A lot like Paris, only with taquerias

Our North American stereotypes of Mexico City are daunting.  Overwhelming poverty.  Air pollution that makes your eyes sting and lungs heart.  Traffic congestion that rivals Mumbai.  Police who demand bribes to avoid jay walking tickets.  Buildings crumbling from neglect, earthquakes, and bad zoning laws.  Rampant street crime and random kidnappings.  Narcoterrorists waiting to gun you down at every corner.

In my previous visits, I have learned to dismiss those negative visions of Mexico City.  Instead, I have developed a deep appreciation for a city filled with some of the best museums in the world, public art around every corner, tranquil parks and plazas lined with cafes, broad boulevards that rival the Champs Elysees, and architecture that is a unique mix of colonial beauty, art deco majesty, and contemporary design.  It's a lot like Paris, only with taquerias.

On this trip, I have been surprised by what is undoubtedly becoming the new, emerging Mexico City.  It is not just that it is a vibrant cultural center and an economic engine for Latin America (the eighth richest city in the world), Mexico City is also...

> Fitness-crazed.
On Sunday, they close the Paseo de la Reforma, the broad boulevard that bisects the center of the City, and allow runners and bicyclists full access.  At every intersection there are ad hoc bike shops, refreshment stations, and free yoga classes.  This morning on my way to class through the Parque Mexico, there was a fully equipped free access outdoor gym, including elyptical machines, filled with people of all shapes, ages and sizes.  Can you imagine a free elyptical machine in the middle of Dolores Park?  

> More gay male-friendly than San Francisco.  
I have seen more public affection between men in the past four days than I ever see in San Francisco.  Young men holding hands casually as they walk down the street.  Older men kissing sweetly in the window of restaurants.  A man stretched out on a park bench, his head resting on his lover's lap.  It's not just in a gay ghetto.  There are gay bars, adjacent to straight bars, with people blending together as they pour out on to the street. Same sex marriage is legal in Mexico City and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is strictly banned.  In fact, public establishments must post the anti-discrimination law at their entrances.  Clearly the political change has been lock-step with a broader cultural change.

> Filled with very well-behaved, well-cared for dogs.  
This morning in the Parque Espana I happened upon a dog park filled with dogs, some playing together, some patiently sitting on the side watching the action.  On Sunday, every fourth person on a bike or jogging had a dog in tow.  Like in France, there are dogs in restaurants and cafes.  I have yet to see a single stray dog or (my favorite) hippy street person with a golden retriever with a bandana collar.

> Moving forward, together.
I admit that I have a limited, subjective, tourist-eye view of the sociology of the city, but its gestalt is cooperative, respectful, and forward thinking.  In the US cities of which I am most familiar (NYC, DC, SF), I always sense mistrust, tension and anxiety.  We don't invest in public space or the collective well-being.  We are in it for ourselves and it shows.  Our nation's politics reflect this mood, as anything initiated for the public good is considered flawed or suspect.  Here in Mexico, despite the intensity and chaos, there is a flow of energy between people that just seems more agreeable.  Even when cars ignore red lights and narrowly avoid pedestrians.  Even when you see people crammed like sardines into the Metrobus.  Even when they are vehemently protesting corruption in the government.


Today in class, Hector taught us some new ways to call someone an asshole.  He described that a stereotypical North American approach to a cancelled medical appointment or a disappointing meal in a restaurant would be to complain and demand a refund.  He warned us that to engage in such behavior in
Mexico would risk being called a "mamon." In contrast, he said that the Mexican approach to such situations is essentially to roll with it, "Ni modo, ni hablar."  Essentially, "don't worry about it." Maybe we in the US should adopt a bit of that approach.  Otherwise, we risk becoming nothing but a nation of mamons.