Walking to Condesa

One day while at staying at the apartment I rent, I took a long walk (maybe three or four miles) to the neighborhood of Condesa.  If you have read this blog for a while, you know that it is one of my favorite Mexico City neighborhoods, and that in the past I have rented a number of Airbnb apartments there.

I left my apartment and headed down busy Insurgentes Avenue.

 I turned onto Nuevo León, an avenue which is a straight shot to the heart of Condesa.  The shady pedestrian walkway in the middle of the avenue was very pleasant.

Along the walkway I came upon a young guy who was selling little figures of birds.  He had carved them himself out of wood, painted them, and decorated them with feathers.  Even though I was just beginning my walk, and I would have to carry my purchase, I bought one from him.  I later gave it to Alejandro's nephew.

The avenue took me all the way to one of Condesa's two main parks, Parque España.

This monument in the park is dedicated to former President Lázaro Cárdenas, and was a gift from the city's Spanish community.  In the 1930s Cárdenas welcomed refugees from Spain after the defeat of the Spanish Republic in the civil war.

Just a couple blocks away is Condesa's other major park, Parque México.

The focal point of the park in an open plaza called the Foro (Forum) Lindbergh.  It was built in the late 1920's when the aviator Charles Lindbergh was an international hero.  (Before the park was planted with trees, Lindbergh had landed his plane here on a good-will trip to Mexico.)

A few years ago, the "Foro" underwent a much needed restoration.  Unfortunately, vandals have already begun to deface the art deco structures again with graffiti.

Thank goodness the restored paintings by noted Mexican artist Roberto Montenegro were covered with plexiglass panels.

The pergolas surrounding the forum, are covered with exuberantly blooming bougainvillea.

 

Behind the forum, the fountains in the duck pond were all running.

I find the signs, which date back to the park's creation, a rather quaint reminder of another era.  Their messages are politely sermonizing. 

"This park has been made for you and your children.

Care for it as your own."

"Respect for the trees, plants and lawns is an unequivocal sign of good breeding."

The neighborhood was developed in the 1920s and 30s.  Many of the neo-colonial and art deco buildings are still standing.  In fact, Condesa has one of the highest concentrations of art deco architecture anywhere in the world.

One of my main reasons for taking this walk to Condesa, besides enjoying its pleasant streets, was to check up on the building where I used to rent an apartment.  Prior to renting the place where I stay now, I spent at least a half dozen trips to Mexico City at a nice apartment on Amsterdam Street.  That modern high-rise was damaged in the September, 2017 earthquake.  On my last trip, in January of last year, I saw that the decision had finally been made to demolish the building.  It was in the process of being torn down.  Now there is nothing but an empty lot, and the sign on the barricade says that the structure will be rebuilt.