Mexico City, Mexico: Whirlwind Weekend Trip

Time for a fast-paced winter getaway to Mexico City!

Mexico City, Mexico
Dates of Travel: Friday, February 14th, 2020 – Monday, February 17th, 2020

Winters in Chicago are crushingly long, with chilly temperatures enduring for easily half the year.  In an effort to find some respite, we have made it a habit to get away for a few days each February.  Sometimes it is only my husband and I who go on these February winter escapes, but on this occasion all six members of my family planned to go: myself, my husband, my sister, my brother-in-law, and my mom and dad.  After some deliberation, and despite only having President's Day weekend to work with, we decided on Mexico City as our destination.

We would have liked to spend longer than basically just two full days there – especially since it was our first time visiting the country of Mexico whatsoever – but thanks to limited PTO between the six of us, that is all the time we had to spare for this visit.

Air Travel: Departing from O'Hare Airport and Arriving in Mexico City

The six of us arrived at O’Hare Airport about 2.5 hours before our scheduled departure time.  Interjet (a Mexican airline that is apparently no longer operational) had urged us to arrive 3 hours early for the international flight, but this proved to be unnecessary; we were able to check in, check our bags, and make it through security all in 13 minutes (I timed it). This, thankfully, is my usual experience at O’Hare.  TSA pre-check helps, but it is often not imperative, as my parents did not have pre-check status and still we all made it through in that quick frame of time.

Although our plane was sitting at the gate “On Time,” skies were clear, and crew was present, we did not begin the boarding process until nearly our scheduled departure time of 3:20pm. An hour later we were in the air. Leg room on the plane was ample, but drink service did not begin until we were firmly over Texas, which was approximately halfway through our ~4.5 hour flight time.

In spite of our plane's late start we touched down in Mexico City perfectly on time at 7:55pm. There was a bit of rain upon our arrival but we were happy to get it out of the way for the clear and sunny weekend that followed. In any case, even with the rain Mexico City was still warmer and far more comfortable than the wintry weather we had left behind.

I had completed and printed those online tourist visa entry forms in advance, so that aspect of the entry process was fairly uncomplicated (though my sister was hassled a bit by her entry agent, who was unfamiliar with the online form). Instead, we mostly feared delay from Mexico City’s (in)famous traffic, which we had gotten an eyeful of from the air during our descent. Luckily we found that this traffic mostly seemed to flow in the opposite direction of our private shuttle van and we were able to make it to our centrally-located hotel (in "El Centro Historico" district) in reasonable time.

Though traffic did little to delay us, it was still fairly late by the time we arrived at the hotel – probably approaching 10pm. We were all starving by then and wanted to find somewhere to eat in a hurry. After a short walk down the block and around the corner we found that not much was still open in El Centro Historico (other than Taquería Los Cocuyos, which specializes in “odds and ends” meat – I know it is a popular place but with our exhaustion we were not feeling so adventurous). We wound up getting al pastor tacos and oversized drinks (horchata and orange agua fresca) from a taco stand right beside our hotel. Though we chose to eat there mostly out of desperation and convenience we wound up being surprisingly satisfied with both the quality of the food and the service.

Hotel Punto MX

We were very happy with Hotel Punto MX. It was stylish, modern, clean, and comfortable. It had all of the amenities we needed for a comfortable stay in Mexico City.

The rooms were relatively spacious. None of the rooms at the hotel have outside-facing windows that I am aware of; instead, each room "looks out" onto a sort of mock courtyard at the center of the building. I appreciated the layout of the room, with each side of the bed having its own nightstand, lamp, and power outlets. There is also a solid wood privacy door for the bathroom. The sink, toilet, and shower are all contained within - no longer a given these days, but nevertheless my preference.

The buffet breakfast each morning offered a wide (if occasionally unfamiliar) variety of food. The waitstaff was also very attentive, delivering omelettes and drinks right to your table. There were also cookies, mints, and guava (or "guayaba") near the front desk at all times. We did not avail ourselves of the cafe that is attached to the hotel.

