# MEXICO CITY: Best of the Rest



## aljuarez (Mar 16, 2005)

Hi! Here I will post images of my hometown, but not those of Condesa, my neighbourhood, or downtown, my favorite area. I have separate threads for those, if you care to look. I also have a thread for museums, of which we have many. Yes, still lots left, but not all worth a visit! So here it is... other areas worh looking at in random order...

First, a few images taken on the southern side of Insurgentes Avenue, reputedly the city's longest avenue





































Santa Fé, our Défense/Hafen City/Orestad/Canary Wharf.... all new, rather far and without a soul...




























Chapultepec, our largest park, mostly images of the lake in the "Second Section"























































Reforma and the Zona Rosa "Pink Zone", which is of course our gayest area. The name, however, exists since the 1960s, after the colour of the original cobble stones. By the way, these are a couple of years old, and there is now a big tower being finished right on the left side of the pictures. It blocks a lot of the view now...hno:





































Some other high views, from buildings I used to work in... First the Galerias complex, with the Pemex tower (Pemex is the state-owned oil monopoly), which was our talles building for almost 20 years. It is really ugly, IMO hno:




























And a few images of Polanco, our most international and cosmopolitan area, and the residential Palmas area


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## Mindtrapper0 (Mar 18, 2010)

Very interesting perspective of mexico city. I will be visiting at the end of this month! Any tips or secret gems not on the tourist guides?


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## aljuarez (Mar 16, 2005)

Well, there are many things, actually. But you should really stick to what the guides recommend. Especially since so many locals don't bother visiting! :lol:
I seriously mean that. You'll be lucky if you cover a third or fourth of what's included in English-language guidebooks.

If you read Spanish, however, I recommend purchasing one of the guides by the Travesias group, which are updated pretty much every year and and meant to be read by locals. The latest title is called "DF DE LA GENTE LA CIUDAD DE MEXICO SEGUN LOS EXPERTOS".


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## Guest (Oct 5, 2011)

Gr8 new thread mate, the city is a jungle of contrasts and very interesting. Thanks for sharing


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## Mindtrapper0 (Mar 18, 2010)

aljuarez said:


> Well, there are many things, actually. But you should really stick to what the guides recommend. Especially since so many locals don't bother visiting! :lol:
> I seriously mean that. You'll be lucky if you cover a third or fourth of what's included in English-language guidebooks.
> 
> If you read Spanish, however, I recommend purchasing one of the guides by the Travesias group, which are updated pretty much every year and and meant to be read by locals. The latest title is called "DF DE LA GENTE LA CIUDAD DE MEXICO SEGUN LOS EXPERTOS".


Ok I will look into that...Do you have any suggestions for day of the dead. Im thinking mixquic..

saludos


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## Mariachi (Nov 4, 2006)

Nice pictures!


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## aljuarez (Mar 16, 2005)

More non-Condesa, non-downtown, non-museum pics of D.F. :lol:

A few other buildings that caught my eye along the south of Insurgentes Avenue...













































































































Some images of and from buildings in the Polanco area...























































A couple of loose ends of Chapultepec Park



















And finally, a few photos of and from buildings on Reforma Blvd


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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos form Mexico City....:cheers:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Indeed very nice shots from Mexico city :cheers:


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## DaveF12 (Nov 25, 2011)

nice shots.


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## Totu (Sep 2, 2005)

El 'gigante' mexicano siempre atrapa!
Gracias por las fotos!


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## Student4life (Sep 23, 2011)

Beautiful pics of an incredible city !


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## Mariachi (Nov 4, 2006)

Nice City!


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## Trolleando (Jan 16, 2009)

Nice photos _compa_


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## Reapvkz1 (Mar 18, 2011)

Amazing photos!


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## nedolessej197 (Oct 24, 2006)

awesome


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## aljuarez (Mar 16, 2005)

Moving right along...

The Roma neighbourhood is one of the city's most classic areas. Founded a little over a century ago, the area boasts many of the city's best residential architecture, including many beautiful homes built in French, Nouveau and Déco styles, especially during the "Porfiriato," the long, politically dictatorial but economically expansive period just before the civil war of 1910. 

The area is dense, incredibily diverse and interesting. It includes traditional markets, tons of businesses and locales of all kinds and all manner of construction styles. Lifestyles range from life in one-room apartments in decaying structures threatening to colapse in the next earthquake, to some of the city's best new and expensive lofts. The character of the area can change from one block to the next. You may find yourself walking among pretty but decaying structures with cheap shops all around, only to walk right into a leafy avenue with statues and gushing fountains in the middle and new, fancy restaurants along the sidewalk. 

