Hearing the heart of a city
How to be brave when you find yourself traveling out of your comfort zone
If you have not traveled to, or lived in, a city with +20 million inhabitants; Mexico City, with it’s sprawling landscape that is apparently growing by 10m each day, can be a bit of an assault on the senses.

Not only does the sheer square meterage, and population density leave one feeling a bit heady, but the fact that it is hemmed in by mountain ranges means that it is one of the most polluted cities in the world. To the credit of the Mexican government, they are making great strides in reducing pollution, but the stunning vistas surrounding the city create what is essentially a high altitude smog bowl.
It is into this dizzying mixture of altitude, smog, people, police sirens, lights, and stories of narco traffickers that you land.
Even as a fairly well seasoned traveler, and having spent time in cities of this size before, I was somewhat overwhelmed the first night that I spent in the city, as I walked trough the throngs of people in the streets. The entire area was like walking through Times Square. But while Times Square takes up a single intersection in NYC, this was a case of kilometer upon kilometer of bodies brushing past each other, buskers plying their trade, singers and speakers in restaurants blaring out on to the walkways, cars, bikes, and even people in costume inviting passers by to watch their show.
In frenzied moments like these a traveler must choose between one of two options:
1 — Become a person who will only leave your the accommodation in the company of others who are like you, speak your language, and make you feel comforted.
2 — Figure out a way to embrace the city, its people and its culture.
I am the 2nd type of traveler. If I wanted to stay comfortable, I could sit in my house and watch documentaries on Mexico City. But then I would never be able to experience the friendliness of the people, taste and smell the street food from the street vendor at 6am, and see people truly enjoying life as part of the living, breathing city.
My trick to overcoming the inertia of comfort, is to get out and onto the streets at sunrise. This is usually under the auspices of trying to be out at “magic hour” for photography, and there is no denying the magnificence of a city at dawn. What I am really doing, however, is learning the face of the city free from the maddening crowds, and getting a feel for the heart of the space and it’s design, without the distraction of the people surrounding me on all sides.
Dawn is a great time to learn about the people in a city too, without going out so early I would never know that the main street is closed on a Sunday morning in Mexico city and sections of the city itself become running and cycling tracks where families have time together and people are pulled on skateboards by their dogs. I also wouldn’t know that in Hanoi, Vietnam, most of the city is out doing forms of martial art between 4am-6am.
I go out in the mornings and find the only open coffee vendor, which often gives me a small sense of smug superiority, because I know I’m getting the fresh coffee, and begin wander the streets. Every now and again, as was the case in Mexico City, I am lucky enough to stumble upon professional photographers and I follow them about the city, getting ideas for angles and shots that I would otherwise have missed.
I take photos of art and statues without anyone in the frame, and take the time to pause and ponder how things have been built, instead of simply rushing past them. I see lovers, and party animals making their way to their houses after a full night out, while families walk their dogs. As the streets slowly begin, to once again, fill up to capacity, and I head back to meet up with other travelers to discuss plans for the day. When I step outside again, I no longer notice the chaos and crowds, because the city is no longer foreign, the city has become my own.
As I take the time to understand a city on my own, it is as though the city begins to understand me, and I find that my comfort is no longer reliant on being with those similar to me, because the city itself has welcomed me.
As we travel through our lives in our own cities, and those beyond, may we all take the time to find the beauty in the city, and in doing so, allow the city to find its place in our heart.
