Op-Ed: Mexico City is Officially Open for Business Special

Today at the foot of the national monument called "Angel of Independence," Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebard officially announced the opening of all theaters and public entertainment. The city is officially open for business.

With the opening of the theaters, cinema, clubs and all forms of entertainment, Mexico City is back to being the entertainment capital of Latin America. Many think this will stimulate the tourist trade, as it's been hit hard since news about Swine Flu has spread around the world. The closure of businesses in Mexico City has cost the city a great deal of revenue. The first Sunday after the imposed period of non-assembly, families could venture out together and have fun. However, it was a very small crowd compared to the thousands who normally participate. In Mexico City, Sunday is the one “sacred” day were there is no work and plenty of playing. Mexico City takes this day seriously and does many things to make this a special day for families. One thing they do is close down the main thoroughfares and turn them into bike trails. Many, many miles of the streets are closed to all traffic and is turn into thoroughfares for biking, skating, and walking. Another place that is most popular is Chapultepec park; it's 2.5 square miles of wooded land in the heart of the city, something like central park in New York City. On Sundays, it's usually filled with thousands of individuals who stroll, buying refreshments from the many vendors along the way. People also watch mimes and clowns doing their act or sit on a park bench listening to music at one of the many band stands. Some couples walk, while others dance to the music. Some will visit the zoo or a museum, or row in the lake. The park even has a real castle, which was the resident of Maximilian, the emperor that ruled Mexico from 1864 to 1867(courtesy of the French). It's also famous for the “child” soldiers that died there defending Mexico from invaders from the United States. The other great places for meeting -- restaurants, shopping malls and coffee shops -- were still closed. I ventured to my favorite places, just to see the happy faces of the gregarious Mexican people once again engaging in their favorite pastimes. As an American in Mexico, it took me some time to adjust to the more relaxed and extremely friendly culture of Mexico. Friends and families are very, very important to Mexicans. Up until today, to my surprise, restaurants coffee shops and stores were mostly empty. In Starbucks, I asked one of the employees why there were so few people in the store. She said, “I really don't know. We have been open for three days and very few people have come into the store. Maybe people are still afraid." This lack of customers is a further insult to the many shopkeepers who were closed for five days. Businesses are not recovering. Some expressed the opinion that the government had really frightened “the hell out of everyone.” Many feel angry at the government and feel it grossly overreacted.