The building has an elevator. There is a small workout area, as well as a terrace on the 5th floor. There isn't much of a view from the terrace, but you can enjoy some lively music from the nearby rooftop restaurants.

I will note that almost everything in the historical center (Centro Historico) shuts down by around 9pm. There are a few things that remain open, so it isn't completely dead, but the vibe definitely quiets after 9pm.

Our rooms did not have refrigerators, in case you were hoping to keep ice cold bottles of water.

Finally, the wifi signal seemed pretty good, but one big downside is that it wants you to sign back in often - I'm not sure what the exact interval is, but it's less than 24 hours. And the password is a random assortment of numbers, so not the easiest thing to remember.

Day 1: ToursByLocals, Teotihuacan, Jamaica Market, and El Centro Historico

After getting as much sleep as we could manage we hit the ground running bright and early the next morning. We met for breakfast in the hotel lobby at about 7am. The food and drinks on offer at the buffet were diverse, if occasionally unfamiliar, and the wait service was pretty good as well, with omelettes and hot beverages brought directly to our table and refilled as needed.

Our only real sightseeing days in Mexico City would be this day and the next (a Saturday and a Sunday). Since we were six adults travelling together we early on decided that it would make the most economic and logistical sense to hire a private driver/tour guide. Furthermore, since Mexico City is fairly diffuse, a private driver would best allow us to see all of the scattered sites we wanted to in our very limited time. The usual tour guides recommended on TripAdvisor forum were unavailable for the weekend of our trip, so instead I found an organization called ToursByLocals. Through them we booked Rogelio Hernandez Lee.

Rogelio arrived promptly in front of our hotel at 8am. He had originally suggested a pickup time of 7am-7:30am in order to beat the crowds and traffic, but we just couldn’t stomach starting quite that early… Fortunately, our 8am start time did not wind up being an impediment at all. We rode in Rogelio’s 7-seater Toyota Sienna minivan, which accommodated us perfectly. He also stocked bottles of water for us in the trunk of the van, although we had also brought our own for the journey.

A countryside view from the road.

Our first and perhaps most highly prioritized excursion was out to the pyramids of Teotihuacan. This was about an hour’s drive away from our hotel. Of course, we could not make it all the way there without me needing to stop to use the restroom, which we were able to do at a gas station about 10 minutes away from our destination. It’s always an exciting time when you first use a public restroom in a new country… In this case, we found that a revolving rail barricade blocked my entry into the facilities and it would cost 6 pesos to use the toilet. Luckily, we were prepared for that, and I was furthermore prepared with a roll of my own toilet paper – this may have been our first time in Mexico City, but it was certainly not my "first rodeo”! After I deposited my coins into the receptacle another patron standing nearby showed me how to operate the barricade and get into the bathroom. The men’s room was to the left and the women’s to the right, and between the two doorways was a large roll of toilet paper affixed to the wall. This was all the toilet paper in the whole facility (there was not even a place to hang toilet paper within the stalls), so I guess the intention was for you to grab as much toilet paper as you expected to need on your way in. We later found that these toilet paper-less stalls were fairly common throughout Mexico City. However, usually instead of a single unattended toilet paper roll, there was an attendant positioned near the entryway to hand you both toilet paper and paper towels as appropriate, in expectation of a tip.

Next stop...

With that out of the way, we carried on to the pyramids. We arrived at the archaeological site in short order, but before we could park the van we still had to drive around on what became a bumpy cobblestone road, past many tourist stalls, restaurants, and hotels. Eventually we were able to park and almost immediately we could see the pyramids looming ahead. Many hot air balloons dotted the distant sky, though it was not a very clear day, so I wonder how the view was from their vantage point.

A pretty scene to welcome us to Teotihuacan.

