Signs Along the Way

Here are a few signs that have caught my eye while walking around Mexico City...

The name of this pizzeria is "Death to Fake Pizza".

The name of this café sounds suspiciously like "pinche", a Mexican cuss word.

The name of this repair shop for broken Apple products is "iBroken".

Samy Restaurant is the home of the "Samy Burguer"... with a Hispanicized spelling of burger.

 That actually would be the correct spelling, since it comes from the Spanish word "hamburguesa".

The U.S. chain "Fatburger", however, doesn't care about Spanish phonetics.

Geez, I can feel my arteries hardening just looking at the sign!

 

An Insignificant Museum

I have written a number of times here that Mexico City has more museums than any other city in the world except London.  There are at least 150 museums here, and the number keeps growing.  Of course, some of them are not of great interest to me or are inconsequential in their size.  I had heard advertisements... on the radio... about the new radio museum, which opened in one of the subway stations.  So, last week I made a trip via Metro to the "Parque de los Venados" station.  The museum is sitting there in the middle of the station, and admission is free other than the six pesos it costs to ride the Metro.

It is a very small museum.  There is a showcase with antique equipment from the early years of radio such as this AM radio receiver built by Westinghouse in 1921.

Another showcase is filled with radios of more recent vintage.  Among the novelty items were this transistor radio in the shape of a ladybug...

and this children's Mickey Mouse radio.

Along the wall were signs that gave the history of radio in Mexico.  The first commercial radio transmission in Mexico City was in 1923 from a station which a few years later went by the call letters of XEB.  (All AM stations in Mexico begin with the letters XE.)   The station was originally owned by El Buen Tono cigarette company.

XEB is still broadcasting in Mexico City, and it goes by the nickname of "La B Grande", (The Big B).

The tiny museum is worth a look if you are passing through that subway station, but it is certainly not worth going out of your way to see.  That's OK... I can add it to the list of museums that I have seen in Mexico City. 

Two at Once

Back in August of this year, I wrote that I had begun reading Alex Haley's Pulitzer Prize winning novel "Roots".  It's a BIG book, nearly 900 pages long.  When I left on my trip to Europe in September, I did not want to lug that heavy book with me.  So, on that trip and also my trip to Ohio, I took a different book with me, another historical novel, "A Column of Fire" by Ken Follett.

After my trips, I left "A Column of Fire" at the home of Alejandro's family and "Roots" at the apartment.  So, I have been reading two novels at once.  I have only a little more than one hundred pages to go on "Roots", and I am well over half way through the Follett novel.

Ken Follett, a British writer, gained fame for his espionage thrillers. In 1989 he published his first historical novel, "Pillars of the Earth".  It became an international best-seller that surpassed his popular spy novels in sales.  The story was set in a fictional English town called Knightsbridge against the backdrop of the construction of a Gothic cathedral in the 12th century.  Since then, Follet has continued to write in both genres.  His sequel to "Pillars of the Earth", entitled "World Without End", continues the Knightsbridge saga in the 14th century during the Black Death.  A prequel, "The Morning and the Evening", is set in the year 1000 and tells the story of the founding of Knightsbridge.  I have read and thoroughly enjoyed all three of them. 

"A Column of Fire" takes place in the 16th century during the reigns of Mary I and Elizabeth I when England and much of Europe is embroiled in religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants.  The novel again is centered in Knightsbridge, but the storyline takes us beyond the English town to Spain, France, Flanders, and even the Caribbean.  It is another absorbing work by Follett.  Last year he published yet another volume of the Knightsbridge series.  "The Armour of Light" takes the town into the Industrial Revolution.  I will have to go to one of the bookstores here that carries books in English and look for it.

So, I am switching back and forth between the stories of the family of Kunta Kinte as slaves in the South and of Ned Willard, diplomat to Elizabeth I of England.  But please do not suggest that I buy a Kindle.  I like the feel of a book in my hands, and I spend too much time as it is in front of an electronic screen.

Christmas Shopping

Last Friday I wrote that this three-day holiday weekend is the start of the Christmas shopping season.  Retailers in Mexico have imitated "Black Friday" in the U.S., and promote this as the "Buen Fin" (Good Weekend) with bargains galore.

