You know something collectively catalyst is going on when one of the world’s top collectors and most active patrons of Latin American art has decided to open a new Contemporary Art museum in Mexico City. A project of such a large and esteemed scale, in a country that is on many fronts considered extremely dangerous – citizen groups reportedly estimate 2013 drug-related kidnappings at 2754 – is motivated by a much bigger picture, one that largely demonstrates the new economic significance of Mexico. Consider for example that Villa Eugenie, fashion’s A-list production company in Europe, orchestrated the opening night’s party of Museo Jumex and that Nadine Johnson lead some of the PR efforts, and you should have no doubt as to what kind of people the museum wants and will attract.

The wealthy man in question, Eugenio Lopez Alonso may be Mexican himself but that is just a happy coincidence. He’s merely following the trail of global investments. Because Mexico is a MINT – a neologism that refers to the economies of Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey, originally coined by Fidelity and later popularized by Jim O’Neill of Goldman Sachs who also created the term BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China). All four territories are in turn part of the Next Eleven, a group of countries identified as having a high potential of becoming, along with the BRICs, the world’s largest economies in the 21st century. Mexico owes its developing status to rapidly advancing infrastructure, increasing middle class and fast declining poverty rates. According to wikipedia, this new found local wealth also contributes to the nation’s economy by creating a large domestic consumer market which in turn creates more jobs.

So is it by pure chance that I ended up in Mexico City for my birthday? I think not. My friends and I never made it to Jumex – it closes quite early – but we found other ways to experience this exciting new frontier. We arrived on the 27^th of December, and spent three-day at Hotel Condesa (before we took off on our infamous Cuban undertaking). The museum you see in the first few shots is the Museo Nacional de Antropologia, which contains significant archaeological and anthropological artifacts from the pre-Columbian heritage of Mexico. You can spend hours, if not days in this place. It’s a must-see!

On Sunday we visited the Mercado de la Lagunilla Comestibles, a huge flea market with furniture, jewelry, clothing and just about anything else you can and cannot think of! The girls bought me an antique miniature key pendant for my birthday. I haven’t taken it off since!

Another must-see is the Frida Kahlo museum. Located in La Casa Azul (the blue house), the old studio she shared with her husband Diego Rivera, the designated visitor’s route takes you through a maze of exhibition rooms, the couple’s perfectly preserved living spaces and beautiful garden grounds. If Mexico City itself didn’t give you enough inspiration, this woman most definitely will.

I did my morning runs at the Parque Mexico, a charming park built in the 1920s. Even though it’s under construction and the Lindberg Forum is barely visible it’s still worth visiting, especially if you’re dog-crazed like I am. The ratio of dog to man is about 5 to 1 I would say – it’s literally crawling!

Our favorite neighborhood was Polanco. It’s a little posh but very beautiful, with amazing homes, restaurants and stores. It feels very cosmopolitan and is a true indicator of Mexico City’s growing cultural and economic standing.

During the Christmas holidays not all the restaurants and bars are open. We wanted to go dance at Roy for my birthday but were met with closed doors. Same story with El Contramar, a highly recommended sea food place. But there was still plenty of great food: we had lunch at Maximo Bistro – when you have the chance though, try to get a reservation at  Pujol, Maximo’s big brother and one of the city’s best Mexican cuisines – and dinner at Condesa and Puebla 129.

Funny observation: Mexicans are nuts about inflatable toys and balloons! They have huge specialty stores on the busy roads and crazy-colorful stands at every tourist spot. I have no explanation for this obsession but it makes for great photos so who’s complaining?

Personally I could live in Mexico City. The energy is intoxicating. As a capital it may not be perfectly clean and safe – beware of ‘virtual kidnappings‘ –  but it’s extremely relevant as a global arts and cultural center. And if its growth accelerates as predicted, this is just the beginning. I am curious to see what more we can expect from this great city.