Does the guy or gal who spots you running to the bus stop deserve a little somethin' extra for holding the door open for you? Drivers of peseros, or microbuses, in Mexico City are demanding a little gratuity on top of the two-peso ($0.20) tickets to pay for gas and other repairs.
Fare hikes were applied to the local public transit system, but they only applied to the newest buses, leaving drivers of older, less environmentally sensitive vehicles in the lurch. Hence at least part of the reason for the extra fees.
If you wanna avoid the debate between 15 and 20 percent, just make room for taxi fares in your budget if you're traveling to Mexico City. The clowns alone ensure a very scary ride.
Danger to those who would wear dark eyeliner and ironic sneakers! In middle America, "emo" is what you declare yourself to be because your parents can never understand the pain in your soul. In Mexico, it's license for a culo-kickin'.
And while the idea of emo teens getting chased by angry mobs of punk rockers is funny in theory, it's a terrifying spectacle when hundreds of kids riot in Mexico City and the central state of Queretaro.
It's not clear what's motivating attacks, the comments of newscasters (see above), a possible connection to Latino homophobia or an an economic downturn. But this footage is seriously scary!
Look, tight black jeans and asymmetrical hairstyles may not be our idea of a good time, but this is some kind of morbid overreaction--not to mention ill-timed for thousands of Americans headed over the border for Spring Break fun. Can we get Pete Wentz over to the UN?
Just in time to tie in with debate season, this week's pick is focused on the presidency in an, ahem, different way. "Vantage Point" tells the story of an attempt on the life of the US president--from five different perspectives. Very interesting.
It packs a lot of big names, including Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker and Sigourney Weaver, although we're hearing preliminary reports that it's not the acting that's shining through, but all the crazed up action sequences and chase scenes. Get your adrenaline up and head to the theatre.
"Vantage Point" was shot mostly in Mexico, so this week we offer you some things to check out in Mexico City:
Where To Stay:Galeria Plaza Check into this ultra modern spot where sleek minimalism rules and you'll likely collide with international business travelers. The location's awesome and if things get too uptight you can always head to the heated rooftop pool or the gym which has an amazing view of the city.
Where To Stay:Pujol Considered the spot for innovative and daring Mexican cuisine, Pujol offers an a la carte menu, as well as a tasting menu if you can invest an evening. The wine list was given a Wine Spectator Award, and reservations are a good idea as this is a local favorite.
What to See:Mirador Torre Latino Mexico City's version of the Empire State building offers sweeping city views on a clear day at about a third of the cost of the NYC version ($4). Stop in at the info center and pick up some handy facts on your way down.
Sure, Cinco de Mayo is just a few months away, but for a dose of real Mexican culture, head to the country's capital for the Festival de Mexico. In its 24th year, the festival celebrates both past and present artists, writers, dancers and architects for two weeks in March. Though the festival's current site is down, last year's site gives a rundown of the festival's events. In addition to performances by local musicians, composer Yann Tiersen (famous for scoring the movie Amelie) played a show in 2007.
Because the event celebrates Mexican culture, don't expect an English version of the festival to cater to US tourists. (So brush up on your Spanish.) Or to get a shot of Mexican creative culture at its finest--and in English--head to the Museo Frida Kahlo in the city's Coyoacan area, where they hold English-language tours daily. You'll visit the painter's home and studio and see one of the largest collections of her work in the world.
So, skip Cancun and take in one of Latin America's most architecturally and visually rich cities. The DF may have its fair share of smog, but even the thickest layers of dirt can't mask its dramatic cultural traditions.
We wouldn't normally put ice skating high on our activities list for a trip to Mexico City, but maybe we should reconsider. The DF recently set up an enormous skating rink in the city center, and ice time and skate rental is free. (Good thing: We'd hate to have to schlep our own skates to Mexico.)
The massive rink sits on top of miles of refrigeration tubes, ensuring that the ice stays frozen even in the from-from-frigid December weather. And though a handful of residents think the big price tag for the rink ($1.5 million) could be better spent on repairing the city's infrastructure, most people think it's great, including this high school student:
Yeah, you could say we're skipping school...Ice-skating isn't very popular, but at the moment it's in style. It's something really cool for us because, well, we don't even have any snow.
There you have it: Ice skating cool enough to skip class for. That's all the endorsement we need!
Watch what you check on a flight out of Mexico City: someone might pull a tricky switch on you. A top Mexican police dog--star of many a good drug bust--named Rex IV was mysteriously kidnapped this week on a flight from Mexico City to Mazatlan.
When handlers unloaded the dog cargo at the Mazatlan airport of Sinaloa, Belgian Malinois Rex IV had disappeared and been replaced by a small black puppy. Quite why the thieves bothered leaving the puppy in Rex IV's place isn't clear, but perhaps they just wanted to ease their consciences. Maybe on your next flight your YSL suitcase will be replaced with a K-Mart shopping bag, so keep an eye out.
Anyone who was revolutionary enough to have an affair with Trotsky is interesting for us: we want to check out the huge new Frida Kahlo exhibit that just opened in her home country, at Mexico City's Museo de Bellas Artes.
This year marks 100 years since Kahlo's birth, as good a reason as any to gather 350 pieces of Kahlo's art plus letters and photos, to create the biggest tribute ever. While many hoity-toity art critics reckon that Kahlo's feminist bent and cult status seem to have overtaken the artistic value of her work, we don't care what reason we have for getting all cultural. Check it out before the Kahlos goes underground again in August.
If you donned your bathing suit this Memorial Day weekend, you probably didn't show it off to a worldwide audience. That's okay -- there's always next year to win the Miss Universe pageant, held Monday night in the Districto Federal of Mexico. 2007 belongs to Riyo Mori, a ballerina from Shizuoka, Japan who promised her grandmother she would win before she was 20 (according to the Associated Press). Miss USA disappointed her own grandma by finishing as fourth runner-up after taking a spill in her evening gown.
Although she officially represented Japan in competition, Mori could only have won with some international help: Not only did she wear a "shiny like sunshine" Gucci gown and Bulgari jewelry, according to her blog, Mori honed the talent she presented in competition at ballet school in Canada. To win the competition she had to impress a diverse panel including Elle editor Nina Garcia (Colombian), "Heroes" actor James Kyson Lee (South Korean) and rocker Dave Navarro (Martian). So maybe we should call her Miss Global Village?
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by egw