Yesterday afternoon, Alejandro and I went to Parque Tepeyac, the new shopping mall that opened a couple of years ago.  It's just down the road from where Alejandro's family lives.  We could easily walk there, or it is just two Metrobus stops away.  However, since we were planning on shopping, we took the car.  We had driven by Parque Tepeyac the night before, and we saw how horrendous the traffic was.  So we took a longer, round-about route to arrive at the rear of the mall.  The parking lot consists of three underground levels, but we were very lucky to quickly snatch a parking space as someone was pulling out.

The mall was already decorated for the holidays and was dominated by a three-story high Christmas tree (artificial of course).

Although the photo does not really reflect it, the mall was very busy and the stores (there are around 250 of them) were filled with shoppers.  There were, however, no mobs of people pushing and trampling each other in their pursuit of bargains.  The atmosphere was one of joviality, not aggressiveness, and as "White Christmas" played over the loudspeakers, I was in the Christmas spirit.

As I mentioned earlier, I needed to buy a new TV, and I figured this would be the best time to buy one.  We first went to the Liverpool Department Store which anchors one end of the mall.  I saw an LG model which I liked, and it had a 35% discount.  Delivery would be sometime in December.  

However, before buying I wanted to check what they had at Sears, at the other end of the mall.  Sears of Mexico, unlike the defunct Sears in the U.S., is considered an upscale store, so we were somewhat surprised to see that the discounts there were even bigger.  They had a more expensive LG television, but with a 50% discount, it only cost a little more than the one at Liverpool.  Furthermore, they had it in stock, and we could take it home with us.  I wanted to do some Christmas shopping while I was there, so I asked the salesman if I could pay for the TV now and then pick it up when we were done with our shopping.  "Not a problem," he said.

We walked all the way back to Liverpool where we bought a couple of items, and then hit several other stores as we made our way back to Sears.  My Christmas shopping for Alejandro's sister and nephew is complete.  

I still have to buy something for Alejandro's father.  Alejandro said that he could use some new belts.  The belts that we saw at the mall were made in China... a disgrace since Mexico produces high quality leather goods.  I figure sometime before Christmas I will head downtown.  There is a store in the Historic Center that has been around for more than a century.  They originally sold saddles and other riding gear.  They have leather goods that are made in Mexico.

As for Alejandro, I still have to figure out what I am going to buy for him.  We were in one clothing store called "Lefties", and I saw turtleneck shirts.  I used to wear turtlenecks a lot, and I said to Alejandro, "Are those back in style again?"  Alejandro does not need more clothes any more than I do, but I asked him if he would like one, and he said "yes".  So he has one small present.  I now need to think of something else.

When we returned to Sears, the TV department was much busier than before.  We waited in line a while to pick up the television.  We finally got it, and an employee put it on a cart and took it all the way down to the car in the basement parking lot.

So, we had a very successful shopping day.  "Buen Fin" is busy, but not nearly as frantic as "Black Friday", and I got some good bargains.  Looking at my credit card statement this morning, between the discounts and the strong exchange rate, none of my purchases (except for the TV) cost more than 20 dollars.

   

In the Fourth Section

As I mentioned in my last post, a fourth section is being added to Chapultepec Park.  Last weekend when Alejandro and I rode on the new line of the "cablebus", we got off at the end of the line and took a walk through the fourth section.

It is still very much under construction, a work in progress.  The "cablebus" is overhead.

We passed under the elevated tracks of the still unfinished passenger train from Mexico City to Toluca that I mentioned in the last post.

The one attraction that is open to the public is the "Cineteca Nacional", an institution dedicated to the restoration, conservation and exhibition of motion pictures from Mexico and the rest of the world.  Even though it is open and movies are being shown, the building is not finished.  It is so typical of the administration to open projects before they are really completed so that they can boast of their achievements.

The poster listed movies that were being presented that weekend.  There were films from France, the United States, and the UK, among others.

A short walk away, there was an outdoor theater where they were showing short films produced at a children's workshop at the "cineteca".

Someday, the fourth section of Chapultepec Park might be worth visiting, but as of now, don't waste your time.
 

Swinging on a Cable

In recent years, the government of Mexico City has added another means of transportation to its public transport system... the "cablebus", an aerial cable car which travels above the city.  These were not built as tourist attractions, although visitors find them an interesting way to get a bird's eye view of the city.  They were constructed to serve areas that were otherwise lacking in public transportation.  The first two "cablebus" routes go to the far northern neighborhoods on the slopes of the Sierra de Guadalupe, and across the borough of Iztapalapa.  Both are areas that had limited transportation service, and the "cablebus" dramatically cuts the commute time to the rest of the city for the residents.  It incidentally gives tourists a chance to safely see from above a couple parts of the city that have high crime rates.