We asked Rogelio about wildlife in Teotihuacan, and he said there really wasn’t any aside from the occasional mole. I guess he didn’t know how low the bar was for us, because we stopped frequently to photograph hummingbirds and bees drinking from cactuses, squirrels that are slightly different from those at home, and bright red vermilion flycatchers. We even photographed the mole holes, sans any visible moles.

Our first and immediate order of business was to climb to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun. We needed to do this first, before we had a chance to get tired. The temperature was still quite cool at this relatively early hour (a bit after 9am) and the crowds were present but sparse – so ideal conditions for the climb, by my estimation. My parents, who are ~60 years old, chose to watch our ascent from the ground.

View of the Pyramid of the Moon from where we stood, on the Pyramid of the Sun.

We have certainly done worse climbs before (especially in Santorini and Crete), but at least one flight of stairs near the top third of the pyramid became particularly steep. Our view of the Avenue of the Dead and Pyramid of the Moon became increasingly better and broader the higher we climbed. About halfway to the top we stopped to rest and talked to a couple of other American tourists who had taken Uber out to the pyramids. They were envious of our private driver and wanted to know the cost. One of them gave us a great, if commonsense tip for converting pesos to USD – simply move the decimal over once to the left, then divide by half.

A scruffy tan terrier dog greeted us at the tippy-top of the pyramid, which Rogelio told us to expect, as the dog had been there the last few times he had made the climb.

You can't mention a dog on the internet without paying the "dog tax," so here you go.

Even from this height we could still hear the vendors down below with their annoying eagle-cry and wildcat-roar noisemakers. We could also see my parents occasionally being accosted by these vendors, so there are respective risks both for climbing the pyramid and for remaining at ground level. Maybe that’s why that terrier dog had bothered to climb so high for his nap.

After taking in the stunning views and getting some nice photographs, we eventually made our descent. We then toured the small museum that is on site and the remaining pyramids, though we did not climb to the top of the other big two. We also saw various murals, sculptures, etc. Rogelio offered to drive us over to the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent, as the walk there from our present location would have been a bit over a mile. By the time we returned to the van to make that journey, we saw that a line of people now clogged the stairway up and down the Pyramid of the Sun. If it had looked that way when we first arrived we probably would not have made the climb. I can’t imagine it would have been very enjoyable like that – more like waiting in a long queue than embarking upon a profound ascent.

I asked Rogelio if folks often ask him to climb all three pyramids with them and he said that they do. Sounds like a surefire way to stay in shape!

Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent

The Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent was very interesting. Though it is the smallest of the big three pyramids, and a bit more removed, it features many intricate carvings of fantastical snakes and beasts, whereas the others are mostly just box-shaped. I wanted to mention that, in case anyone thought to skip it.

Before we left Teotihuacan we visited another site that housed the Tlalocan mural. This mural depicts the joyful afterlife that awaits those who die of water-related causes (such as by drowning). This site was not at all on my radar; it was a stop that Rogelio suggested. Yet another of the many benefits of hiring a private guide.

At this point we were all more than ready for some lunch. We had originally planned to go to La Gruta, and though Rogelio was not unwilling to take us there, he characterized it as touristic and offered to take us where real Mexican people go to eat. We happily took him up on that offer. At this point we only knew that our new lunch destination would be a little rough around the edges and back in Mexico City somewhere. The drive there took a bit longer than any of us probably expected, but then again we had no idea where we were going. It was a good thing my mom was asleep for much of that long drive as it became occasionally hectic and frightening. Eventually we arrived at Jamaica Market, which I had read about, but did not expect to visit. A welcome surprise!

