it was wonderful for me to be able to visit Mexico City again

I had lived there for a short time, almost 30 years ago

one hears all kinds of things about the dangers of Mexico

we got off the plane and entered a very quiet and non crowded airport

went to a taxi booth and bought a ticket to our hotel

our friends surprised us by meeting us in the airport

it was so fun to see them and we talked, talked all the way to the hotel

never felt safer

we stayed downtown in the Centro Historico

at the Hotel Isabela de Catolica

an awesome hotel, over a 100 years old

3 levels around a center courtyard

Jacquie and Eduardo outside their room

our room had a balcony - una balcon

we loved it, it was so fun watching the street below

cars with cool paint jobs

old trucks

at this point Betsy commandeered the camera - she said I was not taking enough pictures

I was too busy looking up at the amazing buildings

every other building was a historic relic

amazing architecture, amazing rock work

amazing that people lived in these mansions of stone

this was once a single family house...

now known as the House of Tiles

the story goes that the father said to the son,

you will not amount to a hill of tiles

so when the son inherits the house he covered it with tiles

a sort of f-you at his father I guess,

 some things never change

except now it houses a fancy restaurant

I have come across this in Latin American literature,

"they met at the House of Tile".....

first thing after leaving our things at the hotel, Eduardo walks us down the street to a restaurant

the Casino de Espanol

this building has a great history, it was built by the Spanish as a place to meet and eat Spanish food,

over 100 years ago

it is an amazingly ornate building

this is not our photo, as soon as Betsy started to take a photo a man came running over

no photos

she tried to get a photo of the doors, she was into doors,

when we left but the told her again, no photos

after the Spanish Club moved on they rented it to the American Club in the late 30ths and 40's

I could almost feel the wealth and sophistication of those Americans

in De Efe at that time

the lunch was fantastic, lasting all afternoon

with Eduardo telling stories of his father working there all those years ago, running the switchboard

and he a young boy, running the elevator

mi 3 amigos at the Palacio de Belas Artes

wow

some amazing buildings in the city

next - the Aztec ruins under the Zocalo