I marked my 30th birthday by flying out to Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico, CDMX for short) I chose CDMX because of the affordability, culture and Frida Kahlo. My cool and cultured partner and travel companion, Kwame joined me on my journey. We spent three full days in the city and there was so much more to see and do that we both agreed to return.
Day 1
Breakfast at El Beneficio Cafe (Coyoacán aka Land of Coyotes) - My first and favorite breakfast of the trip Chilaquiles and a waffle with fruit. I also had one of the most delicious lattes here.
Frida Kahlo Museum - Casa Azul. The Frida Kahlo museum was everything I thought it would be. It was grand, majestic and green. What I admire most about Kahlo is her use of pain in her artwork. She’s raw and inspiring. Being in her and Diego Rivera’s estate was a real privilege.
Mercado Coyoacan - a beautiful market full of independent vendors selling produce, trinkets and clothing. During a taco pit stop a young girl and her mom kept staring at us. I was carrying my Canon AE-1. Although they didn’t speak english they expressed that they wanted me to take their photo. So of course I did. One on my phone and one on film. Aren’t they beautiful? After I photographed them, we all took selfies together. Taking selfies with Mexican locals will be a theme of this trip. This happened pretty much everyday we were there.
Biblioteca Vasconcelos - a beautiful modern library designed by Alberto Kalach. Holding over 106,000 books, all in Spanish. I didn’t do any reading but it was quite the site to see. Equally as lovely was the outdoor garden. I saw couples lounging and people practicing yoga. Peaceful indeed.
Alameda Central - I didn’t take any photos at Alameda but it reminded me of Washington Square Park in NYC. The people in this park all seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves. Children playing in the fountain, couples stealing kisses, elderly people engrossed in lively debate. It was a great people watching location.
Gross Restaurant - I won’t say the name of this restaurant (if you zoom in close enough you can see) but I should have known something was up when one of the servers sold us grilled onions as an appetizer. Also, the menu was in english, not Spanish. Both bad signs. Beware of extremely flattened chicken and steak in CDMX, it’s a thing and it’s wrong!
El Churreria Moro - 2nd reason I came to Mexico City, churros! Specifically churros from Churreria El Moro. I ordered the mini churro ice cream sandwiches.
Day 2
Journey to Teotihuacan Pyramids - the Pyramid of the sun is the third largest (not tallest) pyramid in the world. Taking a day trip to the Teotihuacan pyramids was absolutely necessary. Getting there wasn’t easy because of the language barrier. Thankfully there were friendly strangers nearby at the perfect moments. Two buses and almost two hours later we arrived.
I didn’t take a photo of every meal because I ate the same three things while in CDMX - flautas, tacos and fajitas. The only meat I have is chicken so my options were somewhat limited.
Chapultepec Castle - the only royal castle in the Americas.
After Chapultepec we took a quick uber to Casa Luis Barragan. Luis Barragan was an innovative and controlling architect. His house is beautiful. So beautiful that you have to pay to get in and pay for a photo permit. I didn’t pay for a photo permit so I took mental images. I relied on my memory and paid close attention to the tour guide. This home is simple, modern, colorful, bright and minimalist. It inspired me to simplify my living space a bit.