mexico city – flowers in the library

Walking Mexico City

June 24, 2019June 24, 2019Posted in TravelTagged Mexico, mexico city, restaurants in Mexico City, travel blog, travel tips, traveler, visit Mexico, where to go in Mexico CityLeave a comment

Let’s say you’re in the city for a day and want to walk as much as possible.

Last Friday I got to show a foreign friend around Mexico City. She arrived on Thursday afternoon and we would leave for the coast on Saturday morning, so we only had a whole day to look around. It is impossible to get to see everything even when you live there, so I just tried to incorporate a bit of everything into the day: museums, food, architecture, nature.

Moreover, all these places would have to be reachable by foot. I obviously had to choose one area of the city, and to be honest it wasn’t that hard: Polanco/Chapultepec, to the north, is where many of my favourite places are and it’s far less crowded than the centre. I have to say that the main reason I wanted to walk was budget (no car, Uber is expensive and traffic is terrible, plus I don’t really feel safe using public transport in Mexico City anymore). In the end we walked about 7 miles and had a great time. This is what we did we went.

Brunch at Ojo de Agua, Masaryk

First things first. We started our day in one of the fanciest areas of the city, but in a place that was both affordable and delicious. Ojo de Agua combines a boho vibe with folkloric elements, and offers a healthy, chic (avocado toast kind of place) menu with a hint of traditional cuisine. It really is Mexican cuisine with a twist. The restaurant is beautiful, decorated like a market, with a comfy, spacious terrace you won’t want to leave.

Museo Jumex

The Jumex Museum is not far from Masaryk and it currently hosts a Marcel Duchamp + Jeff Koons expo that is pretty… photogenic (sorry, I’m not much for contemporary art). The entrance is free for students (and not very expensive if you’re not) and you get to walk along three floors of artworks. The Jumex Museum is famous for its daring expositions and its wonderful museography. If this is too hipster for you, the Museo Rufino Tamayo would be my second option: it’s also beautiful in its architecture and holds some of the most interesting pieces by Mexican artists. It’s also on the way to our next stop.

Walk along Polanquito and Lincoln Park

Polanquito is one of my favourite parts of the city. Its beautiful houses turned into restaurants and cafés, its art galleries, boutique stores. This is the part where you get yourself some coffe. Some personal faves: Joselo and Biscottino. Get it to go and enjoy it while walking through Lincoln Park towards Paseo de la Reforma.

Paseo de la Reforma

Walking along Mexico City’s most famous avenue is always rewarding. Depending on the season you’ll see different beautiful gardens featuring seasonal flowers. This time we walked from the National Auditorium towards Chapultepec Castle, our next stop.

Chapultepec Castle

Must you go here? Yes. To get there you’ll enter Chapultepec Forest, one of the last green lungs of the metropolis. Then you’ll walk up a small hill and come to the castle. It may not be impressive in size, but you’ll find its stairs and balconies pretty amusing. Its gardens are also very pretty and the views of the city are wonderful.

Paseo de la Reforma II

Chapultepec was really the last stop on my list, but I could not let my friend leave the city without a picture in front of the Angel of Independence, the city’s icon. So we left the forest and continued walking along Paseo de la Reforma. We were lucky because there was a flower festival going on, so the whole boulevard was covered in flowers and other plants.

The Angel was our last stop. I have to confess we didn’t walk home from there, we took an Uber. However, if you’re already at the Angel of Independence and you don’t feel like going home yet, you can take another 20 minute walk towards la Roma and end your day at my favourite restaurant in the city, Mog Bistro. From there you’ll find plenty to do since the area comes alive at night.

I am amazed at the many faces of Mexico City; I’m also surprised at how much our means of transport affect the way we perceive a place. I discovered many things in familiar places, I saw curious ensembles of people, squirrels climbing bizarre surfaces.

Have you been to Mexico City? What do you think of it? Also, let me know if you find any of these recommendations useful!

Hidden Corners of Mexico City

June 3, 2019June 2, 2019Posted in TravelTagged books, bookshops, churches, discover mexico, flowersinthelibrary, Mexico, mexico city, travel blog, traveler4 Comments

About a year ago, when I was still living in Mexico City, a friend and I found ourselves in what seemed to be a small town in the middle of the city. It is not surprising to see this kind of thing here—think, for example, of Coyoacán or Tlalpan, actual towns that were at some point devoured by the metropolis and are now part of it—. What I found surprising was that this place was so close to where I lived, somewhere nearby the Parque Hundido, a very famous park surrounded by tall buildings in the Del Valle neighbourhood. One minute we were walking in the city, and suddenly we found ourselves in a cobblestone street, in a small plaza with a seemingly very old church, a fountain and barely any people.

There was, too, a beautiful, small, quirky bookshop in which we spent almost an hour. Then we left, met some other friends back in the city and I forgot about the church and the bookshop. That is until I wanted to find them again and I couldn’t. I didn’t know the name of the church or the bookshop and didn’t come across them while walking around the park.

