Tierra de Tortugas

More of Mexico: Mexico City 1

La Ciudad de México

One of the World's Great Cities

What can one say about Mexico City that hasn’t been said before? The superlatives exhaust themselves. If one has any tendency toward urbanism, excellent museums, the world’s finest dining, and endless quiet walks in tree-shaded neighborhoods, this is one of the places to be. You’ll either love it or you’ll hate it, but it is compelling. And that’s why we’ve returned after several years away.

After the steamy jungles of Puerto Vallarta (why did we go there in summer?), the cool mornings, rainy afternoons, and chilly evenings of Mexico City are a great relief. I’ve gone from shorts and sandals to long pants, shoes, and socks. I often wear my old second-hand REI vest. And sometimes I need a jacket.

Besides the cooler air, we were very much ready to ‘culture up.’ We love walks in a tranquil countryside, or the sweeping view over the fabled Sea of Cortez from our own terrace in Kino Bay. But now we were ready to find a good coffee shop or two, a good bookstore, maybe see a classic movie in a basement theater, some major art, some jazz, some classical music. Within a day or two of our arrival it’s clear we’ve come back to the right place.

 

We’re staying in a nice room with a very comfortable bed right at the crossing of two diagonals, Michoacán and Vicente Suarez. There’s no courtyard or outdoor space with our room, yet we’re on a quiet street in the very middle of the beautiful Condesa neighborhood. The jumble of streets in this area slows the traffic; cool mornings and tree-lined streets encourage walking. The city is our courtyard. But with several good coffee shops and a dozen or so fine restaurants within a two-block radius, it’s hard to go far without wanting to stop. 

Yet we keep walking — wandering, actually — to our supposed destination for the day. And sometimes we actually get there. But the wonderful thing about a great city is that getting to our destination may not be the primary thing. Just being in the moment, exploring the streets and byways, we may have actually arrived at our destination. The museum, or whatever, can wait for another day. It’s really the city in its totality that is the reason we came here in the first place. As we begin to absorb the feeling and the character of the place, the rest becomes secondary.

Bicycles are common in this city, and there’s a thriving Ecobici program with more than 70,000 card-holders. And yes, there are cars, lots of them, but smaller and more efficient than in the past. And parking is such a problem that there are unique solutions. Also there are encouragements to not block your neighbor’s driveway! (“Respect my entry, and I’ll respect your car.”)

 

This great city has so many interesting sites, it’s easy to get sidetracked. A young student we spoke with has been here for months now and still feels she’s just scratched the surface of the offerings available. We’re not familiar with the Condesa; set out timidly at first to find our way around – and still find our way back. Just a walk around the block for starters, and then a bit further. We become familiar with the adjacent streets but find something new each time.

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We start the day with a breakfast of crepes suzettes at the corner Creperie de la Paix (are we in Paris?). At the curb next to us a photo crew is shooting for Carrot Cars, an innovative car-sharing company using energy-efficient vehicles. 

The morning garbage pick-up crew arrives, and they sort debris from various local gatherers. The plastic is tossed into a large bin, while the cardboard is bundled, and other items separated into other containers. And afterward, they even sweep the street! 

 

They’re clearly doing a lot of things right in this city.

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I stop at a newsstand to buy a large map of the city and we study the street grid, with all its diagonals creating interesting spaces to explore. The intriguing layout of Parque México and the adjacent Parque España beckon us, and we’re only a few blocks away. The area used to be a very large horse-racing track; and the former oval, now Avenida Amsterdam (many streets in this cosmopolitan city are named for European cities or dignitaries), is now the outer residential ring enclosing the park area. The inner ring, Ave. México, wraps right around the park. It’s all designed to slow traffic and encourage good residential space. And yes, there are a few nice little corner restaurants right near both parks. It’s a good place for us to catch some lunch.

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Dog walking is a career in large cities such as this (also in Buenos Aires) and the pups look forward to these daily ‘meet and greets.’ They’re generally well-mannered as they each quietly wait their turn for a private walk and a treat. Numerous gaggles of dogs are a common morning sight in the parks here, and the trainers are quick with a pick-up bag when nature demands it. A number of residents seem to have dogs, but there are very few ‘dog logs’ on the sidewalks here.

 

You can also send your dog to a school for ‘canine intelligence,’ or have him boarded in style when you’re on vacation. And there are pet food shops that will deliver to your door. But please pick up the ‘do-ings’ left by Fido. 

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Further wandering finds us passing more colorful homes and beautiful classical buildings – and the usual ’street art’ found in big cities these days. While much of it’s junk, some of it is actually very good.

