A Festival of Flowers

Polanco is one of Mexico City's most affluent neighborhoods.  Its principal street, Avenida Presidente Masaryk has been called the Rodeo Drive of Mexico City, and it is lined with exclusive designer shops.  It's really too ritzy for my taste, but I do enjoy coming to Polanco to see their annual Festival of Flowers. Throughout the district, businesses, especially those along Presidente Masaryk, are decked out with floral displays.

The festival was held last Thursday through Sunday, and on Friday I went there.  Here are some photos...

 

 

This archway leads off the avenue and into a courtyard of fancy stores and restaurants.

The name of the bistro in the background is rather appropriate for this neighborhood.

I am back on the avenue now.  There were lots of people who were there to see the flowers, and sometimes it was impossible to photograph the displays without sometimes including people who were posing for pictures.

BVVA, formerly Bancomer, is one of the major banks in Mexico.

The floral car outside of BVVA says, "Insure your auto."  Apparently, BVVA also has an insurance branch.

Banorte is another major chain of banks.  Unlike BBVA, which is Spanish-owned, Banorte is Mexican owned.

Their Polanco branch is always nicely decorated in the national colors of red and green for the festival.

Pineda Covalin is a Mexican designer.  The Polanco shop is always one of the best decorated stores in the festival.

I have only covered one side of the avenue.  There are more photos to come in the next post.

Turning the Page

Today is the first of May (which, by the way, is a national holiday in Mexico... Labor Day).  It's time to turn the page and see the picture that I choose for my calendar which features the works of Mexican painters.

Raúl Anguiano (1915-2006) was an important member of the so-called "second generation" of Mexican muralism.  He painted 50 murals in Mexico and the United States, as well as smaller paintings.  His works frequently portray the indigenous people and rural life in Mexico.  In this painting we see a woman wrapped in a traditional "rebozo" (shawl) and maguey plants, a type of agave which is common throughout the countryside of central Mexico.

Another Thing to Worry About

As you may remember, at the end of my trip to Ohio I had received a summons to jury duty at my old address.  I resolved that issue, but upon returning to Mexico City, I faced another cause for concern.

While I was in Ohio, I had received an email that a piece of mail had arrived at my private mailing service.  It was a week after my return to Mexico City before I had a chance to pick it up at office.  The letter was from Medicare, and when I read it, my stomach was immediately tied in knots.  Ever since I turned 65, my Medicare premiums have been automatically deducted from my checking account in Ohio.  The letter said that I was delinquent in my payments.  When I returned to the apartment, I checked my account statements online, and sure enough, no Medicare payments had been deducted since January.  By that time, it was after business hours, and I figured that I would not be able to call and find out what was going on.  Needless to say, I had a sleepless night.

The next morning, I was up before 6:00 A.M.  We are two hours behind Eastern time in the U.S.  I thought that perhaps the office would be open at 8:00 EDT, so at the stroke of six, I was dialing the Medicare number.  I imagined being on hold for an hour or more before being able to talk with someone.  To my surprise, my call went through immediately, and I found out that the Medicare line is open 24 hours.  I explained the situation to the lady.  She could see that no payment had been made since January, but she had no idea why the premiums had not been made automatically.  She told me that I could pay the delinquent bill online on the Medicare website.  She also said that once the bill is paid, the premiums should once again be taken from my checking account.  If they are not, I should call again.

I went to the Medicare website, and I was able to easily pay it online with my credit card.  I still do not understand why the automatic payments stopped, but at least I know how to pay online if necessary. 

  

A Shopping Expedition

Yesterday, Alejandro and I went to Parque Tepeyac, the shopping mall that opened less than two years ago just two Metrobus stops down the road from where his family lives.  Even though the neighborhood is certainly not an upscale part of the city, the mall is very nice with three floors of a wide variety of shops and restaurants.  It appears to be a commercial success.  There are very few vacant spaces, and most of those have signs announcing the opening of more stores in the near future.  The mall is anchored on either end by two major department stores, Liverpool and Sears.  (As I have mentioned before, Sears is alive and well in Mexico, and is an upscale chain owned by Carlos Slim, the richest man in Mexico.) 

Part of the mall's success is undoubtedly the fact that it contains an important local tourist attraction... the largest aquarium in Latin America.  That is still on our list of things to do, but we certainly will not be doing that on a weekend.  The line waiting to buy tickets was very long.  (See can see part of that line in the first picture on the second level.)

However, not everyone was there to see the aquarium.  There were a lot of shoppers because two gift-giving holidays are coming up.  Tomorrow is Children's Day, and May 10th is Mothers' Day.  (Unlike the United States, in Mexico Mothers' Day always falls on the same date.)

"Happy Children's Month!"

And that was the reason for our trip to the mall.  Even though our nephew Ezra is no longer a child (he is now an adolescent), we wanted to get something for him.  We found a shirt at one of the many clothing stores.  Later, we were browsing in a bookstore, and I found a Spanish translation of the classic children's book, "The Secret Garden".  I wasn't sure if it would be something too childish for him, but Alejandro said that Ezra loved the movie.  So, I bought that.  At one of the department stores we purchased a perfume gift set for his sister for Mothers' Day.  So, we have our shopping done for the two upcoming special days.  

What Are They???

Sometimes there are art installations in front of the Mexico City World Trade Center.  At the present time there are things (somebody, I suppose, considers them works of art) on display in the fountain in front of the entrance.  There are no signs describing who made these things or what they are supposed to represent.

I have no idea what these things are made of, but every time I pass by, all I can think of is that they are rejects from an elementary school papier mâché project!

Who Are They???

As I have mentioned many times, my apartment is just a short walk from the Mexico City World Trade Center.  A part of the complex is a concert venue known as the Pepsi Center.  The frequent concerts... sometimes even on weeknights... draw large crowds and snarled traffic.

Outside the center there are posters advertising upcoming events.  I have to admit that I have never heard of any of these singers and musical groups.

Even as a youth I was never really a follower of the latest music, but Alejandro has never heard of any of them either.  I guess we are just a couple of old fogies! 

 

Mangos!

 

One of my favorite fruits is the mango.  It is hard to get really good mangos in the United States.  The very best variety is the one known as the "mango de Manila" (as the name implies, it was originally brought to Mexico from the Philippines).  However, due to the delicate nature of the fruit, the "mango de Manila" is rarely exported to the United States.

The season for the "mango de Manila" is from April through October.  This week when I went to the market to buy produce, I asked the vendor if she had any.  She did, and I bought several to take back to the apartment.  They are so sweet and juicy.  If fact, I have to eat the mangos over the kitchen sink, and I have to wash the mango juice off my face and hands after eating it.

Mangos will now be on my weekly shopping list when I go to the market!