Kahlo and Trotsky, Torre Latinoamericana and Alameda Central - that's a start

I’m preparing for Mexico City. Well, yes and no. I’ve done as much research as I want online but still don’t really have a good gauge of the city. It is sprawling. 22 million inhabitants. Yes, the biggest metropole in North America – take that New York! What are the attractions? Not quite sure. There is a cathedral. One thing I like is the city excels at art galleries, including several contemporary ones. One place I want to go to is the Museo Frida Kahlo/Casa Azul (Blue House), the fame artist’s (and Detroit hater) former residence. I also want to go to the Leon Trotsky (Museo Casa de Leon Trotsky, as it happens to be called), just a few blocks from Frida’s. I got tickets for Frida - expensive - $53.37; I’ve never paid that much for a museum. Couldn’t get a response from Trotsky but understand it’s not expensive and hardly anyone goes. Why Trotsky? For lovers (or not) of history that’s where Lenin’s agents assassinated him with an ice pick – yikes - in 1940. The city seems to have a superb transit system, enormously better than any in Canada or the United States. Twelve subway lines, express metrobuses on dedicated lanes, myriad local bus and trolley routes. Fares are ridiculously cheap: 5/6 pesos (1 Canuck dollar = 13.3 pesos). I’ll buy a transit smart card upon arrival at Benito Juarez Intl Airport. (Juarez was the first democratically elected indigenous president in the postcolonial Americas serving in the late 19th century). My plane lands at 10.50 pm and transit stops at midnight. I would love to immediately sample transit but the timing cuts a little close so will opt for a taxi. That’s after I’ve also visited an ATM to withdraw cash, one of my first protocols upon arriving in a different country. I understand cash is more king in Mexico (I’ve never been to the country) than in North America. When I was in Morocco last year cash was definitely king; almost like they hadn’t heard of bank cards.) I’ve chosen what looks like a great hotel on the edge of the Centro Historico (historic district), the Cadillac Boutique. It’s highly contemporary and has an artsy flair and the breakfasts seem tremendous (breakfasts are always a major factor when I’m booking a hotel). A Google Street View of the area makes it look like I could easily get lost. But the hotel is half a block from another main street upon which several blocks up is the iconic Torre Latinoamericana (photo), the city’s first post-war skyscraper designed to withstand earthquakes. It’s across the street from the vast Alameda Central Park as well as museums. If I get lost, I can use it for bearings. The weather should be cooler than here, perhaps because of the city’s 7349 ft. altitude, though it seems to rain every night. Hasta luego!

- Ron Stang, Windsor Ontario Canada, a frequent traveller