After checking out the first batch of central sights I started aiming myself in the general direction of the
Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky. I took a route through the streets east of the Central Mosque, roughly what you see here:
The area brought to mind my first visit to Buenos Aires in 2005, walking around parts of the Palermo neighborhood. Could be just vague similarities due to seasonality (was there during the fall). But the vibe and streetscape felt similar in some ways, too. Obvious notes of creativity in how the shops and cafes presented themselves. Indie aesthetic. Pockets of under/undeveloped lots. Street art. To me it seemed like it would be a cool and interesting place to live (or at least spend a couple of weeks to fully check it all out).
I grabbed a decent café americano at this place for a reasonable price. Asked the barista if the local neighborhood had a name. Maybe that's my bias as every
subsection of Chicago has its
local name. And la CDMX has something like 2000 colonias with their individual names (
Barrio Santa Catarina,
Hipodomo Condesa,
Colonia Del Valle Centro, etc., etc.). But the young woman at the coffee shop gave me a blank look and said it's just the center. (Looking it up now and seeing that the coffee shop's name translates to
Galleta Bakery and Cafe. Maybe that's what drew me in, as 'galleta' is spanish for cookie.)
I continued strolling around, meandering a bit until I did reach the Cathedral, which does indeed cut an impressive figure up close.
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