Obama ends Mexico day with LAT bureau drive-by

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Just as we here at the Mexico City office of the Los Angeles Times were thinking that all the excitement of Barack Obama’s visit to Mexico was over, the cry went up last night that his motorcade was going to drive-by -- right outside our offices.

Not ones to shy away from a glimpse of arguably the most popular U.S president south of the American border in recent times, we dashed outside. Lots of men in suits were loitering around on the streets waiting, kidding around and saying that they could already see ‘La Bestia / the Beast,’ Obama’s black Cadillac, coming.

We joked that there are so many cars and SUVs with blacked-out windows in Mexico, we might not even recognize Obama and his entourage when they arrived.

A policeman on a low, wide motorcycle wearing dark glasses drove down the street where our office is located, and our expectations rose. Metal railings were quickly dragged into place by police officers standing guard, cutting off the street that crosses ours. Police gesticulated wildly to each other.

It seemed like a long wait, but after what was probably not more than five minutes, the start of the motorcade turned the corner onto our street, and there was no missing them.

Preceded by a line of motorcycle-mounted police, five or six black SUVs with dark windows sped by, then two black Cadillacs appeared, both adorned front and back with small Mexican and U.S. flags. People waved, I took a (bad) photo, and after another 10 or so more black SUVs had brought up the rear, together with two press buses (one of them empty) and another flank of motorbike-mounted police, it was all over.

But it was a great end to a long day.

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City

Photo: Barack Obama’s official motorcade cruises past -- but where’s Obama? Credit: Deborah Bonello / Los Angeles Times