Day 1 Mexico City
Flight arrived on time at 1:40 PM, and I arrived at the Airbnb at about *3:30 PM. Settled in, unpacked, made a shopping list and headed out for tacos and groceries.
The tacos were the easy part
But finding a grocery store proved a bit trickier. What I found on the google maps was not what I needed. The natural foods grocery was more like a granola kiosk, another one sold only Korean food, the next one was all chips and pop. At this one I finally asked the clerk where I could buy eggs, jam, butter, cocoa powder, etc and she directed me to Walmart Express.
Gods help me.
But they had everything I was looking for and it was already after 7 PM and dark out so I compromised my ethics and got my supplies.
Got home, had some bagged spinach and a peach hard seltzer.
Since Peg had hit a snag in her journey from rural Maine, and wouldn't be arriving until 11 AM the next day, I spent the rest of the evening trying to figure out the TV/Roku setup.
*A subway trip that should have taken me one hour took me two, because the machine that sells metro cards at the airport was not accepting my paper money and I ended up taking a bus to another terminal, got coins, bought a metro card & hopped on a wrong bus that got me to the right metro line. Throughout all of this and speaking very little Español, every single person I interacted with just couldn't have been nicer! I think it ended up costing $1.20. It would have only cost 25¢ if I hadn't hopped on all of those buses, but by that point I was determined to make it all the way as a personal challenge.
Day 2 Mexico City
Despite the downstairs neighbor's 3:30 AM singing performance, I managed to get a few hours of sleep. Woke up around 5 AM and went out for a short, pre-breakfast walk.
Back home, played with the espresso machine and made a flaxseed mug muffin.
Went out again, this time to Bosque de Chapultepec. Very nice! Lots of joggers, and the only motorized vehicles allowed are for park maintenance.
The scent in the air is a reminder that the whole place is surrounded by busy motorways, but visually it is fantastic.
Made my way to a different grocery store. Had to stop in to a health food store along the way.
The grocery store I was aiming for was more like a bodega, but Gabi, a kind young woman who was shopping there, walked me to a nearby supermercado.
Bought my stuff, walked home and picked up a crema pastelera hojaldre on the way.
Got a head start on cutting up some broccoli and hung out until Peg arrived. I had been taking a walk around the block
when she got to the apartment, so I was very surprised to get off the elevator and see her waiting outside the apartment door! She didn't have local coverage for her phone so she had no way to let me know she was on her way.
After she got her stuff in the apartment, we went out to get her some pesos at the ATM, and went to the MOBO shop so she could get a SIM card (which, for some reason, took almost an hour for them to get set up and figured out, but they were so sweet and helpful).
Walked a few steps to get Huaraches and tacos at Tacos Londres
then decided that it was of critical importance to buy a bottle of mezcal. We found a shop on the google maps and walked there, only to find the storefront For Rent. Found another mezcal shop on the map not too far away, walked there and it too was permanently closed.
We were very close to the (shudder) Walmart Express that I had gone to the night before, so we looked at what they had for mezcal, were not impressed, and picked up a bottle of Cabrito tequila.
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| This purchase was about 75% booze |
Walked home
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| Payphones were EVERYWHERE in CDMX! |
Peg did a little unpacking, we took a quick look at the rooftop "garden"
poured ourselves some tequila (which turned out to be quite lovely), and watched the opening ceremonies of the winter Olympics*.
The fatigue of two solid days of travel caught up with Peg, so she was ready for a hot shower and a date with a big bed.
As was I.
*When we booked the apartment one month previously, it was based on the promise of our host to make sure that one of the Roku channels would provide us access to Olympic coverage. The day before, I couldn't find out which channel to watch it on. He kind of left it up to me to do the research, not really considering the fact that I do not understand Español. Many, many messages and one day later, he finally made a phone call to find out that Claro Video was providing it for free on their YouTube channel. Crisis averted!
Day 3 Mexico City
Slept in and putzed a bit, so didn't get out to walk until almost 7. Outside our door, there were lots of people milling about and a vegan catering truck. A block beyond that was a bunch of lights and gear for some kind of filming.
Got home, made some espresso, ate breakfast and lollygagged with Peg for awhile.
I'd passed a fancy liquor store on the way home from my walk and was determined to return to buy a bottle of mezcal, so that was our first order of business.
Next on the agenda was just to wander in the direction of the Roma neighborhood and take a look around.
Stopped at Panederia Rosetta for some pastries
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| The restroom was charming! |
and had a looky-loo at Mercado Roma (the CDMX equivalent to Malcolm Yards in Minneapolis, albeit far more congested).
Made our way to Parque México and were wowed by the lushness and multiple shades of green.
