Mexico City is huge.  There are 19 million people living in the GMC (Greater Mexico City) making it the biggest city in the Western Hemisphere.  It can be intimidating for first time visitors and lots of people warn you about traveling there.  People say it is a dangerous city, but the crimes tend to be crimes of opportunity like pick pocketing.  Although Mexico City can have a bad safety reputation, it is an amazing city to visit not only for shopping and museums but also for food! 

Don and I decided to head off to Mexico City last weekend do a little shopping and see some sites.  This was our 3rd time there and we had done all of the major sites (the Zocalo, Teotihuacan, Xochimilco, the Museum of Anthropology, Chapultepec Park etc.) and we decided that we would look for new things to see and do.  We always take the bus there because traffic is a nightmare so it’s much easier for us to get around by taxi or subway. 

We went to the south of the city to see the less famous ruins of Cuicuilco which is a round pyramid which is about 2,500 years old.  It was buried under lava and volcanic ash after the eruption of the Xitle volcano.  After which, its inhabitants are believed to have moved to the more famous site of Teotihuacan.  The ruins are small but entry is free, so it’s worth it if you are in the area and like ruins.

Cuicuilco

You can get some great views of the city from the top of the pyramid:

Mexico City from Cuicuilco

It was a relatively clear day and you can see the city from all around.  It was really neat to see.  After our visit to Cuicuilco, we stopped by the Museum of Science and Art (MUCA) however because it is a part of the university, it was closed for their summer holidays (the last two weeks of July).  But I did get a shot of a really cool building on the university campus. It looks like we’ll have to make another trip back to check it out sometime.

building

We then headed off to the Beer Factory, which the guero posted about here. 

We stayed at the Sheraton in the neighbourhood of Cuauhtemoc which is located right next to the famous Angel (on top of the Independence Monument):

Angel

The next morning we went to El Moro for churros and hot chocolate (a must for every visitor to Mexico City) and we went shopping in Chinatown (el barrio chino) on Calle Dolores near El Moro).  Chinatown might be a bit of stretch it was more like China block. It was literally one block of restaurants and shops but that was OK as we loaded up on sake, noodles and spices that we can’t get in SLP.  China block, was all we needed. 

After shopping in Chinatown we headed off to Al Malek (Cuauhtemoc #160, Colonia Doctores) which is a great place to buy our Lebanese supplies (like orange blossom water, Lebanese pastry and halava) and also have a bite to eat.  We loaded up on kibbe, grape leaves, fattoush and tabbouleh and with our bellies full of food, headed off the the Norte Terminal to take the bus back to SLP. 

The Norte Bus Terminal is pretty crazy on a Sunday and definitely not for the faint at heart.  The crowd alone could do some people in.  There are hundreds of people filling the waiting area and they don’t announce when the buses are leaving.  You have to keep an eye on the time, find the bus you are supposed to be on, check your luggage and get on at the right time.  Fortunately for us, we’ve taken the bus lots of times here so although it was really hectic, we were able to get on and get home on time. 

Mexico City is a great city to visit and the more we travel there, the more I like it.  Of course, I’m not ready to pick up and move there, but I’ll be certain to go back soon.