Parque México gets a Facelift

Parque México, an oasis in the heart of Colonia Condesa, is one of the loveliest spots in all of Mexico City--and one of the greenest places in town, too, with lots towering palms and banana trees, some now almost 100 years old, providing shade along the meandering pathways.  

After years of delays, the chipped and faded paint, crumbling columns and grafitti-covered walls of the Foro Lindbergh, the large public space that lies in the middle of Parque México, have finally been repaired. There's also  new area for the colonia's many pampered dogs, and some new playground equipment for the kids. 

It's a great place for moment of tranquility during the week. On weekends things get livelier with frequent music events, outdoor movies, tango classes and more. If you've just spent an hour in traffic on the periferico and are hating Mexico City this place is the perfect antidote. 

Google map link:  https://www.google.com/maps/@19.4123472,-99.1694673,17z

A shady walkway

Hanging out in the Foro Lindbergh

new lanterns, old cactus detail

junk food

To see more photos of Parque Mexico click the link below:

https://plus.google.com/photos/104722146490116474060/albums/6137756065460626337

Walking Tour #9 in the new edition of my book leads you in and around Parque Mexico. For a free copy of the tour write to me at jimjohnstonart@gmail.com--or buy the book (with 3 more walking tours of Colonia Condesa) on Amazon--click HERE.

Trees of Mexico City

Mexico City has been called a city of survivors, and for many of us who live here, there's a bittersweet pleasure in thriving in the midst of all the urban chaos. Overpopulation, scarcity of oxygen, earth tremors, the possibility of Popocatepetl blowing its top and covering us in molten lava--you call those problems? We're a tough breed here. By necessity, our roots must reach well below the surface of things. 

 Mexico City's trees represent a constant, slow motion contest between man and nature. Every time I see one of these guys, it gives me strength to soldier on. Slammed, squeezed, pinched, pummelled, hammered, uprooted, chopped off at the limbs, plastered with posters, strung up with electrical cables, pissed and shat upon by passing animals, enveloped in garbage, broken glass, cigarette butts, and sawed off at the base and left for dead if its presence should suddenly interfere with the machinations of the city--such are the trees of Mexico City. 

  I welcome submissions from my readers and will re-post this from time to time with new additions.  

Note the sprouting leaves in the middle of the trunk

Palm tree in Santa Maria la Ribera 

Trees painted green in Colonia Roma

In Polanco: your roots are showing (photo by Renny Dale)

A moment of lushness in the city. 

"Greener than Warsaw!" our Polish friends exclaimed. 

Who's winning?

Fabulous Staircases in Mexico City

Polanco (unfortunately now covered with restaurant signs)

Colonia Roma

Museo de Arte Moderno

Hotel Meridien, Reforma

Biblioteca Vasconcelos

Colonia Condesa

Museo de Geología, Santa Maria la Ribera (also below)

                                                        Ramp/stairs in the Zona Rosa

                                                                  Foro Buenavista

                                                  MUNAL (Museo Nacional de Arte)

ARE YOU MOVING TO MEXICO CITY?--Part I

ARE YOU MOVING TO MEXICO CITY?-- Part I

(For Part 2 click HERE)

This is a compilation of information useful to anyone planning a move to Mexico City. I first blogged this post in 2011 and have been repeating it every year, with the addition of new information I've found. I invite my readers to send any tips they think relevant to the post.

First, if you don't own a Guia Roji map book of Mexico City, go to Sanborn's and buy one--I use it all the time. You can get the maps on line for free as well at www.guiaroji.com.mx

The website www.mexperience.com has a wealth of information about moving to and living in Mexico.

Finding a place to live:

Check out the website http://www.airbnb.com/ for short term rentals. You might consider this as you look for something more permanent--that way you can get a feel for the city before making a final decision.

VRBO (stands for Vacation Rentals By Owner) is a website that has places for rent (short-term) all over the world--a great resource for any traveler.

It's important to consider transportation in your choice of where to live. Being able to walk to work/school, or having a short ride on public transportation, can make a huge difference in your quality of life. A long commute by car will be living hell. 

Living near a park will also improve quality of life. Use google maps to search around for those green spaces.

Visit your chosen area both during the day and at night time--you might find some drastic changes.

A good way to find an apartment is just to walk the streets in the area you'd like to live. Many apartments are rented/sold directly by owners by putting signs in the window. Listed below are a number of on-line sites for house/apartment hunting.