Walked home
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| This was the main intersection/roundabout between the metro stop and our apartment, so we saw a lot of it |
Stopped at the metro station to buy Peg a metro card, and then went home for a quick rest before dinner (Peg's Fakebit recorded that we walked over 8 miles). Not long before we were going to head out, a thunderstorm moved through, so we cooked up some broccoli to eat so we wouldn't be too starving once we finally got to someplace to eat.
Headed towards the NE and the first takeout place we ran into was Birria Colorado. We both got tacos, I got Quesabirria, and Peg ordered Gomitas Enchiladas.
Which turned out to be this:
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| Yes, that is indeed gummy rings bathed in enchilada sauce. Oddly compelling. |
It was worth $2 for the laugh.
Didn't get to watching the Olympics until after 8. Watched women's slopestyle snowboarding and part of the men's short program figure skating.
Day 4 Mexico City
Took a 7 AM short walk down Reforma.
The goal of the day was to do some recon for our COVID test for the day before flying home (a Monday, which meant getting a test on a Sunday, a day on which just about every lab is closed).
Walked through Bosque de Chapultepec and somehow got off track, and a one hour walk ended up taking over 90 minutes.
Found the lab, and between a very patient receptionist and an English-speaking medical professional of some sort, we figured out a plan.
Walked to the Cafelibreria
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| Fresh watermelon & orange juice. Divine! |
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| Peg's cappuccino was more like hot milk that someone whispered the word "espresso" over, but whatever. It was pretty. |
And then to the Museo Soumaya
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| This became one of our favorite things: mango with sweet, spicy & salty flavorings and lime juice |
Walked home via the Linea Ferrocarriles de Cuernavaca Park,
bought some bandaids at the Slowest Pharmacy In The World, and picked up hard seltzer at a convenience store, which the clever clerk wrapped in a paper towel so we could drink them discreetly on the few blocks home.
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| Torre Reforma, the tall landmark near our apartment that helped us navigate our way home. The facade reminded me of a player piano scroll, or an old-school IBM computer card |
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| Espinaca, Baby! |
Picked up some tacos and (real!) enchiladas at Restaurante Los Barrigones, showered, got into our jammies and hunkered down to watch the Olympic rhythm dance figure skating and luge.
Today's mileage: 11.5 miles.
Day 5 Mexico City
Aimed towards Bosque de Chapultepec at 7 for a quick walk, but it was closed, so I walked to the left of it for a bit and came home on a side street.
Our objective for the day was to check out the House of Tiles. Peg had a little strain in her leg, and I was feeling a bit immune compromised, so we agreed to take it really easy that day. Instead of walking the whole way, we took the metro for most of it.
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| It's always a good idea to match your shirt and shoes to the color of your metro line |
It was the Monday after Constitution Day, and if we had known that everyone had the day off from work and school and was headed for the Centro Histórico, we would probably have stayed home.
I'm glad we didn't!
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| A handy flowchart for lapsed Catholics |
Stopped for some tacos pastor and I had a Corona to wash down some immune supplements. I was saved from a ticket or imprisonment by two women who handed me a paper bag to hide my beer. They were rewarded with a Pearson's Salted Nut Roll :)
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"Siri, show me a picture of someone hitting rock bottom" |
Great people-watching, got the obligatory soccer jersey for Bhob and we finally found the perfect little glasses for enjoying tequila at the Airbnb (instead of the ginormous coffee mugs and water glasses that were the only options). We had a hard time deciding on which size
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¿Por que no los dos? |
On the way back to the metro station, stopped for groceries at Chedraui (which translates to English as The Store Whose Nonsensical Layout And Lack Of Aisle Access Will Cause You To Lose Your Will To Live).
Back home, rested a bit and then went up Rio Lerma
to pick up some empanadas at Don Asado. ¡Dios mio! They were so good, we couldn't wait long enough to get a photo before diving in. The Elote y Queso one was spectacular and the dipping sauces (Chimichurri? Some kind of tomato & pepper?) were divine.
Brought our trash downstairs, got into our jammies and settled in for some Olympic curling, pairs figure skating, short track speed skating and acrobatic moguls skiing.
Today's mileage: 6.8 miles
Day 6 Mexico City
Still feeling a bit immune challenged, so I skipped the morning walk. Had a leisurely breakfast with Peg
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| What do you do with 5 meals worth of leftover salsa? Put it on eggs! |
and then walked
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| The CDMX version of Single Bin Recycling is that the garbage truck drivers sort through everyone's trash by hand, with no gloves |
to re-up our supplies at Walmart Express, including some interesting fruits.
