3/06/09 -3/09/09

Although feeling a bit trepidatious to go to Mexico City due to all the negative press it receives, we decided a “comprehensive” tour of Mexico would be lacking without a visit to the heart and soul of this fine country.   Basing ourselves (and our van!) in San Juan Teotihuacan, we paid 23 pesos apiece and took the hour-long bus ride into the city.  The bus from San Juan stops at the North Bus Terminal where we took the subway, called the Metro, for two pesos each to the Hidalgo stop (you’ll need to transfer at La Raza) on Paseo de la Reforma.  We had booked a room for three nights at the Emporio Reforma which is a 10-15 minute walk southwest toward Chapultepec Park along the Paseo.

We immediately found Mexico City to be quite civilized and metropolitan.  From the immaculate subway conditions to the tree-lined Paseo de la Reforma, the city was full of both modern and ancient delights. 

Fountain on Paseo de la Reforma

Statue of Christopher Columbus

Statue of Christopher Columbus

The Emporio Reforma is located in the financial district, midway between the Historical Center and Chapultepec Park, which are each about a 20 minute walk from the hotel.  On Saturday we chose to explore the Historical District, with the Zocolo, Alameda Park, Palace of Fine Arts, Catedral Metropolitana, Aztec ruins, National Palace and many other attractions.  When we arrived at the square, we discovered it was International Women’s Day, which was being celebrated with music, education, politics, exercise, and free beauty treatments.  We mingled among the crowds for awhile before ducking into the air conditioning of the numerous shopping outlets in the area.

Benito Juarez Monument in Alameda Park

Museo Palacio de las Bellas Artes

Public Art

Catedral Metropolitana

Zocolo (Central Square)

Activism in the Zocolo

Templo Mayor (Aztec)

On Sunday, we headed in the other direction from our hotel toward Chapultepec Park.  We were delighted to discover that the two middle lane divisions of Paseo de la Reforma are closed to automobiles and open to bicyclists, rollerbladers and pedestrians on Sundays between 8am and 2pm.  This made for an excellent stroll down the avenue, which is lined with trees, ornamental plantings, poetry plaques and various artistic benches to relax on.  We stopped in for Sunday brunch at Los Canarios at the Marquis Reforma Hotel.  A spread of everything from oysters on the half shell to pastor tacos awaited us, complete with a crepe station and steaks cooked to order.  It was exactly the city indulgence we were looking for and after stuffing ourselves with fresh fruits, vegetables and meats, we got back on the road to the park.

Paseo de la Reforma

Paseo de la Reforma

Paseo de la Reforma

Paseo de la Reforma

Independence Monument

Chapultepec Park is home to several museums, including the world famous Anthropology Museum, which houses a phenomenal collection of artifacts from the pre-Hispanic cultures of Mexico and the southern United States.  Most museums are free on Sunday so we also took a peek at the Rufino Tamayo Museum, which holds the personal collection of the museums namesake, a prominent 20^th century painter and muralist from the state of Oaxaca, as well as an impressive collection of contemporary and modern artworks including those of Picasso and Dali. Our weekend in the city happened to overlap with a stage of the Vuelta Mexico, bicycling’s “Tour de Mexico”, with a criterion stage of laps up and town the Paseo de la Reforma through Chapultepec Park, adding international sporting events to the resume of this multi-faceted city.

Garbage sorting in Chapultepec Park

Museo Rufino Tamayo (Contemporary Art)

Museo Nacional de Antropologia

Museo Nacional de Antropologia

Museo Nacional de Antropologia

Museo Nacional de Antropologia

Vuelta Mexico

We also visited the Zona Rosa, which has long been considered the trendsetting and touristy neighborhood of Mexico City, rich with restaurants, shopping, and nightlife. Although newer, trendier, more fashionable neighborhoods, such as the Polanco area, have come to prominence in recent years, the Zona Rosa is still vibrant with nighttime activity and has seemingly gained popularity with the local younger crowd. The Zona Rosa was a convenient and safe walk from our hotel, and although we didn’t exactly paint the town red, we were pleasantly surprised by the ease of negotiating this metropolis and the sense of security we experienced. Of course, the application of common sense and good deal of caution is necessary when visiting Mexico City, as it is in any major global city, but our experience was completely positive and we strongly recommend a trip to this charming old world/cosmopolitan town.

Statue of Cuauhtemoc on Paseo de la Reforma