Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park, located on Emilio Castelar street, was the first park in Polanco. There are statues of Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King. It is a place of recreation and sport. It is immediately recognised by its so-called Clock Tower, which is symbol of the district and was once a dovecoat, and where art exhibitions are carried out.

Nautical modelling is practiced on its lakes at the weekends. Enthusiasts gather to sail remote control boats, and visitors can rent them. The park has a playground, an aviary, and free wireless internet. If you walk a few steps more, you’ll find a path where young people practice skateboarding and a roller-blading track.

Where the name comes from. The park opened in 1938, under President Lázaro Cárdenas, and was the first designed specifically for Polanco. It was originally called Parque de Polanco and Parque del Palomar —after the dovecote in the Clock Tower— and is also known as Parque de los Espejos for its two reflecting pools. It took Abraham Lincoln's name shortly after 1966, when President Lyndon Johnson donated the statue that still stands here; Lincoln is remembered in Mexico for opposing the U.S. invasion of 1846–1848. A statue of Martin Luther King Jr. stands nearby.

What is inside. The two reflecting pools at the centre, the small aviaries, the Clock Tower —the neighbourhood's symbol— and the Ángela Peralta open-air theatre, all designed by the architect Enrique Aragón Echegaray. Model boat regattas are held on the pools: the park's most characteristic scene, and worth catching on a weekend morning.

What is around it. The park is the heart of Polanquito, the most walkable part of Polanco: Emilio Castelar, Oscar Wilde and Julio Verne are lined with pavement cafés, restaurants and shops, and Avenida Masaryk is two blocks away. It combines easily with the Soumaya Museum or with Chapultepec park, which is within walking distance.

Getting there. Polanco station on metro Line 7 is a few blocks away; the Turibús Polanco circuit stops on Julio Verne and the Capital Bus at Polanquito-Parque Lincoln. Parking here is difficult and almost every restaurant uses valets: public transport is the better option, especially at weekends.