MEXICO Trifecta! (Chapter One: Mexico City)

A.K.A. I’m deee-termined to wrap up a new TL post before the ball drops on the final minute of 2022!

Once again, multiple months have slipped by w/o a mot here amid the halls of TravelnLass.  But I must say – 2022 has been an especially epic year for me, so it’s about time I poked in here to share.

First, snagging my beautiful new Cuenca digs (penthouse w/ a 180° view of the gurgling Tomebamba for but peanuts!) last February.  Then a month+’s romp in Barcelona and north-to-south in the Land of Italia.  And finally rounding out the post-covid scene (a.k.a. “OMG, you mean I can actually hop on silver cigar-tubes again – yippeee!) with three weeks sampling the diversity of México.

I’ve been to Mexico a handful of times in my life – not the least of which was my initial summer’s romp with my two dd’s (then aged just 5 and 8 years) along with a girlfriend and her young son.  Indeed, that Mexico trip was the catalyst for my many international travels that followed (to 50+ countries).  Furthermore, it seems my favored travel “style” (i.e. authentic, free-wheeling, serendipitous) was evident even way back then.  I can still fondly recall the beach camping (mixed w/ comfy hotels every few days), and all 5 of us rocking “Jeremiah was a bull frog!” at the top of our lungs on a local bus bumping through the dark night from Mazatlán to Puerto Vallarta.  Ah yes – “JOY to the world!” indeed.  #goodtimes.

Later, I turned the style-dial up a notch, and spent a week in Acapulco solo (and as I recall… enjoyed a bit of a “fling” with a dreamboat of a lad sharing the splendor of sunny days and starry nights along the shore).  And then there was (decades later) my wondrous gawk at those golden Monarch butterflies (literally) dripping from the trees in the mountains of Michoacán, Mexico.

But of course the land of Mexico is nothing if not HUGE.  And verily chock-full of diversity.  So this trip was designed to sample three new and different locales:

1. First – a week exploring CDMX (i.e. Ciudad de Mexico) – among the most populous cities on the Planet (weighing in at 22+ MILLION!), followed by…
2. A week in Oaxaca to witness the legendary “Día de los Muertos” festivities. And finally (though I’m not usually a “beach-person”)…
3. A week to just relax and wiggle sun-kissed toes in the sand at Puerto Escondido.

No small medley of treats there, with lots of exciting new places to see (not to mention, all manner of delish Mexican foods to EAT!)  So let’s start Chapter One of this “Mexico Trifecta!” tale with my week in Mexico City.

I had 6 full days to make a dent in this humungous city, but I did my research well and had mapped-out all of the museums, markets, sights, etc. that I wanted to see on my handy-dandy Maps.me app (which unlike Google maps, allows you to navigate on foot even when you’re off-line).

I’d been to CDMX (for just a single day and night) once before (after my jaw-dropping visit to see the Monarch butterfly migration 5 years ago), so I (kinda…) knew the metro system.  And I’d taken a (fantastic!) food tour in the Roma neighborhood, as well as a mescal tasting night tour in the historic center.  But that still left a BOATLOAD of corners of the city to explore.

In retrospect:  On this trip, in just 6 days I managed to visit 4 different museums, 3 markets (incl. the Jamaica flower market which – given the nearness of La Dia de los Muertos festival – was especially brimming with an abundance of “caléndulas”/marigolds), dine on Peking duck in China Town, experience the (spectacular) “Frida” sound and light immersion show.  Plus… not one but two fabulous parades (the colorful “Alebrijes” parade, along with the night “Catrina Procession”.  All this, interspersed with sampling the amazing array of Mexican street food at every turn.

I also snapped more than 300 photos along the way (edited down to but a handful below).

MEXICO CITY MUSEUMS

Apparently there are more than 150 museums in CDMX.  And further Googling reveals that the most popular include the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Chapultepec Park, followed closely by the seemingly (based on the plethora of “Top 10 Best…” in CDMX lists online) the (imho, uber over-priced) “Casa Azul” (a.k.a the “Frida” museum) in the Coyoacán neighborhood.  I actually went to Chapultepec Park on my last full day in CDMX (primarily to unearth a legendary Mexico “Doriloco”- more on this under “CHAPULTEPEC” below), but…

In the end, I opted to pass on both of these, and instead focused on four museums that particularly interested me.

Every inch covered with a gazillion bitsy beads!