Some photographs from Jamaica Market:

Many fragrant flowers filled the air while colorful stalls allured our gaze. We walked along and absorbed the full-featured sensory experience that surrounded us. Before long we arrived at the section of the market with multiple food counters. Most counters only had barstools for seating, and each stool was already filled by a happy customer. Meanwhile, many more people milled about and between the stalls. This immense crowding made it a bit intimidating for us to figure out where and who to approach for some food. We just had Rogelio pick a lunch place for us, though I have no idea what it was called. All I know is we were able to get a table for seven a little further away from the stall where we actually ordered the food; we each got two overloaded carnitas tacos; there was a variety of salsa at the table; I got a really good bottled mango drink; and my brother-in-law ordered a non-alcoholic fermented pineapple drink that tasted like pineapple cider. The whole meal must have cost like $8 USD.

There are also some snack options if you don't want a full meal.

Once our time at the market was done (and we had a bag of fresh mangoes in tow) it was nearly 3pm. At this point Rogelio returned us to our hotel and we bid him farewell for the day. The differing energy levels in our group necessitated a longer break at the hotel than some of us would have preferred before we could finally strike back out again. For the rest of the day we mainly just wanted to wander around the Zocalo and wade through the crowds that permeated the pedestrianized streets in the Centro. Before doing almost anything else we haphazardly found our way into the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, whose interior was more impressive than anyone in our group had anticipated. My dad alleged that it “rivals the Vatican.”

An exterior view of the cathedral.

While exploring the rest of the Centro we came upon many other beautiful buildings, some street performers, a Tony Stark impersonator, Pasteleria Ideal (just for the view), and eventually we stopped for some ice cream at Santa Clara. Their coffee flavored ice cream was stupendous, and that is a flavor of ice cream I often get. Of course, they cheat by adding big chunks of chocolate chips.

Over the course of our wandering we stopped into the Azul Historico restaurant to put our name on their list and eventually we returned there for dinner. Azul Historico is as beautiful and atmospheric as its photographs portray it to be; besides its arboreal setting, the table settings alone were like a work of art! Furthermore, the service was beyond mindful and attentive. Not all of the waitstaff spoke English, but when we ran into a language impasse our waiter grabbed the hostess who spoke impeccable English, which helped us to navigate the enticing menu. Incidentally, we found it funny how they bragged about their Canadian-sourced beef, but noted they were not the only restaurant in Mexico City to do so.

Beautiful Azul Historico, where you enjoy fine dining under a canopy of trees and lanterns.

We began our meal with an order of guacamole (without grasshoppers) and found it was more “creamy” than the chunky sort we’re used to. It soon became apparent that this sort of creamy guac predominates the Mexico City culinary scene. Unfortunately for us, we all prefer the chunky guacamole. For my entrée I got a nice, fruity salad. Husband got some kind of tasty steak with a chocolate mole sauce. My mom ordered some other dish that also had a mole sauce but she really didn’t like her mole sauce. I feel like she unfortunately struck out a lot with her food orders on this trip. I don’t remember what everyone else at the table ordered, but they were all satisfied.

As it turns out, Azul Historico is actually contained within a sort of mall. The restaurant is surrounded by a variety of artsy shops, a chocolate shop, a hostel, and is even adjacent to another restaurant. After exploring these various nooks and crannies we hit the streets once again. We soon made it to the House of Tiles, where we took a quick peek inside, and St. Francis Church, where we lingered a bit longer. After appreciating the Palacio de Bellas Artes from the outside (most of the historic attractions close by 5pm) we ultimately landed in Alameda Park. We spent a bit of time relaxing there before finally getting back to our hotel.

Half of our group is much fitter and more high energy than the other half, so before long the fittest three of us ventured back out to El Moro for churros and hot chocolate. We brought these items back to our hotel to share with the rest of the family on the rooftop terrace. This capped off our first action-packed day in Mexico City.