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| Sapote Negro, sometimes known as Chocolate Pudding Fruit |
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| Very mild flavor, reminded us of cooked acorn squash. Probably good drizzled with balsamic vinegar. |
Other than that, our only objective for the day was to go to El Oasis Tepacheria
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| About 60 cents for that mug he is filling! |
Before going back home, we strolled around Mercado Hidalgo, ate a free sample of freshly fried tortillas and bought some broccoli
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| Because everyone needs a 4 foot bag of fried snackfoods |
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| Tortilla fryer |
Walked back to the metro station
Boarded the most crowded metro car I've ever been on in my life. Luckily, we were in one of the Solo Mujeres cars, so we were only smooshed against other women.
More luck: after 3 stops, I realized that I had gotten us going in the wrong direction, so we were able to jump off and get on a much less crowded car.
Encountered a light rain walking back home.
Got an early supper at the food cart around the corner.
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| Gorditas! |
Chilled for a bit and then turned on the Olympics. Tonight's program: Pairs figure skating, men's biathlon, women's acrobatic skiing, and women's luge.
Today's mileage 4.37
Day 7 Mexico City
Peg was up early enough to join me for a short pre-breakfast walk, up Reforma and back via Puebla.
After breakfast,
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| Guava! |
went to Bosque de Chapultepec to check out the Jardín Botánico del Bosque de Chapultepec.
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| First cat (of very few) of the trip |
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| Seasoned mango on a stick |
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| More fun to look at than to attempt to eat |
Hung out in the sun for a while near the Altar a la Patria
Got some tacos al pastor for lunch
On our way home, we passed the pulqueria next door that had always been closed when we'd looked before, and it was open!! We sampled some pulque and chatted with Julio, the owner of the business, and the Hacienda Zotoluca where it's made. Turns out he spent a year of college at St. John's in St. Cloud!! Of course we had to give him a Salted Nut Roll :)
Went back up to the apartment to try and call our Mom (who was in transitional care after a broken hip), but the PT folks had just shown up, so it wasn't a good time.
Went out again to wander around La Condesa, the neighborhood just to the south of us.
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| Maracuja, aka Passion Fruit. Yes, the outside is supposed to look like that |
Went home, took showers, ate some broccoli and curled up with our blankets for some Olympics: women's figure skating, women's snowboard cross and men's double luge.
Today's mileage: 9 miles
Day 8 Mexico City
Spent a mostly sleepless night with fever, aches and a very active GI tract. Took a home Covid test, which came back negative. Never been so happy to have just a touch of flu!!
Still wanted to take it easy and not venture too far from home, so after calling our Mom, we went over to the park to check out the Castillo de Chapultepec.
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| Clean, beautiful bathroom! |
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| We dubbed them "Las Gauchettes". Even locals passing by them were looking over their shoulders and chuckling |
Picked up some cervezas at 7-11, and some gorditas outside and brought them back to have for lunch.
Walked to the Mercado Artesanías (insert link) for some potential trinkets, or skull stuff for Bhob.
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| Do de do, driving home from work...actually, I WOULD like to buy a brightly colored wig! |
Strolled over to a closer location of Panederia Rosetta for guava cheese pastries.
Came home, stretched, mixed up some tequila with toronja hard seltzer and got ready for some big Olympics action! Men's figure skating (¡Donovan Carrillo! What a cutie pie!), and men's snowboard half pipe.
Today's mileage: 5.91 miles
Day 9 Mexico City
Slept like a rock! Woke at 6:30 and lollygagged with Peg until we left at 9:30 for more holjadres.
Destination Amsterdam, a street that circumnavigates Parque México.
Hot chocolate at Tout
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| Banana bread dipped in chocolate. This needs to go global. |
Parque México
And then my phone died.
Beverages at the Mercado Roma Biergarten, home, cocktails and a Depeche Mode dance party on the rooftop "garden".
When we got back home, my phone woke up and I plugged it into the wall. I'm not sure but maybe my portable charging bank was sending it too much juice??
Regardless, it was back, and we took a break from tacos to go around the corner to Sukka Burger.
Picked up some helado for later, came home, and got ready for more Olympics. Finished the men's figure skating (Nathan Chen!!), men's skeleton, women's and men's short track speed skating
Today's mileage: 6.88 miles
Day 10
Awake for a couple of hours around 3 AM. Managed to get back to sleep and woke up around 7. We wanted chilaquiles for breakfast and went to a nearby family restaurant, but they wouldn't be open for another 30 minutes, so we picked up some street tamales that were fantastic!
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| The pink one was sweet and not filled. The rest were mole, rojo and verde |
This time it was Peg's turn to be a little immune challenged, so we didn't plan anything too extensive. Walked up Reforma
to our objective for the day, La Rifa to pick up some chocolate gifts.
