Mexico City August 2022 Street Level

You learn a lot about a culture from the street. We stayed in an area near many interesting features.

Mexico is both a big country and varied in climate, geology and cultures.

Something New

We were at a nice neighborhood restaurant. It seemed to be fairly new and very close to our apartment. There were a couple of women at another table. It's a little after 9pm. A guy appears at the door selling regalos. There are street vendors here all the time, even in the restaurant. Suddenly I realize what he is selling. He has penis pillows. They're furry. They come in various colors. Matt had some funny commentary as the guy was giving his sales pitch.

Respecting the Culture

I was people watching and saw these two young women at a table near me at a restaurant. I guess I was staring and the woman facing me noticed. I got the impression she was telling her friend that I was interested in her. She had this cute expression on her face as we looked at each other. I didn't mean to stare but they were both so beautiful in their own way. I did take a sort of candid picture of them. One of them was darker and more indigenous Spanish heritage. The other was mostly European in features. The combination seems to be a certain aspect of the current world culture blend. I just sat and imagined their young lives. I thot about what they might be thinking and sharing with one another. I was polite and tempered my staring. If I had been more fluent in Spanish I might have engaged them in polite flirting. I realize that because I was polite she was polite. They do have a certain respect for elders here that we don't necessarily have in the US.

Wonderful native flora on the street - cacti, yucca etc are common

Creative shrub trimming is common, especially in the rich areas.

Beautiful wood door in colonial building

Colonial building with colors sectioned off like a paint-by-numbers scheme

I had coffee here and the sugar was served in a sardine can

View from my table at a streetside restaurant. Love the beautiful weather they enjoy all year

The difficult decision of what to order at a restaurant. I am very easy to satisfy food-wise. Understanding what is on the menu is the challenge. I may be happy with anything, but I do have preferences and moods. I don't necessarily want to start the day with crocodile.

These are two cute women I observed near my street table with our waitress. I enjoyed observing the cultural differences we have. As long as I am polite they are polite. They were watching me watch them. They were laughing, but I believed that they were not laughing at me. Another aspect of the cultural civility is the modest dress observed by the locals.

There are many, many dogs as pets here in the city. It is a passion at least of the wealthy. Many walk the streets with several dogs. This was the biggest I'd seen - a sheep dog! I also met the two people seated at the table to the right. They were a Black couple who have been living in CDMX for 3 1/2 years.

This man is dressed as a clown to entertain people on the street. I believe he's exploiting his daughter at the same time.

Jazz Music Scene

We decided to go to a jazz club last night. My vertigo had been impacting me so far this trip and I was feeling better. Karen found a jazz club and did some research on when they offer live music. They had a reservation system on WhatsApp. That required us to write something in Spanish. It turned out at the time we wanted to go it was free and first come first served. So we got our UBER to take us cross town. The place has an upstairs and a downstairs stage. There was a cover charge for the 6pm show but we were there at 7:15. We paid the cover but they only played two more songs after we arrived. That was the end of their set.

Karen really enjoyed the music. It was a little too abstract for me. I was disappointed to pay a cover for two songs. We went and talked to a couple of the musicians. One of them is from Springfield, VA very near where we live in NWDC. 😆 hilarious. The other guy Karen spoke with and got his contact info. The staff suggested we go downstairs until the 10pm show. Downstairs was free and they had some good music down there. They said the cover we paid would be good for the 10PM show.

The interim free show was really fun. We met another American and swapped stories. He has a place in CDMX and one in LA. He's a writer. We had a great time. Back upstairs later they had a large band with a percussionist and a drummer. No guitarist or pianist! The leader played flute and sax. They had a 5 string bass player. A couple guys played a little on the piano, but very little.

MacDonalds drive thru is called Auto Mac

Many beautiful buildings were partially destroyed in an earthquake. CDMX had 3 major earthquakes in 2017. They are still in the process of demolishing/repairing the results of these quakes.

This is a cool spigot where you push the lever from below to turn on the water. As long as you maintain the pressure from below the water flows

Angel of Independence on the Avenue de la Reforma

Discarded/destroyed shoes of a homeless person. Only when they become impossible does the person discard them. I know in the last days these shoes were painful. There is some homelessness and desperation in the streets. I noticed some political activity as well.

Art is displayed everywhere on the streets

Pink ribbon on the front and back of an SUV traveling down the boulevard. I'm not sure what they were celebrating.

California Dreamin'

A lot of the kids here listen to techno pop music. Today I heard California Dreamin' by the Mamas and the Papas as a techno piece for the first time.

The food is incredible

Trash Service

Each country and city have the own way of dealing with trash. They recycle in Mexico. I'm not sure how successful it is. There are trash trucks all over. Everything seems to be done efficiently.