CDMX 2023
It’s just been book blogs 24/7/365 — so I decided to take some time to share a bit about our recent trip to Mexico City (Cuidad de Mexico = CDMX). Yes, I’ve written many a travel blog before. But the goal isn’t to share cute travel shots — it’s to share the real travel experience, especially as I continue to learn how to manage two new autoimmune disorders.
Our company has a policy that allows us to work remotely for a few weeks each year, and as March is the end of a long winter in Seattle, we try to spend some time in warmer latitudes. We had a fantastic trip to Mexico City in 2019 and decided to return for another visit. After some hemming and hawing we chose a direct flight on Aeromexico (it was the right choice — spacious recliners in first and lovely meals) and decided to return to the W Hotel (also the right choice).
I’m still learning how to travel while managing microscopic colitis and autoimmune hepatitis (not to mention my anxiety, though I’ve had much more practice with that), so I took extra time in packing all of my medicine (pack once, count twice), stomach-approved snacks, and a few creature comforts to help me if I felt anxious. Did these come in handy? More than I thought. But first…
Mexico City is the most vibrant city I’ve ever met — pulsing with energy, a ballet of cars and vendors and pedestrians moving in all directions at all speeds. The largest city in the Americas, the greater area of the city has almost 25 million people and, it seems, they are all driving at the same time. It’s the center of Mexican arts, culture, business, and shopping, and all with very few American tourists. Polanco — as well as neighboring Condesa, Roma, and Bosque de Chapultepec — are charming neighborhoods with tree-lined streets, cute restaurants, and parks.
Many Americans limit their Mexican vacations to beach towns. I’m not sure you can understand this country without visiting the capital city. Just as you can’t understand the United States by visiting Florida (and why would you try?), Cancun isn’t representative of Mexico. The biggest joy of visiting Mexico is people, and Defeños (the preferred term for CDMX residents — sometimes referred to as Chilangos) are some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met. There is a key exception here, and that’s Defeños behind the wheel of a car.
“Will you be safe there?” people ask whenever one travels to Mexico. As with all major cities, there are neighborhoods that are best avoided, and at busy tourist attractions or on public transit it’s wise to be aware of your surroundings. But yes — any savvy and smart traveler will be safe in Mexico City. Spanish is certainly helpful (maybe marry a native Spanish speaker, as I did?) but at most tourist destinations you’ll do fine with English and Google Translate. Having listened to a Northern Mexican accent I find English in CDMX harder to understand and more sing-songy, but still beautiful.
Like New York City or Tokyo or Paris, I’m not sure one ever “completes” Mexico City. It’s a city made for walking and wandering, which is what we like to do. It’s also a city for eating, which is crucial after all of your walking. My food goal for Mexico City is to consume as much mole as humanly possible, and, again, the city didn’t disappoint (check out Guzina Oaxaca or El Bajio if you are in Polanco).
Another highlight in Bosque de Chapultepec is the National Archaeology Museum, home to artifacts from more than 20 different historical societies from Mexico. There’s a lot more to Native Mexicans than the Aztecs and the Maya and a stroll through these exhibits help these ancient cultures come to life.
Also the fountain was on this time and it was such a glorious centerpiece for a beautiful museum.
We ventured to the Basilica of Our Lady Guadalupe, the second most visited Catholic shrine in the world, where St. Juan Diego saw the Virgin Mary multiple times in 1531. The shrine complex was incredible — the chapels, the new and old shrines, the convent, and, of course, the museum that has items from Pope John II’s five visits. Even as a non-Catholic, it was a pretty incredible experience, from the Selfie Mary (below) to the Pope Bus. It was clearly a very meaningful trip for many of the folks visiting.
The entire complex was buzzing with energy — families in their Sunday best, pilgrims flowing into Mass, vendors with photo tableaus ready for children to step into, a Mariachi band off to one side, and families picnicking on benches to the side. The neighborhood, Villa de Guadalupe, has a liveliness lacking in Polanco, and though everyone was pleasant, it would be much harder to navigate without speaking Spanish (thank you, Husband).
The rest of this trip seemed to be a comedy of errors, including those of the health variety.
