One of the things I love about my job is that even after 23 years of seeking quality travel information for AAA members, I can still be surprised. One Sunday morning on a recent visit to Mexico City, I stepped out of my hotel expecting the usual heavy traffic and honking of horns common to Avenida Paseo de la Reforma. What I encountered instead was individuals and generations of families, some with their pets, out walking, jogging, roller skating, you name it, on one of the city’s major thoroughfares. It was transcendental.
Every Sunday for 6 hours, from 8 AM-2PM, the main lanes of this famed boulevard are closed to all motorized traffic. All the way from historic Chapultepec Park to the grand Zócalo (about 3 mi/5 km), all four lanes are exclusively for people but no cars. You couldn’t ask for a better walking tour of Mexico City. ’Reforma’ (as locals call it) is replete with world-class as well as locally-treasured restaurants, attractions and museums. Visit the Chapultepec Castle and Angel of Independence, stop in the Café de Tacuba  or even the Manhattan Deli, take in the resplendent architecture reflecting the centuries of Mexico City’s history; it’s all there on Reforma.

Need a bike? No problem, every few blocks the city has kiosks where you leave your driver's license as a deposit and borrow a bike for free. Need a good stretching first? Again no problem, every few blocks you’ll find organized aerobic groups warming up in the bright sunshine. Against the backdrop of gleaming skyscrapers, city monuments and gorgeous jacaranda trees in full bloom, the unexpected scene was irresistible to me.

I started at the intersection of Reforma and Insurgentes and headed towards Chapultepec Park, fascinated by every manner of non-motorized wheeled conveyance that rolled by me. I joined in a few reps of slow-paced aerobics and reward myself with a jicamasicle… looks like a popsicle but it’s a thick slice of jicama bathed in fresh lime-juice and powered with cayenne pepper - cool, refreshing and spicy. I continued walking to Chapultepec Park and took in the castle and grounds before heading back towards the financial and historic districts to take some photos.

Later, I stopped at El Bajio restaurant on Reforma for a lunch of panuchos de cochinita… little crisp tostadas stuffed with a smear of refried black beans and topped with shredded pork which has been marinated in a sweet-pickled axchiote sauce. As I sat on shaded street bench watching the world go by, munching away at my Yucatan specialty, I kept glancing at my watch, like Cinderella awaiting the inevitable reversal. What a day! I was surprised by how much I enjoyed everything about my stroll - the elements of family, fun, food and the healthy outdoors, all in the heart of Mexico City.