Travelogue: Mexico City
In March 2018, I took my first trip to Mexico City, but it definitely won't be my last! It's a vibrant city and I barely scratched the surface of things to experience there. This was also the first completely solo trip I'd ever taken and I have to say I was proud of myself for doing it. I highly recommend Mexico City if you are a solo traveling newbie. It was very easy to get around via Uber even for someone like myself who knows a total of like 10 words in Spanish (I'm going to work on that!).
Chaya BnB
I stayed in a lovely bed and breakfast in the Alameda Central area called Chaya BnB. The staff was extremely helpful when figuring out my itinerary or how to get to various destinations in the city. I would be open to staying here again because of my experience unless I decide that I'd like to experience another neighborhood like Roma Norte.
Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral
A lovely cathedral in the Zocalo. I visited several cathedrals while in Mexico City but this was my first one. It's one of the largest churches in Latin America. I stumbled upon a free walking tour when I was in front of the cathedral and found the experience of visiting the cathedral among other sites with a seasoned tour guide and Mexico City native than I would have from just wandering around the cathedral by myself.
Postal Palace of Mexico City
The prettiest post office I've ever seen was called the Postal Palace of Mexico City. The walking tour also took us to the Postal Palace and explained that the architect imported the materials used to build the ornate staircases from Florence.
Palace of Fine Art
Just one example of the lovely architecture of the city is the Palace of Fine Art. I didn't get a chance to go into the Palace of Fine Art. I'd love to see the Folk Ballet of Mexico and artwork on my next trip.
Teotihuacan
I highly recommend taking a trip to see the ruins of Teotihican to see the Pyramid of the Sun and the Moon. You could definitely visit the pyramids of Teotihucan by catching an Uber there but I much preferred to take a tour which I booked through Chaya BnB and picked me up/dropped me off a block away from where I was staying in Alameda Central.
Frida Kahlo Musuem
Frida Kahlo has been one of my favorite artists for years and I knew that visiting her home that has been turned into a museum would be a highlight. It's a popular tourist spot, so going with a tour can help you to skip the inevitably long line to enter! I'd like to visit the Frida Kahlo Museum on my next trip to Mexico City because there wasn't really time to spend time really looking at the rooms, furnishings, and artwork. The surrounding area near the museum was also interesting and had a rich history according to my tour guide.
Xochimilco
The boats and canals of Xochimilco are definitely a fun way to while away an afternoon drinking Michaladas, Eating tacos and listening to the
National Palace
The National Palace is one of the locations in Mexico City where you can see murals of the artist Diego Rivera, who was married to Frida Kahlo. I'm glad I took the time on my last day in Mexico City to stop by.
When ever I visit a place that I would like to go to again at some point in the future, I note things to keep in mind. Here are the Lessons Learned for my Next Trip to Mexico City:
Book reservations for popular restaurants well in advance.
Spend more time in trendy Roma Norte and lovely, residential Polanco. I covered a good amount of ground between going places alone and doing group tours, but two areas I'd like to explore in more depth were the Roma Norte and Planco neighborhoods. I also (low key) want to see if I could picture myself living in either of those neighborhoods at some point in the future (it's a dream of mine to spend some time living in another country...after this trip, Mexico City is on the short list).
Learn some Spanish so I can speak with locals more! I never took Spanish in high school or college, so I know VERY little Spanish. I'd like to work on that because even knowing basic conversational Spanish would have made my trip all the more richer. Most people outside of my bed and breakfast DID NOT speak English but even without know much Spanish, Mexico City wasn't that hard to navigate without speaking the language if you have a smart phone with data on hand to do on the fly translation via Google Translate.
Research some fun spots to dance. I was so tired from long days of touring that I didn't really do much hanging out but next time, I'd like to take a slower pace so I can hang out and go dancing.
Stay in Mexico longer and visit other areas like Oaxaca. I couldn't stay in Mexico long enough to explore another city or town but basically everyone I met on tours (mostly Europeans but also an American grad students, and few middle aged Americans from LA and Florida) and in my BnB were spending at least a week and in some case several weeks