Travel log: I heart Mexico City
I was going to do this post including food but decided it needed it’s own post! When I visited Mexico City in February I kind of fell in love. The weather was just perfect at that time; cool nights and mornings, with a nice sunny 70 degrees during the day. I love wearing layers and not sweating while hustling around town so this trip was a dream come true. I only spent 4 days there and felt like I could have stayed many months. My short time there barely scratched the surface of what the city has to offer. I didn’t even get to explore the salsa/dancing scene! Another trip must happen, though my rule to not visit the same country twice is gnawing at my insides.
Oh, I don’t think I told you but I set a goal to visit 50 countries by the time I turn 50. That leaves fifteen more countries in 12 years. Think I can do it? (Update: in 2023 I hit 58 countries visited)
Today I share some of my favorite things about the city and the adventures that were had. One unexpected surprise was meeting up with fellow vegan travel bloggers, Sam and Zab, from Indefinite Adventure. It’s not like you always fall in love with vegans you meet on the road, but the three of us were like peas in a pod. I can’t wait to spend time with them in Berlin this summer!!
Now onto more things I <3 about Mexico City!
1. There’s so much vegan food. Mexico City has become somewhat of a vegan mecca. There are plenty of pure vegan & vegetarian restaurants (including street stalls!) and many vegetarian and vegan-friendly places that have a vegan symbol right on the menu. Since vegan food was so accessible I only ate at those places so I can’t say whether vegan food is accessible at non-veg street stalls. Walking by those meaty joints, it all looked pretty gross. But walking up to Por Siempre and seeing all the seitan and vegan meat on the fryer was such a welcome sight! So why would you bother going anywhere else? I want to support vegan businesses when I travel if possible and give all my money to them. More on food coming next blog post!
2. It’s cheap. I never spent more than $8 for a meal at a nice sit-down restaurant including a drink and sometimes dessert. Drinks like juices, lattes, beer etc were $2 or less. Food stands sold tacos for less than $1. It’s a foodie heaven and has every type of food you could ever want. But honestly the Mexican food is best. Like mind-blowing good with the freshest ingredients possible. Oh the avocados and guacamole. Orgasmic. Airbnb and hostels are also cheap. I scored a private room with shared bath south of Amsterdam Park for $21 a night (click here to save $40 off your first Airbnb!). It was awesome having my own room and not doing the hostel thing because there’s only so much of that I can take at my age!
3. I felt totally safe. For some reason, Mexico City gets a bad rap. I’m sure there are seedy spots of town but when I walked around at night I never felt afraid or in danger. There was a police presence on the subway in the downtown area. My Airbnb by Amsterdam Park was the perfect base between Condesa and Roma (the best parts of town with the most vegan food). I loved doing sunset walks around the park and I had to walk through it to get to those areas of town. Every morning the dog-walkers would be out with tons of dogs and it was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! They would sit quietly in a row; every type of dog imaginable. Seriously, I looked forward to seeing their faces every day!
4. Public transportation is amazing. Buses, subway, Uber all super cheap. I didn’t spend more than $5 on uberpool and the buses and subways were 5 pesos each way. My feet are free and I walked so many miles while I was there. Pro Tip: do not pay for a group tour of the pyramids. There are buses that leave frequently from the North bus station that cost 50 pesos each way. I bought the round-trip to save myself from worrying about it on the other side for 100 pesos ($5 US). The entry-fee is 70 pesos ($3.50 US). The Tenochtitlan ruins are huge and there is no shade to be found except in a few corners along the edges. Try to go as early as possible! Wear sunscreen and a hat, and bring plenty of water and snacks with you.
5. People seem really happy and content. It’s a large city but people were polite and helpful. It was a pretty chill city unlike Bangkok, London, New York, etc. where people are rushing around like crazy and not so nice. I didn’t see any large families in the central area. It seems like a progressive city where most people are having one or two kids if that. It’s a young city too, so lots of hipsters, bicyclists, activists, students, young business professionals, art, music and culture. Mexico City has a cool vibe that I like. Of course, all the vegan locals I met were badass. Many people spoke some English and others were patient with me while I tried to speak Spanish. It’s a fairly diverse city with many expats from all over the world living and working there.
6. There’s so much to do. In 4 days I barely scratched the surface. I went to the Frida Kahlo Museum, the pyramids, spent 4 hours in the Anthropology Museum, found an English yoga class, and ate myself silly around town. I recommend staying at least a week if you can!
Have you been to Mexico City? What was your favorite part?