The DF -- A Tough Gig

Chapultepec on Sunday afternoon

Mexico City, el Distrito Federal, the DF, home of the defeños (as its residents call themselves), has the reputation of being a hard place. And it is in many respects. It has more than its share of violence and stress and desperation.

But it doesn't look all that rough when you stay away from the places you're supposed to stay away from. Here are some of my experiences since arriving a few days ago.

The YWCA was in a run-down part of town with a group of 50 or so homeless people sleeping along one side of it. Everyone working there and staying there was incredibly nice. The showers are hot, it's very clean, the elevator doesn't stop at the third floor, the stairways are dark at night. The wireless internet works well in the lobby but rarely makes it to the rooms. In the neighborhood, there are hundreds of food stalls, so you can eat well for very little money. It's very quiet except for an occasional loud drunk or insistent honking in the middle of the night.

Apartment hunting was a bit tough. I thought I would try to avoid the trendy part of town, but in order to get a furnished room inside an apartment, I didn't have any options. A coworker invited me to her part of town, nothing there for the tourist, south but not close to the university. Working class, but safe and friendly. I got to look inside a few crumbling buildings, very livable, but not furnished. The few shared apartments around there were only available for students. I found two places in trendy parts of town that would suit me after 3 days of hard work, and I finally settled, quite happily, in Condesa.

Sunday I spent most of the day on walkabout. Avenida La Reforma, which has something like six lanes in each direction, was closed to motorized traffic until the afternoon. Tens of thousands of people were out biking, rollerblading and jogging. There were even policemen on rollerblades.

The weather is perfect, there's much to do, the street food is great, and despite the fact that I've almost been run-over a few times, the people are very friendly. This first week has been great!

Around 2 pm, a peaceful rendition of La Reforma was opened to cars again...

Such a rough life for me here...