  

And after a good day’s adventure, what’s better than a fine dinner and an awesome dessert?

 

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After several days of wonderfully aimless wandering we actually head for a destination: the Luis Barragán Casa Museo. Barragán is the only Mexican architect to have received the internationally prestigious Pritzker Prize in Architecture.  For us, a visit to his home and museum was mandatory. 

We arrived at the door to find a listing of tour times, requiring a prior phone reservation. We were out of luck. But this is Mexico, land of magical realism, and good things can happen. We stood there for a moment as a young Mexican man walked up and rang the bell. He told the doorman that he’d emailed for a tour that morning but hadn’t gotten a reply. Then a very nice middle-aged Mexican couple also joined us. 

The doorman was out-numbered so he let us all in and organized a tour. In Spanish. Which was good practice for me, and I actually understood much of it. The young man was an architect, and the other couple were friends of his who happened to arrive at the same time. 

 

Barragán was clearly Modernist in his designs, but drew upon the spirituality of ancient Egyptian and Mexican pyramids, as well as Greek temples and Gothic cathedrals to capture a sense of amazement, peace, and great beauty. He stated that, “Any work of architecture which does not express serenity is a mistake.”  

He understood the basic connection between man and nature and worked to incorporate the natural world into his design work. His interior spaces focus on his gracious tree-filled gardens and are flooded with natural light. 

At the Museo Barragán we purchase a guide to the 20th century architecture of the city, and it becomes a valuable asset. 

 

 

His home is adjacent to another of his designs where we took a tour of the extended gardens. He even provided palomares (dovecôtes) in his designs. It was a natural world in which we could lose ourselves.

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And once again, exhausted by another good and fruitful walk, we topped off an excellent day with a fine dinner. What more can we ask?

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And should you think we’re doing nothing serious with our time, we continue our diligent search for the escaped drug lord ‘Chapo’ Guzmán. Rest assured we’ll stay on this important case.  

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OK, that all sounds great, but what about the smog? Well yeah, it’s a big city so there’s smog – although there’s much less of it than there used to be. And there’s much less in the summer, when we happen to be visiting. The worst time, I read recently, is in late winter, mostly February and March. The rainy season of summer, with the accompanying breezes, helps to clean the air. We lucked out.

Like many other big cities, this one grew rapidly after World War II from a population of 3 million to today’s 20 million. Rapid and dirty industrialization and the proliferation of vehicles helped turn one of the world’s most beautiful locations, with vistas of distant snow-capped mountains, into a toxic soup bowl that the UN called (in 1992) the most polluted on the planet. (Beijing may now have that honor.) 

But beyond these problems, Mexico City faces its own unique conditions that make smog a very difficult problem to solve. First, it’s in a large cuenca or bowl, 7400 feet (2240 meters) above sea-level, surrounded by mountains on three sides. It’s really one of the few large cities in the world (along with Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Santiago, Chile, etc.) that has to actually deal with its own pollution problems. Others (NYC, Chicago, Paris, London, etc) just export the problem downwind. And the high altitude in Mexico City means that those millions of cars, buses and trucks burn fuel less efficiently than at sea-level. Smog-trapping inversions are frequent in the winter. During one smog season, over a million residents reported to area hospitals with respiratory problems.

But Mexico City currently has one of the best pollution-control efforts in the world. Most of the main contaminates are far lower today than in 1990, and breathing is easier. The worst industrial polluters were closed or moved from the city, driving restrictions and frequent auto pollution testing were begun, new parks (called pulmones, or lungs) were created, an ‘eco-bike’ system was begun, along with pedestrian-only road closures. In short Mexico City’s efforts rival those of most major cities, but geography is destiny and much remains to be done.  

—PRW

 

More on Mexico City Smog

Good info: 

http://www.world-weather-travellers-guide.com/air-pollution-in-mexico-city.html

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2014/10/coming-up-for-air/

For smog geeks: 

http://www.mexicocityvibes.com/air-pollution-in-mexico-city/

http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Resources/Publications/Pages/ArticleDetails.aspx?PublicationID=740

 

 

More of Mexico: Puerto Vallarta

SUMMER 2015

We spent a few weeks visiting family and friends in Albuquerque in July. Then it was time to return below the border, to familiar surroundings, to things that are wonderfully and oddly Mexican. 

A heavy old dump truck, for instance, with no rear lights and a well-weathered Alto sign screwed onto the back.

Garbage cans provided by a candidate for office in the recent election.

