I had a jam packed 4 days in Mexico City. It was a public holiday, Mexico’s Independence Day, and people flooded the streets with patriotic symbols and high spirits. We stayed in the historical center in the city and got to see the city at a very special time. It was the first Independence Day with President Obrador in power, and I was amazed at how charismatic and well-loved he is.

My first impression of Mexico City is it is a bit of Barcelona, a bit of Rio, a bit of Chicago, and a bit of Kuala Lumpur. The Spanish colonial influence is evident. Further outside the city, the expansive neighbourhoods leaning on the mountains look like colourful Lego blocks. The glass skyscrappers in the affluent neighbourhoods remind us that we’re still in North America. And the wide, multi-lane highways lined with tropical trees gave me flashback to Kuala Lumpur.

I was amazed at how the City designed their big Avenue, Paseo de la Reforma. It is a large, wide road designed for cars, but they created green space and smaller pockets of public space where pedestrians can enjoy the shade, sit on public benches and still enjoy the city’s landmarks.

We seemed to have visited on a day where the Avenue was closed off except for bikes, but it’s not one of those bike races I often see in Vancouver. There were kids and runners and people on scooters all making use of the wide lanes normally occupied by cars. I haven’t seen that many casual bikers since Copenhagen!

We also explored Colonia Roma, most recently made famous by director’s Alfonso Cuaron’s Oscar win. I liked the quiet and slow streets, despite them also being very wide. We caught the touch of hipster vibes through the elusive bars, restaurants, bookstores… I spotted a street vendor selling poetry books near Pushkin Garden. Such an unexpected element in a city so big.

Mexico City is also such a great place for museum lovers. I could spend days visiting all the cool museums, art galleries and random hidden street art. I think the citizens of this city has really made a beautiful, unique space that is unlike any other European or North American city I’ve been to.