Day 2: Chapultepec Park and Castle, Roma, Condesa, Coyoacan, and San Angel

Day 2 began with breakfast in the hotel lobby once again. Rogelio picked us up slightly later this morning, at 8:30am. Our first stop of the day would be Chapultepec Castle. Entrance to the castle is free for Mexican nationals on Sunday, so once again we were keeping a step ahead of the ensuing crowds. En route to the castle we were able to enjoy a leisurely stroll through Chapultepec Park. It was decidedly quiet and peaceful in the cool morning sunshine. La Paseo de la Reforma was furthermore closed off to automobile traffic on Sunday morning, so this too added to the quiet atmosphere, with sparse bicyclists and joggers forming pretty much the only traffic around. We soon passed through numerous market stalls that were not quite awake yet, and finally we began our pleasant stroll up the hillside towards the castle.

One of the pleasant views on our way up the hill.

Rogelio suggested that my mom and dad take the elevator to the top, but really the elevator is only there for those with disabilities. I guess my dad’s surgical scar from his open-heart surgery qualified him for use of the elevator, while my mom had to join us on the scenic walking route instead. Numerous and various birds provided the soundtrack for our promenade, while squirrels, cats, and lizards surreptitiously lazed about and scuttered along our path.

Before too long we arrived at the impressive castle gate. Do note that you need to store your bags and water bottles in lockers at the bottom of the hill, though apparently small to medium sized purses are allowed. Most of us had to purchase tickets to enter, but this transaction went quickly. If you are a Mexican national (on Sunday), a student, a teacher, disabled, retired, under 13 or over 60, you don’t need to pay to enter. At the full rate, admission cost a little over $8 (USD) total for two adults.

A view from one of the castle windows.  I have so many photos of the castle that it's overwhelming, so you just get to see this one.

The castle is a lush visual experience, featuring beautiful architecture, peaceful fountains, and sprawling views. Even the door hinges throughout were works of art. My family was particularly impressed with the sizeable garden that was situated on the second floor. For myself, I have seen enough European-style furniture to gloss over that aspect of the attraction. However, the hall with stained glass windows was duly impressive. It was here that we spotted a felt green frog placed atop a tall door frame, likely hidden there by a cheeky staff member. If you visit soon you should try to see if you can still spot it there. 😊

Once we had reached our saturation point for the castle’s beauty, we began our leisurely descent back down the hill. There were now many more people climbing up the hill to visit the castle and the line to buy tickets was significantly longer than when we had first arrived. Likewise, the market stalls at the foot of the hill were no longer dormant; indeed, they were fully awake and alive with the song of vendors filling the air. We soon walked past the lake with the paddle boats and saw several aquatic birds, as well as the tallest century flower we have ever encountered. Numerous off-leash dogs trotted by, enjoying the park with their people. All of the doggies were very well-behaved. We also noted a surprising lack of dog poo anywhere on the walkways. One of the last things we saw before leaving the park was a little kid pretending to “bullfight” fake bull horns that were being pushed towards him by a family member. Picture a very small wheeled walker with bull horns tied to the front, and you can imagine what this contraption looked like.

For lunch we went to Contramar in Roma Norte. We arrived there about ten minutes before they formally opened at noon but were nonetheless able to be seated right away, alongside a few other tables that had arrived even earlier than us. This is a very good thing because in no time at all the restaurant went from feeling spacious and airy to jam-packed.

Everyone at our table made eager use of the bread basket that was provided, after which we devoured the Galician-style octopus with potatoes that was our appetizer. For my main entrée I ordered a tuna loin in citrus-soy sauce that tasted exactly as I craved it to be. Husband and Rogelio got fish tacos, Dad got spicy shrimp, and my sister and brother-in-law shared a huge fish filet; half cilantro-glazed, the other half salsa-glazed (the cilantro half was decidedly more preferred, though both were good). Again, my mom came out the “loser” of this meal because she made the mistake of ordering pasta in Mexico – specifically, spaghetti with clams. The pasta was just buttered noodles, and she is Italian, so that wasn’t quite up to her standards.

