those shrines are all over the roads, none I've seen as good as that one. One gringo said to me 'they're not for deaths they're for something else.' Methinks he was sugar coating. The driving is crazy but you get a nice shrine if something happens.
Since this was in a little alley, I suspect it was not a vehicular death. Despite all the warnings, Jon Revusky and I had to go to Tepito, and we actually had a great time. It's a a very boisterous neighborhood, and perfectly safe during the day.
I look forward to your Mexico City essay and am enjoying the photos. We visited Tepito during the day in 2013 and encountered no problems except for the normal Mexico City crowds. I haven't visited Mexico City since, but my wife Carla has a couple times. She reports the spread of gentrification north from Centro Historico towards Tepito.
Though with a horrible reputation, Tepito is certainly in a very desirable location, so I can see developers taking over in due time.
I walked from the Centro Historico through La Lagunilla to get to Tepito. It was very enjoyable. My least favorite neighborhood in Mexico City is swanky Polanco. It felt as sterile as many parts of Southern California.
I did one walk through Polanco and the Zona Rosa and didn’t care much for either. For one thing, the chance of getting your pocket picked is much larger in those areas than in lower rent areas, though there are high crime poor areas too. In the Zona Rosa, I saw two guys breaking into a car and trying to start the emission, alarm blaring, while two female cops were at the street corner with their backs turned.
I walked through San Angel to get to Juan O’Gorman’s House Studio of Rivera and Kahlo
and I must say I was impressed by what was an upscale town with an architectural imprint that is maintained historically. The status cars were late model VWs and Nissans. There are gringo renovation towns like Alamos and San Miguel de Allende (more mixed) but this is mostly Mexican money. I also found some newer suburban bling architecture sort of interesting, more so than Eastern US McMansions. I stayed in a faded business hotel south of the Alameda with a free garage that raised its rate from $16 to $17 US during my stay, my only sick patch where unfortunately I couldn’t turn off the rotation of three pop songs in the room all night and there were organ grinders and goat head salesmen out the window.
In 2017, there are Zona Rosa touts who will say at night, "Chicas?" or "Lap dance?" but the area seems pleasant and middle class enough, and I saw at least half a dozen Korean restaurants there.
7 comments:
those shrines are all over the roads, none I've seen as good as that one. One gringo said to me 'they're not for deaths they're for something else.' Methinks he was sugar coating. The driving is crazy but you get a nice shrine if something happens.
Yo Ian,
Since this was in a little alley, I suspect it was not a vehicular death. Despite all the warnings, Jon Revusky and I had to go to Tepito, and we actually had a great time. It's a a very boisterous neighborhood, and perfectly safe during the day.
Linh
Linh,
I look forward to your Mexico City essay and am enjoying the photos. We visited Tepito during the day in 2013 and encountered no problems except for the normal Mexico City crowds. I haven't visited Mexico City since, but my wife Carla has a couple times. She reports the spread of gentrification north from Centro Historico towards Tepito.
Hi Eddie,
Though with a horrible reputation, Tepito is certainly in a very desirable location, so I can see developers taking over in due time.
I walked from the Centro Historico through La Lagunilla to get to Tepito. It was very enjoyable. My least favorite neighborhood in Mexico City is swanky Polanco. It felt as sterile as many parts of Southern California.
Linh
I did one walk through Polanco and the Zona Rosa and didn’t care much for either. For one thing, the chance of getting your pocket picked is much larger in those areas than in lower rent areas, though there are high crime poor areas too. In the Zona Rosa, I saw two guys breaking into a car and trying to start the emission, alarm blaring, while two female cops were at the street corner with their backs turned.
I walked through San Angel to get to Juan O’Gorman’s House Studio of Rivera and Kahlo
https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/house-studio-museum-of-diego-rivera-and-frida-kahlo/
and I must say I was impressed by what was an upscale town with an architectural imprint that is maintained historically. The status cars were late model VWs and Nissans. There are gringo renovation towns like Alamos and San Miguel de Allende (more mixed) but this is mostly Mexican money. I also found some newer suburban bling architecture sort of interesting, more so than Eastern US McMansions. I stayed in a faded business hotel south of the Alameda with a free garage that raised its rate from $16 to $17 US during my stay, my only sick patch where unfortunately I couldn’t turn off the rotation of three pop songs in the room all night and there were organ grinders and goat head salesmen out the window.
Yo Ian,
What year were you in Polanco and Zona Rosa?
In 2017, there are Zona Rosa touts who will say at night, "Chicas?" or "Lap dance?" but the area seems pleasant and middle class enough, and I saw at least half a dozen Korean restaurants there.
Linh
2005
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