Hola todos,
Our last day and a half in Mexico City was both less than we hoped for and more than we expected:
Day 7
Today was our last full day in the city, and we had a few more things we wanted to check off our list. We compiled a list of the things we hadn't yet seen and strategized by neighborhood, hoping to check off as many as possible before leaving tomorrow.
We started off by heading downtown (via bus, of course!). We went a few stops short of our final destination so that we could walk through Alameda Central, a huge beautiful downtown park.
We made our way over to the Balcon de Zocalo, a rooftop hotel restaurant that has a beautiful view of the downtown center square. We grabbed a quick bite and some coffee--it was pretty pricey, and we didn't want to blow our budget on the last day! The view was awesome, though. You could hear the church bells from the Metropolitan Cathedral next door.
It was a super Instagram-able spot (and definitely made to be that way).
A hurried photo--people were behind us and we were blocking the exit.
Another walk through the Zocalo Square to see the Metropolitan Cathedral.
And the waving Mexican flag.
We then circled back to the Palacio Postal (which we had seen on the first day's walking tour). This time, a different entrance was open and we saw this incredible view:
I was also able to finally track down postcards to send out to a few folks which, I kid you not, I had been unable to find the *entire week*. No vendors sell them, and they aren't at any other touristy souvenir shops as they are in every. other. city. I've been to! I was so excited to finally find some. I should have known there would be one guy outside of the post office selling the city's last 10 postcards...
We walked around the downtown area past the Torre Latinoamerica, which I wanted to hit up later this evening for drinks on their rooftop bar: it's supposed to have incredible city views!
There is a Diego Rivera (famous Mexican muralist) exhibit at the Palacio de Bellas Artes museum, so we went to go check it out. But the guided tour we wanted to do wasn't for another two hours (later than the website said) and based on what we knew was in the museum, we weren't convinced it was going to be our favorite use of the limited remaining time. So we went off to our next stop. (But below are some pictures of the beautiful Bellas Artes building! The rooftop was separately designed by a Hungarian.)
And no walk through Mexico City feels complete unless you stop in a huge pasteleria to see what they have out on display. This one, Pasteleria Ideal, was two stories big and was covered with different kinds of pastries and breads.
I don't have any pictures of the De La Ciudadela artisan market we went to, but it was sprawling. They had a ton of different kinds of artisan wares, including ones we hadn't seen at any other stands. We could have spent hours walking around there. If you want to find all of your souvenirs in one place, you can easily do it here!
We headed back toward the main street, Paseo de la Reforma, to catch the bus back to the hotel. But we were rerouted: police officers with riot shields and anti-vehicle blockades were blocking our path and occupying the neighborhoods we were walking through. (We researched later--turns out that there were several planned protests that evening and the next day.)
A few surreptitious photos.
You can see the barricading below this monument, which will force protestors around and protect the statute. There were similar set-ups for all of the monuments down Paseo de la Reforma.
We then decided to grab a quick lunch in nearby Zona Rosa, and then we walked down into Roma to check out some of their thrifting and boutique stores. We stopped in Goodbye Folk, a 70s-themed vintage store with some redesigned pieces (think an XL men's shirt redesigned into a matching crop top/short set). We didn't buy anything, though, since the pieces were pretty pricey, even in pesos.
We checked it out for a little bit, but I wasn't feeling great, so we grabbed an Uber back to the hotel.
Where I promptly became the sickest I think I have ever been.
The next 24 hours were a blur--my mother needs to be sainted for how she took care of me, made me drink water and electrolytes, take medicines (and shopped for medicines in a foreign pharmacy and without knowing the language!), and even made sure to hurriedly eat her dinner in the corner of the hotel room so that I didn't have to see her food but she could still keep an eye on me.
Day 8/Going Home
The morning was a blur of sleeping and waking up to drink water or take medicines. We had an afternoon flight, so I was able to sleep in a bit before packing up the few things I brought and (very) slowly getting ready for the airport. Our Uber to the airport was $12 (unbelievable!) and we hit a ton of traffic on the way. But we got to the airport with plenty of time to spare and, once we found our gate, settled in until it was time to board. I even managed to eat a plain Starbucks bagel before we boarded. (I was so far beyond being embarrassed about eating 1) Starbucks food and 2) an inauthentic bagel.)
The plane ride was a little bumpy, but we made it to Phoenix without any further drama and through the quickest immigration and customs process I have ever done. My dad was waiting for us and drove us home, and I've continued to slowly recover.
In Conclusion
Mexico City is such a vibrant city with a rich history. There's music and car horns and passion and so many sounds and sights and smells on the city's streets. Not being able to drink the water or trust the food is a definite detractor, though. While I'm so bummed the week ended on a bad note, the week por lo general was such a cool experience. And I'm so glad I got to do it all with my mom! (Being able to dust off my rusty Spanish was also a bonus.)
The next time I post, I'll be in another continent updating you from another romantic language country: Italy! Hasta luego...
Besos,
Tina the ExploraDora
Step count: 115,899 (#SlowTraveling accomplished)
Taco count: 8 :(
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