Check this page on Facebook:  RENTA DE DEPAS, CUARTOS Y CASAS DF (VENTAS TAMBIEN)

http://www.metroscubicos.com/ is a Spanish-only website with real estate for sale/rent all over Mexico. You can put an 'alert' on this site and be notified by e-mail of anything new that shows up according to your criteria. It also has a useful chart of 'price-per-square-meter' according to location. Many of the listings are agents, but that's a good way to find one. http://www.vivastreet.com.mx/ is similar. Check out http://vivirenelcentro.com.mx/ for real estate in the centro historico.

http://mexicocity.en.craigslist.com.mx/

and http://mexicocity.es.craigslist.com.mx/

are the two Mexico City craigslist sites (English and Spanish--in Spanish look under 'Viviendas'). Keep checking this site as things change constantly. 

 www.inmuebles24.com/ and http://lomelin.com.mx also have listings for Mexico City as well as the entire country.

Another on-line real estate site:  http://www.avisooportuno.mx

http://www.compartodepa.com.mx and http://www.dadaroom.com have listings of shared apartments all over the country

The Hostal Virreyes in the centro draws a hip, young crowd on weekends. They offer cheap rooms by the month--http://www.hostalvirreyes.com.mx/

http://www.homesuiteshome.com/flash_content/index.htm is another site offering furnished rental apartments.

Buy a copy of 'Segundamano' at any newsstand--this weekly paper lists all sorts of things for sale or rent (cars, apartments, houses). Look for real estate agents here, too. You can also find them online at http://www.segundamano.com.mx/

One of my readers wrote to say that she found her apartment by speaking to the doormen (porteros) of various buildings and leaving her number--a little tip will help. 

Miscellany:

This blog post lists average rental prices by delegation:  http://mxcity.mx/2014/08/dime-cuanto-ganas-y-te-dire-donde-rentar/

This moving company was recommended by a friend: http://www.seymi.com.mx/

http://www.expatoutlet.com is a website for buying and selling all sorts of stuff (like furniture, e.g.)

For renovation work, Alberto and Eduardo Álvarez can be reached at

044-55-2283-9330 or 044-55-2020-3312

Looking for wood furniture? The address is: Insurgentes Sur 100, corner with Camino a Santa Teresa. The market is also called Mercado de Vasco de Quiroga. It's in Tlalpan. Hundreds of skilled carpenters show off their wares. Anything made to order.

See Michael Parker's informative article in Inside Mexico about shipping your personal property to Mexico.

http://www.newcomers.org.mx/ is the website for the Mexico City Newcomers Club, which has all sorts of programs for ex-pats.

Angloinfo.com has lots to offer, including this post about how to meet new friends in the city:  http://blogs.angloinfo.com/mexico-city-is-my-home/2015/10/29/how-to-meet-new-friends-in-mexico-city/

Here is the website for a moving company in Ajijic that can help get your stuff across the border. http://www.strommoving.com/ I have no personal experience with this company, but found it recommended on another blog. Check out the comments on this blog for more helpful information on moving household goods into Mexico.

Mexico City's own government website http://www.mexicocity.gob.mx has a wealth of information in over 60 languages, including brief descriptions of each delegation and what there is to see.

http://www.df.gob.mx (Spanish only) is for more purely governmental information.

Read blogger Leslie Tellez' savvy tips here: http://www.themijachronicles.com/2010/04/the-top-10-tips-to-finding-an-apartment-for-rent-in-mexico-city/

I add to her comments about the fiador: I rented my first apartment here without a fiador by offering to pay the first year's rent up-front (with a small discount). Since the monthly rent was only 3000 pesos this was possible.

A number of Facebook pages are directed toward ex-pats in Mexico City, e.g.:
Foreigners in DF (Mexico City)
Americans in Mexico City
MEXPAT DF
Roomies D.F

Aztec Explorers Mexico is a FB page that offers interesting tours in and around the city.

http://mexicocity.angloinfo.com offers all kinds of information about events around the city

Part 2 of this blog post offers a brief introduction to some of the more desirable areas to live in the city: http://mexicocitydf.blogspot.mx/2015/07/are-you-moving-to-mexico-city-part-2.html

P.S. Buy my book! It will definitely help unravel the city for you.  http://www.amazon.com/Mexico-CIty-Opinionated-Curious-Traveler/dp/1511448334/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1433442121&sr=8-2&keywords=mexico+city

(The map shown is by Emily Edwards from 1932)