Mexico City in 5 Days
Here's the thing with Mexico City - it's huge, but it doesn't have to feel that way. The majority of the central area is incredibly landscaped with urban gardens and a slew of plants that make the streets feel like a tropical jungle is growing amidst the skyscrapers. We had five days to explore Mexico City and three of those days we worked, so this is a super basic list of what we loved during our time there. We are already planning a trip back to see the Frida museum and to possibly eat at Bujol or Maximo (which both seem to require reservations two months in advance, so it wasn't in the cards for this trip).
Where to Stay
One of the most popular neighborhoods in Mexico City is the Roma area. There are a ton of great restaurants, coffee shops (aside, there is AMAZING coffee to be found in Mexico City), and bars to explore. We stayed in the adjourning neighborhood, Condesa. It would have been easy to keep ourselves in this area only without venturing further away. In Condesa, there is what I'll call a track (for lack of a better word) called "Amsterdam." It's a loop that circles around a large part of the neighborhood with a pedestrian-only median (track) that is about one mile. You can stay on this loop and check out all of the restaurants, shops, and bars in the area. There are a lot of joggers and walkers who take advantage of the track, which makes the area feel both safe and youthful. We noticed that there were a large number of barber shops and nail salons here (in case you're looking for a haircut or a pedicure).
MUSEUMS & SITES
Needless to say that Mexico City is saturated with incredible museums, relics, and ruins. The Zocalo (Centro) itself has a large set of ruins that were discovered back in the 1970s when a developer attempted to dig and build a parking lot. Now you can walk through the museum and see artifacts that have been preserved. We spent a day roaming through Zocalo and especially enjoyed the (free) Museum of Photography and Zara (not a museum, but a good stop if you're in the mood to dig through a lot of rayon).
The Museum of Anthropology was another favorite. It's perfectly organized and you can easily spend four hours there (Spencer actually did).
Another morning was dedicated to Teotihuacan, the massive archeological site (Pre-Columbian pyramids just north of Mexico City). Here we cruised the Avenue of the Dead and climbed up the Sun and the Moon pyramids. You can take the bus out and back, or just take an Uber (for about $20 each way). Regardless, just make sure you arrive at 8am when it opens to avoid the masses.
The Museum of Anthropology was another favorite. It's perfectly organized and you can easily spend four hours there (Spencer actually did).
Another morning was dedicated to Teotihuacan, the massive archeological site (Pre-Columbian pyramids just north of Mexico City). Here we cruised the Avenue of the Dead and climbed up the Sun and the Moon pyramids. You can take the bus out and back, or just take an Uber (for about $20 each way). Regardless, just make sure you arrive at 8am when it opens to avoid the masses.
Food You Want to Eat
When I visited Mexico City in 2012, it was tough being a vegetarian. I ate guacamole and not much else. I'm not complaining, guac is wonderful, but in a culture that is so proud of its cuisine, I felt I missed that whole piece of the experience. In 2018 the experience of eating in Mexico City could not be more different. There was vegan and vegetarian food everywhere. There was even a vegan food truck (I've never seen that before here) selling street tacos. In short, eating in DF was a total pleasure. Here are the best places we ate in the city:
-- BREAKFAST & ESPRESSO --
Lalo! is located in the Condesa area and honestly, I have never had better chilaquiles in my entire life. And I have sampled many chilaquiles. When I plate came out I faked being scared of the portion size, then ate the majority of it while drinking a perfect latte. The cool thing about this restaurant is that most of the seating is at a huge community table in the center. There is unique artwork on the walls and it has kind of a Pokemon vibe to it. Yum to the yum.
Buena 42 on calle Orizaba in Roma was totally...buena. The shop is small, but they're good at managing the space so it doesn't feel too crowded. Even if you're just walking by, get a latte con leche de almendras to go and your day will be a little bit more...you know.