In September of this year, the newest "cablebus" route was inaugurated, and last Saturday Alejandro and I checked it out.  Line 3 seems to be more touristic in nature since it connects the four sections of Chapultepec Park.  On a Saturday afternoon most of the passengers seemed to be out for a fun ride on the new route.  However, its western terminus is at Pueblo Santa Fe, another district that does not have subway or Metrobus service.  So, I suspect that during the week, the route will have its fair share of commuters heading to work.

Alejandro and I walked fifteen minutes from the apartment to the nearest subway station which is on Line 7.  We got off just two stops later at Constituyentes.  Just across the busy avenue is the far end of the first section of Chapultepec Park.  The eastern terminus of the new "cablebus" is there.  It is named "Los Pinos" after the nearby former Presidential palace which is now a museum.

There was quite a line of people waiting to board.

As the cars pass through the station, they slow down but do not stop.  When the doors open, you jump into the moving car.  Each one has a capacity for ten people.

The vista of this enormous city is spread below us.

Soon we are over the second section of Chapultepec Park.  It newest attraction is the amusement park, "Parque Urbano Aztlán, with its giant Ferris wheel.

Another recent addition to the second section is the pavilion of the Environmental Center.

Between the second and third sections of the park is "Panteón Dolores", one of the largest cemeteries in the city and the resting place of many famous Mexicans.

From the "cablebus" you can appreciate the vast size of Chapultepec Park and understand why it is called "the lungs of the city".

The third section of Chapultepec is largely undeveloped forest and canyon.

The "cablebus" passes over busy Constituyentes Avenue.

It also passes over the elevated tracks for the Mexico City - Toluca train.

Construction on this commuter train which is to run 36 miles from Mexico City over the mountains to Toluca, began in 2014, and it still is not completed.  The last two stations in Mexico City are supposed to open in December of this year.  (I am not holding my breath!)

The "cablebus" next passes over the fourth section of Chapultepec Park which is still under development.  This area belonged to the military, and a lot of army facilities remain here. The one attraction here that is now open is the "Cineteca Nacional", an institution dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of movies from Mexico and around the world.  (I will write more about it in my next post.)

 

We got off at the end of the line, and then took a walk through section four of the park (still very much under construction) and briefly visited the "Cineteca".  We then went back to the "cablebus" for our return trip.  The line to board was even longer, and we had to wait a half hour.  I sat on the other side for views of the city.

Just left of center, you can see the Torre Mítica, Mexico City's tallest building.

Regular readers of the blog will recognize the World Trade Center in the distance (the blue building with the round revolving restaurant on top), and know that I live a couple blocks from there.  In the lower left you can see more of the tracks for the unfinished train to Toluca.

Zooming in on the World Trade Center.

The building looks so skinny when seen from the side.

Approaching the "Los PInos" terminus where we started

Beyond the park are the skyscrapers along Paseo de la Reforma

To the extreme right, in the distance, you can see the Latin American Tower, which was the tallest building in the city when it was built in the 1950s.

The trip on Line 3 of the "cablebus" was fun.  However I think the other routes are more dramatic and interesting.  On Line 1 you view the neighborhoods climbing up the mountainsides, and on Line 2 you see the paintings on the roofs of the houses of Iztapalapa.

There are already plans to build more "cablebus" lines.

The Good Weekend

November 20th is Revolution Day, the day when the uprising against the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz began in 1910.  The Revolution was a decade-long conflict which profoundly changed Mexico.  Since 2006, the holiday has been observed on the third Monday of November, creating a three-day weekend known here as a "puente" or bridge.  

Besides Revolution Day, there are two other "puentes".  Constitution Day (February 5th) is observed on the first Monday of the month, and the birthday of Benito Juárez (March 21st) is observed on the third Monday of March.

As important as the Revolution was, most Mexicans are probably not thinking much about its historic significance.  This is the "Buen Fin" (Good Weekend) which marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.  Since 2011 Mexican retailers, emulating "Black Friday" in the U.S., have offered sales on this weekend.

Throughout the country, you will see signs such as this one, outside of one the Liverpool department stores.

Liverpool is offering discounts of up to 40%.  Of course "up to" is the operative phrase here.  Some merchandise is discounted less and not everything is on sale.