After lunch we spent a little bit of time exploring Roma on foot, but honestly not very much. I think Rogelio was having difficulty finding a parking spot in the second area of Roma that he wanted us to see, so instead we wound up just driving past those particular pretty buildings. Before long we arrived in Condesa, where we asked to be let out to wander unattended for a while (the parking situation there was not much better, so it seemed most prudent to just release us on our own). We enjoyed the atmosphere, the pretty buildings, the famous streets, a singer in the lush green park, and even a puppet show rendition of Frankenstein.

Parque Mexico in the Condesa neighborhood.

Though we had done a lot already, there was still more we very much wanted to do, so when Rogelio picked us up at the appointed time we began heading towards Coyoacan. But first, some members of our family wanted a coffee break. Although Coyoacan has a pretty famous coffee shop, my coffee drinkers specifically wanted a cafe where they could sit down at a table. Rogelio said he had a place in mind that was on the way, and this wound up being Costra Panaderia. Costra was all out of chocolate-flavored anything they had on the menu, which disappointed my anti-coffee husband. My parents, on the other hand, were able to enjoy two very pretty cappuccinos. Brother-in-law got a frappe served in a full mason jar, so he was a very happy boy indeed. Finally, my sister and I split a matcha frappe from a mason jar of our very own.

Once everyone was sufficiently caffeinated we carried on to Coyoacan. It was love at first sight. This was where those colorful houses my dad had been craving were concentrated. Coyoacan was a neighborhood with a quaint but lively central square and park, surrounded by trees, restaurants, and cafes; teeming with vendors and street performers. Its beautiful church, Parroquia San Juan Bautista, served for us as a sort of pleasant welcome gate to the heart of Coyoacan. After leaving the church we happened upon a large assembly of coordinated dancers that were performing just outside. They wore native attire and stomped along to a pounding drumbeat. A Michael Jackson impersonator likewise performed just a bit further away, in the square towards the coyote fountain. It was altogether a very lively scene, with seemingly everyone out and about, enjoying ice cream, corn, the music, and the sunshine. The combined harmony of all these assorted pieces made for a really pleasant vibe and atmosphere.

The famous coyote fountain.

Lots of lively hustle, bustle, and restaurants in Coyoacan.

The pleasant atmosphere continued as we strolled down the charmingly docile Francisco Sosa Ave. I know this kind of scene might not enamor all visitors equally, but we were just altogether smitten. Cobblestone streets, diverse, ornate houses, and draping bougainvillea is our personal slice of paradise.

I guess a place like Coyoacan could get boring for some after a short while, but unfortunately for us it was time to go well before we had our fill. We had no plans to visit the Frida Kahlo museum (quick weekend getaways are not conducive to museum hopping), so we were at peace about missing that, but we surely could have absorbed the neighborhood charm for much longer than we did. After some quick souvenir shopping at the artisan market we met up with Rogelio and departed. Though we would have liked to stay longer, we at least found our next destination, San Angel, to be similarly worthwhile, if not quite at the same level.

A quiet street in San Angel.

San Angel was much more “chill” and laidback than Coyoacan, though it had a similar sort of underlying charm. The first main site we came upon there was a quiet park displaying a variety of canvas artwork, after which followed an uphill street lined with many shops and restaurants. Eventually we arrived at another, larger park near the top of the hill, this one more lively with families relaxing and enjoying the late afternoon.

Our main subject of interest in San Angel was Parroquia San Jacinto. Thus, there was a fleeting moment of quiet panic when we first arrived at the gate and found that it was closed. Relief quickly followed when Rogelio informed that it would reopen again at 5pm – only 10 minutes away. The gates were accordingly open to us precisely on time, if not a bit early, and we were able to enjoy the peaceful grounds alongside only a very few other people. If anything, the less severe sunlight of early evening only helped to further amplify the serene atmosphere of the courtyard. My mom remarked that it reminded her of a monastery we had visited in Greece.

The entry to Parroquia San Jacinto.  So much beauty, and just one of many photographs I took here.

