Mexico City

September 2022

Since I’m behind in my postings, as always, let me just remind you that: we are in Mexico, it is still summer, it is still very hot where you are and it is not actually the middle of December with several inches of snow outside.

When we arrived in Mexico City they were all still going on about their earthquake (OUR earthquake!) which had shook them around a bit as well. Our hotel, the Marriott Reforma, has a huge rooftop open terrace and I imagined being up there on the 16th floor, rocking and rolling like the Titanic, so I think we were lucky to have been on the 4th floor in Vallarta. We met up with our travel buddies, Tere and Martín, in from Los Angeles for the week. Martín came armed with a list of the top 50 bars in the world, 3 of which are in Mexico City.

Hector and I have discovered over the years that the secret to getting into popular places is simply to go early, the drawback being that you might be the only ones in the place. So we all went over to the Roma Norte neighborhood to visit Huset, small bar/ big restaurant, with great drinks and friendly mixologists. They sent us over to Hankypanky, a trendy bar that is set up like a speakeasy, with a fake Oaxacan cafe in front. If you are allowed in, as we were eventually, you sneak in through the broom closet. Inside is a flashy private club. Low light, with deco chandeliers, one room set up like a library. After a couple of cocktails we exited through the beer fridge back out into the pretend cafe, waving to the waiting line like Halston and Liza Minelli.

Next day the 4 of us took a very long taxi ride to the neighborhood of San Ángel. Most of our taxis were old tin cans with no shocks, so they were coasting about half an inch above the asphalt, making for a very sensory trip. San Ángel on a weekend can be a crowd challenge but all the vendors and shops were going full blast, so there’s that. It has a small zocalo, that day filled with local artists, and is surrounded by native arts on the street for sale, with the pricer boutiques inside the old colonial buildings nearby. There were lots of tourists. And let’s just extend that description to the rest of this whole visit to Mexico City. There were people.

We had lunch at Oxa, an energetic restaurant in the courtyard of a 16th century mansion across from the zocalo. Trendy Mexican fusion like we have been discovering all over Mexico. Ex: Aztec Caviar Infladita (Fried tortilla filled with ant eggs caramelized in butter and lemon cream) So there you are. My own choice of suckling pig was delicious if less creatively named. We then did some shopping (beautifully hand-stitched textiles) and squeezed back into a clown car for the trip back to our hotel.

We spent the next day visiting the Soumaya Museum, a striking building which houses a private collection of more than 60,ooo pieces spanning 30 centuries. Founded by one of Mexico’s richest robber barons, Carlos Slim, from his own collection, it is such a surprise because there is just so much to see as you wind down a continual spiral around the 6 floors of central galleries. Also a surprise because it cost nothing to visit. From there we walked to the Museo Nacional de Antropologia, a vast 1960’s building housing the huge collections of indigenous heritage, the stone Aztec carvings and artifacts from historical sites all over Mexico. The gardens hold temples and enormous stone sculptures of the deities. Quetzalcoatl, Huitzilopochtli, Tezcatlipoca, Tonatiuh. You know, them.

Closer to home, currently Paseo de Reforma, we wandered through the Condesa neighborhood, a former private estate acquired by the city and now a fashionable, shady enclave of parks and mid-century homes and apartment buildings. The Avenida Amsterdam encircles the whole neighborhood and, of course, there are adorable little cafes and boutiques everywhere, with old ladies and their chihuahuas, and nannies pushing rich babies around. But it is very attractive for a stroll, a few cocktails and the outstanding people watching.

And my very favorite day: Xochimilco, “a gritty working-class neighborhood which gives way to the famous canals of Xochimilco, the last remnants of a vast water transport system built by the Aztecs.” (my academic research extends only as deep as Wikipedia) So walking through the streets of the town toward the canals it doesn’t seem likely you are going to find anything remotely touristy but suddenly there they are- the famous gondolas tied at the dock, the guides come running out, you arrange a trip (the four of us had our own private gondola for around $100 US for 3 hours. Bucket of beer and food extra.) For the next few hours we floated through the narrow canals, gondolier passing along jokes and information. It was Sunday so there were many local families and groups celebrating in the other boats, small gondolas selling fresh tacos, elotes, tequila shots. Gondolas with mariachis jumping from boat to boat for a few pesos to play your requests. The many gondolas got packed together in some areas, so there was much laughter and yelling back and forth, as the guests all toasted each other for their happy birthday, anniversary, wedding day, wake, whatever. It was a very happy day of many surprises, so I recommend it without hesitation. Go on Sunday.

Throughout this week, we had some great local food and then Hector and I, on our final night, treated ourselves to dinner at Pujol, which was named as Mexico City’s best restaurant, so we were lucky to reserve a table (months in advance) for dinner at 6pm. The signature dish is mole, a very traditional dark sauce. Here, as part of a tasting menu, two types are served simply on a plate with tortillas. The rest of the evening consisted of one priceless gem after another, served by a choreographed array of super models and future movie stars. The room was gorgeous, the cocktails were nectar, food ambrosia. (Check astronomical)

On previous trips, I had always felt a little nervous about Mexico City’s size, reputation, volume etc, but this time it felt safe, exciting, and welcoming. We are already planning our return.

Oh yes, finally, back to Spain, tra la, and it wasn’t too long before we hit the road again–for a glamorous weekend birthday celebration in Mallorca, which included yachts, exclusive hotels and me with an injured knee. Stay tuned.