Ah yes, back to the Motherland. If you look up the weather for Mexico in June, you will very likely find 90-100% chance of thunderstorms at many hours of the day. But fret not, because it turns out the meteorologists stretch the truth and in fact we were blessed with clear skies for the majority of our visit (that is, as blue as the sky can get in one of the most polluted cities in the Americas). A few years ago my sister and I spent a mere 24 hours in Mexico City and they were some of the most beautiful hours of my life, so on my way over to the beaches of Mexico, I wanted to stop for a few days in the city to enjoy it on a longer stay.
My friend and I flew in from different airports so we reunited at the McDonalds inside the Mexico City airport, as one does. I bought a quick Telcel SIM card with data because alas my basic ATT prepaid doesn't cut it abroad. We were on our way in an Uber, which to me seems like the cheapest and safest way for two females to catch a lift in urban areas in Mexico.
We checked into Hostel Mundo Joven Catedral, a youth hostel with a fabulous view of the Zócalo, or the heart of the capital city. My sister and I booked a private room here and had a pleasant experience a few years back, so we went for round two at a great price and great location.
This city is extremely walkable, part of why it's one of my more favorite cities that I've visited. In one evening we were able to walk along the main promenade down towards the Palacio de Bellas Artes, stroll through Alameda Central (the city's oldest park), stumble upon a tiny strip called El Barrio Chino (Chinatown!) and go up Torre Latinoamericana, the key tourist skyscraper standing at 545 feet with 360 views at the top. This is a top recommendation, as it only costs like $6 USD! We ended our evening with tacos and cervezas michelada-style at a local taqueria! All in all, vibes were great to start.
The next morning I let myself "sleep in" until 7:30 because I had pulled an all nighter in the Phoenix airport the day prior..... We timed it just right with the free breakfast at the hostel, which was a tasty plate of quesadillas and fruta and most importantly, cafe. We then went on a grand walking tour of the city, from el centro, to Roma Norte and Roma and Condensa. The latter neighborhoods are the hippest, most upscale and art deco parts of the city, and the abundant parks and greenery make it a truly beautiful destination. I got some work done at Forever vegan cafe, which I would highly recommend! As our feet got tired and the rain started to come down on us, we also enjoyed a scoop of ice cream at Roxy Neveria, a fab suggestion from my bestie Bianca.
Somehow we timed our trek just perfectly with the afternoon storms, and we got into the National History Museum aka Castillo (Castle) de Chapultepec in the heart of the biggest park. The door lady was a boss and let us in free because we were ex-university students with ID to prove our studies lol....
After a quick lap, we walked through the park, bought some tasty snacks for 10 pesos, past the lake and over to the anthropology museum which also let us in free because we entered an hour before closing! As it poured outside, we explored artifacts from the natives of Tenochitlán and the Aztec empire, learned about different regions and states in Mexico, and mostly took cover from the rain hehe
As our feet now had too many miles that day, we Ubered to Mercado Sonora, which I would strongly suggest you never step foot into. I was looking for the main artisan market in the city, but this was actually just a chaotic place with voodoo and cult finds, and hidden in the back a live animal market. It was cute at first to see the bunnies and chicks, but it quickly became vulgar when we see the big dogs and goats and who knows what else. They literally tell you not to take pictures in there, sounds like black market to me. We quickly shuffled out of there because we did not belong, then briskly walked through the Merced district which you probably should not go to either as a tourist... We were thankful to finally arrive at our hostel after 16 miles of walking that day.
As we processed the events of the day, we had a rushed but cheap meal at La Casa de Toño, which I would most compare to like a Mexican Denny's which is a big chain with cheap good food. I absolutely passed out that evening and got ready for another long day.