MUSEO DE ARTE POPULAR
In my online research I’d stumbled across a most intriguing Mexico artifact – a VW Beetle bejeweled with a gazillion teensy beads over every inch.  But for the life of me, I could never pin-down exactly where this unique oddity was located in CDMX (or if it was even there anymore).

Though I never was able to confirm it – it seemed my best bet was that it miiiiight be at the Museo de Arte Popular – so that’s where I headed on my first morning in Mexico City.

Happily, my hunch proved correct – just an easy-peasy 15 minute walk from my hotel, there it was – that elusive VW Beetle, sitting comely in the entry of the (free for we dodderin’s) Popular Art museum.  But that was just the first treat of eye-candy – the (3 floors) of the museum were chock-full of a most eclectic assortment of colorful art.

After feasting my eyes on all the quirky artifacts, I opted to refuel at (one of the many) recommended eateries on my list:  “La Texcocana” – a tiny (just 3 stools and a counter) torteria serving up simple tortas for nearly a hundred years!

There, I happily ordered my first authentic Mexican street-eat:  a “torta de carnita” (a crusty sandwich stuffed with “cerdo”/pork with a side of hot peppers), and chatted with a trio of doctors from the nearby hospital (Yes Virginia, knowing a bit of Spanish makes your Latin American travels much more fun!)

MUSEO DEL PULQUE
Later, I managed to find one of the tiniest museums on the city’s voluminous 100+ list – the Museo del Pulque.  Said to be the the beverage of gods, the pre-Hispanic “pulque” drink was once used only in sacred ceremonies, and its consumption was forbidden to people younger than 60 years old.  Several punishments were involved for those who dared to break that prohibition, even death.  Lucky for me (at well over the death penalty age of 60), I simply strolled in and enjoyed learning of the long history of the fermented concoction, and sampled a variety of flavors of this ancient drink.

MUSEO SOUMAYA
A most iconic, eye-popping CDMX landmark – this private museum (filled with 6 stories of both ancient and contemporary fine art from all over the globe including originals by Rodin, da Vinci, Matisse, and Picasso) is a twisty architectural wonder covered in a bazillion tiny mirrors.  For this one, I joined up w/ a lad I met at my CDMX hotel to share the *400 pesos* taxi waaay across town to the upscale Polanco neighborhood.  But it was worth every peso – not only was the art collection impressive, but turned out… the “Frida” immersion light show that I was hoping to experience was located just a few blocks away.

As if that weren’t enough – at a little stand across the road, we had street tacos that were hands-down, the BEST in all of Mexico!

BOSQUE DE CHAPULTEPEC
And finally, on my last full day in CDMX, I again hopped on the handy (and free for we “tercera edads”!) underground Metro and headed to Chapultepec Park (a.k.a. “The lungs of Mexico City” – 1700 acres of lush nature and serenity – TWICE the size of NYC’s Central Park!)  With no fewer than 9 museums, two lakes, the Mexico City Zoo, a castle, and more – you could easily spend weeks there.

But my quest was very modest:  visit the Modern Art Museum, plus… find (and EAT!) a bright red bag of the legendary “Dorilocos” – a zany snack consisting of a ripped open bag of Dorito cheese chips, topped with all manner of eclectic sweet, salty, sour, crunchy, greasy, younameit junk-food (e.g. pickled pork rinds, chunks of jicama, cucumber, grated carrot, peanuts, and gummy bears – all doused with plenty of chili powder, lime juice, chamoy, and hot sauce).

THE MARKETS

Just to be clear: Bugs that I DID. NOT. eat!

Then there were the mercados – dozens of them! But I managed to get to a couple of my favorites.  Mercado San Juan – apparently the favored market of some of Mexico’s best chefs (along with avid home cooks like me!) – but also known for its wide variety of edible INSECTS and other exotic eats.  I managed to chew a crunchy “chapuline” (grasshopper!), and I also couldn’t resist a sandwich of (farmed) LION, along with my fave:  a yummy half-dozen fresh oysters.