Though by now we had firmly reached the end of my proposed tour itinerary, Rogelio asked us if we wanted to see Polanco. If he was willing to carry on, so was I, because in case you can’t tell I could stay on the move practically all day long (and often do, even at home). Not everyone in my party was willing to do more walking, though, so it essentially wound up being a drive through. Business districts throughout the world often wind up looking rather homogeneous with all of the same department stores and the like, and it was much the same with Polanco, although a distinctive museum or so did help to distinguish it.

Once we finally returned to our hotel we thanked Rogelio for his service and companionship and bid him farewell. I can’t imagine we would have seen everything we managed to without him, or even an appreciable fraction of it.

At this point we retired to our hotel rooms for a bit of rest and recovery. Some of us needed it more than others. My husband actually needed it most of all as he is headache-prone and was working on one by then. Before very long my sister unintentionally hoodwinked my parents into going out for even more walking – at least, more than they had counted on. She wanted to see the street art on Calle Regina but framed it as “going out for dinner.” We actually had no specific restaurant in mind for dinner, and they were not up for more haphazard meandering, so once they figured out what was going on they parked themselves on a bench and awaited our return.

Street art in El Centro Historico.

We ate somewhere not very impressive for dinner, but I'm just going to *snip* this part of the trip report since it is already massively long.

Day 3: Departure

That officially wraps up the recreational portion of our trip. Now there were only some logistical components to contend with. For one, my sister wanted to confirm our airport shuttle pickup time with the hotel’s front desk. Earlier in the day they had advised us to leave at 6:30am for our 10am flight. My sister was skeptical that we needed to leave quite that early, but when she inquired with a different desk clerk he advised that we in fact needed to leave at 5am! We stuck with 6:30am.

We were actually able to sneak in some breakfast at the hotel before leaving since it is apparently served as early as 6am on Monday. Our ride to the airport took us a touch over 15 minutes. We ultimately made it to our gate with no less than 2 hours to spare. This gave us time enough to get some Starbucks and to have one of our strangest Mexico City bathroom experiences. The women’s restroom had three attendants: one to mop, one to coordinate supplies, and one to empty the in-stall garbage cans as each patron exited but before the next one could enter – since you are not supposed to flush the toilet paper, this ensures a “fresh,” clean garbage can for your use. The men’s restroom situation was similar, though the men in our party described being furthermore unsettled by the attendant mopping between their legs at the urinal.

Interjet, just as before, did not begin boarding the plane until 5 minutes prior to our departure time. However, yet again, this did not prevent us from landing exactly at our scheduled arrival time. The plane for this leg of our journey was not as nice as the first one (no screens; one of three bathrooms out of order; clearly an older plane overall). There was also a troubling rumbling sensation as we plodded along the ground before takeoff. Overall, though, it was not a bad flight, and we actually got drink service twice instead of only once smack in the middle of the flight.

Hints, Tips, and Stray Thoughts

DISCLAIMER
Obviously my perspective is greatly limited by our extremely short stay in the city. This was decidedly just a vacation – a quick weekend getaway, at that – and certainly not an anthropological survey.  Thus all I can really offer is my first impression, formed after a short, highly touristic weekend.  With that disclaimer in mind:

Is Mexico City dangerous? Worth visiting?
On the whole, Mexico City felt to me like a deck of cards someone had strewn all over the floor - disjointed, and in some disarray.  The city's layout and traffic are chaotic.  Buildings (and sometimes whole blocks) are occasionally in gross disrepair.  Indeed, you may even encounter some visibly desperate people. For instance, we often had folks approach our van, juggling or performing other antics in order to get some money. Most cities have these elements to some degree, but it was very pronounced here.  All of that to say, while we might describe Mexico City as unwieldy, or even seedy in some places, we wouldn't call it dangerous.  Moreover, all of the areas that are popular with tourists were very clean, pretty, and well pulled together. There was nothing shocking on the beaten path. So, I guess the usual advice applies - just know where you are and where you are going and you will be a happy traveller.