One reason we picked this particular week for our trip was the opportunity to spend time with my friend and colleague Aimee (and her husband and two little boys). I envisioned lots of dinners and walking around town together. And thankfully there was some of that with our Saturday museum visit plus some time at the office.
But after a lovely Sunday night dinner, we returned to our hotel, and it wasn’t very long before I realized that I wasn’t feeling well and not long after that when I finally fell victim to the Revenge of Montezuma.
Remember my fears about getting sick on this trip? Cue anxiety mode. “It’s just a little digestive upset,” you might think, but this whole mess of autoimmune diseases started with food poisoning on a vacation in 2020. Post-Infectious IBS or other conditions can be triggered by acute food poisoning, and even though I knew my body was much healthier than before, it was hard to allow myself to rest when my mind kept flashing back to almost three years of health challenges.
Thankfully as I rested and consumed a very bland diet (bread, bananas, avocado, crackers, and peanut butter) my body slowly started to get a bit better, and not until I got back home did I resume a semi-regular diet again. The upside to years of problems with your digestive tract is that you learn the best protocol for your body and you just stick to the plan. I wanted to eat a lot more mole, but it just didn’t happen.
I can’t say enough about the W Hotel and how kind they were to me when I was sick — whether it was keeping my toilet paper stash supplied or bringing me the blandest, whitest meals they had ever made — it is a first-class hotel with warm and friendly staff, and we’ll return there every time.
See? Mexico City is never really done.
Even though I prefer to separate travel highlights from travel tips (as I did for Iceland), I’ll just include some CDMX tips here instead:
- Nothing takes 15 minutes in CDMX unless you leave at 3am. Plan for incredibly bad traffic and be surprised when it’s better than expected. Our hotel was “30 minutes” from the airport but it took 90 minutes on Friday night. If you’re able to walk, a two or three mile walk might beat a drive.
- Eat wisely. If the rest of this blog didn’t convince you, make intentional eating decisions with regards to safety. Food poisoning is not a forgone conclusion — in a decade of traveling to Mexico, this was the first time I was visited by Montezuma’s Revenge. Pack medicine, understand your options if you need to see a doctor, and follow common-sense guidelines (eg; bottled water only, no ice, fruits and veggies cooked or peeled, freshly-cooked meat, etc.).
- Engage with locals. This is much easier to do when you or someone in your party speaks fluent Spanish, though many tourist sites and most folks in the hospitality industry speak English fluently. I’ve found that many people want to practice English with me instead of letting me speak Spanish (which, honestly, is probably for the best). Defeños are incredibly warm and kind whether you can understand one another or not.
- Keep your coins handy. CDMX’s public toilets tend to be very clean, though some of them require exact change to enter the restroom and to buy toilet paper (ask me how I know this). Keep your 1-, 2-, and 5-peso coins handy as there’s not always someone to make change for you.
- Let go of your schedule a little. One of my favorite saying that puts me in that mindset is that “Mañana means ‘not today.’” Time is relative, traffic is terrible, so take it easy and get there when you get there — or plan ahead and book a hotel at the airport so you don’t miss your plane. Speaking of…
- Plan ahead for the airport. Benito Juarez International Airport is beautiful but can be a logistical nightmare. This time we flew in and out of Terminal 2 (mainly Aeromexico), and previously we flew in and out of Termial 1. The Extranjero (or foreigner) line to enter the country moved really slowly, so if you are connecting in MEX make sure you give yourself time to clear customs before a domestic connection. Make sure you take an official taxi and confirm the final price before getting into the car. When departing, pay attention to all of the steps and ask a orange- or green-vested person for help. Like many airports, you might be assigned a “Hall” without a gate. Seating is scarce and it’s rather chaotic as gates change frequently. Give yourself plenty of time.
So, that was this trip to Mexico City! As with most trips to Mexico, it’s never exactly what you expect it to be, and yet it always ends up memorable and fun in one way or another.
Cheers, S
P.S. Next up is a post about my autoimmune hepatitis. I’ve been detailing that in vlogs on my YouTube channel, but I’m excited to document the journey here in the near future in hopes that it’s helpful to someone else who is managing this rare disease.
