Mexico - Mexico City

We kicked off 2016 with a long weekend trip to Mexico City! Nothing says January better than 70F and clear skies :) Before this trip, the only city in Mexico we'd visited was Cancun... and we're not sure if that even counts as Mexican anymore.

Mexico City is an awesome mix of Asian mega-cities such as New Delhi and more western cities such as NYC. For example, the Centro District (Zocalo) has old cobble stone streets, counterfeit dealers on the sidewalks, numerous shops selling inferior quality goods next to brand name stores... but Paseo de la Reforma has incredibly wide sidewalks, three lane traffic on each side, international brand hotels such as the St. Regis, and is extremely well maintained. Another big positive for Mexico City is that your money really goes a long way. Most entrees at average quality restaurants cost less than 100 pesos ($5.50) and a cerveza at most places is under 30 pesos ($1.50).

Here's a quick summary of what we did, followed by some advice if you visit, fun facts, and summary of our favorite pictures.

Day 1 - Friday

• Stayed at Marriott Reforma
• Dinner at Casa de Tono
• Walk to Zocalo
• UberX to La Condesa for al pastor tacos at El Tizoncito and El Califa
• Tricked Fate into taking a shot of mezcal

Day 2 - Saturday (food day)

• UberX to Coyocan
• Casa Azul (Frida Kahlo's house and now a museum)
• Walk to Mercado Coyocan for a snack, some fresh fruit, and aguas frescas
• Walk to Mercado de Antijitos for some quesadillas from an abuela
• Explore the Coyocan plaza and surrounding area
• Walk to lunch at Corazon de Maguey (get the lengua mole) and coffee at El Jarocho
• Snack at El Pescadito
• Work out at the Marriott followed by sauna and hot-tub
• Dinner at Tacontento followed by drinks at Boomers Bar

Day 3 - Sunday

• UberX to brunch at El Hidalguense
• Walk to Chapultepec park and castle
• Walk along Paseo de la Reforma
• Shopping at Reforma 222
• UberX to Zocalo to see the National Palace in daylight
• UberX to dinner at Villa Maria in Polanco

Advice if you visit

• Stay around Paseo de la Reforma so that you are close to Condesa, Roma, Polanco, Coyocan, and Zocalo
• Get a sim card from Telcel at the airport (another reason to stop buying locked iPhones...) and usse UberX to get everywhere; its super convenient with plenty of supply, affordable, and takes out the negotiation element of taxis
• The Frida Kahlo museum gets very busy with both locals and tourists around 11:30am, so be sure to get there when it opens at 10am
• El Hidalguense, El Califa, and El Jarocho are "must visits" if you come here and want great food
• Many dinner places in Polanco close by 8pm on Sunday and stop accepting guests at 7:15pm, so plan accordingly

Fun facts

• The locals love hanging out at Coyocan on the weekends... as do peddlers so if you chose to eat at the main plaza, get a seat inside the restaurant and not on the patio
• Paseo de la Reforma is closed to cars on Sunday mornings so that people can walk, jog, and bike along the avenue; there are some fun zumba classes that take place right on the street!
• Renting a stretch Hummer limo for quinceaneras is a real thing... we saw teens like six different times being obnoxious in these Hummers over the weekend
• If you see a line out the door in Mexico City, there's a 90% chance its for an ATM
• PDA++ is quite common, especially while waiting for the light to turn red so you can cross the street

Summary of pictures

View from hotel, those are two volcanoes in the background!

Guess what meat this is 

Fate's personal obsession

Spectre Pilgrimage 

Would love to try more traditional Mexican meals