The impression of Mexico City as a smoggy, lawless place might keep your average American traveler away, but locals and more intrepid adventurers have long known Distrito Federal (“D.F.”) to be one of the most vibrant places in the world. For those who can embrace a bit of chaos, the city can come to feel like the secret Paris of North America — as artistically thriving, as romantic, as bohemian. But the city’s charms won’t be secret for long. With ex-New York City mayor Rudy Guiliani onboard as “crime consultant,” crime has fallen 50 percent in the last decade, and a hip, emerging art scene in Condesa is drawing a new wave of fashionable elite to its tree-lined streets and designer hotels.

Full Article Here

By Gabe Weisert
updated 1:16 p.m. MT, Thurs., April. 12, 2007

From vine-covered Yucatán ruins to hip Condesa galleries, there’s no dearth of cultural attractions in Mexico. We consulted a star chamber of Mexico travel veterans, many of them with aesthetically minded clients, to generate a list of must-see sights. Here’s what we found.

Mexico City is currently in the grips of a frenzy of international hype – much of it well-deserved. This buzzing city of 160 museums, 30 concert halls and hundreds of art galleries also happens to rival New York and London in theater productions. Formerly staid cultural institutions like the National Museum of Anthropology and the Palace of Fine Arts are enjoying a bona fide renaissance, visiting rock stars can be seen strolling the streets of newly hip neighborhoods like Roma and Michelin-starred chefs are flocking to the city’s vibrant culinary scene.

So where to begin? According to our panel of Mexico travel experts, that place is the Casa Azul, the former home of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, in the pastoral suburb of Coyoacán. Frida was born in this house and lived and created here for many years, as evidenced by the wealth of personal artifacts on display: jewelry, clothing, unfinished easels and even the artist’s wheelchair. Much like Georgia O’Keefe’s home in New Mexico or the Henry Miller house in Big Sur, this is less a visit to a gallery than a private glimpse into an artist’s world.

Full Article Here