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| Anyplace that sells unsweetened hot chocolate has a one-way ticket to my heart |
Made our way through Roma
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| Another filming in progress |
to the MODO Museo del Objeto del Objeto (where, two weeks before her 60th birthday, Peg got her first senior discount!!)
Wandered in Roma
Hit the grocery store and La Casa de Holjadres for some supper.
Ate, rested, showered and watched the Olympics: men's figure skating short program, women's cross country skiing, women's monobob, women's speed skating and US vs Canadia in men's hockey (we did a fair amount of fast-forwarding).
Today's mileage: 5.78 miles
Day 11 Mexico City
Let Peg sleep in. Took a quick walk in Bosque de Chapultepec. Minimal goals for the day: Walk around the park, eventually pick up some tortilla chips, avocados and cervezas to accompany our Super Bowl* viewing.
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| One of a series of plaques outside the park paying tribute to and providing personal portraits of kidnapped/disappeared individuals, Very moving. |
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| Peg pointed out the irony of this couple boxing beside the Ghandi statue |
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| Torta Gigante! Enough for two meals, $2.50 |
Today's mileage: 8 miles
*We were able to watch it for awhile on various YouTube channels, until each one was shut down by the NFL. The closest we could get was this annoying guy, who played the audio, and had text updates of each play, but was adding his own commentary. We switched to women's short program figure skating during moments when his dweebiness became overwhelming.
Day 12 Mexico City
Rain in the forecast starting at 4 PM, so we kept our ambitions to a minimum and only aimed for a couple of spots in the Centro Histórico that were open on Mondays.
My nephew Joe had recommended the Secretariat of Public Education Building for its courtyard of Diego Rivera murals. I googled "Secretaría de Educación Pública" and got an address slightly south of the Centro Histórico, and not far from our metro line. Perfect! Walked around looking for it
but nothing made sense. I looked for it on Wikipedia, and realized that it was an entirely different building, and what I had found was one of a dozen neighborhood, satellite offices.
Oh well, at least we got our 10,000 steps in, and found a free, clean public restroom!
Made our way through Centro Histórico
And finally found the correct building . The guards said something that sounded like "180" and we thought that it was the admission charge (which would have been $9 and seemed kind of steep). It turned out that they were asking for "one ID", to leave as a sort of deposit in exchange for a lanyard.
Totally worth the minor mishap. It was absolutely fantastic!!
It was larger than we had expected and we spent way longer there than anticipated, so by the time we were done, we were so starving that we agreed to eat at the first place we saw.
Lucky for us it was a little gem that sold tlacoyos, which neither of us had ever heard of before. ¡Increible!
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| Tlacoyos La Blanca |
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| And licuados for dessert, strawberry for me, mango for Peg |
Next stop, the Palacio Postal. Stunning!
Photos don't do it justice!
And it's still a working post office.
One more detour on the way back to the metro station turned into two when we passed Pasteleria Ideal and were lured in by the staggering array of pastries.
The original detour, Hammersmith Rock Gallery was hard to find, as there was no sign outside. We asked the Tostada Guy and he pointed up. We went up the stairs and found it. Surprisingly quiet for a heavy metal superstore!
Got home around 3:30 and it started raining right at 4 as expected.
Hung at home and then it stopped raining for a second, so we had a cocktail on the rooftop
Walked towards the park to people-watch and inadvertently discovered where all of the young people smoke pot before going home to Mom and Dad.
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| It was Valentine's Day. So many people in love! |
Today's mileage: 7 miles
Day 13 Mexico City
Our main goal for the day was to visit Museo Nacional de Artes, which didn't open until 11 AM, so we took our sweet time getting going, and took the long way around.
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| It's where Duran Duran stays when they are in town |
First stop was the 8th floor cafeteria at Sears. Considering the incredible vistas, they could get away with serving subpar pastries and coffee, but the quality was exceptional!
Quick detour through Barrio China
National Museum. Meh.
On our way to Mercado San Juan, happened across Pulquería Las Duelistas . We were a bit uncertain about entering, but someone leaving gave us the thumbs up, so we decided "What the heck?" and went in. We were so glad we did!! Thanks, Random Strangers!!
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| Guava and cranberry |
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| Exercise equipment makes a great place to sit and eat lunch |
At Mercado San Juan, we weren't sure exactly what we were looking for. They allegedly had a great selection of exotic meats (crocodile, ostrich, armadillo) and insects (scorpions, crickets), but without an insider to guide us, we were a bit lost, so we bailed.
Took the metro home, had a cocktail and went around the corner to Sukka Burger, opting for their vegetarian offerings this time. Whoo-wee!!! Yum yum.
