Posted: August 12th, 2021 | Filed under: Out Of Town
Started exploring the Bosque de Chapultepec, Mexico City’s Central Park, by spending a couple of hours at the zoo, Zoológico de Chapultepec, which apparently is one of the few places outside of Asia that has successfully bred giant pandas:
We saw a couple of new (to us) animals — the caracal, with its crazy tufted ears:
. . . and the tigrillo, which looks exactly like a cross between a leopard and a housecat:
Also never seen a capybara IRL:
Panda!
And even the animals in Mexico City know what to do should an earthquake occur:
Bosque de Chapultepec is alternately epic, lovely and scrappy — a tough thing for a park to pull off (and that’s only scratching the surface of part one — the 1600-acre park has three distinct sections):
Posted: August 11th, 2021 | Filed under: Out Of Town
Went to the Monumento a la Revolución in Plaza de le Repóblica across Paseo de la Reforma in Colonia Tabacalera to take in the view on this sunny day:
Posted: August 10th, 2021 | Filed under: Out Of Town
Spent the early part of yesterday walking through Colonia Doctores to the wonderfully whimsical and truly inspired Museo del Juguete Antiguo México, a full building’s worth of toys, presented in off-kilter tableaus and fever-dream displays. The point is to place toys in a cultural and historical context and the endeavor is the result of one man’s lifetime passion of collecting toys, especially toys from the street vendors around Mexico City. The homespun museum is a mom-and-pop operation, and the collection has almost an auteur’s perspective — individual, esoteric and totally brilliant. The four floors of displays almost seem like one of those dream scenarios where new rooms keep appearing where you didn’t expect them. So amazing and highly, highly recommended.
All around the museum the displays have signs reading “el niño que no juega no es niño” — the child who does not play is not a child:
And so many luchadores!
The founder’s son has expanded the museum’s mission by embracing street art, of which there is are lively expressions thereof around the museum and on its rooftop. The whole experience reminds me of Coney Island — a perfect mix of whimsical nostalgia and edginess. The upper floors of the museum take up this thread:
The Museo del Juguete Antiguo México is located on Dr. Olvera off of Lázaro Cárdenas near the Obrera metro station. Website here.
