el metro

i love the metro in mexico city. absolutely adore it. i have mentioned similar sentiments previously in this space, but i will expound upon it in more detail here. as there are many things to love, i will detail some of my favorites over the next two posts - there is that much to enjoy.

first, however, a little background on the evolution of my love affair.

for the first 2 weeks upon my arrival to mexico to work on this air quality project, i was staying at a hotel. there was not a metro stop near the hotel, and most travel required taking a taxi, or a mini-bus/colective/pesero (for the more adventurous travelers). most of my time was spent between the hotel and our host institution, Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo (yeah, we're hosted by what is essentially the research arm of the state-owned oil company, PEMEX - how ironic for an air quality project, no?). it's about a 10-min taxi ride between the hotel and IMP, and very boring. the roads are packed, and the surrounding neighborhoods are nothing spectacular (although recent lunch-time exploration has revealed some excellent spots for food). as one can imagine, this monotonous shuttling between work and the hotel was insular and stifling. i was fortunate enough to spend some time running around the city for work-related issues, but this was only a brief respite from said monotony.

on march 2, everything changed when some friends/co-workers and i moved to a house located south-centrally in DF, just blocks from a metro stop. (a keen observer who checks the timeline of the Sage 'Stache will realize that this move corresponds to the nascent stages of El Bigote). my commute to work from the house is about 35-40min and requires only one change of lines. over the first several days of the commute, my fondness for the metro and its charming hustle and bustle grew. it is worth mentioning that part of this love affair is a function of the flow of people in the morning. to get to IMP, i travel north; the trains traveling south are much more packed (the centro comercial and other areas with lots of jobs are south-central) - so packed, in fact, that i can say with little reservation that my current love affair would be described more as a claustrophobic nightmare. it probably was a full week before i realized that riding the metro was an essential part of my day, as it offered me an opportunity to clear my head, relax, read (that is, when i can track down my favorite publication, the economist), and, most importantly, people-watch. this last item proved the most influential in my increasing respect and admiration for the diversity of mustachios here in mexico. one hour a day on the subway is like a virtual who's who of mustaches. or is it a what's what? either way, it's a pleasure to spend time on the metro relaxing and scoping 'staches.

in addition to the known plethora of mustachios, here are some other things i love about the metro:

+ it costs 2 pesos. that's 20 cents. you can buy a stack of tickets that will last you a week for 5 bucks. government subsidies are nice to my wallet.

+ 5 million. that's the number that i have heard quoted for the number of riders per day on the metro. unbelievable. for the sake of reference, that is more people than live in the entire state of Alabama (according to the 2000 census). i think this is awesome.

+ the local vendors that step on the subway and bust out in their own distinct tone about: what they're selling, how much it costs, how great it is, and if it's music, a sample. on public transport in the united states, you just don't get this opportunity. some things i've seen for sale on the metro in my short time here: CDs (far and away the most popular - in fact, i thought about making a post of a transcribed version of a vendor's sales pitch, in spanish of course. maybe i'll still do this . . . ), batteries, crossword book, children's drawing book, mathematical tables and basic algebra (who is sitting on the subway and realizes that their math could really use some polishing?), place mats, permanent markers, address books, recipe books (need some ideas for dinner on the way home?), and fans. i'm sure there are more, i just cannot think of them. oddly enough, there is never any food for sale. i can only assume that this must be a no-no, as food is regularly sold in the metro stations, just not on the trains.

+ the metro is the only place where i've seen a guy walk around with his shirt in his hands, give a spiel about how poor he and his family are, followed by him placing his shirt on the floor of the train and revealing that there are shards of glass balled up in it. he then proceeds to do push ups and somersaults on the same shards of glass as a demonstration of his destitution. i'm not encouraging that, so no pesos from me. sorry, buddy. the first guy to do this was an innovator, i'm sure. this guy is just a clone. i'm not rewarding that. i've since heard variants of this routine, including sharp metal objects, leaving the 'performer' with a stream of blood running down his back. i like the dedication, but still not giving pesos. and this is gross.