Walked up Leibniz to Oxxo to re-up our supply of pineapple hard seltzer and retired to the couch for our nightly fix of Olympics: ice dancing and snowboarding big air.
Today's mileage: 8.5 miles
Day 14 Mexico City
Every restaurant that we passed offered chilaquiles for breakfast, so we decided that we should try some at least once. Today was the day! Went around the corner to Doña Blanca's.
After two weeks in town, we had kind of started running out of things on the "must see" list. We had considered the Frida Kahlo museum, but it sounded like a real hassle, and while we bothed liked her just fine, neither of us was a superfan, so we decided against it.
Frankly, I had grown weary of her image, since you can't turn a corner in CDMX without seeing stacks and stacks of every possible type of item with a variation of her face on it, to the point where it stopped meaning anything.
After much hemming and hawing, we decided to check out the area of town near her museum, specifically the Cineteca Nacional de Mexico . Since that didn't open until 1:30 PM, we aimed for a nearby park, Viveros de Coyoacán where we could pass the time.
What a revelation!! Mostly used by walkers and joggers, it was vast, shady and not crowded. Best of all, no dogs allowed, so we could actually look up and around without having to keep an eye out for poo.
Around 12:30, I plugged my phone into my portable charging bank, and realized that I had neglected to recharge it for a couple of nights. I was at about 46%, so I just turned the phone off (which means that the remainder of the photos in today's post are here courtesy of Peg's iPhone).
The Frida Kahlo museum was almost on the way to the Cineteca, so we went for a looky-loo at the outside. We had really dodged a bullet by not booking tickets and committing to go. What a circus!! Hippie chicks lined up around the corner to get in, and the area is surrounded by a block on each side with souvenir hawkers, food vendors and taxi drivers.
Walked to the Cineteca for some recon. Another revelation!! I had imagined it as a modest film archive with some movie stills and old props, and maybe a little screening room, but it is a vast, open-air complex with 10 enormous theaters, several cafes and concession stands, tons of places to sit (or nap) outside, and a permanent outdoor screen.
We decided to buy tickets* to the 4:30 showing of "The Tragedy of Macbeth" (excellent, by the way) and then fill the intermittent time with some street tacos & licuados, and a trip to the cemetery Panteón Xoco next door.
Returning to the Cineteca, we both felt the need for some kind of caffeinated pick-me-up. It was already 3:30, and I knew that a coffee of any kind would keep me up until 1:30 AM. The salty tacos left me exceptionally thirsty, so I bought a large cup of ice cold diet Coke (which I probably hadn't had since 1986), and it was absolutely perfect.
After an easy 10- minute walk to the metro, we got home a little after 7 PM, cooked up some eggs and spinach and watched 3 hours of women's figure skating, short program (which had taken place the night before, but several of the routines, outfits and songs we had already seen somehow. Still can't figure out how that works).
Today's mileage: 8.11 miles
* We were charged 40 pesos each rather than the posted price of 60. I hope it was the matinee rate and not the cashier assuming that we were seniors 👿
Day 15 Mexico City
Today's plan was to head to a tepacheria at the far southeastern end of town and then spend the day reading and lounging at a nearby park. However, at the connecting metro station, we discovered that the Linea 12 was closed*.
Since we were on the same line as the previous day, we hopped back on the metro
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| How cool that they named a metro station after a Midwestern fast food chain! |
and rode a few stops down and walked to Parque Bombadilla. Once upon a time, one could climb to the top of the monument for a great view, but alas, not currently.
Sat on a bench for awhile, reading and people-watching
Then walked up the street for some basket tacos, and then stopped into a cafe for some cervezas.
Went back to Viveros de Coyoacán (the park from the previous day), napped and read awhile.
Back home, had a cocktail rooftop dance party
Went back to Don Asado for some empanadas para llevar (and brought back a couple for our beloved security guard, Sergio), and watched the Olympics: women's free skate and speed skating.
Today's mileage: 6 miles
*Subsequent research revealed that a part of it had collapsed 8 months previously, and they were just starting the repair work, which was expected to last about 8 months.
Day 16 Mexico City
Started the day with a walk to the closest Panederia Rosetta for another pastry (cardamom for Peg and almond for me).
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| We had managed to go two weeks without stepping in the ubiquitous dog poo. Then, tragedy struck. |
After a phone call to Mom, our goal for the day was to visit a tepacheria on the north side of town. It was not convenient to a metro station, so we would be earning our Urban Navigation badge by taking the bus.
We hadn't been riding long before the woman behind us leaned forward and asked in perfect English "Where are you going?" She had noticed us looking at our phone maps and looking around, so she wanted to help us out.
We showed her on the map and she said that she lived nearby and would walk us to the tepacheria!
