Hot Spot: Mexico City

The title “Third Largest City* in the World” never moves beyond the abstract until you find yourself circling over the Valley of Mexico on your descent into the Mexican capital. Golden brown fields give way to barren mountain peaks that seem to reach for the underside of your jet. These give way to the sprawling mass of Mexico City, nestled on the floor of the ancient Lake Tenochtitlán, and smothered by a cloud of smoke and exhaust trapped by the ring of mountains. It’s like flying over Los Angeles, but three times bigger. Mexico City is big, huge, gargantuan, as in big-ass biscuit big.

On your final approach to Benito Juárez International Airport, you catch glimpses of expressways, tree-lined streets, apartment towers, and skyscrapers which lend a surprising sense of modernity to a place Americans in their cultural isolation typically have no thoughts about whatsoever. Just before you land over the densely-packed shotgun shacks the surround the airport—the “real” Mexico—you spot signs that this country is indeed tied economically to the US: Home Depot, Wal-Mart, and the ubiquitous Golden Arches. Don’t think you can get away that easily.

Once you arrive, the subway system, called the Metro, is an efficient, easy way to navigate this vast metroplex. The map may look daunting at first, but the lines are simple to navigate and the transit employees are helpful (Spanish is the official language. You may run into a few English speakers, but it’s best to know some phrases at least). Designed in the 1960s, the Metro doesn’t seem like it’s been refurbished since, which gives it a cool, retro look that has become stylish again. During rush hour, the trains can become packed, the a/c is sometimes broken, and peddlers push through the cars loudly offering everything from pens and notebooks to bootleg CDs and DVDs for 10 pesos each. Yes, you could buy Barbershop 2 in the Mexico City subway the week it had been released in US theaters.

With a population of 8.6 million in the Distrito Federal, and another 23 million in the metro area*, the streets of Mexico City are surprisingly clean. The air is dirty, though, and unless you’ve traveled to other Latin American cities, you will take a while to adjust to swallowing black clouds of exhaust while walking down the street. Also, being 7,300 feet in altitude, the air is much thinner than that of the low-lying East Coast. So, climbing the stairs from the Metro, doing any cardio in the gym, or getting your merengue on in the club becomes an exercise in gasping for air and having to sit down for a hot second before you have a heart attack. The girl in the gym said it takes about four days for coastal folk to become accustomed to the mountain air.

There is much to see and do in Mexico City, and it can all be done on a tight budget. The Frida Kahlo house in Coyoacán is a breathtaking display of the artist’s life and work, with colorful statuary and paintings on display no where else in the world. The incredible Museo Nacional de Antropología (National Museum of Anthropology) has the world's largest collection of indigenous artifacts from Central and South America. There is a great crafts market in the Cuidadela where you can get all souvenirs Mexican for the peeps back home at rock-bottom prices (if your Spanish is any good, you can talk folks down on the price). A half-day excursion to the pyramids at Teotihuacán is a must. Built over 2000 years ago by a civilization that predated both the Toltecs and the Aztecs, the pyramids are an example of man’s indomitable ingenuity and ability that existed way before Columbus dropped in to spoil the party.

Like many major cities, the people of Mexico City can seem at first cold. Don’t take it personally, they’re just busy dealing with their own lives to be worried about your problems. But if you need directions or information, they are more than happy to oblige and can recommend eclectic cafés or a $3 all-you-can-eat buffet around the corner from your hotel.

Getting there: Aero California, Aeroméxico, Air Canada, Alaska, Aviacsa, Azteca, Continental, Delta, Mexicana, Northwest, USAirways, and United all offer nonstops to Mexico City's Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX) from the United States and Canada (as of April, 2006).

Getting information:
Official Tourism Offices of the Federal District (Distrito Federal)

• Mexico City International Airport - Domestic Arrivals, Tel: 5255-5786-9002
• Anthropology Museum - in front of museum, Tel: 5255-5286-3850
• Centro - Segunda de Gante 17, Colonia Centro, Tel: 5255-5518-1869

What to see (in Mexico City, there is no need to dial 5255):

• Museo Nacional de Antropología, Avenida Paseo de la Reforma, Colonia Chapultepec Polanco, Tel: 5255-553-6266
• Museo Frida Kahlo, Londes 247, Colonia del Carmen, Coyoacán, Tel: 5255-554-5999
• Pyramids at Teotihuacán - buses departing every 15 minutes from Mexico City's Terminal Central del Norte (Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas 4907, Colonia Magdalena de las Salinas, Tel: 5255-5587-1552, Metro: Indios Verdes)
• Mercado Artesanal de la Ciudadela, Calle Balderas, between Reforma and Chepultepec, Colonia Centro, Tel: 5255-5510-1828

Where to stay:

• Luxe: W Mexico City - Campos Eliseos 252, Colonia Chapultepec Polanco, Tel: 5255-9138-1800
• Cute: Hotel Condesa - Avenida Veracruz 102, Colonia Condesa, Tel: 5255-5241-2600
• Econ: Hotel Monte Real - Revillagigedo 23, Colonia Centro, Tel: 5255-5518-1150

Where to eat:

• Luxe: Adonis (Lebanese/Arab) - Homero 424, Colonia Polanco, Tel: 5255-5531-6940
• Cute: Cícero Centenario (Mexican) - Londres 195, Colonia Juárez, Tel: 5255-5533-4276
• Econ: VIPS - (24-hour diner) - located all over the city

Before you go:

• Buy: A Spanish phrasebook and a travel guide like Let's Go Mexico
• See: Frida, Amores Perros, and Y Tu Mamá También
• Hear: Maná, Carlos Santana, and Paulina Rubio