Day 1 Ciudad de México
Landed at 1:45 PM and took a couple of metros* to our apartment
Went down the street to a Walmart Express to pick up provisions, then back in the other direction to check out Tiendas 3B market. The bodegas only had instant coffee so we picked up some of the real stuff at Los Chaneques.
After a cold beer, we walked through the shopping passage to try the fried fish that we'd seen on our shopping walk. Yum!
Continued on
to Circulos de Brujas for supper. Definitely our kind of place!
A woman offered a free tarot sample; I drew the Temperance card (which she said represents balance and patience), and Bhob drew a card with sticks (which represents insecurity, to which Bhob replied "C'est moi!")
After supper, it was too dark to comfortably navigate a long walk in the neighborhood
so we went home to unpack and unwind.
*We'd wanted to take a bus that went directly from the airport to our neighborhood so we could do a little sightseeing, but after waiting for 45 minutes at the bus stop that the google maps told us to, with no "every 5 minutes" bus appearing, we walked to Pantitlan and took the metro, which allowed us to enjoy hearing a loud, raucous band playing at the Chabacano metro station as we rode the escalator.
Day 2 Ciudad de México
Took a 6 AM walk in search of tamales.
Found some a block away! Oaxacan style, mole in banana leaves😋 Took them home and ate them with some scrambled eggs.
A well-timed email from Peg (who had correctly guessed our destination) requesting a particular kind of chocolate gave us our morning mission: to take the Linea 7 metro to Tout Chocolat in Polanco.
The trains were so crowded, it took us three attempts until we finally managed to fit into one.
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| Camarones Metro station |
After picking up the chocolate, found a cash machine, and then a very kind bank teller who turned our 500s into 20s and 50s.
Did some recon in the Claveria neighborhood to find HDX Circus Bar, and see when we might be able to buy tickets for the concert that night*
Walked around to fill some time before the club allegedly opened
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| Why isn't there one of these in every city?? |
and stumbled upon a Hipermarket where we could buy some hydroponic salad greens and break another 500 peso bill.
Had a tasty lunch at Tlayud Arte
And timed the walk back home so we could plan our evening accordingly.
Since the music festival that we'd built the trip around was at a nearby park, we thought we should at least pay it a visit. Along the way, we got distracted by a pulqueria
And chatted with Armando (did he work there? Not entirely sure).
Stumbled across the super cool Ex Fábrika (which reminded us a little bit of the area around Urban Spree in Berlin)
Went home to use the bathroom before going back to the fish place
This time I had the hot sauce and my mouth was on glorious fire.
Stopped for a beer at La Cantina Colorada
And went home to eat some hydroponic salad
Walked to HDX Circus Bar, bought our tickets, and went next door to Cabrería Do Brasil to enjoy sitting down while we waited 2 hours for the doors to open. Many of our compadres were doing the same.
At 8 PM, went to the club and patiently waited through the two openers (first was great, second was probably everyone's favorite in town in 1989), and finally Burning Witches took the stage and blew the roof off the place.
Stopped for some drunkaroni on the way home (chicharrones fried in masa with a zesty green salsa) and finally got to bed around 2 AM.
* The one band (Burning Witches) that we most wanted to see at the cancelled festival (see the FAQs) had scheduled a gig for the same night that they would have been playing
Day 3 Ciudad de México
Slept in until about 8 AM. Got some tamales for breakfast and had a leisurely morning while we waited to leave for the rock and roll flea market, Tianguis Cultural del Chopo
Went next door to the Biblioteca Vasconcelos
Then walked
to a cemetery that wasn't open and continued on to the Monumento a la Revolución to do some recon for the next day.
Bought some tortilla chips to break a 500 peso bill (sorry, 7-11) and went home to rest for a while.
Set out to find the cool alley that we'd seen the first night.
Walked up a different street that I'd wanted to check out, and on the way back, saw a sign for tortas (sandwiches, which we'd earlier decided might be a good late lunch) and asked what kind they had. He said that they only had carnitas tacos, so I said "Well then I guess I'm having a taco!" Bhob's stomach was a little iffy, so he passed.
