EnRoute

What a trip getting to Mexico City. Rachael and I started our day at 4:30am getting dressed and ready for the airport then taking an Uber to our local airport before flying to Miami. We ended up with plenty of time to spare since neither Rachael nor I checked any luggage (hurray for packing light!). In Miami, we had a 2 hour layover to traverse the expanse that is Miami International airport. We had some disappointing airport Cuban sandwiches (they weren’t pressed, what’s up with that?). Our flight from Miami to Mexico City was 3hr 40 min with minimal turbulence. I listened to the first 5 episodes of The Hurricane tapes podcast. If you like true crime podcasts like Serial, you’ll love the Hurricane tapes. It’s about an African American boxer wrongly accused of murdering 3 white people in New Jersey and inspired a song by Bob Dylan.

Rachael and I landed in Mexico and queued in customs for a bit. After that, we breezed right past baggage claim (no checked bags) and hailed a $5 Uber to our Airbnb (Ubers are so cheap in Mexico). The Airbnb is in Mexico City’s Roma district. It was originally an upper-class neighborhood turned middle-class neighborhood. Following gentrification in the 2000s, Roma became a bit of a hipster neighborhood. Our Airbnb is in a beautiful modern apartment with exposed i-beams, doorman, and a lightwell with several plants.

Late Lunch

After dropping our bags off, we took a quick siesta and then headed to Comedor de los Milagros for lunch. It’s a cool indoor/outdoor food hall serving everything from arepas to donuts, cocktails, and pizza. I got some spicy chicken and Rachael got a shredded beef and cheese pancake that was amazing (photo below).

There were Aperol brand ambassadors handing out free Aperol Spritzes as well, so in addition to the Gin and Tonic and Pisco Sour that Rachael and I got, we also got to try Aperol Spritzes. We also ordered 2 donuts, filled with Dulce de Leche, and Nutella, respectively (devoured before a picture could be taken).

Zocalo and the Metropolitan Cathedral

After lunch, we took an Uber to Zocalo, the common name of the main square in central Mexico City. It’s a massive open-air plaza bordered by the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, which we got to go inside of.

Café de Olla

From the main plaza, we walked to a neighboring coffee shop for some much-needed caffeine to try and drum up a second wind and make up for our lack of sleep the night before. We ordered Café de Olla, a traditional Mexican coffee beverage consisting of ground coffee, cinnamon, and panela, brewed in an Earthen clay pot. It was delicious and this time I did manage to get a photo before I drank it all.

Park and Chinese New Year

After our coffee pit stop, we walked along Av Fransisco I. Madero, a pedestrian-only thoroughfare with shops on either side which led us to Alameda Central Park a large beautiful park filled with people riding bikes, skateboarding, eating, and walking about. We stopped into a corner store to pick up some sundries and came across the tail-end of a Chinese New Year Celebration happening just outside along a smaller road (I’ve got to get better about taking pictures).

Night Tacos

That night we Ubered back to the apartment and walked up the road to a small taqueria and got some tacos al pastor to bookend our day.