Reserved parking spaces for ‘Future Mamas.’

Signs exhorting drivers, ‘Do Not Mistreat the Signs.’

It’s all part of the Mexican Experience.

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SOUTH INTO MEXICO 

This year we planned to escape the intense summer heat of Kino Bay by exploring many more of the ‘places between,’ the parts of Mexico we had not visited before, like Puerto Vallarta and Chiapas. And others we had not visited sufficiently, like Mexico City – a truly world-class destination. And the recent soaring exchange rate (16 MX pesos to one US dollar) helped make the decision for us. Just a few years ago the rate was 10 pesos per dollar; for those of us living and traveling in Mexico, and even accounting for inflation, the strong dollar has been like a very large pay raise.

We dragged our rolling bags to the curb in front of our Kino home and boarded the Costa bus for Hermosillo. Around us were the many faces of Mexico who saw us, the two old gringos, as the odd curiosity. When the bus stopped in front of the Pargo Rojo, our friend Roberto hopped on. It was a busy weekend at the restaurant and he was headed home after the day shift. He’d be back first thing in the morning. His son is working, and his daughter is beginning studies at the University of Sonora. He’s a proud papa.

We spent a night at the Royal Palace in Hermosillo ($75/night) and left a call for a cab early in the morning. The first leg of this trip would include a six-hour layover in Mexico City and my camera quit, so Carolyn took a picture of an interesting sign in the airport. Finally we were back in the clouds, landing soon in rainy Vallarta.

After many years of avoiding the crowded tourist scene of Pt. Vallarta it was time to visit the hot tropical scene of “Night of the Iguana,” to connect with our inner Richard Burton and Ava Gardner. (See the steamy trailer here.) Visiting in August might give us the full experience, including hordes of Mexican tourists. We’d be among the very few gringos in town, and it might be cheaper than High Season. We tend to like it that way.

We arrived at Casa Fantasía in the Zona Romantica after dark in a soft and cooling rain. We tossed our bags into the room, and went to find dinner along the nearby malecón. A place called Daiquiri Dick’s beckoned; the daiquiris and the food were excellent. The daiquiris were mixed with good añejo rum, shaken over ice and poured pure and golden into a cold martini glass. It was a fine way to begin our PV experience.  

 

Back in our corner room on the second floor we opened the windows fully to catch the gentle breeze. Water falling from the eaves and a burbling fountain in the courtyard below provided music for the night. Late night vendors pushed their carts in the streets below calling out their wares, like the peanut vendor in the old song “Manisero.” (A great version of the classic song).

After breakfast in the courtyard we found a bus heading for Costco, and I bought an iPod Touch. I only want a good small camera to carry on my hip and this new gadget would be a major learning experience for me. (Actually, every new device is a major challenge for me.) Carolyn got the damn thing working and handed it off to me so I could take ‘thumb and finger shots’ and other curiosities until I got the hang of it.

A few of my first shots well captured the green tropical essence of our modest hotel just two blocks from the beach at Olas Altas. 

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The ‘Blue Chairs’ beach (note photographer’s finger in pic) and the new muelle (tourist pier) are also just a short walk away. After a good swim in the warm, murky and crowded waters of broad Banderas Bay, it was time to escape the heat of midday back under the A/C and wait until the evening paseo, a time-honored tradition in any real Mexican town.

 

 

 

Puerto Vallarta’s broad malecón fills with life as the evening wanes and temperatures drop. There are whimsical sculptures every block or so, many vendors and touts, and sufficient raucous beach-town noise to assure us we’re having a very good time. An especially piercing organ grinder added a special touch to the cacophony.

We stopped for a fine dinner of pesce Livornese and told the waiter it reminded us of pesce Liguri at a nice little place in Rapallo, Italy. He had no idea what the hell we were talking about but smiled politely and went to the next table. 

Then a gelato beckoned ('cooffe' flavor!) and more wandering along the malecón as the sun set into the broad Bahia de Banderas. A ‘pirate ship’ set anchor in the waning light as a girl cast wistful glances, and an old gringo watched the sun set.

 

 

Crowds of tourists surrounded the Amphiteatro by Vallarta’s iconic Arcos to watch a pair of fire-breathing jokesters as we found our way back to our quiet room for a deep sleep.

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In other Mexican news... 

•    The recession remains a major concern in the country. The lead story in El Universal’s edition for Sunday August 2, 2015 stated that of 3.1 million recent college graduates in Mexico, 2 out of five have not found employment.

