Well folks, we are adding a new type of episode into our reality blog show called "Reasons to love it - Reasons to loathe it" for one key (for the lack of a better word) reason.We have visited a city that we were split right down the middle and we would both like to put our stories forward.So this is how it works, we each present our case for either love or loathe and our readers decide.… Mexico City.

Reasons to love it:

There are one million things to do in Mexico City and in five short days we only managed a few.Like any big city, there are restaurants, bars, shops, museums, skyscrapers, masked wrestlers and thousands of people mulling around both crazy and sane, but Mexico City is different.Being raised in America I had the impression that Mexico feels like America's illegitimate son - false. Mexico City is a modern metropolis proud of its cultural heritage and its place in the world. How do I know this?The amazing art available in the city provides quite a story.

The outstanding Museum of Anthropology displays pre-Hispanic, Mayan, Aztec relics in an informative and engaging way.In a few hours it is clear that this country's history is built on some of the most creative civilizations by way of architecture, engineering, dress and household goods and spirituality.One example, we also visited the Teotihuacán ruins 50km outside the city which holds an ancient city built in 100AD. Here lies the third biggest pyramid in the world which was build from three million tons of stone, without the use of metal tools, pack animals or the wheel.But even 20th century art has a story to tell with public buildings filled with Diego Rivera murals chronicling his socialist utopia.

Also, the people are proud and I know this because I was interviewed by about 6 groups of students learning English who wanted to talk to me about their city. Perhaps their questions were driven by their limited command of the language but asked what we thought about Mexico City, about their food, their culture. They didn't care that I was American; they only wanted me to engage with their country and tell them what I thought all the time with expectant smiles on their faces.Or ask the hordes of Mexican Jews that came out to see Israel's Philharmonic perform at the beautiful Palacio de Belle Artes where encores included traditional Israeli and Mexican favorite and the crowd went wild. Or ask the hundred who went to Arena Mexico to cheer on their favorite masked wrestler. They're proud. Why not? - What's not to love?

Reasons to loathe it:

OK, I have been cast here as the naysayer, the doom monger but it is not exactly black and white, the good guy can have BO and the bad guy can have an inexplicable fondness for kittens. So before I start my mini rant let me say that Teotihuacan was amazing, the anthropology museum great, the wrestling a camp classic and the art deco palace where we saw the philharmonic was very beautiful.

Now balance has been restored I can start my ill informed rant. My problem with Mexico City is not it's gems of which we saw a few but the great mass of interconnecting dirty grey streets that they lie in. My contention is that they are all the more beautiful and amazing due to their context. The Lonely Planet walking tour is normally an excellent way of acquainting us with a new city, with one exception (Phnomh Penh) it is fun, informative and really helps you find your feet. Make that two exceptions now, MC was a little uninspiring, the streets were dirty and smelly when they weren't being dug up entirely for no obvious reason. The grand buildings were no better than other South American capitals and the smog hangs over the city seemingly depressing everyone.

I guess this is the core of my problem with the city, I like people and new cultures and I expected Mexico to be as vibrant, actually more so than Latin America. The city seemed to drain that out of people, they were friendly enough but there was a definite lack of passion or enthusiasm (unless Rachelle walked somewhere by herself in which case there was plenty on display). Overall MC is big, dirty and depressing with attractions that highlight the overall crapness of the rest of the city rather than improve the whole.

Perhaps the difference in our opinions is due to my usual cultural hangover while I adjust to a new country, my nasty stomach bug or simply due to the fact that big cities grow on me slower than R. We are on our way out now into Southern Mexico where I hope to find the life which was so sadly missing from the capital. Rachelle is just happy to be able to eat tacos every day.

Love A & R