MEXICO CITY
For Memorial Day weekend this year, I escaped to beautiful Mexico City. It’s difficult to put into words what draws me to it. Actually, as I sit here contemplating all the things I love about this metropolis in the sky, I realize that one of the simplest answers is literally right in front of my face—THE FOOD!
One lunch at La Pitahaya in the idyllic neighborhood of Roma and I had to reconsider my top city picks. The plant-based cuisine is fun, delicious, and easily recognized by their signature handmade pink tortillas. This vibrant staple is enriched with white chia, black sesame, amaranth, and beet. I love, love, love this place! There’s no sacrificing flavor for health when everything is gluten-free and nothing is fried.
Enfrijoladas with Chickpea Chorizo
To start, I ordered the guacamole—avocado, cucumber, and tomato—because if it’s ever an option, I’m getting it. As my main, I chose the enfrijoladas with chickpea chorizo. Amazing! Ever since I was a little girl, beans have been one of my favorite foods. So this twist on enchiladas is a small dream come true. 😬 The picture-perfect dish consists of handmade corn tortillas stuffed with plantain and chopped almonds, bathed in local and organic black beans ground with cilantro, and topped with pico de gallo and coconut cheese. Wow!
Enchiladas with Chickpea Chorizo
My lunch date, Veronica, went with the slightly more traditional—and spicy—enchiladas. Except when vegan, the recipe is even more creative! Tres tortillas rosadas (three pink tortillas) stuffed with peppered mashed potatoes; immersed in a peanut, tomato, and chili sauce; and topped with coconut and turmeric sour cream, beans, and purple cabbage. Is your mouth watering yet?
Check out La Pitahaya’s Instagram page for more gorgeous photos of their rainbow-colored food, like tamales, tacos, or the Molito Pipián—pumpkin seed mole sauce, yellow rice with vegetables, a golden tofu filet, and steamed quintoniles.
La Pitahaya – Calle Querétaro 90, Roma Norte, 06700 Cuauhtémoc, CDMX
Helado del Dia
Calle Querétaro, Roma Norte
P.S. If you ever make it to this little vegan gem in the big city, don’t miss this lovely mural. It’s just across the street.
EXPLORING THE CITY
This trip to CDMX was my second in less than six months. I love it that much. It’s a cross between the old world and new. In the same day you can climb the Pyramid of the Sun—believed to have been built in 200 CE—and the Torre Latinoamericana, raised in 1956. Both will gift you with a stunning view.
A small library in our Airbnb 🖤
You must visit at least once! Mexico City drips with culture and romance. The landscape is complex, with greenery artfully woven through every part. The weather is ideal and everything is ridiculously inexpensive, including the food, drinks, Uber rides, and hotels.
I have so much to tell you about my adventures in the city. But don’t hold your breath, this might take a while. This is the first post of many.
Museo Jumex
Two awesome museums only a few yards apart from each other?! Museo Jumex and Museo Soumaya sit catty-corner from one another in the upscale neighborhood of Polanco. I’ll share more on the latter in a future post. But for now, let me say something about my fortuitous timing.
Between May and September, the exhibition Appearance Stripped Bare is on view at Museo Jumex, a contemporary art museum founded only six years ago.
The exhibition overlays the work of Marcel Duchamp and Jeff Koons—two of the most influential artists of the twentieth century—to address key concepts about objects, commodities, desires, and the artist’s relationship to society.
I knew nothing about the exhibit prior to arriving in Mexico. So to be staying in a high-rise within walking distance of Jeff Koons’ iconic sculptures was a wonderful surprise. And that I happened to visit on a Sunday when admission is free was icing on the cake!
Beneath the Seated Ballerina I waited, along with hundreds of other people eager to catch a glimpse of Koons’ Hanging Heart or Duchamp’s Bicycle Wheel. Maybe I could have maneuvered a better way in, but honestly, I didn’t mind one bit—I had committed to enjoying my vacation regardless of any less than perfect circumstances.
Rabbit by Jeff Koons – 1986
Behold! Here is my best shot of Jeff Koons’ famed Rabbit. Standing 41 inches tall, the stainless steel sculpture is one in an edition of three. Just weeks ago Rabbit made headlines as the most expensive work by a living artist to sell at auction—ever. The price tag? $91.1 f*cking million!!!
If I had the money, I’d pay it. The more I think about the sculpture, the more I appreciate it. Made to look like an inflatable toy, it truly does appear weightless. In the words of Jeff Koons, “It has a lunar aspect, because it reflects. It is not interested in you, even though at the same moment it is.”
Gazing Ball (da Vinci Mona Lisa) – 2015. Oil on canvas, glass, and aluminum.
Can you tell I prefer Koons over Duchamp? Maybe that makes me simple, attracted by all things shiny. Whatever my fascination is, it’s one more reason to finally visit The Broad in downtown Los Angeles. Nine of the artist’s works are currently on view.
La Ciudadela
La Ciudadela is every tourist’s favorite destination for souvenirs. Unfortunately, I arrived shortly before this impressive maze of artisanal goods was about to close. So although I’m not providing the best visual context here, you can do a quick search on Pinterest for top things to do in Mexico City and nearly every result will yield creative snaps of the marketplace. And if you are planning a trip to my favorite city in the world, please message me because I’d love to help plan your itinerary!
If I could do it over again, I would have given myself at least three additional hours—two for shopping and one to enjoy a cold beer in one of the super cute cafes at halftime. Another tip: Take plenty of pesos because not every vendor accepts credit cards. There were several amazing items I wanted to take home with me but couldn’t because I failed to plan accordingly.
So what was I able to find or afford during my power walk through every jam-packed lane of goods? It was a lot of pressure, but what I ended up with was perfect. The first was one of these distinctive black clay skulls with a floral headdress. The second was a clay and ceramic spoon rest with hand-painted flowers in every color of the rainbow. And my last and favorite find was a 10-inch tall Day of the Dead skeleton figurine. I had been searching for the right one for years! She’s beautiful, with a full-length purple dress, gold jewelry, calla lilies in her hair, and tiny roses cascading down her side from her waist to her ankles. 💕
It was a late, sunny Sunday afternoon when I stepped out of the market. Across the street was this gorgeous park shaded by dozens and dozens of trees in every shade of green. At the far end people had gathered to dance or watch others as they moved to the music. It was one of those serendipitous moments that I find myself so often blessed with in this lively corner of the universe, a city 700 years in the making. ✨