arrangements at high tempo of what sounded like music from the Balkans, and they appeared to be quite popular as their "hat" was filling with green dollar bills and blue 20 peso notes.
While the boys jammed for the gente, I enjoyed a coffee break at a sidewalk cafe that featured plastic dandelions in water-filled salt shakers.
In the afternoon I went hunting back near the Zocalo for other, possibly cheaper hotels from the one where I currently reside. The Zocalo's large plaza seems to be occupied by a permanent camp of anti-government protesters, but this didn't hinder in any sense the fun-seeking activities of the huge crowds of Sunday strollers. I managed to find a couple other hotel possibilities to file away for future reference.
The Hotel Fleming, where I stay now, is perfectly fine but just a tad above my daily budget. Its location is unbeatable, though, especially for the Metro and the Alameda park.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Sensory Overloads the DF
Thanks to Jim Johnston's excellent advice in his "opinionated" city guide about getting a sitio taxi from the airport to the Colonia Central, I had a very smooth transition from flying the unfriendly skies in the morning to getting situated in my pre-booked, conveniently located hotel early in the afternoon.
Although the heart of the capital is only six kilometers from the airport, it took nearly an hour to navigate through the city's notorious traffic congestion. However, I was out and about on foot by around 2.30 for my first walking tour of this massive, colorful metropolis.
The Alameda Central, a green park about five blocks long, is only a couple blocks north of my hotel, so I made a beeline for it. Though the sun was pounding the streets pretty heavily, there were people everywhere I looked, just as it is in Manhattan.
From the Alameda, I walked up a wide boulevard about six blocks north to Plaza Garibaldi which is mariachi central for the entire country. Even though it was too early to catch any music--the place doesn't get hopping until late at night--there were plenty of costumed musicians (including several violinists) beginning to gather in readiness for the coming night's work.
At this point I turned east, intending to locate the Zocalo, the historic center of the city with one of the biggest plazas in the world, surrounded by dazzling colonial architecture of palaces, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and various government buildings.
But after a couple blocks I began to feel the heat of the sun more intensively as I realized that the city's 7000 foot elevation was turning my walking legs into heavy lead. I decided to save the Zocalo for another, cooler time period.
I found a good, albeit slightly pricey four-course lunch in the restaurant of my hotel. This was just as well, for by that time I was running on very little sleep from the night before, and a siesta afterward took me til nearly 9.00 p.m. Nightfall brought temperatures 20 degrees lower than the day's--a pleasant end to an exciting travel day.
Although the heart of the capital is only six kilometers from the airport, it took nearly an hour to navigate through the city's notorious traffic congestion. However, I was out and about on foot by around 2.30 for my first walking tour of this massive, colorful metropolis.
The Alameda Central, a green park about five blocks long, is only a couple blocks north of my hotel, so I made a beeline for it. Though the sun was pounding the streets pretty heavily, there were people everywhere I looked, just as it is in Manhattan.
From the Alameda, I walked up a wide boulevard about six blocks north to Plaza Garibaldi which is mariachi central for the entire country. Even though it was too early to catch any music--the place doesn't get hopping until late at night--there were plenty of costumed musicians (including several violinists) beginning to gather in readiness for the coming night's work.
At this point I turned east, intending to locate the Zocalo, the historic center of the city with one of the biggest plazas in the world, surrounded by dazzling colonial architecture of palaces, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and various government buildings.
But after a couple blocks I began to feel the heat of the sun more intensively as I realized that the city's 7000 foot elevation was turning my walking legs into heavy lead. I decided to save the Zocalo for another, cooler time period.
I found a good, albeit slightly pricey four-course lunch in the restaurant of my hotel. This was just as well, for by that time I was running on very little sleep from the night before, and a siesta afterward took me til nearly 9.00 p.m. Nightfall brought temperatures 20 degrees lower than the day's--a pleasant end to an exciting travel day.
Arrival in the DF
My arrival yesterday in Mexico City, the distrito federale of the nation's capital, was pretty much as I expected.
