Destination One

Urban Renewal

by Tim Leffel

Mexico City is aglow with ambition — and an effort to go green — as it prepares to celebrate 200 years of independence.

Mexico City’s very existence is improbable, nonsensical and beyond all logic, but perhaps that’s what makes it so special. It began as a collection of fishing and farming settlements among inland lakes and waterways. Eventually the largest island became the seat of the Aztec Empire. The Spanish rode in looking like gods on horseback in 1519 and started their march of domination here. They drained the marshes and built cathedrals and palaces — which started sinking as soon as they were finished.

Despite ongoing earthquakes, nearby volcanoes and a highland valley location that’s expert at trapping smog, Mexico City has mushroomed into the second-largest metropolis in the world, after Tokyo.

This implausible city continues to improve, however, despite all the odds stacked against it. It carries itself with a swagger now, aglow in its reputation as one of the best cities in the world for culture and food. With some 160 museums to choose from and enough good restaurants to keep a foodie occupied for a lifetime, this is more than a place for closing business deals.

Some of the most visible improvements are clear to the eye. The downright deadly air of recent decades gets a little less smoggy each year. The main boulevard, Paseo de la Reforma, is closed to traffic on Sundays, and free bicycle rental stands are set up in various neighborhoods all week. While Mayor Marcelo Ebrard’s ambitious goal to turn the capital into a true “green city” is probably wishful thinking, his efforts to upgrade the public transportation system and encourage less driving are having a noticeable effect. The city center is getting a scrubdown as well, with crews cleaning up centuries of grime and chewing gum, and construction crews bringing abandoned historic buildings back to life. There’s a clear sense of renewal and rebuilding in the air.

In contrast to the sleepy siesta feeling in most of the country, there’s a heightened level of intensity in Mexico City. Here workers in suits grab a tamale on the run, millions whiz by underfoot in the metro each day, and CEOs emerge from black limos to negotiate a global deal over huevos rancheros.

In some neighborhoods, such as Polanco next to Chapultepec Park, it’s clear that Mexico City is dripping with money. The Bentleys roll by Gucci and Prada stores, and a meal for two can top $200 in some spots. This is the shiny Mexico City of moguls and fashion models, of developers and movie stars. In the center life is more traditional, with government offices and tourist facilities drawing a different crowd. In between are the pedestrian-friendly artistic neighborhoods of Condesa and Roma, with the Zona Rosa nightlife area and the business hotels of Paseo de la Reforma just to the north of those.

Mexican wrestling, street tacos and Spanish colonial buildings mix with minimalist nightclubs, chic boutiques and striking modern architecture. The heady mixture in Mexico’s capital surprises many visitors and inspires them to return. Old reputations die hard, but today’s visitors find a buzzing metropolis that can rank among the world’s great cities.

LODGING

CONDESA DF
Artistic but functional, hip but not pretentious, this boutique hotel in the leafy Condesa neighborhood is a consistent delight. $$$
CONDESA DF
Av. Veracruz No. 102, Colonia Condesa
tel 52 55 5241 2600
www.condesadf.com

GRAN HOTEL CIUDAD DE MÉXICO
This lovingly restored Art Nouveau masterpiece makes the most of its Tiffany glass ceiling, birdcage elevators and wrought iron balconies. $$
GRAN HOTEL CIUDAD DE MÉXICO
16 de Septiembre 82 Centro Histórico
tel. 52 55 1083 7700
www.granhotelciudaddemexico.com.mx

SHERATON C ENTRO HISTÓRICO
A 5-star hotel just steps from Reforma Avenue and the main entrance to Mexico City’s historic district. $$$$
SHERATON CENTRO HISTÓRICO
70 Av. Juarez
tel 52 55 5130 5300
www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton