This is part of the Trip Report: The Greatest Diamond Challenge of All Time. Check out how I planned my Hyatt Diamond Challenge and how it cost next to nothing here.
In this report, I will cover:
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- San Diego, California
- Carlsbad, California
- Scottsdale, Arizona
- Mexico City, Mexico
Avoiding getting ripped off by the airport taxi is my number one objective when arriving in a new city. The hassle of getting from the airport for the right price is not something I’m equipped to deal with following a long journey. This isn’t as pressing a concern as it was once was with the emergence of Uber but a pain nonetheless.
Landing in Mexico City, I had yet to configure my Blackberry for m.uber.com. Blackberry doesn’t support the Uber app which is more hilarious than my insistence on keeping this great device. I had read about the terrible traffic in Mexico City and thought it would be more convenient, more cultural to take the scenic route via the Mexico City Metro.
To the point of convenience, it was not. To the point of cultural, it was worth the hour-long commute. The journey begins by walking the endless terminal of Mexico City Airport towards Terminal A. From there go under the white roof path to the metro entrance. Pay the incomparably cheap 3 pesos, or 17 cents, for a ticket. Stare at the incomprehensible metro map for a long time until you figure out that you are supposed to take Line 5 to Pantitlan. Change to Line 1, the pink line, towards Observatorio. Exit on Tacubaya. Switch to Line 7. Exit Auditorio. You have arrived in Polanco with much more than a discounted fare. You have arrived with a story.
First, I wouldn’t suggest taking the metro from the airport to Polanco not because it is unsafe but because it takes way too long and is way too hot. A few stops on the metro is enough to get the metro experience. This includes:
- Hawkers calling out deals for discounted Doritos.
- Preachers spreading the good word.
- Young punks screaming and laughing hysterically much to the chagrin of all passengers.
- Commuters enduring the long ride.
Basically it’s what you would find in the New York Subway but with much more personality and even more characters to observe.
Within the metro station, there was a Dominos ‘para llevar’ which was awesome and a McDonalds desert only shop which was strange. More noteworthy are the murals painted on the walls of the station that added to the experience.
While there is plenty to see and do in Mexico City, the trip would be incomplete without a ride on the metro.
Here’s the journey in pictures:
<==Back to Phoenician Scottsdale Golf Review – Onto Hyatt Regency Mexico City==>
