COLONIA CONDESA: MEXICO CITY’S ART DECO NEIGHBORHOOD

Colonia Condesa, Mexico City’s most charming neighborhood, blends faded glory with gleaming hipness. It has more trees than any part of the city, more pedigree dogs, more jazzy restaurants, shops, galleries, and even a big bookstore. You can take a tango class in the park, then head off to a sáke bar to relax. You can dunk your Krispy Kreme donut in Starbuck’s coffee. And best of all, you can walk everywhere (or hop on your eco-bici).

Aside from all the green, a lot of the charm in Condesa comes from its Art Deco architecture. The height of chic in the 1920's when Condesa was flourishing, Art Deco is based partly on Aztec motifs, so its ornamental geometry feels right at home in Mexico City. Condesa is one of the best preserved Art Deco neighborhoods in the world.

You can tour the area on foot, but bring a map (or download my favorite app, MAPS.ME). The street plan here is unusual, incorporating ovals and radiating, non-parallel streets, making the area delightfully/frustratingly confusing. See travel information at the bottom of this post.

Getting there and away: There is a taxi sitio in Parque Mexico (right in front of the naked lady statue)--a good place to start and end a tour. The nearest metro stop is Chilpancingo, nearest metrobús stop Sonora.

Sunday afternoon is a particularly lively time to visit Parque Mexico.

If you’re in Condesa on a Tuesday, don’t miss the tianguis on Calle Pachuca..