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La Bonita Margarita aka Mago |
She told us all about her current job search, employment in the city in general, her daughters in Illinois (she'd lived in Chicago and Evanston for 25 years), and her family in CDMX. She also talked to people around the area to help us find the tepacheria*
We took her recommendation for the best tlacoyos in the neighborhood.
As she walked us back to the bus stop, we ran into her mother!
We bid her adios, hopped on the bus and stopped home to put the rest of our tepache in the fridge.
Ventured out to Cityzen to see if they would actually allow us to order a drink and enjoy the view.
They couldn't have been nicer! Me arriving with my REI hiking pants, Ladytron t-shirt and hair like a crazy person, I might as well have been a CEO.
Took a quick walk on a bustling street we'd seen from the rooftop
Hung out and enjoyed the sunset around El Ángel de la Independencia
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| Right in front of where we were standing seemed to be a popular spot for people on a whirlwind taxi tour of the city to jump out, take a photo and jump back in |
Quick stop at home and then out to Birria Colorado for tacos.
Wrapped up the day with Olympics: Finished the women's free skate
Today's mileage: 6.63 miles
* When Peg first heard me say "tepacheria", she heard it as "debaucheria", so we took to calling it that on purpose.
Day 17 Mexico City
Quick morning walk in Bosque de Chapultepec. Breakfast at home of tamales para llevar with 2 eggs sunny side up.
Back to Chapultepec for the Museo Nacional de Antropología. Really nice collection!
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| "I don't know what it is, but it's big, so take a photo of me standing in front of it!" |
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| First taste of horchata. Yum! |
Home for a quick rest, then back to the Bosque to walk, read and people-watch.
How on earth do the hours pass by so quickly?!
I believe that the Rush clan is blessed with Putzing Super Powers.
Picked up some street tacos para llevar (these had french fries in them!! Sorry for the lack of photos. Too hungry.)
Showers. Jammies. Olympics. Pairs figure skating finals.
Total mileage: Not sure! We forgot to check. Probably around 8 miles. 52.3 for the week.
Day 18 Mexico City
Last full day in town! That meant clean out the fridge with a big egg and broccoli breakfast and getting an Uber to the only covid testing clinic that was open on Sundays.
Walked home through Chapultepec, hung out, cleaned, putzed and finished off the remaining tequila and mezcal.
Supper para llevar from Pollo Rey.
Watched the closing ceremonies of the Olympics, packed, wound down.
Today's mileage: 4.38 miles
Day 19 Departure
Got up early, finished packing, ate everything remaining in the fridge.
Watched a little bit more of the Olympic Gala of Patinaje Artistico. Left the apartment at about 11 AM. Rode the metro to the airport and made a sweaty 26-minute walk to the terminal.
Random Observations
We didn't see any stray dogs, but lots and lots of pet dogs on leashes, and many professional dog walkers with 6+ dogs at a time.
The number of cats we saw I could count on two hands and still have a couple of fingers left.
The stairwell in our building had great acoustics.
Pink is a very popular color.
The city seems to be built to Rush-height.
Wearing a backpack will not make you look like a tourist. Wearing a floppy cloth hat will.
As will anything khaki
FAQs
Why Mexico City?
Our original destination, chosen for its pleasant February weather, became more and more complicated as the departure time drew nearer. Between Covid regulations and multiple rescheduled flights, we decided to go with something simpler.
We needed someplace with daytime temperatures that were warm but not hot, evening temperatures cool enough to justify sitting indoors watching television, and enough different places to go during the day to keep us occupied.
We'd talked about Oaxaca, but it's a little bit hotter than I prefer, and one additional flight segment would have made it 4 total for Peg, which is WAY too many for not even leaving the continent or crossing an ocean.
CDMX hadn't even been on my radar, but a few months previously, I'd had a conversation with my dear friend Jason G. about favorite cities, and he mentioned how much he loved Mexico City. He really liked the neighborhood where he'd stayed there, so when Peg and I had to start looking at a Plan B, I asked him for the name of the area. That was good enough for me, no further research required (other than binge-watching "Taco Chronicles" on Netflix).
Thanks, Jason!!
What was your original destination?
I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.
How big is it?
The population of Greater Mexico City is 21,804,515, which makes it the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the world, and most populated city in North America.
Area-wise, the city proper covers 573 square miles. It is actually a lot smaller than Minneapolis.
(Insert mapfight)
According to Wikipedia, Covering an area of 7,866.1 square kilometres (3,037.1 sq mi), it is surrounded by thin strips of highlands separating it from other adjacent metropolitan areas, together with which it makes up the Mexico City megalopolis.
Didn't you say you didn't like to travel to large cities?