I will probably take advantage of the "Buen Fin" sales and shop for a new television set.  The "smart" TV which I bought in Ohio during the pandemic and which I had shipped to Mexico when I moved, is no longer working.  It worked fine down here for almost a year, and then all of a sudden it only connects sporadically with the internet. That means that I can't watch anything on Netflix or Amazon Prime.  I will be joining the masses of shoppers, but, unlike the United States, people aren't lining up in the middle of the night waiting for the stores to open.  And I have never heard of people pushing and trampling each other in their stampede for bargains.

No Parking

In a city like Mexico City, parking on the street can be problematic.  It might be tempting to park in front of the access to the garage of a house or apartment building.  Some residents will place a barrier... an old tire, a tree stump or a bucket filled with cement... on the street in front of the garage door.  Yes, it is inconvenient to move the barrier every time you want to leave or enter your garage, but it will keep others from blocking your access.  More often, a sign saying "No estacionarse" (No parking) or an "E" with a slash through it will be placed on the garage door.  More threatening signs that I have seen many times are... "Respeta mi entrada y yo respeto su auto" (Respect my entrance and I will respect your car) and "Se ponchan llantas gratis" (Tires flattened for free).   A few days ago on one of my walks, I saw this emphatic sign...

"No parking,

Not even a minute,

Not even a moment,

Not anything,

Don't be a fool"

 

Two Stores

Wednesday of last week I was looking at Google Maps and trying to decide on another long walk for taking my mind off of recent events.  I found a small shopping mall that I had never visited, and it had a Bed, Bath & Beyond.  There were a couple of things that I wanted to get for the kitchen, so I decided to check out the store and see what they had.

It was a nice, long walk to the mall which is called "City Shops del Valle".  (English names add a certain cachet to businesses, although I find it a bit snobbish.)

It is located in the upscale neighborhood of Colonia del Valle.  Although the northern part of Colonia del Valle is just across from Insurgentes Avenue where I live, the neighborhood extends quite a distance to the south.  It was a forty minute walk to get there.

(Notice that the Christmas tree is already up.)

I went first to the kitchenware department.  There were two things that I wanted... a vegetable peeler and a large glass baking dish.  Well, I discovered that Bed, Bath & Beyond is the same as in the U.S.  It should be called Bed, Bath & China.  They had at least a half dozen different peelers, but they were all made in China.  There were only a couple baking dishes, and they too were from China.  In fact, as I browsed through the kitchenware department, I would say that at least 90% of the merchandise said, "Hecho en China".  I continued on to look at bedding department, and at least there they had sheets, pillowcases and pillows that were "Hecho en México".  Most of the towels seemed to be from Turkey.  The only thing that I bought were a couple of nice, thick potholders that were made in India.  Why am I such a stickler about avoiding products from China?  First of all, the quality is often sub-par, and secondly, I prefer not to buy goods from a country that has such a horrendous human rights record.

I should add that last weekend Alejandro and I stopped at the Sears that is located at the World Trade Center.  There I found a vegetable peeler that is made in Switzerland (Yeah!) and a nice set of Anchor Hocking baking dishes made in the U.S.

Just behind the mall was another store that I wanted to check out... Hiperlumen. 

Lumen is a chain of stores down here that sell office supplies, stationery and arts and crafts supplies.  When you see the prefix "hiper" in front of the name of a store it means that it is super big.  I had  read reviews of the store on Google Maps, and some reviewers said that it was the best place in the city to buy art supplies.  The store did not seem that enormous, but it did have a pretty good selection of "Liquitex", a brand of acrylic paints (made in France) that I often used back in the U.S.  They also had the canvas boards on which I usually do my paintings.

So, I doubt if I will return to Bed, Bath & Beyond, but Hiperlumen will probably be the place where I will buy my art supplies.

  

A Trip to the Museum

The day after the election, I needed to get out of the apartment and get my mind off of the depressing news.  There was a special exhibit at the National Museum of Art that sounded interesting, so I took the Metrobus downtown.

The exhibit features paintings from the collection of Henry Pearlman, a New York City businessman who was a leading collector of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art.  Since his death in 1974, his collection has been in the Museum of Art of Princeton University in New Jersey.

Nine paintings from the Pearlman collection are on loan for this exhibit.  The European paintings are paired with contrasting paintings by Mexican artists.

