Bosque, Second Section

Posted: August 29th, 2021 | Filed under: Out Of Town

Panteón de Dolores, the huge city cemetery located between the second and third sections of Bosque de Chapultepec, is closed for covid — a lot of things in Mexico City have been closed for covid . . .

Panteón de Dolores, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 28, 2021

Panteón de Dolores, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 28, 2021

. . . so we walked over the pedestrian bridge adjoining the cemetery entrance into the Segunda Sección of the Bosque de Chapultepec. This part of the park dates to the 1960s and, compared to the primary section of the park, is scrappy and interesting in its own way:

Walkway to Bosque de Chapultepec, Segunda Sección, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 28, 2021

Bosque de Chapultepec, Segunda Sección, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 28, 2021

The fish in the lakes must not get fed or something because they will almost jump out of the water when you approach:

Lago Menor, Bosque de Chapultepec, Segunda Sección, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 28, 2021

As much as my Spanish would allow, I understood this all to be a big fountain, and part of an aeration system between the two lakes in the park:

Avenida de los Compositores, Bosque de Chapultepec, Segunda Sección, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 28, 2021

Avenida de los Compositores, Bosque de Chapultepec, Segunda Sección, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 28, 2021

Fuente Xochipilli, Bosque de Chapultepec, Segunda Sección, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 28, 2021

Elsewhere, more of the waterworks:

Bosque de Chapultepec, Segunda Sección, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 28, 2021

Bosque de Chapultepec, Segunda Sección, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 28, 2021

Cablebús Línea 2

Posted: August 29th, 2021 | Filed under: Out Of Town

The Lionel-Industrial Complex would have you believe that trains are the singular solution to public transportation, and while a quaint light rail route is lovely and fun — ding, ding! — they are still expensive and difficult to build. Even bus rapid transit requires wide roadways and no pesky mountains. Thus, in some countries in the Americas, the rise of the aerial cable car. These latter-day ski gondolas are relatively inexpensive, relatively easy to build (less than two years it appears) and work in the trickiest of terrains — not to mention they take traffic off the overloaded streets in these far-flung neighborhoods and reduce travel times exponentially for residents. In Mexico City this summer two such lines debuted. The first was north of the center city and the second, Cablebús Línea 2, serves neighborhoods to the south and east:

Constitución de 1917 Station, Cablebús Línea 2, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 26, 2021

Cablebús Línea 2, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 26, 2021

Cablebús Línea 2, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 26, 2021

Also, THEY’RE AMAZING TO RIDE. In Mexico City, the brand-new Cablebús Línea 2 departs from the end of the number 8 subway line and flies into the hills high above the city — it’s mesmerizing watching the scenes below — you are like a drone flying over them. I don’t know how I’d feel living under a ski gondola but as a passenger it’s well worth the trip; in our six-person car there were ourselves, a tourist from Colombia and two local retirees who were just there to take it all in. Highly recommended.

Cablebús Línea 2, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 26, 2021

Cablebús Línea 2, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 26, 2021

We bonded with the fellow passengers in our car and eventually they finally successfully impressed upon me (what with my terrible Spanish comprehension) that these airplanes sitting in the middle of these parks are libraries!

Cablebús Línea 2, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 26, 2021

Cablebús Línea 2, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 26, 2021

Soumaya Museum

Posted: August 29th, 2021 | Filed under: Out Of Town

The striking curves of Museo Soumaya defy cameras — nothing is perfectly upright and the Guggenheim-esque ramps seem to keep you constantly off-balance. From the exterior, the asymmetrical building makes you shift your focus regardless of where you look:

Museo Soumaya, Nuevo Polanco, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 25, 2021

Museo Soumaya, Nuevo Polanco, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 25, 2021

The inside is even more unmooring:

Museo Soumaya, Nuevo Polanco, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 25, 2021

It’s an interesting building and part of me wonders whether the architectural concept behind it was to play off of the name: thinking the Lebanese “Soumaya” is sort of unusual in Mexico with its extra vowels and curvaceous “S” and “Y” in there. (Not really appropriate, but I was reminded of the first lines of Lolita: “Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue, taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.”)

The sculpture farm at the top of the building also defies cameras:

Museo Soumaya, Nuevo Polanco, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 25, 2021

It’s insane how many Rodins are in there! And this place is FREE! Harks back to the nineteenth-century US public-minded benefactors of some of our major cultural institutions: Frick, Morgan, Mellon, Carnegie, et al.

Elsewhere, paintings stand unadorned by walls:

Museo Soumaya, Nuevo Polanco, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 25, 2021

The museum at times feels otherworldly, like something from a science fiction film:

Museo Soumaya, Nuevo Polanco, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 25, 2021

And then there’s phones:

Museo Soumaya, Nuevo Polanco, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 25, 2021

I was intrigued by the footprint:

Museo Soumaya, Nuevo Polanco, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 25, 2021

. . . and obviously you can’t beat the price:

Museo Soumaya, Nuevo Polanco, Mexico City/Ciudad de México, Mexico, August 25, 2021