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| Zocalo Plaza and Sculptures by Rivelino - Nuestros Silencios - Freedom of Expression |
The safest/easiest/cheapest way to travel around is by their extensive and reliable Metro (or subway) networks (if you don't mind to be massaged by the many other male bums during peak hours). It costs only 3 pesos (about 75 cents Canadian/US) per travel regardless of distance. Then there is Metrobus (with fixed stops) to supplement the subway. If you know your way around, other buses (with no fixed stops) are reliable and inexpensive mean of transportation as well. However, being a foreigner, it is not advisable to take a taxi alone, unless you travel with a local (a person from Mexico City is called a Chilango), however, radioed/registered taxis from major hotels or airport may be safer. There is a Metro station near the Benito Juarez International Airport, but one has to walk about 15 minutes. The city centre is called Centro Historico (Historic Centre) aka Zocalo (Central Plaza) or Plaza de la Constitucion. Zocalo is also the third world‘s largest square, after Moscow’s Red Square and Beijing’s Tiananmen Square
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| The "sinking" Catedral Metropolitano - Zocalo Plaza |
If you have 4 days, the top 10 places one must see/visit in Mexico City are:
1. Museo Nacional de Antropologia (Museum of Anthropology) in Chapultepec Park, a great place to see so many different native (pre-Columbian or pre-Spanish) cultures/histories, eg the Aztec, the Mayan, etc. Admission is free on Sundays for Mexican only, foreigners pay 51 pesos.
2. Palacio de Bella Artes (Fine Arts Palace) - there are permanent exhibitions of huge paintings or murals by Diego Rivera (famous Mexican painter as well as husband of another famous artist Frida Kahlo), admission is free to all (including foreigners).
3. Alameda Central, next to the Fine Arts Palace, is a park that is full of food carts/stalls and couples cuddling and kissing.
4. Catedral Metropolitana, in Centro Historico (Historic Centre) or Zocalo, the grand cathedral built by the Spanish on top of the Aztec temple (of course after the Spanish had flattened the temple). Like many other cathedrals or palaces built by the Spanish, are sinking or leaning, as they were built over Aztec’s temples/palaces.
5. Templo Mayor, next to the Metropolitan Cathedral, is the excavated Aztec temple.
6. Monumento a la Revolucion (The Arch of Revolution) is a landmark and monument commemorating the Mexican Revolution of 1910 (this art deco structure also functions as a masoleum for the heroes of the Revolution). If you wish to take the elevator to the viewing balcony, the cost is 40 pesos (a bit pricy for just viewing Mexico City from the high vantage point).
7. Zona Rosa (the Pink Zone),
it is an important business and entertainment district, this area is famous for its art galleries, elegant boutiques, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, etc. This zone is also gay/lesbian friendly, is also known to tourists as Reforma district because it embraces Paseo de la Reforma Avenue, there are 2 grand roundabouts, the famous Angel de la Independencia - a landmark commemorating Mexican Independence in 1810 and Fuente de la Diana Cazadora or Fountain of Diana the "naked" hunter (if you are naughty or prudist, you can try to help Diana put on a bra and an undie).
8. Basilica de Guadalupe (North of City), to see the “brown” Virgin Mary, is
Catholicism's holiest site in the Americas. The cathedrals draw pilgrims from around the world every day.
9. Bosque de Chapultepec, is one of the biggest urban parks in the world, its name means grasshopper hill in Native language, this huge park contains a Zoo, a Botanical Garden, a castle, an amusement park, museums, and lakes.
10. Bazar del Sabado at Plaza San Jacinto in San Angel, is an open art market held on every Saturday.
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| The "sinking" Palacio de Bella Artes - Fine Arts Palace - Historico Centro |
The top 5 food and beverage (other than the world’s famous Taco and Tequila) one must try are:
1. The less famous but smoky spirit called Mezcal, is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from the maguey plant (a form of agave) native to Mexico. Both Tequila and Mezcal are made by distilling the fermented juice of agave plants. The agave is a spiky-leafed member of the lily family (it is not a cactus). By Mexican law the agave spirit called Tequila can be made only from one particular type of agave, the blue agave, while Mezcal is made from the fermented juice of other species of agave. One can also visit Tequila/Mezcal Museum in Plaza Garibaldi in downtown. The entrance fee of 50 pesos entitles one to 2 tiny free samples of Tequila and Mezcal.
2. Pulque, a sacred Aztec drink or a traditional milky and alcoholic beverage or smoothie made from fermented marguey cactus. The easiest place to try pulque is at La Risa Pulqueria on Mesones Street in the Downtown Historic Centre, it costs 30 pesos for a 1L glass, and the drink has many flavours and very filling (some Mexicans treat this drink as food).
3. Mamey fruit or smoothie or ice cream. Mamey the mystery fruit, is an important fruit in the Mayan culture. This fruit has thick, brown skin and the pulp inside is soft, the flesh is orange to red colour and very sweet (you can eat raw). The seed in the middle is like a mussel shell.
4. A cup of esquites, a kind of soup served in a styrofoam cup, with ingredients like: corn seeds, pepper, chili powder, lime, cheese and mayonnaise.
5. Elote, corn on the cob with mayonnaise, chili powder, lime and salt, another street food staple.
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| Me eating raw Mamey fruit at Bazar del Sabado at Plaza San Jacinto in San Angel |
The top 3 spectator sports in Mexico City one must see are:
1. Soccer Match - Mexican go crazy about soccer. You see men reading “soccer” newspapers in subways, in restaurants, etc. You can watch it on TV or go to Aztec Stadium or
Estadio Azteca, the biggest soccer stadium in the world, built in 1966 for the 1968 Olympic Games with a full capacity of 129,300 seats. It's the home of one of the best soccer clubs in Mexico: Club America. Tickets cost range 200~600 pesos. Beware of resellers, as they will often sell fake tickets.
2. Wrestling (lucha libre), this is WWF a la Mexican style, if you enjoy watching masked men (attended by beautiful women) clash in a series of elaborately scripted battles, it is less sport than a muscular soap opera of good guys vs bad guys.
3. Bull Fight on Sunday - you can only watch bullfighting at
the Plaza de Toros, which is the largest bullring in the world, it can hold 45,000 spectators, it is next door to the Estadio Azul (literally, Blue Stadium). One should see this as a cultural experience (whether you are for or against bullfighting). Mexico City may soon follow the Province of Catalonia in Spain, to ban all bullfighting. Every Sunday, there are many protesters (all young people) shouting anti bullfighting slogans while being watched by many policemen equipped with anti riot gear, but being ignored by the mostly older and rich people who come to watch bullfight accompanied by their elegant, mostly young sexy women. Admission is around 100~500 pesos. Who knows, when will bullfight be banned in Mexico. Meanwhile, I join the crowd of spectators saying “OLE!!!”
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| Sad ending for the bull, but a happy ending for the restaurants nearby that serve dishes with every conceivable parts of the bull. |