Thanks to much extensive reading over the past winter of such young American authors as David Lida, Chuck Thompson, and Jim Johnston, I had a remarkably amount of knowledge about the place before commencing my first trip here.
As all three of these writers point out--you can google them to find their books--Mexico City has attained an unfairly bad rap in the "Western"--read, American--press.
Thompson's book is his amusing account of picking three of the scariest places in the world and his subsequent journey to find out what the big fuss is about. Somewhat facetiously he chose the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), Mexico City, and Disney World.
A highly entertaining travel writer who despises the formulaic travel writing found in most newspapers and magazines today, Thompson himself was inspired by Lida's excellent "non-guide" book about the Mexicican capital. Much of the factual info I pass along here comes from them both.
The DF is a massively huge area, perhaps definitive of urban sprawl in the developing world in this, the second decade of the 21st century. Like many such megacities in the world's poorer countries, it has a large and rising population which is nearly impossible to document with any accuracy. However, most agree that there are at least 20 million people living here, and probably at least 1000 more arriving every day.
That amounts to 1/5 to 1/4 of Mexico's entire population. The reason so many live and work here is the same as why so many Mexicans seek work in el Norte, the U.S.--for the economic opportunities which are lacking in the rest of the country.
Probably at least 40% of the economy in Mexico is "underground" and therefore untaxed, and there are signs of this everywhere since so much of the economic activity is of people trying to sell something on the street.
Despite widespread poverty, Mexico's economy is large and robust. It remains one of the ten largest economies in the world today, but the big problem is widening income disparity, with income stratification even worse than in the U.S.
After my reading last winter I realized that I've been missing out on a possible gem of a location for my continuing travels in the developing world, and one that's amazingly only a 3 1/2 hour flight from Chicago! Because the DF is quite a bit like a New York City for all of Latin America--the undisputed center for culture, music, and the arts "south of the border"--I felt I had to rectify this hole in my lifelong itinerary.
And after only 24 hours here, I can say: so far so good. . .
Thanks to much extensive reading over the past winter of such young American authors as David Lida, Chuck Thompson, and Jim Johnston, I had a remarkably amount of knowledge about the place before commencing my first trip here.
As all three of these writers point out--you can google them to find their books--Mexico City has attained an unfairly bad rap in the "Western"--read, American--press.
Thompson's book is his amusing account of picking three of the scariest places in the world and his subsequent journey to find out what the big fuss is about. Somewhat facetiously he chose the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), Mexico City, and Disney World.
A highly entertaining travel writer who despises the formulaic travel writing found in most newspapers and magazines today, Thompson himself was inspired by Lida's excellent "non-guide" book about the Mexicican capital. Much of the factual info I pass along here comes from them both.
The DF is a massively huge area, perhaps definitive of urban sprawl in the developing world in this, the second decade of the 21st century. Like many such megacities in the world's poorer countries, it has a large and rising population which is nearly impossible to document with any accuracy. However, most agree that there are at least 20 million people living here, and probably at least 1000 more arriving every day.
That amounts to 1/5 to 1/4 of Mexico's entire population. The reason so many live and work here is the same as why so many Mexicans seek work in el Norte, the U.S.--for the economic opportunities which are lacking in the rest of the country.
Probably at least 40% of the economy in Mexico is "underground" and therefore untaxed, and there are signs of this everywhere since so much of the economic activity is of people trying to sell something on the street.
Despite widespread poverty, Mexico's economy is large and robust. It remains one of the ten largest economies in the world today, but the big problem is widening income disparity, with income stratification even worse than in the U.S.
After my reading last winter I realized that I've been missing out on a possible gem of a location for my continuing travels in the developing world, and one that's amazingly only a 3 1/2 hour flight from Chicago! Because the DF is quite a bit like a New York City for all of Latin America--the undisputed center for culture, music, and the arts "south of the border"--I felt I had to rectify this hole in my lifelong itinerary.
And after only 24 hours here, I can say: so far so good. . .
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