Now I no longer live in Mexico City, but I haven’t managed to move all my stuff, so I find myself making monthly trips in which I try to fit as many things as I can in my car. Last month I used one of those trips as an excuse to go on a hike nearby. On my way back, the other hikers dropped me at a gas station in Mixcoac, which meant only a 20 or 30-minute walk home. I guess I was overconfident about knowing my way in the city because at some point I got lost in a series of streets bearing the names of famous painters—Rodin, Millet, Perugino, Carracci—. I knew I was not far because the names were familiar and pride prevented me from using Google maps. And suddenly, just around a very modern, normal-looking corner, there it was: the plaza with the church and the bookshop.

As I saw it, I was walking in the city and then I was not. I was somewhere else altogether. To one side, there was an old church surrounded by palm trees, its roof peeling off, its bells in a bad state, ivy climbing up its walls, squirrels perched on its bell towers. To the other side, across the cobblestone street, there was a small plaza with a fountain, a couple of (old) people sitting in its benches and a few, colonial-looking houses behind (one of those was the bookshop!). This time I made a mental note for I had no time to stay: the street was Rodin, just a few blocks behind the Parque Hundido.

And yesterday I went back, this time knowing where I was going, sure that I could find it. And I did. The church is called Parroquia de San Juan Apóstol y Evangelista (Parrish of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist) and the bookshop is named José María Luis Mora (a 19th-century historian). The plaza is called Gómez Farías after an 18th-century politician. I couldn’t help thinking how cool it is that everything there is named after obscure characters: a historian no one has heard of, one of the only Mexican presidents no one hates because no one remembers him and, let’s put it this way, not one of the most famous apostles.

To get there I just walked past the Parque Hundido—which means “sunken park” because the park is actually in a hole. It’s famous because it’s pretty and because Octavio Paz spent his afternoons there. Or perhaps because Roberto Bolaño said he did in his novel The Savage Detectives. Right behind the park, going East, there’s a strange intersection, and turning left on Rodin street you just have to walk a few yards until you find the plaza. Yesterday there were only three old men scattered on the benches and the church was closed. It is a small miracle to find an empty place in a city like this, so I sat there a while, listening to the birds and wondering how many hidden gems like this are in the city. It was like stepping into a time machine, this place where every building was named after forgotten heroes and thinkers, where everybody around seemed to be old and even the cars parked around were “vintage”. I always find it amusing how little I know of Mexico City.

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Coffee Nooks in Mexico City

December 17, 2018December 16, 2018Posted in TravelTagged cafes, cafes in mexico city, cdmx, coffee lovers, Mexico, mexico city, travel blog, travel tips mexico, visit Mexico4 Comments

After almost five years living here, Mexico City both vexes and fascinates me still. A feeling that undulates between being where things happen and being overwhelmed by its many buildings, streets, cars, planes and general buzz. Somewhere amidst the chaos, however, I have found little havens where to stay sound, let down my guard and write, read or just be. Many of these places happen to coffee shops, who would have thought. These are the coffee shops I’ll miss the most now I’m moving:

Almanegra Café, Roma

If you’re looking for a cup of coffee to come back to life after a night out or, say, an allnighter of thesis writing, this is the place. This coffee shop offers so many brewing methods and everything between a cold brew and a cappuccino. The main appeal of this place is the coffee. It is a great place for a conversation, but not so much for reading— it is not that cozy or comfy.

Biscottino, Polanco

This is a cosy litte coffee shop in Polanquito, a few steps away from Lincoln park. After a stroll and some bird watching in the area, this is the place to go for a cup. There are many spots for coffee in this area, but Biscottino is by far one of the best for coffee and matcha lattes. It’s usually quiet, so it’s the perfect spot for reading or sketching.

Hermann Thomas, Coyoacán

This is one of the best specialty coffee places in Mexico City. Just like Almanegra, the best thing about it the quality of its coffee, as well as the variety of brewing methods they offer. Hermann Thomas is also one of the pretties coffee shops out there: its comfy couches and privacy make it one of the best places for a date or some alone time.

Café Negro, Coyoacán

This place is right next to Coyoacán’s main square and it’s usually very busy (weekends are impossible). They offer really good coffee and a large variety of drinks, but it is not an ideal place to go with company, it’s more of a work space with shared large tables and high chairs. It’s the perfect place to get some writing done.

Café Joselo, Polanco

Tierra Garat

This is a chain, but nevertheess one of the best places for hot chocolate lovers. The best thing about Tierra Garat is their spiced coffee. They have three mixes of coffee and chocolate with spices and they’re all amazing. It’s a nice place for a chat but usually not quiet enough for reading or working. There are several locations, my favourites are the ones on Avenida Eugenia, Colonia del Valle, and Jalapa, Colonia Roma. On the downside, they only serve in disposable cups.

Blend Station, Condesa

This place is the perfect combination between a workspace and a specialty coffee shop. The coffee here is next level, but the atmosphere (lofi music, appropiate lightning, large tables) make it the best for writing or working. They also have really good food and amazing lattes.