Among those streets, Alvaro Obregón Avenue (formerly Avenida Jalisco), is the main axis of the area's gentrification. The beautiful Casa Lamm, a cultural centre offering literature and art programs, as well as art exhibits, is a highlight. The pretty garden, cool bar and restaurant (currently under renovation), bookshop and boutique could fill an afternoon.























































A few more impressions on or near Alvaro Obregon avenue




































































































Polanco. The district is named after a tiny municipality in Cantabria, Spain, just west of Bilbao, but the name conjures images of luxury, status and exclusiveness, and not only in Mexico. Super dense, Polanco is the city's most cosmopolitan area. If you are an executive of a foreign firm or a diplomat without a family, this is where you'll likely be put up. The area was born after the hacienda (agricultural state) San Juan de los Morales was broken up for development after the Second World War. The city was always an upper middle-class alternative for those looking for more modern lodgings away from the older areas downtown. By the 1960s the commercial nature of the area was firmly established and the area saw the construction of many of the city's first business high-rises. Huge residences built in Spanish and Californian styles were converted into law firms and luxury shops. 

Although it has been the city's most prestigious traditional business address for decades, it is still just as much a residential area, although you are far likelier to live in an apartment these days. 

Personally, I find it pretty and it's the place to go for some of the best restaurants and shops, but I also think it's a bit generic and not particularly interesting. It's also suprisingly suburban and pedestrian-unfriendly away from the main commercial streets.

The extension of the central Reforma Boulevard marks the Southern limit of Polanco and divides it from the huge Chapultepec park. 















































































































































































































































































A couple of views from a Polanco highrise towards Las Lomas, a generic name given to the hilly, mostly low-rise, single-home luxury residential areas West of Polanco, for those tired of the noise and traffic of Polanco (and with the bank accounts required!)


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## Mindtrapper0 (Mar 18, 2010)

Great update. I love those pics of Roma! Polanco looks nice too, just not as interesting as other Mexico City neighborhoods. Keep them coming, please


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## Student4life (Sep 23, 2011)

Great photos !


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## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

Lovely thread. I started my tour through Mexico in the capital 15 years ago. I keep good memories to my visit over there. Strolling in Chapultepec Park, going to a soccer game in the university stade, climbing the Torre Latinoamericana, going to a concert in Alameda Central Park etc... 
By the way, I don't think the Pemex tower is that ugly... I like the shape.


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## Roverach (Jun 17, 2007)

Wonderful pics¡¡¡ I need to look more please.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Indeed wonderful, very nice updates from Mexico city once again :cheers:


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## madonnagirl (Aug 7, 2011)

nice and I like what they did to the underpass area, maximizing the use of the land 
and I particularly like the bar.


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## aljuarez (Mar 16, 2005)

A few images from the Roma area I found...on my desktop! ... (what the hell, my messfy files) hno:


Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr


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## aljuarez (Mar 16, 2005)

I know, I know... just like anuyone else, I tend to hang out in the same areas a lot, but things are usually kept fresh by new openings and lots of foot traffic!

REFORMA


Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

ROMA

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

DSC_2042 by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

CONDESA

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr


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## skymantle (Jul 17, 2010)

So colourful. Mexico City is the bees knees. :cheers:


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## aljuarez (Mar 16, 2005)

ROMA 

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

CONDESA

Note the earthquake damage in the building on the first two photos. Condesa and Roma were among the seriously affected neighbourhoods. Eight months later, rent and house prices are even a little higher than before. Plenty of available spaces, though. 

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr


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## marlonbasman (Apr 21, 2012)

beautiful! lovely and well-composed photos.


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## alexander2000 (Aug 6, 2011)

nice shots, every neighborhood has its own charm.


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## aljuarez (Mar 16, 2005)

COLONIA NÁPOLES 

Colonia Nápoles is named after the Naples, the famous Italian port. But for whatever reason, streets are named after cities and states in the United States. Go figure... Years ago I read somewhere in English that, unlike the streets themselves, there was a system to the street names. I found the generalization disingenuous and breathtaking in the way it underestimated the city. However, it is definitely true that you can tell which neighborhood you are in depending on the street names: Mexican cities and states (Roma and Condesa), poets and scientists (Polanco), famous doctors (Doctores), world rivers (Cuauhtémoc), world mountain ranges, architectural features, and so on an on. 

But back to Naples! This is a desirable neighborhood, which is not particularly interesting, but just happens to be where my dentist's office is located.:lol:

It's wedged between Insurgentes Avenue and two freeways, so its grid runs diagonally from either of its limiting thoroughfares. This makes it feel relatively isolated and smaller than it actually is. Once full of beautiful, large homes, it is now one of the densest middle-class areas in town, and one of the city's central areas where real estate greed is at its most visible. Huge multi-unit condo buildings have been built where those homes once stood. Looming over the whole area, the gigantic World Trade Center, which at some point was the world's tallest reinforced concrete building. 

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr



Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr

Mexico City by Alejandro, on Flickr


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