With that out of the way, I would say it was definitely worth visiting. The pyramids of Teotihuacan in particular were a big "must-see," so we are very happy to have visited and to have put them at the top of our list. All of the beautiful churches and buildings strewn throughout Mexico City were also a delight; aesthetically pleasing architecture always draws us like moths to fire. Likewise, Mexico City’s many parks and gardens ticked an important box for us.

Ultimately, I would heartily recommend a visit to Mexico City to any confident traveller who is interested in architecture, culture, greenery, nice people, WARM WEATHER, Mexican food, etc. Some people spook easily and I don't expect them to visit, but otherwise, seasoned travellers with some street savvy should have a good time.  And even if you're not that seasoned or savvy, you can still get a tour guide like we did and basically have a babysitter of sorts.  😉

Weather
The weather was pleasant, with a predictable daily pattern. Mornings were cool at about 50°F, but temperatures would steadily climb to reach ~70°F at about 12 noon. By around 1pm-3pm we would reach the daily high temperature of nearly 80°F. Evenings cooled down a bit, but were usually fairly warm still, and as we slept it cooled down even further until it was back to 50°F by morning, at which point the cycle began again. Rogelio told us it is like that all year long. I would suggest layers (hoodie or light jacket in the morning, short sleeves for later in the day).

Altitude
Mexico City has a high altitude of ~7,300 feet above sea level.  Some visitors have difficulty with this. The high altitude went completely unnoticed by me in terms of side effects, though I have to assume that my parents and maybe husband were at least somewhat affected by it since they seemed more delicate than usual.

Toilets
In case you didn't notice me mention it in the very long trip report, you are not supposed to flush your toilet paper in Mexico.  They do not have a strong enough septic system to withstand routine toilet paper flushes.  Instead, you are supposed to throw toilet paper away in the bin.  It is the same way in Greece, so we were already prepared for that bit of culture shock.

Food
We only had time for a handful of meals on this trip, so we definitely missed out on a lot of popular and famous restaurants. The little bit of food we were able to sample, however, did not do much to stoke our passion. We usually found the food to be reasonably good, or otherwise, definitely cheap and tasty, but I did not ever feel anything was leagues better than what we could get at home. I do often leave trips feeling that way, though, because Chicago is a famously big food city. Moreover, Chicago has a massive Mexican population, so a vast variety of Mexican food is very well represented here. To wit, even after experiencing El Moro, I can still safely say that the best churros I have ever had are in Glenview, IL (Churro Parlor). And one of the best tacos I have ever had was, ironically enough, made by an Indian guy in Niles (Taco Maya)! All that said, maybe next time we visit I’ll get to try Pujol or one of the other top food contenders in Mexico City.

Neighborhoods
I feel like we arrived with overinflated expectations for Roma and Condesa. Don't get me wrong, they are very nice places, but they did not delight us in the way that Coyoacan did. I can understand why people favor them, though, because they are central “ish” without actually being in the Historic Center. They also combine a neighborhood feeling with desirable amenities. I can see how either Roma or Condesa would make for a nice homebase during a longer stay, but they didn’t have as much “wow” factor for us just passing through.

I am not sure whether or not I would recommend staying in the Historic Center. For our short stay it was fine, because we needed the proximity to the airport and to be central to the many varied sites we wanted to see. It was also a decidedly touristic area, which can be a good thing when you are, in fact, a tourist, but at the same time it felt “shut down” by 9pm, which we did not care for. For a first timer it is probably okay. If I go back, I would probably want to stay in Coyoacan.

Closing Thoughts

With only a weekend to spare we could barely scratch the surface of the city, never mind get to know its people (other than Rogelio). I know there are many hidden (and not so hidden) gems that we missed. That said, I do feel we were able to consume a respectable tourist’s “sampler platter” during this very short vacation and we were lucky enough to experience a good cross-section of Mexico City’s rich variety. And, if nothing else, we were able to escape the cold for at least a little while.