+ despite its sometimes cramped quarters, the metro is inifinitely more spacious than a green volkswagen cabbie. lately, i've had to take a couple of cabs because of late night travel, and i've been fortunate enough to get cabbies who think they are gangstas and that they should pimp back their seat. you never know when you're going to have to pull over and smack your HOs up, ya know? it's really cool when you get stuck sitting in the seat behind the gangsta cabbie. also, it's worth mentioning that traffic in mexico city is insane. this is a proven fact. there are studies to back me up. each cab should be required to add another "oh-shit" handle. this would make me feel better, and i've petitioned the local government to consider my proposal. (by the way, the local politician i referred to in my AMLO post, is the new mayor of mexico city - marcelo ebrard.)

+ people make-out like crazy on the metro. public displays of affection are rampant. for the most part, i'm not down with PDA; however, based on cultural circumstances, kids have nowhere else to make-out than in public. the family couch is not a place you want to get caught making-out if you are 13. so, they go to the metro, naturally! i'll give younger couples a pass (if they limit their PDA to kissing . . . anything beyond that and you're crossing the line. this space is G-rated, so i won't describe what i've seen.) those older couples out there (21+) don't get the same treatment; it's time to find somewhere else to make-out guys. let's get creative as we get older, please. a kiss, holding hands. go for it. the pressed-against-the-train-seat-make-out-session is not cool. this is a whole separate post and i will come back to this, i promise. i'm working on a mustache corollary. preliminary evidence suggests that men with mustaches do NOT make-out on the subway.



+ the early morning metro train ride is very subdued and has a great vibe. the pics for today are taken from an early ride on the metro (about 545am) and give one an idea of the environment. this is just too damn early in the day, regardless of who you are. i know there are early risers out there, but evidence on the metro suggests these people are in the minority. nobody likes getting up early. if you're one of these people that claims as such, i call shenanigans. i would say that 80% of people on the metro in the morning are snoozing (including yours truly, for the parts of the trip where i can score a seat). another 15% are zoned out to the point that they might as well be asleep. a scant 2-3% are reading. the remaining are either making-out or selling something. kids are passed out on book bags. heads are bobbing all over the place. i have yet to encounter anyone snoring or drooling, but i still have time. many women are in business attire, looking ready for the day as far as their clothes and make-up are concerned; however, their faces reveal otherwise. ditto for the guys in suits looking to muster up enough concentration to look like an early riser. the most awake people i've seen, actually, are those in white coats. that means they could be a doctor, dentist, nurse, pharmacist, etc. a lot of health professionals wear white coats here. even the students studying to enter these professions wear their white coats. i've also seen guys carrying a basket of churros, looking to beat the rush of morning traffic to get their food stand set-up in time. my personal favorites are the people who are awake, but sleepy not because they got up early, but because they just finished working. respect to the late-night shift. although the vibe on the trains is relatively subdued, once you step off that train to the platform and head to your connection or the exit, it's game time. no more bobbing heads or sagging eyelids - it's all business from there on out. the rush of mexico city hits you right in the face: it's a battle for space, steps, and time. this is probably my favorite thing about the early train: it's a calm before a veritable storm of people places noise pollution cars more cars and life.

there is a lot more to love about the metro, but this post has gone on long enough. i'm hoping to expand the make-out section into a full post, complete with some G-rated pics. we'll see how that shakes out. i've been getting better about taking pictures (see *timid* post for details), but taking pictures of people making-out is another battle.

today's mustache, inspired by some great morning metro rides, is the "subdued 'stache". originally i thought that the "sleepy 'stache" would be appropriate, but that doesn't tell the right story. don't let this guy's closed eyes fool you - that mustache means all business and he knows exactly where his stop is and he'll be ready to roll as soon as the train's doors open. in the mean time, let him rest.

** a man with a mustache means business. disturb at your own risk. **