It was really good, and when I asked how much it was, he said "Nada!" I couldn't believe it, and said "Seriously, how much?" "Free?" was his reply.
Man, I love this neighborhood!
Afterwards, used the google maps' directions to a different pulqueria that I'd wanted to try. Took a half hour to walk through a super busy area and over a super sketchy pedestrian bridge, but I had some delicious strawberry pulque and the other patrons were very helpful.
We really didn't want to walk back the same way, so we just kind of took a look and discovered that we were about 2 blocks from home.
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| The google maps was drunk |
Hung out at home until it was time to leave for Bósforo bar, which Lauren had recommended (I believe her exact words were "Worth the airfare imho").
Very hip! Had a couple of mezcals.
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| It was too hip to provide enough light to illuminate the "No Photos" sign. Oops! Sorry not sorry |
Went to Foro Bizarro for some sort of program to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Depeche Mode playing at Foro Sol during their Songs of Faith and Devotion tour. We were a little bit early, so we went downstairs to Cafe Bizarro, which we'd wanted to do at some point anyway.
The server was very sweet (and so was Bhob's drink) and it is definitely our kind of place.
After sitting for a minute, we decided to skip the Depeche Mode thing and go home. We'd wanted to get chicharrone tacos at Orinoco across the street (since we loved them so much on our last trip), but the line was long and we thought we'd rather get something close to home.
Took a metrobus and metro to our stop and walked along where we thought we could find something to eat. Not much was happening, but there was a stand with gorditas, so we ordered some cheese ones to go and gave them all a good laugh when I gave her 15 pesos instead of 50. (Hey! I was tired! And oh yeah I don't understand Spanish).
Got home and enjoyed our feast, and got to bed before midnight.
Day 4 Ciudad de México
Slept in until 7:15. Got our tamales, took showers and aimed ourselves toward the area NNE of us and meandered.
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| "Homer!" |
Stopped at Starbucks to use the bathroom and then made our way back to Circulos de Brujas for lunch.
Came home to chill for a bit before heading out to the Monumento a la Revolución to stand through 3 ska bands
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| One of the ska bands posing for selfies with fans |
and a reggaeton act before seeing Bloody Benders (who were scheduled to play on Saturday at the cancelled festival).
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| These two guys will never know how much they entertained us during the reggaeton act |
From there, (after a confusing Metrobus ride where the bus turned around at Insurgentes and sent us in the wrong direction, and once again a friendly English-speaker helped us out) revisited one of our favorite spots from our previous trip, FELINA
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| Best. Wallpaper. Ever. |
Took the Metro home, and it was a different line and different exit which dumped us out into a labyrinth of stalls selling seizure-inducing holiday lights.
Found the pedestrian bridge over the street which brought us directly to our beloved fish place and we dove face-first into one last feeding frenzy.
Got home about an hour before the beginning of the downpour that had been forecast for most of the day. Wound down and finished off our beer and totopos.
Day 5 Departure
Woke up early but let Bhob sleep in. Got our tamales and did most of our packing and clean up. With two hours until check out, went out for a little walk.
Finished the rest of our food, cleaned up the apartment and checked out. Took the metro to the airport (and got a bit better at finding the proper entrance to the terminal). From the apartment to sitting at the gate took about 2 hours.
Random Observations
I've only been to concerts in three cities, but right now CDMX is my favorite, because almost everyone is short, and people are respectful of personal space.
Other than Iran, CDMX has the best public restroom solution of anyplace I've been: rather than A) restrooms for customers only or B) investing millions in installing and maintaining free municipal toilets (which could easily be fraught with peril), they do C) countless privately owned and maintained pay toilets everywhere, currently costing about 40¢
Dewey from Malcolm in the Middle seems to be some kind of icon for misfits
FAQs
So, it was a good trip?
Sure!
How was the weather?
Perfect!
Exactly as predicted in the forecast. The rain on Sunday occurred only after we had settled in for the night.
