South of the Border

When we were looking for a place to escape for a week in January, the suggestions came from all corners. Caribbean! Always nice, but we're not really beach people. Europe! Always interesting, but we wanted some warmth, and were unlikely to find that over there. Florida! Always, uh, what? At the risk of offending too many friends and acquaintances there, let's just move on.

Our wish list for a getaway was as it always was. We like to tour, see museums and shops, be able to walk and explore, eat in great restaurants with interesting food, and hopefully do it without too many crowds.  Rather than spend most of our time traveling, we enjoy setting up shop in a central place, taking day trips out as opposed to packing up and moving every night or two. And it had to be someplace accessible on our own: nothing against a tour, but we like to plan our own wanderings and set our own schedule as much as we can.

Our kids, who are experienced travelers, had suggested other places they have been that they thought fit the bill. That's how we wound up in Berlin a few years ago, and it didn't disappoint. So when they encouraged us to head to Mexico City, we did some homework. It checked all our boxes, though when we mentioned the possibility to others, the caution flags went up. "Dangerous" some said. "Polluted" was another refrain. And of course "stomach issues" was a not uncommon reaction. We appreciated the feedback and considered it all. But in the end, we waved aside those well-meaning concerns, and booked a flight to Ciudad de México, or as it's known, CDMX. And we were very glad we did.

More populous than New York, more area than Delhi, more elevation than Denver, Mexico City is a huge sprawling urban landscape with all the trappings of that wherever you are in the world. Depending on where you are standing, it is old and new, dense and spacious, dangerous and safe, serene and exhilarating, exciting and boring, often at the same. As with any city, your impressions are of your own making, and we made the most of it.

By some counts a city with more museums than Paris, there is art and culture everywhere, if not spread out. The Museo Soumaya is reminiscent of the Guggenheim with a collection that spans continents and centuries, while the National Museum of Anthropology is exhaustive in its showcasing of the Maya and Aztec cultures. There are extensive ruins and breathtaking pyramids, soaring architecture and classic buildings. On a smaller scale are spaces dedicated to the works of such well-known names as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, while homes and spaces designed by architect Luis Barragán are intimate and elegant. 

Go on a weekend, and the market scene is overwhelming. There are established ones that run every day, but it seems as though Saturday and Sunday multiply those exponentially. Every other street or park has an art show or farmers market or souvenir stand set up. And if you go to neighborhoods like Coyoacán you can walk in and out of stalls and displays for hours on end.

Food? It seems as though there are stalls on every corner. Some are beyond tiny, no more than a basket on a bike. Others are more established with umbrellas and tables. While foreign stomachs should proceed with caution, locals obviously tolerate it better than gringos, as evidenced by the fact that almost every vendor has some customers, and many have lines down the block. That said, when a cart on a street corner in Roma Norte has so many customers and such a reputation that Conde Nast Traveler has a review of "Jenni the Quesadilla Lady," you can probably roll the dice with some confidence. We did and it was delicious.

While the street food is ubiquitous, the fine dining options are also impressive. With spaces, menus and prices that would be right at home in Brooklyn or Tribeca, these places generally marry other cuisines with Mexican staples and spices. And so you get Entremar with its butterflied snapper painted with red and green chillies, Rosetta with its white mole with fermented carrots, and Meroma with its orecchiette with chillies. The guava pastry at Panadería Rosetta may be as good as any in Paris. And it was my wife who researched the five best ice cream places in town, resulting in stops for the cinnamon roll helado at Casa Morganna, as well as the chocolate mint at Cometa. Twice. 

Beyond that, the people were friendly, the weather perfect and landscapes varied. Lots of parks and fountains, so much so that one of our favorite pastimes was just sitting and people watching. In our travels we found one street that looked like a modern business center, another an old colonial town, another a bohemian neighborhood. The Condesa neighborhood where we stayed was green and leafy and filled with people walking dogs, jogging, shopping and eating well into the evening. It was perhaps one of the nicest urban neighborhoods we've ever been in.

Of course, every city has its issues, and CDMX is no exception. But if you treat it with the smarts that come with touring any strange place, you will likely not just be fine, but uncover a few gems as well. When we returned, a friend who was from CDMX asked to see my pictures and hear the highlights. I shared them, as well some of the places and restaurants we had been it. While he enjoyed it all, his final comment was the most telling, "Thank you for being interested in the best parts of our country and culture... because it's not normally that way!" Most of grew up assimilating a very Euro-centric focus. This was a reminder that there is a very cosmopolitan destination not across the sea, but just south of the border.

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Marc Wollin of Bedford loves to see new places. His column appears weekly via email and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.