Looking for an apartment in DF is not an easy task. The most difficult part about it was that I simply did not know the city when I was looking and so I was not sure of the colonia that I wanted to live in.
I started by searching for apartments near my school in the colonia Del Valle. It would have been nice to live by my work, but there are so many wonderful colonias to choose from: if I got an apartment in the centro I would be at arms length to everything and I would get the true Mexico experience. La Condesa is the colonia where most foreigners live - there is a large night life scene and it has a very European feel. Coyoacan is a beautiful colonial colonia but it is very far to the south of the city. I did not know any of the above information when I was looking for an apartment.
Another difficulty was finding an apartment that was furnished and affor
dable and one that had internet as well. This is a difficult combination to find all in one place. If an apartment is not furnished here that means it doesn't have anything; no fridge and sometimes even no stove. It would have been a lot of work and money for me to find and purchase furniture and utilities.Apartment searching had to be done in the morning before work. In the meantime I was staying with a friend in her house near the airport - it was very far from everything. For about two weeks I looked at apartment after apartment - some funkier than others, some pricier than others. I began to grow desperate. Not only was I tired of sleeping on my friend's couch, I was just so ready to have my own place so I could start my life here.
Finally I stumbled upon the colonia Florida. It is beside the beautiful and historic colonia Coyoacan and about three metro stops to the south from work. It is definitely an upper class neighborhood in DF - its streets are quiet and calm and very residential. There are trees lining the streets and flowers amongst the trees. When I came to look at the apartment there was a street market (it is here every Friday) and there they sell all sorts of fresh fruits and vegetables.
I ended up selecting la colonia Florida because it just felt right. It does not have the hustle and bustle of the colonia Condesa and I love the quiet streets. What can I say? I'm a small town girl.
My apartment is a ten minute walk to the metro and a ten minute walk in the other direction to the Calle Insurgentes - a very busy and modern street very similar to a street you might see in Houston and it has everything anyone could ever need.
Of course living in an upper class neighborhood has its cost, but to me my comfort does not. I am very happy in my apartment - fully furnished - and it has an extra bedroom for any guests that come.
It also has a lovely terrace directly above me and really good cable.
