And with this trip, I finally complete the trifecta of North America and my 4th new country this year, Mexico. Folks are often surprised with my love of travel that I haven’t been to our neighbor to the south, but going to the popular resorts hasn’t been high on my lists. But I’ve been wanting to come to Mexico City for a few years and I was glad to get the group together to make this happen.
Many folks have told me that Mexico City is surprisingly cosmopolitan despite some historical perception issues. It’s one of the most populous in the world, the oldest capital in the Americas, and an urban sprawl which the photo above doesn’t do justice. It’s not only large and dense, but situated high on a plateau with an altitude of about 2,240 meters or 7,350 feet.
So on this Valentine’s Day, we departed New York City without issues considering the heavy snow from yesterday. Before our early flight to Mexico City by way of Detroit, we enjoyed the Delta lounge and the fabulous flight attendant that we had seen sashay through the terminal earlier. He was tall and complimented my coat. A photo of us on the plane in Detroit:
Upon arrival, we were waved toward the immigration lines, but later learned for tourism, we could have used the kiosks. After trying a few ATMs to withdraw some pesos, we found our Suntransfers driver and headed to our hotel, the JW Marriott in Polanco. Without traffic it’s about 25 minutes, but it took close to 45 and we experienced the same general Mexico City congestion throughout the day.
Polanco is nicknamed the “Beverly Hills of Mexico”, with luxury shopping, fancy restaurants, and embassies. We settled in at our hotel which has lovely amenities and then headed out. We called an Uber to take us to Zona Rosa. From my research, I had pinned a bunch of restaurants in this neighborhood in my Google map, but realized this was not only the gay neighborhood, but also the Korean! We enjoyed reading out the various restaurant names! We thought our driver was pointing at the naked man who was just wearing undies and wings to promote a store, but he was actually directing us to the taco restaurant and our destination.
We all had a good laugh, but were excited to try Tacos Orinoco. It has multiple locations around the city, and looked like a popular local spot and with a line quickly forming. We shared various tacos that were super tasty and really hit the spot, including al pastor which is prepared like a Middle Eastern shawarma and popularized by Lebanese immigrants. We paired with a large soda of guava and hibiscus:
We then walked a few blocks to La Casa de Toño which is famous for their pozoles, a native soup made with hominy. I had this in New Mexico and here, we shared the chicken and pork with a side of guacamole. Photos below, but I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of the quesadilla which looked more like a torta…
As we strolled through the shopping promenade, I managed to spot a distinctive couple that I recognized from my hotel in Zambia who were on our Zambezi River sunset cruise near Victoria Falls. I approached them and although they didn’t recognize me initially, we all confirmed we were indeed at the same hotel, shuttle, then cruise. I texted Amanda who was shocked but certain they would not remember me as they had a “good time” on the booze cruise. I circled the photo in the background of the couple who we had a lovely conversation with and here’s my flashback post from the river cruise (http://leadingalifeofcyn.blogspot.com/2023/12/victoria-falls-zambia-side.html):
We also saw this squirrel enjoy a mango from one of the fruit snack vendors who were right next to the Jehovah Witnesses - both are ubiquitous around the world:
We decided to head to the local Chinatown also known as Barrio Chino. It was decked out for the Lunar New Year, but we didn’t really see any Chinese people. However, it was nice to know they served Korean ramen!
We then walked over to Alameda Central Park and to see the Palacio de Bellas Artes which is nicknamed the “art cathedral of Mexico”. It’s known for hosting performing arts, galleries, and exhibitions. It also houses significant Diego Rivera murals.
The exterior is a blend of art nouveau, neoclassical, and art deco which we admired from the 8th floor of the Sears Department store across the street. I had read in several blogs that coming to the coffee shop for the view was worth it. You decide…
We ordered Mazapán lattes and people-watched the many couples enjoying Valentine’s Day. Here are some selfies:
We then headed to Vasconcelos library which had cool shelving that comes up in many Instagram suggestions. I considered it a B-list site and something to do while we wait for others to arrive. It definitely espouses the Mexican architectural aesthetic we are seeing - open air lower floors, stone, and lots of layering and steps. The shelves were indeed very cool:
We also have been remarking on the large murals we have been seeing around the city. Here’s one that appears to be an Aztec warrior:
We then headed to dinner at SoHo House where you’re not allowed to take photos, but was beautiful with well-appointed areas for relaxing and a beautiful oasis from the hustle and bustle of the city. We weren’t particularly hungry, but we loved the cocktails and the shrimp tacos, ceviche, poke, and chili shrimp. Yes, we inadvertently ordered similar dishes, but the queso fundido was quite tasty too. A photo below:
We returned to the hotel and Anne, my old college roommate had safely arrived! We then decided to go to bed early as we have an early morning tomorrow for some more Mexican adventures!
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