On Friday I left the apartment and went to the Metrobus stop in front of the World Trade Center. I took Line 1 heading north and got off at the Buenavista stop.
Buenavista used to be Mexico City's passenger train station. Passenger trains ceased to exist in Mexico some years ago. There is an interurban train that runs from here to some of Mexico City's far northern suburbs, but most of the building has been repurposed as a large shopping mall.
Even though passenger trains are a thing of the past, the area outside of Buenavista is a busy transportation hub, since this is where three Metrobus lines converge. When I got off the Line 1 bus, I wasn't sure where to catch the airport bus. A police officer pointed me to the nearby terminus for Line 4. Inside there was a very long line waiting for the Metrobus. I knew that not all Line 4 buses go as far as the airport, and I asked the lady behind me if these people were all waiting for the airport bus. She pointed me to a different spot. After a few minutes a bus clearly labeled "Aeropuerto" arrived. I was the only one to get on. The airport bus costs an expensive 30 pesos (about $1.50) as opposed to the normal Metrobus fare of 6 pesos. So the only people who use this bus are those who are going all the way to the airport. I had the bus all to myself for a while, although eventually some other people got on at later stops.
Line 4 passes through the Historic Center of Mexico City.
We pass by the rear of the Palace of Fine Arts...
and we go past the Plaza of Santo Domingo.
Beyond the Historic Center, we pass the Legislative Palace, the seat of the lower house of the Mexican legislature. Compared to the capitols and parliament buildings of other countries, it is not a very impressive structure.
The National Archives Building is housed in what was once the infamous Lecumberri Prison.
The airport is a short distance to the east, and the bus stops at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. I wanted to get off the bus at Terminal 1 so that I could see where the bus stop is in relation to where I will have to go to meet my friends. Well, this is where I made a stupid mistake. For some reason I thought that the bus went to Terminal 2 first. It doesn't. I wasn't paying attention, I missed my stop, and I realized too late that the bus was heading to the end of the line... Terminal 2.
The wrong terminal!
A very helpful policewoman on the bus pointed out where I could catch a bus that goes back and forth every 15 minutes between the two terminals. So I took that bus, and headed back to Terminal 1.
At the entrance to Terminal 2, workers were planting hundreds of marigold plants for the Day of the Dead. (If you have seen the movie "Coco" you know that the marigold is the traditional flower for the Day of the Dead.)
I noticed that the stop where the inter-terminal bus dropped me off is also the stop for the Metrobus. That stop is located next to the international arrivals gate. I went inside, and it is only a short walk to where Nancy and Fred will be emerging through sliding doors after passing through immigration and customs. Very convenient!
Now that I knew the logistics of getting to the airport, I took the Metrobus going back. However, instead of going to the end of the line at Buenavista, I got off downtown by the Palace of Fine Arts.
There was another chore that I wanted to accomplish in preparation for my friends' arrival... purchase ticket for the Ballet Folklórico. I went inside to the ticket window, but discovered that tickets may be purchased only with cash, Mexican credit cards or American Express. I didn't have enough cash on me, I don't have a Mexican credit card, and I don't have American Express. Also, my debit card was back at the apartment, so I couldn't run to the nearest ATM and get more cash. The purchase of the tickets would have to wait until Saturday when Alejandro and I were going to go back downtown to see the Alebrije Parade.
It does seem odd and inconvenient that the Ballet Folklórico, which is attended by tourists from all over the world, does not accept credit cards issued in other countries.
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