Returning to Mexico City after 9 years we wondered how the city had changed and how we had changed. Nine years ago we flew in from North Carolina, rode the Metro to Allende station and walked a few blocks north in the early evening to Hotel Habana. The sight of policeman with guns startled us as we walked up República de Chile to República de Cuba and it was a few days until we realized that in Mexico, policemen with guns is a sign of good security, not the reverse.
This time we bused in from Irapuato and rode the Metro to Allende and walked a few blocks south to Hotel Washington, just a few blocks from Hotel Habana. There were even more police with guns than in 2003, but after 4 weeks Mexico, we barely noticed - our new normal. A twist: Hotel Washington was unable to provide Internet as advertised, and after one night we moved to Hotel Cuba just one block from Hotel Habana.
Mexico City, called DF or simply Mexico by Mexicans was great. Plenty of vegetarian restaurants and more things to do than we could squeeze into 5.5 days. We'll be back for sure.
On our first full day, we headed south on the Metro, then the Tren Ligero (light rail line) to the Dolores Olmeda Museum. Lots of Diego Rivera paintings, not murals, a few Frida Kahlos (most were on loan to a traveling exhibition), more peacocks in one place than I've seen in my entire life combined, and a herd of hairless dogs.
Within an hour of our arrival in DF we were having a vegetarian meal with a view. Woohoo!
The lobby of the Art Nouveau Gran Hotel.
Cathedral with helicopter.
The daily flag lowering on the zocalo made more difficult by high winds and temporary exhibition halls.
Peacocks at the Dolores Olmeda Museum.
Hairless dogs with imposter at the Olmeda.
Tren Ligero pulls into La Noria station.
Creation, a mural by Diego Rivera in the Anfiteatro Simon Bolivar.
Los danzantes de Chalma, a mural by Fernando Leal at the College of San Ildefonso.
And finally John with fish (painting by Pedro Diego Alvarado)
Sun-Ling and John have been traveling the earth since 2008 while blogging, eating vegetarian and vegan, and riding public transportation. We love uphill day hikes, 20th-century architecture, Roman ruins, all bodies of water, local markets, shopping for groceries, aqueducts, miradors, trip planning, blablacar, and more.
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2 comments:
I'm wondering if our Mexican immigration "problem" results from the Catholic Church having consumed so much labor over the years to construct all these cathedrals you're visiting and that has dried up. Encourage the CC to resume construction and put the locals to work.
Crash - Great topic for discussion when we see you next. We have some new perspectives.
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