Why CDMX again?
7 months previously, we'd learned about a music festival that featured several bands that we've wanted to see, in a city that we love, so even though we aren't generally music festival people, it seemed like a no-brainer. Bhob even sprang for VIP tickets (they had him at "VIP Toilets").
In the intervening months, we spent a fair amount of time checking out the other bands on the youtubes to create a battle plan.
3 weeks before the event, the promoters announced a change of venue, but wouldn't say where.
2 weeks before the event, they announced the new venue, 18 miles from the original location (1.5 hour trip via public transit, 1 hour by car). In our minds, we adjusted our imagining of how the weekend would go. We didn't book different accommodations, because we don't know the city well enough to know what might be suitable and closer to the venue (and the closest hotels and motels were the kind that rent rooms by the hour).
Comments on the festival FB page were scathing and/or comical. Several people said "This event is totally going to be cancelled". The festival replied with "Don't you go spreading lies and rumors!!!"
1 week before the event, the promoters announced that the event was cancelled, due to "Force Majeure". Lots of "I told you so" comments on FB.
Even though it meant missing most the bands that we originally wanted to see, we were both relieved, because almost all of the good bands were on the first day, and I don't know how much sunshine and music we would be able to absorb in 12 hours.
After the announcement, we quickly went to work researching what other concerts and club shows we might attend instead.
Is this the first time you've visited someplace more than twice (other than to visit family)?
Yes!
How did you choose the area where you stayed?
Because it is a 20 minute walk from the original venue
Technically, it is within the official boundaries of Tacuba, but it is essentially Claveria.
What, no terrace?
No. When I booked the apartment, I thought we'd only be there to sleep, shower and eat breakfast, so I didn't filter for a terrace. The temperatures were perfect, so it would have been nice to have a place to hang outdoors.
How were your flights?
MSP-MEX
A319
No problems
MEX-MSP
A319
No problems
The lead flight attendant had the most classic Minnesota accent; not of the cartoony, much-heard "Fargo" variety, but the more authentic, subtle one that sounds like when Maria Bamford is impersonating her mother
What did you watch on the plane?
MSP-MEX
Bring It On
Repo Man
One episode of Schitt's Creek
MEX-MSP
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (No, Quentin Tarantino is not out of movie jail; it was just the only movie long enough to take up most of the flight that wouldn't be ruined by seeing on a small screen)
Atlas Obscura -
Home In A Bowl Of Noodles
Mom's Green Spaghetti
Any highlights?
Seeing Burning Witches at HDX Circus Bar
Seeing Bloody Benders at Monumento a la Revolución
Circulos de Brujas
Exploring a different neighborhood
And as always, all of the kind, friendly people
Any lowlights?
Navigation and transportation snafus (although they weren't really all that bad)
Any surprises?
Even though we knew nothing about our neighborhood before the trip, we really loved it!
What the heck is pulque?
Lightly fermented agave sap. It allegedly has the same amount of alcohol as beer, but I think that depends on how long it's fermented.
It's served plain, or mixed with fruit or nut puree.
The kinds I've had didn't seem to have any alcohol. I just like the flavor; it's kind of tangy, with a slightly thick-ish consistency.
Any advice for someone who wants to visit a Megacity but is a little intimidated?
A Megacity is really just a collection of villages/neighborhoods. Pick one or two of these villages and get to know them well, and don't worry about going to every "must-see" tourist attraction in the broader city.
How much did it cost?
For 2 people, 4 days:
Airfare $1762.48
Trip insurance $141
Lodging $237.71
Food
Groceries $27.68
Restaurants and street food $99.72
Household $2.40
Booze (plus generous tips) $134.02
Concert Admission $34.71
Ground transportation $9.84
Total $2449.56
Total per person per day $306.20
Total "on the ground" (includes lodging) $546.08
Total "on the ground" per person per day $68.26
To save for a trip like this, you would have to save $6.71 per day for a year.
Do you think you'll ever plan to attend a music festival in the future?
Nope.