Friday, December 5, 2008

The Green Heart of Mexico City

Polluted, choked with car fumes, the stench of diesel, the blanket of smog, grey concrete jungle, traffic jam ridden, the metallic taste at the back of the throat, the equivalent of smoking 40 a day, asthma and many kinds of respiratory diseases - all common images of the centre of Mexico City.

And all true up to a point... but there is so much more to the heart of this city. Green spaces abound forming the lungs of the city centre. From topiary, to roof terraces, from parks to street gardens, from courtyards and patios to balcony plants there may be little grass in the city, but there sure is a lot of greenery.

All these green spaces are within twenty minutes walk of my centrally located apartment in colonias such as La Condesa, Chapultepec, and Cuauhtemoc, proving that the dominant colour is green not grey.



Roof Terrace Bar of the Condesa Hotel DF, Colonia Condesa.


Parque Espana, Colonia Condesa.

Jardin Botanico, Chapultepec Park.

Chapultepec Park, Mexico City.

Finally, yes, this is still the city centre - view from Chapultepec Castle.

Where is your favourite green space??

10 comments:

Unknown said...

wow, it looks so beautiful!

Wendy said...

Hi Catherine,
I'm digging that rooftop terrace bar.

Cecile/DreamCreateRepeat said...

Hi! I traveled here from A Cuban in London....

Lovely photos. My favorite green space is a system of paths and parks connecting local lake/water reservoirs which cross behind my neighborhood in suburban Virginia (USA). I can drive 1/2 hr and be in DC or I can take a walk and see beaver, deer and hawks amid trees and streams.

Catherine said...

Hi Jess, Wendy, Cecile...thanks to you all for the vote of confidence...of course I could have put a different set of photos up to show the other side of the coin...especially as there are SO many roadworks right now...but hey I like to be positive....!!

Catherine said...

ps Cecile... I have been trying to access your blog without success...can you give me the blog address?? Thanks

Cecile/DreamCreateRepeat said...

Catherine,

Its a long,silly, story but I wiped my blog off the face of the earth (ether). You'll just have to be content with my occasional visits until such time as I decide to blog again.....

in the meantime, can I recommend you visit my friend at:

http://www.teanhoneybread.blogspot.com/

kristine said...

love the look of that rooftop bar!! I think my hometown, Oslo, is almost unbeatable when it comes to green space. its been designed so that if you get on public trasport, at any point in the city, and go 15 minutes in any direction, you are in the forest or by the sea. its nice.

A Cuban In London said...

First off, thanks for you visit, it was most appreciated.

So, you're an expat living in my continent and I am one dwelling in your capital, that's funny :-)!

Your photos are absolutely gorgeous. I was very close to going to Mexico in '97 as part of the Havana University Dance Coompany, but I did not make the final cut because I decided to spend a month in... London! Yes, and I missed all the rehearsals.

All my Mexican friends in the UK make the same comment. To get to know Mexico, you have to get out of the capital, but please, do make sure to pay a visit before you leave the country, most of your preconceptions will be dashed. Your images prove it.

Thanks for such a lovely post.

Greetings from London.

Catherine said...

Hi Cuban in London... thanks for your comments... as you can see mexico city is one that grows on you and I have become a big fan... I have also travelled extensively around the country and yes it is lovely and very different but I love living here... if I had listened to what everyone tried to tell me before I arrived, I would never have come!! Do you have any Mexican friends blogging about london??

A Cuban In London said...

No, now that you mention it. Most of my readers and fellow bloggers are from either US, Cuba and/or rest of the world.

Thanks.

Greetings from London.