Mexico City

This week I was in Mexico City for work. While I’ve been to Mexico a number of times (primarily along the Pacific coast), this was my first visit to the capital.

Unfortunately, I was busy with work the majority of the time and wasn’t able to devote any days to exploring the city. Nevertheless, I did get out for a little bit and was able to see the Coyoacán neighborhood (one of the older areas of the city, which is known for its counterculture environment) and the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista.












I also got to experience an authentic Mexican meal during our time in Coyoacán. And by authentic I’m not referring to the stereotypical Mexican food such as tacos and burritos that are omnipresent in L.A. Instead I’m referring to delicacies such as worms (with guacamole / tortillas, of course), tortilla soup, and camerones (shrimp).

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Some miscellaneous observations:

I forgot (or never really knew) that Mexico City was at such a high elevation (over 7,300 feet). As a result, the temperatures during the night / early morning dropped really low despite the sunny weather that made mid-day temperatures quite comfortable.

The traffic in Mexico City is incomprehensible. It is literally the worst that I have ever seen and puts L.A. traffic to shame. I’ve never seen so many cars making so little progress in such a disorganized manner. Perhaps there was harmony amongst the confusion that I couldn’t make out, but I sincerely doubt it.

A lot of people asked me before my trip whether it was safe in Mexico given all the drug-related violence that is covered so prominently in the American and international news. After spending five days there, I can definitely say that it felt very safe in the capital. My impression is that things are more or less normal in Mexico City, with the violence / lawlessness concentrated in specific cities / regions largely in the northern part of the country.