Running a company can get overwhelming at times but running a company with your spouse could arguably make it a little bit more complex. Every now and then, Anthony and I feel the itch to take a quick break and after four years, we realized that this happens about once a quarter. It’s not that we’re trying to get away from something, but just like any other person, it’s really important for us to take time to rebalance ourselves. It refreshes our perspectives, especially regarding things that we deal with on a day-to-day basis. It never hurts to take a step back, take a deep breath, and clear your head.
Q1 for us ended with a bang. There are lots of exciting things happening, we’re constantly evolving, and there are tons of decisions that need to be made for the rest of the year. I could feel the tension rising so I thought it would be nice to plan a trip for us. The catch this time is that Anthony had no idea where we were going. I told him two nights before our departure date and tried to reduce his projected level of nervousness by giving him a packing list. It helped.
Mexico City has been on our bucket list for quite awhile. We’ve been following how it’s evolved and transformed over the years and we were so curious to see what the culture was like there. Suffice to say, it was everything we imagined and more.
The Itinerary
None.
We spent our days wandering and ogling with curiosity. I found myself enjoying being caught up in the moments and environment. I learned each word as I found the need to say it (for example, “mariscos”, because I’m deathly allergy to shellfish). Everything was affordable so budget wasn’t a huge concern—from the flight, lodging, and ground transportation to the food and entertainment. We woke up each morning, checked the weather, planned the day, skirted the rain, walked our butts off, and enjoyed delicious margaritas y comida in between all of that.
Everyone was friendly and helpful; they tried their best to understand our limited Spanish and they all smiled coyly at us while they listened to us butcher their language but needless to say, the entire trip was really, really awesome. I’d go again in a heart beat.
At the end of the trip, we realized 3 nights wasn’t nearly enough. It’s such a vast, dense city that you could probably immerse yourself there for a month and still yearn for more time.
A List of the Things I Learned
- As much as I hated to use it, Uber got us safely and quickly (“quick” is used pretty subjectively and contextually here as traffic was everywhere…all the time) around the city. The most expensive fare was to and from the airport, about a 1-hour car ride during traffic (normally 20 minutes), for a mere $7 USD. Our cheapest fare? $1.50.
- However, being in a car is not for the faint of heart. Keep in mind that this is one of the most populated cities in the world so don’t expect people to follow traffic rules. There were moments where I had to close my eyes and grip on to Anthony.
- Most of the neighborhoods were spread out across the central area. Each neighborhood itself was walkable but to get to the next one, we hopped in an Uber. We weren’t too keen or comfortable crossing really large, busy intersections either, which seemed to be the roads that separated neighborhoods, because of the intense traffic.
- We stayed in La Condesa, which I read was like the Greenwich Village or SoHo, NYC of Mexico City. It was beautiful, quiet, tree-lined, and full of art deco architecture. The other neighborhood we really enjoyed (and will probably stay in next) is Roma Norte. Most of the stores, restaurants, and bars we wanted to visit were in Roma Norte and there was a beautiful promenade straight down the middle of the main street.
- Most people did not speak English there. Thank goodness for photos and Google Translate.
- We have T-Mobile so roaming, data, and calls worked perfectly fine (and it was free).
- Yes, it is safe. There were literally polícia everywhere.
- On Sundays, they close the roads around the busy areas (and even part of the highway) to cars, allowing the locals to bike and walk down the streets.
- The locals (especially the men) don’t normally wear shorts there, regardless of temperature. Shorts were also not allowed to be warn inside of sacred places. Read: wear shorts at your own risk.
- An ingredient in “Mexican caviar” is ant larvae. Consider yourself warned.
¡Que tengas un buen día!
