Kevin and I took a weekend trip to Mexico City for our 3rd Wedding Anniversary, and we were stunned by this magnificent city. Let me just put this out there right now: a weekend in Mexico City is not enough. There’s so much to do and see in this city of 20 million people, but we tried our best. This city is absolutely beautiful, rich in culture, and it opened our eyes to a completely different way of life. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t already planning our next trip back.
Friday
We arrived Friday right in time to check in at 3pm to our amazing Airbnb in the neighborhood of Coyoacan. After touring the apartment with out host, Cynthia, we set down our bags and wasted no time as we headed off to explore. Our first activity was the Museo of Frida Kahlo. We were advised to buy tickets online before arriving as the lines can be long. This turned out to be crucial advise as we were able to skip the line that bent around the corner and walk right into the museum without waiting one bit. We felt the jealous looks of those standing in line and just thought, “Good thing we got the heads up!”
Inside the museum, we saw what makes Frida Kahlo a national treasure – artwork, clothing, and an all-around influential life that inspired so many Mexicans. Truthfully, we weren’t too familiar with her work and life, but the museum did a great job of showing what made this woman special. The best part of the museum, though, was that it’s at Frida’s actual house that she resided in. And this place was UHH-mazing. Various small buildings surrounded a beautiful, tranquil courtyard that featured a calming fountain, a neat temple replica, and a stunning alter that served as the ofrenda since we visited close to Dia de Muertos.
Saturday
On Saturday, Kevin and I woke up super early and headed an hour out of Mexico City to Teotihuacan to see the famous pyramids that so many called must-see. This experience had to be one of our favorites. Climbing the pyramids was a challenge; we were huffing and puffing, but the view from the top was so worth it. I guess you could say it was breath-taking, literally and figuratively.
After climbing the pyramids, we had lunch at La Gruta. Eating in a cave was so cool, but we were so hungry that we didn’t take any pictures. I do have a video of our lunch spot on my Mexico City highlight on Instagram. This was where Kevin discovered that in Mexico not all quesadillas have cheese. “Why would they call it a quesadilla, then? Queso means cheese!” I mean, he’s not wrong.
After arriving back to Mexico City, we went back to our Airbnb and took a quick nap to recharge our life batteries. Then, we were off again! Our plan was to see the Zocalo, Templo Mayor, la Casa de los Azulejos, and then watch the sunset at the Palacio de Bellas Artes. But the Zocalo had been taken over by a Zombie Fest (HUGE eye roll) that didn’t allow us to take in the Zocalo or the Templo Mayor. Whoever came up with this idea was brainless. Get it? It’s a zombie joke. Can you tell Kevin wrote that? Anyways, we tried to not let that bring us down and off we went to look for la Casa de los Azulejos which ended being one street away from the Palacio de Bellas Artes. We were able to snap some good pics in front of their popular tile wall.
Before traveling, we got word that the best place to take in the Palacio de Bellas Artes is from Cafe Don Porfirio on the 8th floor of the Sears department store. Apparently, this was not a secret as the line to get into the cafe was pretty long. There was limited seating, but we were able to get the perfect spot to take in the view. We also took this time to catch our breath after a very busy day. At the end of the day, we felt like zombies ourselves.
Sunday
It was tough waking up early on Sunday, but we did it to make the most of our last full day in Mexico. Our first stop on Sunday was breakfast at Lalo!, and man, it was one of our favorite meals of the trip. It was a farm-to-table restaurant that absolutely impressed us. Their dishes seemed super simple, but they were so delicious, and YOU HAVE TO TRY THE CINNAMON ROLL!
After an amazing breakfast, we headed off to the Museo Nacional de Antropología. We only had time for one museum, and I’m glad we chose this one. It gave us a good sense of the Mexican way of life over the years.
After a couple of hours at the museum, we made our through the Bosque de Chapultepec, and let me tell y’all, we got lost in there. We have no idea where we ended, but we walked through streets of vendors selling treats and trinkets. In the park, there was a large pond with many people enjoying water activities, and a free, yes FREE, zoo. It wasn’t the best zoo, but free is free y’all.
We don’t really know where the rest of the afternoon went. We were so exhausted from all the things that we just walked around some mercados, and then headed back to our Airbnb.
Monday
Monday morning we had just enough time for a quick trip back to Jardin Centenario en Coyoacan to grab a cup of coffee at Cafe Negro and a couple of pieces of bread from Panaderia Lecaroz before our flight back to the States.
On our walk back to our Airbnb to get our bags, I realized that we hadn’t taken much pictures at all (we honestly were so mesmerized by our surroundings), and I just started snapping as many as I could.
Here are few from the neighborhood we stayed in, Coyoacan:
Mexico City was an absolutely amazing place to visit. We tried to do as much as possible with the little time we had, but now we have an excuse to come back to see the rest. Until next time, Mexico City!
-Kevin & Rebecca