I've done a complete 180 degree turn. Megacities are really just a vast collection of villages. As long as I focus on one or two of these villages, it's not so overwhelming.
And large cities often have efficient mass transit.
Is it safe?
We never felt unsafe. Most of the places we went, people were just going about their daily business. Even in the touristy areas, we didn't feel targeted, and encountered very few persistent panhandlers and informal vendors.
There was a sketchy guy who hung out in front of the 7-11, but he never gave us any problems.
Was there any seismic activity?
We thought so at first. The night when I arrived, I felt the bed vibrating for a few seconds a couple of times. As the days went on, we noticed the occasional rattling of closet and shower doors and the TV shimmying. We asked Sergio, the buildings' security guard/caretaker, and he said that the movement was because we are in a heavy traffic area of a huge city.
How was the weather?
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
Daytime highs were usually in the low 70s, the highest high being 78°F.
Nighttime lows ranged from 48° to 54°F.
There were a couple of scattered showers, and one thunderstorm that came through when we had already gotten home from our day out.
Humidity was usually quite low (18-40%), to the extent that we felt dehydrated and thirsty much of the time.
What time of year did you go?
February 3- February 21
What is the time difference?
None! CDMX is in the central time zone, but I still had to adjust a bit when I got home, since I tended to sleep a little later there ;)
What effect did the Covid-19 pandemic have on your trip?
Mexico didn't require a negative test or proof of vaccination to enter the country. They did require a filled out health declaration form, but neither of us was asked to show it upon arrival.
Masking was consistent and widespread, 100% indoors and on public transportation, and about 80% outdoors. Most businesses required a temperature check and use of hand sanitizer to enter.
There were lots of places to get a lab test, at medical labs & clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, and even in the park. However, we were only able to find one that was open on Sundays (since we were both flying out on a Monday).
How were your flights?
I nearly encountered a snafu on my departure. Because we had changed destinations a few weeks previously, I was waiting for a refund for the price difference to my credit card. Two days before leaving, I called Delta to check on it. It turns out that they'd reserved a spot for me on the flight, but hadn't actually issued a ticket.
After 45 minutes on the phone (not bad! Pays to be an insomniac and call at 3:30 AM), I received a resolution.
Good news: the ticket was issued.
Bad news: I only got the refund as a travel voucher, not a credit card refund.
Good news: The previous agent neglected to charge me the $200 change fee (though when I booked the original flight, I had understood from the fine print that there would be no fees for changing plans, but whatever)
More good news: I got to deal with the ticket issue two days ahead of time and not at the airport 90 minutes before boarding
Because of a shift in the wind, the return flight was about 30 minutes late departing because the pilot was waiting for a new plan. It still arrived a few minutes ahead of schedule. There was snow expected all day, but it hadn't started yet, so the drive home was easy.
What did you watch on the airplane?
MSP-MEX
Princess Diaries (bailed 1/3 into it. Formulaic)
Cruella (very enjoyable)
MEX-MSP
Office Space
1/2 of Trading Places (I enjoyed it when it first came out, but it hasn't aged well, and it really tried my patience)
How did you get around?
Mostly walking, the occasional metro (25¢), one bus (30¢) and one Uber (about $3.50 for a 20- minute ride).
How were CDMX motorists?
Courteous and sensible! They more or less stop at red lights and let pedestrians cross at intersections with no traffic lights; there's usually a little dance of each party making its intentions known.
Is Mexico City pedestrian and bike friendly?
The places where we were seemed to be! On main streets, the sidewalks are wide, flat and smooth and there are generous bike lanes. At least one thoroughfare (Reforma) blocked off one lane of traffic on Sundays just for cyclists.
However, many sidewalks on secondary streets were losing their battles with the tree roots.
Did you learn Spanish?
Not really. I remembered a little bit from my high school Spanish class, but when interacting with people, I almost feel like I need to be fluent to be of any use. I know just enough to get into trouble.
However, watching the Olympics with Spanish commentary taught us a few choice words:
Mas rapido
Estupendo
Fantastico
Increible
Patinaje artistico
Salto
Bien bastante
Que lastima
How did you watch the Olympics?
Claro Video had the Mexican broadcast rights, and they made it available on their YouTube channel, Marca Claro. Our apartment had a big-ass smart TV with many Roku channels, including YouTube.
We could watch live coverage, or choose complete programs on demand for just about every event
Do most people speak English?
No, but they were very gracious and patient with us, and willing to read what we typed out on Google translate.
Did you learn the National Anthem?
Nope.
I had learned the national anthem of our original destination, which is really fun to sing. When we rebooked a few weeks before our travel date, I listened to the Mexican National Anthem, and it did nothing for me.