•    President Peña Nieto assured the public, “There are other countries doing worse than Mexico.”  

•    The editorial response from La Reforma, another of the country’s major newspapers, was predictable:

EPN: “There are countries doing worse than Mexico.” 

Citizen: “¿With worse politicians?”

•    And the search for the escaped ‘Chapo’ Guzmán goes on. Recent reports in El Imparcial mention that extradition proceedings were somehow delayed for more than a month but have now restarted, after he escaped. And the inmates near Guzmán’s cell had complained prior to the escape that the noise of tunneling kept them from sleeping. Well, we’re doing our part in the search but have yet found no sign of Chapo in Puerto Vallarta. 

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Over the next few days we’d take several long bumpy and gear-grinding rides on a hot bus (7.5 pesos each); the first took us to the main bus stop in town, right across from the cruise ship terminal. We transferred to a higher class air-conditioned bus (15 pesos each) to visit the extravagant world of Nuevo Vallarta farther up the coast in the Riviera Nayarít. It’s a world apart from the funky cobble-stone streets of old Vallarta. It’s where the Big Money comes to play. 

The gorgeous palm-lined streets were strangely empty as the tourists were safely sequestered in their various resorts. A few workers waited for the bus in the midday heat as the long and graceful fronds of thousands of coconut palms hung in the still air or drifted languidly in the faintest of breezes.  

 

We got off the bus at the Nuevo Vallarta Marina to get a ‘sailboat fix,’ over lunch and cold drinks at an outside table. Our friendly waitress (with the oddly Egyptian name of Osiris) was quick with two very cold beers and a fine burger for us to split as we contemplated the luxury (and the heat) around us. After lunch and a short wander under the sweltering sun, we boarded the next bus (no A/C this time, but still 15 pesos each) back to Puerto Vallarta.

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We had asked someone about long-term rentals, and she had given us the name of a condo building in the hotel zone, so we thought we would go see it. But we got off the bus far too early and had a long walk under the beating sun. We trudged onward, angling for any shade we could find as temperatures continued to rise. At its peak, we conservatively estimated it was about 200 degrees centigrade, with humidity in the 200% range – about what we had expected.  

We bought a bottle of suero (Gatorade) and downed it while resting in a breezy passageway shaded by two tall condo buildings. We were soon restored and found the high-rise condo in an unpromising area, with a group of unfinished and abandoned buildings on the way to the sea. The tourist trade is still having very uneven effects in the economy. We’re not sure why we asked about rental condos in the first place, but often do that wherever we travel just to get a handle on local things.

 

 

We recovered in our cool room and waited until the evening to return to the gritty streets of PV. An artistic place called Di Vino Dante delivered good drinks and artisan pizza in an art-filled setting. After dinner they brought us two complimentary ‘mudslide’ shots. Fine art with fine food and drinks, and a few galleries on our way back the hotel; it was a fine evening.

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Another day finds us putting in relax time at the beach, watching the hordes of Mexican tourist families enjoying their own beach time. Followed by a simple dinner on our hotel’s veranda. It’s all good to us.

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Yet another hot bus ride got us to Sayulita, an unabashed party town on the beach an hour or so north of Puerto Vallarta. There were SUP and surfboard rentals and cold drink palapas at hand. The water was murky, and we noticed the local stream seemed to begin about where the sewage pipe from a trailer park enters the stream bed. Still, it’s the kind of place where you can truly get your laid-back margaritaville groove on. After cold beers and a huge plate of nachos we trudged back to the bus stop.

 

After a cooling nap under the A/C, we had dinner at an intriguing spot Carolyn had noticed, a place called Bravo. After a couple of very good salads and drinks (Carolyn’s Cadillac Margarita was excellent), we split a delicious huachinango (snapper). The wine was a fine half liter of cabernet-merlot from Baja’s Guadalupe Valley, just north of Ensenada. And the velvet chocolate cake was memorable.

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On our last full day in Puerto Vallarta, we decided to take a long walk. We stopped for a morning mocha at a nice sidewalk cafe, while the traffic of the city poured by outside.

 

Then we spent a sweaty time exploring the wandering walkways along the Rio Cuale, and some rickety pedestrian bridges. The expensive homes of ‘Gringo Gulch’ loomed on the hillside above people doing laundry in the dirty river. It’s a different face of the city and a change from the crowded beach scene, worth the time to explore.

 

 

 

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There’s plenty of fine food and beach fun in PV, but after a week of beach town wandering, it was time for a large dose of culture. Our next stop will be one of the world’s great cities: Mexico City.

—PRW