By: Lisa Coleman

One of my favorite writers about everything Mexico is David Lida. (You can read his wonderful commentary on “Mostly Mexico City” at www.davidlida.com. ) He’s a super cool guy with a great view of not just life, but life in Mexico. He recently posted a blog on his site about the odd and disappointing  fact that Mexico City’s “Legislative Assembly passed a decree by which any establishment that dispenses alcohol must serve its last drink by 2:30 a.m. and close its doors by 3:00.”

If you’ve ever spent time in Mexico City, you know it’s not exactly a “close the doors at 3:00 a.m.” kind of place. Here in the U.S., bars close at 2-2:30 a.m., and that’s enough for most of us. But, in Mexico City, there is an entire subculture that thrives on late night bars, eateries (that serve alcohol) and stumbling home as the sun wakes up. As Lida points out, this “drink until you drop crowd” also creates plenty of jobs for plenty of people. Waiters and bartenders will lose an important slice of an income that no doubt influences their lives.

I’m with you on this one, David. Now it’s not my thing to hang out until the sun comes up (well, maybe), but I think a place like Mexico City has bigger fish to fry than passing some absurd law that ultimately only hurts rather than helps. I have had a few late dinners in D.F. that have moved to dancing and cocktails until well into the wee hours. One of the magical things about the city is that it lives and breathes around the clock. You can get a taco and beer no matter what time you head home. Shame on the Legislative Assembly for taking away a part of the soul of this city.

And, would if this craziness branches out the beach resorts? Heaven forbid! Can you imagine the bars locking up at 3:00 a.m. during spring break in Cancun?