Neither the melody nor the lyrics were compelling, so I dragged my heels on starting the memorization process. Suddenly, I was only a week from departure, which was not enough time to learn, so I didn't force it.
Sorry, Mexico :(
Eat any interesting food?
Before leaving, I had bookmarked some cafes and taquerias mentioned in Atlas Obscura. After being here for a day or two, it became very clear that that was absolutely pointless.
There is SO. MUCH. GREAT. FOOD.
Everywhere.
Everywhere, everywhere, everywhere.
We didn't eat anything that was merely OK. And it was really inexpensive. Tamales were 70¢, Tacos were usually around $1, and sandwiches about $2.50
Tacos are always served with two tortillas, and gorditas are slit open and stuffed.
At Mastel's, we sell a few flavors of canned tepache , so I knew that I wanted to try that in its native habitat (though I have to confess that I like the canned stuff better :/ )
I also wanted to try pulque . I really liked the flavored kind.
One thing that was new to both of us was the Tlacoyo
Are you totally spoiled now for Mexican food?
Yes.
Did you drink the water?
Nope. I had read an article beforehand that even the people who have lived here their entire lives had problems with parasites and microbes in the municipal water system, so I didn't want to tempt fate.
And besides, a 5-liter jug of water cost $1.33 at the 7-11 a half-block away.
What nutritional supplements did you bring?
In addition to the ones listed in previous blog posts, I took:
-LifeSeasons Clinical Immunity Quick Start
-LifeSeasons Clinical Immunity Daily Boost
-Herbs, Etc. Chloroxygen, to help my red blood cells adapt to the altitude. I started taking it a week ahead of time, after Peg reminded me that the altitude of CDMX is 7349' above sea level. That is way higher than Boulder, CO, and I had slept 12 hours per night the first week after moving there in 1987.
Were you affected by the altitude?
I don't think so. The only time we got winded was when we climbed the half-flight of stairs to the elevator in our apartment building, or after a long flight of stairs exiting a metro station.
Maybe chugging all of that liquid chlorophyll helped!
Hear any interesting music?
Yes, lots of good music everywhere, both live and recorded. And we made good use of the Spotify Reggaeton playlists on the Roku.
Any highlights?
As is often the case, the people. Everyone is so ridiculously friendly and helpful.
Also, the "Solo Mujeres" (women only) cars on every metro train. It made for a very relaxed atmosphere. Lots of women took advantage of the time to apply makeup.
Any lowlights?
Just the annoyance of my glasses fogging up when I wore a face mask completely over my nose.
Any surprises?
Walmart! Many convenient locations, great selection and free, clean bathrooms whether you are a customer or not. I won't shop at one in the US, but we were always happy to see that particular shade of green.
Also, I hadn't realized how moderate the weather is in CDMX year-round.
What was the exchange rate?
At the time of writing, the Mexican peso was 20.3 to the dollar.
The easiest way for me to do the conversion in my head was to move the decimal one to the left, and then divide by half. Por ejemplo: If something costs MX$30.00, move the decimal over so it looks like $3.00, then divide by 2 to get $1.50.
How much did it cost?
For 1 person, 18 days:
I calculated expenditures based on the conversion rate on xe.com, but when I got the notification emails from Capital One, the amount they reported in dollars was always a little bit less than what xe.com had determined.
We didn't deny ourselves any indulgence, and generally ate lunch and/or supper out every day.
Airfare $556
Lodging $ 853.22
Ground Transportation $13.63
Groceries $63.21
Restaurants & street food $78.79
Beverages and Treats (consumed outside of meals) $43.37
Booze $65.09
Household Items $4.99
Admission to Attractions $20.69
Souvenirs $57.99
Sunscreen & bandaids $15.83
Covid test (to re-enter the US) $18.23
Drinking water $6.36
Total $1779.17
Total per day $98.84
Total "on the ground" costs (not including airfare and lodging) $369.95
Total "on the ground" costs per day $20.55
To save up for a trip like this, a person would have to set aside $4.87 per day for a year.
Who should go?
Anyone who appreciates a world-class, cosmopolitan city, inexpensive, fabulous food literally everywhere, colorful buildings and foliage, exceptionally kind people, and believes that there is no such thing as too much Frida Kahlo merch.
Had you been to Mexico before?
Nope! First time :)
I'm probably the only person I know who had never been there.
Would you go back?
Absolutely! It's close, inexpensive, the food is amazing, the weather is perfect and there's a lot to see and do. I can't wait to drag Bhob here to buy a bunch of skull stuff (though I'll have to put a wig and a dress on him so he can ride in the Solo Mujeres metro cars with me).
Who watched Stinkerbell while you were gone?
My dear neighbor, friend and life partner, Bhob.