And on another fine, sunshiny day, I again hopped on the Metro to the Jamaica Flower Market – brimming with more than 5,000 different blooms including extra boatloads of “caléndulas” (marigolds) for the coming Día de Muertos festival.  Even better, across from the flower market is a food market where I was able to satisfy my quest to sample another unique Mexican street eat called “huaraches”.  Named after their long oval shape – like the sole of a… yup, the leather sandal – these babies are HUGE (~10″ long) and filled with a variety of meats, cheese, peppers.  (See pics of the one I had, below in the “EATS” section).

btw, as long as we’re on the subject of CDMX “mercados” – I feel obligated to mention one that proved to be a great big FAIL for this traveler.  Once again, prompted by the glowing online reviews, I stopped (briefly) in at the massive mindless consumer complex of “La Ciudadela” market.  Best known for its artisanal goods (e.g. “A must for picking up souvenirs!”), um… personally, I found it uber-touristy with mind-numbing shelves of overpriced kitsch.  Suffice I was in and OUT of there faster than you can say “piñata”.

Yup, the TravelnLass popped a roasted grasshopper down her throat…

STRAY SERENDIPITY…

Then there were the quick bits of serendipity (albeit thanks primarily to my studious pre-trip research on all manner of CDMX sights and attractions).  Whilst aimlessly wandering around the central historic district one afternoon, I recalled that you could apparently hop on an elevator to the top floor of the Sears building (yes, THAT “Sears”) for a spectacular view of the Palacio de Bellas Artes directly across the street.  And so (naturally) that’s what I did.  For the price of a tasty iced macchiato in the 8th floor café – THIS was my eye-popping reward:

FRIDA: La Experiencia Inmersiva

I’ve long watched in awe of the “Immersive” sound and light shows that seem to be lately proliferating around the world.  Especially 360° extravaganzas like “Van Gogh ALIVE!”, etc.  But alas – not gonna happen here on this 8,400+ foot mountain-top in little ol’ Cuenca, Ecuador.

So you can only imagine my thrill to find such a spectacle in Mexico City and… needless to say the “Frida: La Experiencia Inmersiva” show I experienced was truly memorable!

Note the pic of my customary “TL toes-in-situ”, middle right.

THE PARADES! THE PARADES!

And then there were the parades – not one, but TWO!  The morning Alebrijes Parade (sponsored by none other than the Museo de Popular Art mentioned earlier – with the bejeweled VW bug), and a few days later the “Catrina” Parade.

“Albrijes” are a uniquely Mexican folk art – bright and colorful fanciful imaginary creatures.  And I (wisely) headed to the Zocolo in the historic center early so I was able to roam amid ALL the giant displays clustered together before the parade started.  And as that hour drew near, even better – I opted to find a balcony restaurant overlooking the Zocolo so I could leisurely munch on tasty “molletas” and watch the parade from above.

And the second parade… “The Catrina” is a famous Mexico Day of the Dead immortal icon.  Every year, thousands of massive Catrinas grace the streets of Mexico City and spectators dress up as the beloved skeletal Catrina.  As that parade was after dark, I teamed up with another lad from my hotel and we maneuvered amid the crowds to glimpse the colorful procession of bands, floats and Catrina characters.

And last, but definitely not least – a few words and pics of the many fabulous EATS…

THE EATS!

Best gelato in Mexico City – and what flavor did I order? Why “cerveza” of course!

Mexican food is one of only three on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list due to its complexity and rich history.  And I’m here to tell ya… the variety and quality of street eats ALONE in CDMX are nothing short of gastronomic HEAVEN!  Far too much to post here, but suffice I invite you to gaze at but a small sample of the many treats I managed to stuff into my mouth in my short week in Mexico City.

First up:  a special can of “cempasuchil” cerveza – enhanced with a drop of marigold flower extract in honor of El Día de Muertos; my yummy Peking Duck and mezcal cocktail in Chinatown; and… just your ordinary (nay, ever delicious!) plate of Mexico City street tacos!

Another trio of taste treats:  my LION sandwich and fresh oysters from Mercado San Juan, plus roasted “camotes” (sweet potatoes) slathered with condensed milk and fruit jam at the Jamaica Flower Market.

And finally – that huge plate of sandal-shaped “huaraches” that I enjoyed at the Jamaica market

And how ’bout a short video of those sandal-shaped “huaraches” being grilled?

Th-that’s it for Mexico City!  Arguably but a short visit, but I surely reveled in a wide assortment of new and fascinating sights (and eats!).  No doubt already worth the air fare from Ecuador, but I still had two more Mexico locales to explore.  So do stay tuned in 2023, as I continue my report of the incredible Day of the Dead festival in Oaxaca, as well as my sizzling week along the beautiful beach(es) of Puerto Escondido.

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