Mexico City Metro project

Some days ago, reading my local Couchsurfing groups, I stumbled across an announcement by Australian Peter Davies to go to each of the 148 stations in the Mexico City Metro system, take some photos of the environment, and document on his impressions.

I have followed and enjoyed the Mexico City Metro blog since I learnt of it, and have grown used to looking forward to the daily post-or-two. Peter writes each of his entries both in English and Spanish (you can tell it's not a native Spanish, but it's a good effort). He has been doing the stations in a very well distributed order (I cannot say it's completely random, but it's surely not lineal or methodical).

I connected wiht his project as I love discovering the city more or less the same way, but with a different system: I try to have at least one long bike ride every two weeks (being "long" something over 40Km). I usually go either to the North or to downtown and to the East by the good old route I always take, and on my way back, at some point I decide just to turn right or left and discover yet another village slurped by the city. I don't usually take pictures, as I'm too much into the cycling thrill, left-right-left-right... But cycling has led me to appropriate my city (I don't know if that's proper English), to make my city really mine, to get to know parts of it I'd never otherwise go to.

Anyway, Peter's is a great way to document urban life. I'm in love with my city, and with expressions of urban appropriation. I loved his project, and if you are interested by what I say, go take a look at his wanderings in the city. I have suggested him two bits to check, but the work is very much an artist's — He accepts my input, but quite probably he will do whatever he pleases ;-) In case any of you is interested in contacting him, I can tell you for a fact he replies :-)

[*] And what is CouchSurfing? Oh, a great community where you can offer a space to crash at your house for unknown people from all around the world. I have never requested a couch, as the Free Software community is much more tightly knit, but I have offered it to several interesting people.