"After the Bath"

by Edgar Degas

ca. 1890-95

The French impressionist Degas is known for his paintings a ballet dancers, equestrian scenes and also nudes.  This work displays his interest in movement and unusual positions.

"Nude Woman Sitting"

by Manuel Rodríguez Lozano

1926

Paired with the Degas is this painting by Lozano.  He was born in Mexico City to a well-to-do family, and briefly had a career as a diplomat.  During the Mexican Revolution, because of his father-in-law's role as a counter-revolutionary, he had to go into exile along with his wife and her family.  While living in Paris, he met and was influenced by painters such as Matisse and Picasso.

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"Nude in a Landscape"

by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

ca. 1887

Renoir, of course, was one of the most famous of the French Impressionists.

"Baroque Nude"

by Germán Gedovius

ca. 1918

In contrast to Renoir's Impressionism, this painting is done in a romantic academic style.  Gedovius was born in Mexico City in 1867.  He was deaf and mute, and when he was twenty, his father sent him to Germany for medical treatment.  There, doctors were able to restore his hearing, and he learned to speak.  After studying art in Europe, where he was influenced by baroque masters, he returned to Mexico in 1893.  In addition to painting, he also taught art.  One of his students was Diego Rivera.

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"Monte Sainte-Victoire"

by Paul Cezanne

ca, 1904-1906

Cezanne was one of the most important Post-Impressionist painters.  In his later years, from the vantage point of his studio, he painted numerous paintings of this mountain.  His style, which features planes of color, was to influence later avant-garde movements including the cubism of Pablo Picasso.

"The Cloud"

by Geraldo Murillo (aka Dr. Atl)

1931

Murillo, who painted under the name of Dr. Atl, mostly painted landscapes of the Mexican countryside, particularly its volcanoes.

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"River View"

by Alfred Sisley

1889

The French-British painter, Sisley, may be overshadowed by Monet, but he was one of the first generation of Impressionists.  His landscapes are reminiscent of Monet.

"Green Hill"

by Joaquín Clausell

ca. 1910

Clausell was a lawyer whose political activism against dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz led to several months in prison and several years in exile.  But he is best remembered as Mexico's foremost Impressionist landscape painter.

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"Young Woman with a Round Hat"

by Edouard Manet

ca. 1877-79

Manet was one of the first painters to portray modern life and was a transitional figure from realism to Impressionism.

"Lady on the Balcony"

by Félix Parra

ca. 1880

Parra's paintings depict the changes in Mexican society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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"Still Life"

by Camille Pissarro

1872

The Impressionist Pissarro is known for his landscapes and urban scenes.  This is one of the very few still lifes that he did.

"Still Life"

by Roberto Montenegro

1940

Montenegro is better known as an illustrator, although he also did canvases and murals.  During the Mexican Revolution he went to Paris where he met, among other artists, Pablo Picasso.  Although he did not embrace cubism, this still life is reminiscent of Picasso.

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"Mesalina"

by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec

1900-1901

Toulouse-Lautrec is known for his paintings and posters portraying Parisian nightlife.  This picture portrays a drama presented in a Paris theater as seen from offstage.

"The Bedroom"

by José Clemente Orozco

1910

Orozco would go on to become one of the "Big Three" of Mexican muralism.  This early watercolor, portraying a scene in a brothel, shows the influence of Toulouse-Lautrec.

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"Jean Cocteau"

by Amadeo Modigliani

1916

The Italian born painter and sculptor moved to Paris where he joined the avant-garde art scene.  His portraits are identifiable from the elongated faces, necks and bodies.  Modigliani died at the age of 35 from tuberculosis.

"Portrait of Adolfo Best Maugard"

by Diego Rivera

1913

In 1912 the young Rivera moved to Paris where he knew a wide circle of artists including Picasso (he adopted cubism for a while), Mondrian, Chagall and Modigliani.  This very large canvas with an urban landscape in the background is a portrait of Best Maugard, a Mexican painter and film director, who was completing his studies in Paris at the time that Rivera was there.

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"Tasacon Stagecoach"

by Vincent Van Gogh

1888

Hanging by itself, and not paired with any Mexican painting, is this oil painting by Van Gogh.  It was painted the year that he moved to Arles in southern France, one of the most prolific periods of his career.  However, by the end of that year his mental instability worsened to the point that he cut off his ear and was placed in a hospital.  Less than two years after painting this picture, Van Gogh was dead from an infection from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.