A guest blog post by Tracy
Earlier this year, we began planning a long weekend in Mexico City due – in large part – to cheap airfare from Houston. We had yet to visit this giant of a city (over 20 million people) and were excited when Southwest Airlines added it to their list of international destinations (especially since it’s a mere two-hour flight from Houston). For various reasons (warranted or not), Mexico has a bad reputation to a lot of Americans, so we were met with various reactions from family and friends, most of which centered on safety. (We were actually told outright by a few that we’d be crazy to go.) Fortunately, I know someone who was born and raised in Mexico City and was kind enough to share his insights. He had many suggestions, including where to stay, how to get around, what to see and, perhaps most importantly, where to EAT!
First of all, we were advised to use Uber exclusively (by the way, it was reliable and super cheap), so upon landing in Mexico City, clearing customs/immigration and fetching our luggage, we requested a car and were soon on our way to our hotel in the neighborhood of Condesa (the trip took approximately 30 minutes at 9:30 at night and cost all of $5.19!!!). In our research of the various neighborhoods, we felt drawn to Condesa’s quaint, tree-lined streets, vibrant buildings, beautiful parks and numerous cafes, so we decided to give it a try.
We reserved a Master Suite at Dominion Casa Mali, which gave us the feeling we were in our very own apartment (it was even equipped with a washer and dryer). Located directly across the street from Parque Mexico, it was lovely to step outside each morning and see residents walking dogs, jogging or just relaxing on one of its many benches, simply enjoying the day. This truly felt like an area for locals, and I felt [almost] guilty for intruding.
On Friday morning, we took a 25-minute Uber ride to the historic center, where we had breakfast at Balcon del Zocalo with an open air terrace overlooking the Zocalo (the common name for the main square in the city center). Mimosas made tableside with Taittinger Champagne were a great start to our day!
Following breakfast, we walked over to the Palacio Nacional and made our way through the beautiful courtyard to the massively impressive mural by famed Mexican artist, Diego Rivera.
Afterward, we made the short walk over to Templo Mayor (translation: the Main Temple), which was the site of the great Aztec pyramid that was destroyed by the Spanish following their conquest of Mexico in the 1500s. The area was gradually built over during the subsequent centuries and finally excavated in the late 1970s.
As we explored the ruins, we happened to spot a rooftop bar nearby. As we have a serious weakness for rooftop bars, we eagerly made our way over to El Mayor to enjoy some mezcal margaritas (yes, plural). The views of the city and Templo Mayor below are simply remarkable. Even without the margaritas, this would be a great stop (but better with margaritas…of course).
It was now time for lunch, so we made the ten-minute walk to Azul Historico. Upon arrival, we were at first puzzled as it didn’t appear we were at a restaurant at all, especially one as beautiful as the website had implied. However, as we walked a little further into the entrance, we discovered a beautiful courtyard nearly completely canopied by trees, from which hung dozens of ornate lights. A simply beautiful setting. Once seated, we ordered a couple of mezcals to sip and were kindly given English menus (thank goodness!). At the recommendation of our server, we ordered two delicious dishes. We also had several glasses of very enjoyable Mexican wine, which was a first for us both.
Saturday, we woke early and headed to Alameda Central, the city’s oldest park, filled with beautiful old trees and fountains.
Adjacent to the park is the Palacio de Belles Artes, a fine arts museum housed in a stunning building. While it’s reputed to be an amazing museum, we skipped it and opted instead to have coffee with a view at Café de la Gran Ciudad, which is located on the 8th floor of the Sears department store. Yes, you read that right…Sears.
After coffee, we headed practically next door to the Torre Latinoamericana building where we gawked at the magnificent 360-degree views from the 44th floor observatory.
Once we’d taken in the extensive views, we jumped into yet another Uber and made our way to San Jacinto Plaza in the neighborhood of San Angel, where they were holding their weekly art market. After perusing the dozens upon dozens of booths filled with delightfully vibrant art, we walked over to the San Angel Inn for lunch. My senses were overcome at this incredibly stunning restaurant, especially as I realized we were being led to a perfectly located table in their garden. The surroundings were absolutely incredible and the food, wine, margaritas (shocker) and service were completely on par with the ambiance.
On Sunday (our last full day), we headed over to Bosque de Chapultepec, which is the oldest and largest urban park in Latin America, and one of the oldest urban parks in the world. To say this park is large is a gross understatement. At over 1,600 acres, it’s approximately twice the size of Central Park in New York. As we entered the park, we headed straight for Castillo de Chapultepec, which was built in the late 1700s and – after serving many purposes over the years – now houses a national history museum. I’ll be honest, we didn’t come here for the museum – we came here for the views, and they did NOT disappoint!
After soaking in ALL the incredible views, we decided we either needed yet another margarita break or lunch (or both), so we decided to walk over to the neighborhood of Polanco (often referred to as the Beverly Hills of Mexico City). This was no easy feat because, as I mentioned before, this is a HUGE park. It took us nearly 30 minutes to reach the exit (at the great despair of my boyfriend who is not the biggest fan of seemingly endless walking).
After a superb steak lunch at Sonora Grill, we spent the rest of the day living the café life (aka, the good life). We sat at several outdoor cafes, enjoying the sunshine, a [few] bottles of Mexican wine and superb people watching. Not a bad way to spend a day.
Monday morning we enjoyed breakfast in lovely Condesa at Patagonia Parrilla de Campo, an Argentinian restaurant just a short walk from our hotel. We had the crepes and the enchiladas, both of which were delicious.
Soaking in our last available moments in Mexico City, we stopped for one last margarita (unless you count those at the airport) and then headed to Tout Chocolat for some edible souvenirs before sadly heading home.
Mexico City was a true delight in every sense. As for the concerns expressed to us beforehand, I can say quite honestly that we never felt unsafe – we even felt comfortable walking around at night (at least in the neighborhood of Condesa). The people were warm and friendly, the food delicious, the green spaces incredible (both in number and appearance), the history far reaching, the architecture beautiful (almost felt like being in Europe) and if you love art/museums, this is your destination – Mexico City is rumored to have more than 150! My only regret was that we didn’t learn more Spanish beforehand – there wasn’t quite as much English spoken as we had expected.
If you have even the slightest inkling to go, I whole-heartedly encourage you to give Mexico City a try. You won’t be disappointed. We certainly weren’t!
Tracy Thornton, Guest Blogger
Read a short bio on Tracy in Red Shoes. Red Wine.‘s Guest Contributor section here. Follow Tracy’s adventures in Travel, Wine, and Photography on Instagram: @texanstracy and see her featured blog posts on Red Shoes. Red Wine. here: Tracy Thornton, Guest Blogger