"There are only twenty million of us!" a friend of mine from Mexico City said to me one day not long ago. That number -- which is still rising -- puts Mexico City among the great cities of the world.
Mexico City has enough tourism sites to keep you busy indefinitely! Museums, art galleries, orts teams of all sorts, great sho ing, a beautiful historic downtown area, wonderful parks... there is no limit to the things you can do in Mexico City. Here are a few:
The Museum of Anthropology is famous worldwide for its exte ive collection on Mexican archaeology and history.
The Bosque de Chapultepec is a huge park in the city, with many things to do within it: museums, cafes, etc. And the people-watching is great.
In the downtown area, the Zocalo is one of the largest plazas in the world, with the cathedral, the presidential palace, and much more in the vicinity. Beautiful historic buildings!
The floating garde of Xochimilco
Art, including great murals and paintings of Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and many others
Before you pack your bags for a vacation there, do co ider pollution, congestion, and crime.
Pollution: The air quality is terrible, as the geography of the valley that Mexico City sits in combines with the heavy traffic to create a thick stew i tead of the air your lungs would prefer. At about a mile high, the city's air is thi er to begin with anyway.
Congestion mea that travel around the city is slow and tedious. The traffic is so frustrating, and parking so difficult, that rental cars aren't generally recommended. See more on the page about travel to Mexico City and within it.
Crime: In the 1990s, Mexico suffered economic problems that left many of its people destitute. Some of these people used a lot of ingenuity in figuring out ways to separate richer people from their goods. Today, tourist guidebooks on Mexico generally explain the situation in detail. Here are some general guidelines: Carry little cash with you, and be very alert to your surroundings. Stay out of places where there are few people. Don't nece arily trust the police, as in some cases they are involved in crime too. Don't hail a taxi on the street, as some of the roaming cab drivers are involved in ro ery. Taxis at your hotel or in official cab stands are much better. While other parts of the country may have seen some increase in crime, it's in Mexico City that it's reached the highest levels. All in all, a hefty dose of thoughtful preparation (making photocopies of your pa ort, leaving your fancy jewelry at home, that sort of thing) and vigilant common se e are called for.
But do these drawbacks mean you should avoid Mexico City as a tourism destination? It all depends on what you want. Many people love the vibrancy of the city. There may be something you particularly want to do or see there. You may love big cities and want to experience the unique flavor of this one. But if you are just looking for a laid-back, relaxing vacation, you will be ha ier somewhere else in Mexico. People go to Mexico City for busine . With about a quarter of the entire population of Mexico, and with government and industry offices centered there, "the city" (la ciudad) as it's called, is where a lot of things ha en. Many of the hotels in Mexico City offer suites for busine travelers to use as offices while they conduct their busine .
If your busine takes you there, or if you decide to live or retire there, you will do the same thing that most of the other twenty million do: make the best of any drawbacks and enjoy the many wonderful a ects of the city. If you might be there for a long time, see the page on real estate in Mexico City.
I've been there several times, and I have ha y memories of fascinating hours in the Anthropology Museum, international restaurants, staying in ultramodern hotels and in intimate little places, the friendline of people I met, and much more. I will are you my unha ier memories, but none were really bad. It's unlikely I will return, as nowadays I like my cities on a smaller scale. But everyone's tastes are different, and you may love it. It's truly a phenomenon, Mexico City!
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Rosana Hart has traveled to Mexico many times. Her we ite, www.mexico-with-heart.com, contai the full text of a book she wrote about traveling in Mexico, as well as information and travel ti on a variety of Mexican cities popular with tourists.
BY:VooFox.net
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