Panderia Rossetta - Go here and order an higo (fig) croissant and a latte. There, you've accomplished all you need to do today.
-- LUNCH & DINNER
Forever Vegano - a vegan cafe in Roma has a great menu full of traditional Mexican foods revised as vegan. Purists can stick their nose up, but they'll miss the mushroom pastor tacos and then who's laughing?
Taco trucks - they are everywhere, enough said.
-- BREAKFAST & ESPRESSO --
Lalo! is located in the Condesa area and honestly, I have never had better chilaquiles in my entire life. And I have sampled many chilaquiles. When I plate came out I faked being scared of the portion size, then ate the majority of it while drinking a perfect latte. The cool thing about this restaurant is that most of the seating is at a huge community table in the center. There is unique artwork on the walls and it has kind of a Pokemon vibe to it. Yum to the yum.
Buena 42 on calle Orizaba in Roma was totally...buena. The shop is small, but they're good at managing the space so it doesn't feel too crowded. Even if you're just walking by, get a latte con leche de almendras to go and your day will be a little bit more...you know.
Panderia Rossetta - Go here and order an higo (fig) croissant and a latte. There, you've accomplished all you need to do today.
-- LUNCH & DINNER
Forever Vegano - a vegan cafe in Roma has a great menu full of traditional Mexican foods revised as vegan. Purists can stick their nose up, but they'll miss the mushroom pastor tacos and then who's laughing?
Taco trucks - they are everywhere, enough said.
Shopping
GOODBYE FOLK - When I was in middle school there was this thrift shop in the cool part of town called Avalon. I would go in there every Saturday and try on the Doc Martens I was saving up for. The apparel always felt a bit too out of reach for me at 13, but it instilled this excitement of being around people who saw getting dressed as a creative act. That same feeling presented itself when I walked through the doors at Goodbye Folk, a store that I sought out purely based on the New York Times article titled 36 Hours in Mexico City. It was like being a hopeful teenager all over again, wild printed leather boots, a whole rack of men's cowboy snap button shirts, and a range of baby doll dresses I haven't seen since the Nirvana days. It was in fact, a quite small little moment of nirvana in DF.
CUIDADELA MARKET - This is where you go for handicrafts on most days. I've heard that on Saturday there's an even better market in San Angel, but we missed that one. You can spend hours here doing laps around the stalls and will find everything you could ever want to take home with you. Hand embroidered pillow cases, dresses, and placemats, woven wool rugs and ponchos, pottery, you name it. In other words, heeeeavvvan. Or daaaanger. Depending on who you ask.
CUIDADELA MARKET - This is where you go for handicrafts on most days. I've heard that on Saturday there's an even better market in San Angel, but we missed that one. You can spend hours here doing laps around the stalls and will find everything you could ever want to take home with you. Hand embroidered pillow cases, dresses, and placemats, woven wool rugs and ponchos, pottery, you name it. In other words, heeeeavvvan. Or daaaanger. Depending on who you ask.
Cocktails & Beer
Baltra - my new favorite is not cheap, but the drinks are super. I'm not even sure of the name of the drink I settled on for the night, but when I said "something spicy with mezcal," this is what I got and it was splendid.
Felix - We showed up here at the exact time the bar was supposed to open, then ended up cruising around the block for a half an hour and checking in every ten minutes trying to look nonchalant while they set up. This is a tiny spot, and the best seats are at the bar. We hung out here for an entire night and enjoyed challenging the bartender to make us his spiciest cocktail. He finally believed us when we said "picante" and we ended up with perfection in a rocks glass.
Felix - We showed up here at the exact time the bar was supposed to open, then ended up cruising around the block for a half an hour and checking in every ten minutes trying to look nonchalant while they set up. This is a tiny spot, and the best seats are at the bar. We hung out here for an entire night and enjoyed challenging the bartender to make us his spiciest cocktail. He finally believed us when we said "picante" and we ended up with perfection in a rocks glass.