tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72869789091210982712024-03-14T11:16:17.016-06:00Mexico City: An Opinionated GuideTravel tips, news, observations, and gossip from Mexico City by Jim Johnston, author of 'Mexico City: An Opinionated Guide for the Curious Traveler'.
Readers are invited to comment by sending an email to jimjohnstonart@gmail.comThe Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.comBlogger213125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-49180623334996818062022-02-02T08:49:00.001-06:002022-02-02T08:49:14.456-06:00SOCIAL MEDIA The last two years of the pandemic have not inspired me to blog. But I continue to post on Facebook (MEXICO CITY: AN OPINIONATED GUIDE) and Instagram (MYMEXICOCITY). See you there!The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-40636026919546905902021-12-02T14:06:00.004-06:002021-12-25T09:46:03.900-06:00'DREAM HOUSE' TOUR OF COLONIA CONDESAI'm pleased to announce my latest venture, MEXICO CITY WALKING TOURS.The first tour I've designed is of Colonia Condesa, the area I've called home for almost twenty years. "Dream Houses of Condesa" takes you on a labyrinthine journey through the streets, parks and plazas of Mexico City's most charming neighborhood. The concept of the tour is based on my two decades of wandering around, looking upThe Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-67454545945201616332021-07-16T10:24:00.000-05:002021-07-16T10:24:51.356-05:00CLOCK IN PARQUE MEXICO HAS CORRECT TIME (Note: The day after I wrote this blog post there was a huge spike in Covid cases in Mexico. So who knows what the hell is going on? In keeping with the weather here the past months, the following should be considered as a rare moment of sunlight.) Ready or not, Mexico City is roaring back to life. My dog Lucy and I just went for a walk in Parque México where the scene was livelier The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-40986659023463358942020-03-14T10:51:00.002-06:002020-03-14T10:52:24.307-06:00TREES IN MEXICO CITY
After reading Richard Power's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, 'The Overstory', everyone in my book club started looking at trees differently--they've been here so much longer than any of us And now with the corona virus lurking, the fragility of the human race is more and more apparent.
Everything I read about the virus affirms that isolation/quarantine is the best way to go. But my dog, The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-17499715968764099802020-02-20T08:00:00.000-06:002020-02-20T08:00:11.814-06:00HOME
I'm still walking around in a fog of jet lag after two months in India. It's one of my favorite travel moments, when I can enjoy the comforts of home, but in that altered state where everything surprises. Mexico City looks seems so clean, so quiet, so orderly. But there are hints of India everywhere, like when the afternoon sun lit up all these signs at once.The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-56068103349713023512019-11-28T09:09:00.000-06:002019-11-28T09:12:08.005-06:00Strolling around Colonia Roma
There's a lot of visual stimulation in Mexico City. This show in Colonia Roma stopped my in my tracks. The show, titled 'Headphones', is the work of Mexican artist Omar Zurita. Catch it at KlanDestina Gallery, Campeche 151 (near the Mercado Medellín)
https://www.galeriaklandestina.com/exposiciones/
The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-7096683599299404872019-10-01T19:33:00.001-05:002019-10-01T19:33:49.314-05:00Colonia Condesa
I was out for a Sunday stroll when this caught my eye..
They keep coming down! Another building damaged in the earthquake of September 19, 2017 is being demolished. We live with the rubble, we live with the uncertainty that the ground beneath our feet can move at any time.
The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-43405021292379400532019-09-25T12:15:00.003-05:002019-09-25T12:15:42.397-05:00Architecture fans alert!
(Edificio Gaona on Bucarelli)
OPEN HOUSE CDMX, a festival of Mexico City architecture, will take place this weekend, September 28 and 29. More than 80 venues--many never before accessible--will be open to the public. You can see the works of some of Mexico City's most famous architects.
For more information, click the link below:
https://ohcdmx.orgThe Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-49671191318406405752019-09-24T08:33:00.002-05:002019-09-24T08:34:22.462-05:00MALINALCO--Mexico's Shangri-La
One way to deal with the craziness of living in Mexico City is to escape to the country once in a while, and my favorite place to go is Malinalco, a magical spot hidden in the mountains of the Estado de Mexico.
The Aztec goddess Malinalxóchitl thought the place magical enough to call it home, and the Mexican government officially endorsed her opinion when it included The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-84667063651971798032019-07-11T08:06:00.001-05:002019-07-11T08:06:47.760-05:00Sidewalk view in La CondesaThe Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-66110082629435902542019-06-06T08:31:00.001-05:002019-06-06T08:31:04.915-05:00Colonia Roma I thought this photo--taken down the block from where I work--sums up a lot about Roma. It's a fabulous hodge-podge.
The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-43270768525021572642019-05-23T12:30:00.002-05:002019-05-23T12:30:18.646-05:00CDMX: On the street in Colonia Roma
A recent addition to the streets of Colonia Roma are these murals surrounding a parking lot at the confounding intersection of Insurgentes, Yucatan and Medellin (right across from the Hotel Roosevelt). Most of them are on Yucatan, a street that gets little pedestrian traffic. Dedicated to migrants, the scenes of horror outweigh those of joy. It's pretty powerful street art--take a look. The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-88775908798702376002019-03-31T21:08:00.001-06:002019-03-31T21:08:15.591-06:00Centro Histórico CDMX
Scissors for sale in the Centro Histórico of Mexico City
The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-60046164976827210742019-03-13T08:21:00.000-06:002019-03-13T08:21:37.943-06:00How to deal with an eyesore
The Edifico Insurgentes in Colonia Roma norte long ago went from landmark to eyesore (see story below), but recently got a quick makeover in the form of many gallons of orange paint. If you look close, the old gal is still a mess, but the cover up certainly perks up the skyline of Mexico City.
