Mexico City is a city of contrasts.
Modern, colonial, Aztec, wealth, poverty, art, music, food.
I did a little reading before taking this adventure to get a feel for the city and the culture. I read about how large and spread out the city is. How the people are warm and will avoid direct conflict. Also the need to be careful of petty theft and pick-pockets. I was not prepared for what I was about to experience!
We started out from Orlando and changed planes in Houston Hobby. Southwest added five new international gates and a customs and immigration complex for their international expansion. The new terminal is spacious and modern. The immigration and customs facility was a breeze on our return to the US.
Arriving into Mexico City by air you can see the level of pollution they are sadly famous for, quite a ways out from the city on final approach. Also, the vastness and density of the city come into view.
On arrival in Mexico City please be prepared to walk a long way to the immigration facility, and then spend about an hour getting through customs and immigration. The process is slow, and that is putting it mildly. The airport itself is old, however, I noticed that there were multiple advertisements about a new and larger airport being constructed. We were treated to a bird’s eye view of the new airport on our departure a few days later!
There are a lot of transportation options in Mexico City. There are taxis, a vast subway system, buses, and Uber. From the airport, we chose to take a taxi, as Uber is not allowed to pick up there. It was a flat rate of $300MX ($16) to our hotel downtown
. Traffic in Mexico City is crazy and their style of driving is even crazier, so hold on and enjoy the ride! They love to use their car horns! Beep Beep! While staying in the city we were able to walk pretty much everywhere we wanted to go, so we did not use any of the public transpiration.
Our hotel of choice for this stay was the Hilton Mexico City Reforma, which is located right on the edge of Historic Mexico City, a perfect location with many sights within walking distance. The hotel is new, modern, offers many amenities, and the service was impeccable.
The hotel also offers a breakfast buffet that is an absolute MUST! The offerings were top notch. I honestly have never been so excited about a breakfast buffet! They offered traditional Mexican dishes, a fresh fruit bar, omelet bar, baked goods, charcuterie boards, fresh salsas, exotic fruits, traditional breakfast times, and the list goes on!
Our first evening the concierge suggested a restaurant called Testal. The food was nice, however a little overpriced for what they were offering. I would categorize this as a safe place to eat but definitely not a culinary journey. We both tried the tacos el pastor, and honestly, I had a street taco two days later that was better for only fifty cents. Dinner for two here was about $30.
While thumbing through Southwest The Magazine on board the plane I found a two-page spread on Mexico City. There it was suggested visiting El Moro Churreria. Who am I to argue? El Morro is a 79-year-old churreria that serves churros, coffee, milkshakes, and hot chocolate. The churros were crispy and sweet, and the coffee strong! I loved the atmosphere, it was loud, busy, and noticed lots of locals coming in to visit with friends and chat.
The city itself, as mentioned above, is full of contrasts. There are very modern high rise building, colonial buildings, and areas of simple cinder-block construction. It is loud, there is music, sculpture, art, it’s not always clean, and there is a noticeable smell from the sewers. But it honestly comes together to become what is uniquely Mexico City.
Our second day, and only full day, we took a tour to Teotihuacan. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located about 30 miles northeast of Mexico City. It was built around 100 B.C. and is home to The Pyramid of the Sun, The Pyramid of the Moon, and Avenue of the Dead. At its height, it was home to about 125K people. The Aztecs discovered it abandoned and settled there as well until the Spanish arrived. Almost all of what is known about the site is during the Aztec time. To be able to visit such an amazing site and climb the pyramid was an amazing experience. Johnny and I made it almost all the way to the top of The Pyramid of the Sun. The climb up the pyramid is strenuous, and three days later my legs still hurt!
On our way to Teotihuacan, we visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is a very large shrine with 6 churches, a large plaza for masses, and a museum. We visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, constructed in 1709. Also, the new cathedral built in 1976, and Capuchinas – The Nuns Temple. We honestly could have spent all day here exploring the entire complex. It was visually stunning!
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The new Basilica is a very modern design and is home to the original painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Nueva Basilica
That evening after returning from our tour we took a stroll through Historic Mexico City at night. The Metropolitan Cathedral and many of the buildings around the Zocalo, or Plaza de la Constitucion, are lit up. There were lots of people walking about, and we even came across some dancers performing what appeared to be traditional.
Seeing as how it was the night before my birthday we decided a little birthday sweet was in order. I pulled up Yelp and found Esperanza Pasteleria. Let me say we were completely and totally wowed by this place! You walk in, grab a tray, a pair of tongs, and go to town! They have fresh baked bread, cakes, tarts, pizza, sandwiches, coffee, and the list goes on! As I’m writing this it occurs to me this would also be a great place to grab lunch! I had the Tres Leches Cake, and Johnny had the Bailey’s Cake. Both were out of this world. The two cakes and two coffees came to about $6.
On our last morning, we went back to the Metropolitan Cathedral to explore the inside. This cathedral is impressive.
Connected to the cathedral is Sagrario Metropolitano, a smaller but also impressive church. It is very open, bright, and colorful!
Having walked past multiple times I couldn’t resist stopping for a street taco. I was not disappointed! The tender pork, sweet pineapple, onions, a little spicy salsa, and cilantro combined with the corn tortilla to create the perfect culinary representation of Mexico City!
Our final stop on our way back to the hotel to catch our ride to the airport was at the Palacio de Bellas Artes. Such a stunning building both inside and out. From the exterior I was not expecting the interior to be Art Deco, again highlighting the many contrasts of Mexico City!
I can honestly say I can’t wait to visit Mexico City again! In two days time, we didn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what this unique city has to offer.
Here are three restaurants that were recommended by locals that we were not able to get to. Let me know if you try them!
Billy's Travel Adventures 