Mexico City – First Impressions

The flight from Guadalajara to Mexico City is just over a hour, but the difference between the two cities is immense. Whilst Guadalajara is a pleasant, calm and almost sedate city, Mexico City is the complete opposite. It’s absolutely mental. There’s no other city in the world like it, which is both a good and a bad thing.


Flying into the city, you can really see how the terrain defines the city. Mexico City lies over the bloodied corpse of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. This city was built on an island in the middle of a lake. The lake has since been filled in, but the modern city covers the entire plane where the city used to lie.

My initial thoughts about Mexico City were not good. Arriving at the airport, everyone says not to get a regular cab, as you will end up robbed, beaten and dead in a gutter. Or something like that. Instead, I get an airport cab. Little did I know, I had opted for the “executive” option and paid an arm and a leg to get into town. After checking into my nice hotel, I then decided my first stop would be the Museum of Anthropology.

Getting there would be the hard part. As I didn’t want to risk getting a taxi off the street, for fear of being murdered, I asked to hotel people to get me one, as recommended in all the guide books. Little did I know, they assumed I would want another “executive” car. After a huge fare, I get dropped off at the museum, only to find that it is closed! D’Oh! Everything is closed on a Monday. Any taxi driver who’d been in the city more than five minutes would know that! I felt really used and abused. Stupid city stealing all my money!


What to do next? Well, getting a taxi was out of the question, so I opted for the Metro. That seemed a little less risky. Finding the nearest Metro station then became the issue! After walking forty minutes, I found one. I managed to get a ticket ($0.20) after much confusion. It turns out, the Metro is one fare to get in, regardless of where you get off. This explains why the ticket lady was so confused by my rubbish Spanish. Oh well, I was on my way to the Zocalo!

After not getting mugged on the train or in the station, I emerged into the bright light of one of the world’s largest public squares. I was not that impressed. It seemed large, dirty and full of shifty characters. By this time, my early flight and the city’s high altitude were taking their toll. I took another Metro ride home and crashed in my hotel. It was all a bit much and I needed a nap!

Over the next week, my impression of the city totally changed. It’s not quite the den of crime and violence that you read about, but you do have to be careful and people are still being mugged by taxi drivers. Despite all this, I learned to like Mexico City. Perhaps not love, but my first impressions gave me a good starting point to explore this wonderful city.