Previous blog post:
Buildings with tilted walls, crumbling facades, rusting metalworkThe Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-43824375985769193252018-12-13T11:50:00.000-06:002018-12-13T11:50:58.843-06:00Holiday Idea
Looking for something fun and festive these days? Check out the holiday night market at the Mercado Medellín in Colonia Roma. There's a good supply of Christmas trees, lots of ornaments, and a lively outdoor food area where you can chow down on pozole, tamales, tostadas, etc.
The night market is on Calle Campeche between Medellín and Monterrey in Colonia Roma Norte.
Map link HERE.
It The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-34506070072074032722018-10-15T11:44:00.000-05:002018-10-15T19:37:41.817-05:00Weekend Getaway: Bacalar, Quintana Roo
My partner Nick is fond of saying that we don't take vacations, we travel. The 'vacate' part seems to suggest a mindless state of comfort at odds with our usual treks through the nitty gritty back streets of places like Dhaka and Calcutta.
But recently he surprised me with a brief birthday trip to Bacalar in the state of Quintana Roo. And guess what? We loved it.
I'll admit I was not The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-13898417933704028692018-08-22T10:19:00.000-05:002018-08-22T10:19:40.412-05:00Learn Spanish the Easy Way
When I first arrived in Mexico and began to study Spanish, a teacher recommended I watch a popular soap opera to improve my language skills. 'Te Sigo Amando' was wildly popular then. When it came to an end (as Mexican soap operas do, with final episodes that rival Wagner's 'Gotterdammerung') the country practically came to a halt as everyone sat glued to their televisions.
A new offering on The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-86451483598665546672018-07-19T08:06:00.000-05:002018-07-19T08:07:32.890-05:00Mexico City on Wheels
I've been noticing the amount of merchandise that is sold 'on the move' here in Mexico City. Mobile vendors are one of the city's distinctive qualities. I've collecting photos for this post for a while, but this week saw someone who wins the prize for the most unusual merchandising. It was a close call with the shoelace vendor, but there are several of them around, but this thisThe Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-78078564331284729512018-07-02T15:29:00.000-05:002018-07-02T15:32:23.166-05:00The Mexican FamilyThe current show of photographs by Lourdes Almeida (http://lourdesalmeida.com/en/) around the fountain of Plaza Luis Cabrera in Colonia Roma Norte is well worth a visit. Exploring themes of family (they're all Mexican), tribal identity, roots and migration, Almeida's work is both touching and intriguing, and right at the heart of one of today's most pressing issues. There's a lot of empathy here.The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-81682960574210232962018-06-14T08:43:00.000-05:002018-06-14T08:43:21.367-05:00Visiting Mexico City with ChildrenSince this is not something I focus on in my book, I wanted to share this article from the NYTimes about traveling to Mexico City with children.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/travel/mexico-city-family-travel.htmlThe Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-81213052672039933072018-06-04T11:23:00.000-05:002018-06-04T11:25:01.572-05:00Safety (at a price)
When I was a kid I remember reading a magazine article about how to build a bomb shelter. I also recall being very upset with my parents for not having one. What would happen to me when the atom bomb fell on us?
Now there's another version of refuge against disaster being offered to the public here in Mexico City. Yesterday in Parque México a new 'safety pod' was put on The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-78761318287949029522018-05-31T08:42:00.000-05:002018-06-04T11:00:39.434-05:00The Best Seat in the House
Now that I have a dog I'm taking even more pleasure in Parque México, that little island of green in Colonia Condesa. Late afternoon is a great time to go--the sun is lower, so things have cooled down, and the light is glorious.
A fairly recent addition to the neighborhood is a branch of Churros y Chocolate El Moro, whose original location in the Centro Histórico has been around for The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-84346457398196914222018-03-10T09:55:00.000-06:002018-03-10T09:55:01.622-06:00Museum of Anthropology, Mexico CityThe Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-28273773269691511242018-01-23T08:53:00.001-06:002018-01-23T08:53:08.865-06:00Which Airport Terminal?
One annoying aspect of flying out of Mexico City is finding out which terminal your plane leaves from--it's rarely written on the ticket. The following list shows the principal airlines that operate from the terminal buildings of Mexico City's airport.
Terminal 1B
Interjet
Terminal 1D
Magnicharters
VivaAerobus
Volaris
Terminal 1F
Air Canada
Air France
AirTran Airways (Southwest The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286978909121098271.post-1272364287777567272017-10-09T12:19:00.000-05:002017-10-09T12:19:06.685-05:00My Other Life
For those of you who know me only through this blog or my guide book to Mexico City, it may be a surprise that all this has just been a sideline--although one that took me on quite a long and varied journey.
My first, and longer, career is as a visual artist.
After a brief and stultifying stint as an office worker in New York City in my early 20's, I began my professional life as an The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06026728827634519771noreply@blogger.com0