Mexico City, Mexico – What to Do: Art Galleries, Museums, Vintage Shopping & our favourite neighbourhoods

What if I told you one of the world's great food cities, top art, capitals and oldest continually inhabited cities all share the same address?

You might think I'm exaggerating, but it is real and it's where we're headed today.

This is a place where ancient ruins sit beside colonial cathedrals, where you can eat unforgettable meals for $2 or $200, and where every neighborhood feels completely different.

Today we're breaking down how to experience Mexico City.

We're going to do this over three episodes this week where we're going to go through what to see, where to eat and where to stay and make sense of how to really tackle a trip to one of the greatest cities in the world, Mexico City.

And I'm joined, as I am always, by my co host, Tim Johnson.

Tim, how are you?

Hey, David.

I'm doing well.

How are you today?

I'm doing great.

I am just back from New York last night, but back from Mexico City, I guess about six weeks ago or so was my last trip through and somewhere you've spent a ton of time as well.

Yeah, it's just such a fantastic city, and I thought it appropriate that we give it three separate episodes.

You know, it's a city that's famous for being big, but its complexity really matches its size.

And there's just so much to see and do here, you know, as many cities within a city.

So I'm happy that we're breaking this up into three because I think a city like Mexico City, it needs three parts.

So, yeah, so I've been there since several times.

I once did the judging on a culinary competition, which was really interesting for Hyatt.

It is my favorite place in the world.

And we'll get to this in a minute to get my hair cut.

And it is, which is something that I've done in about 50 different countries.

And it's a place where you can find mainstream, popular attractions, but also lots of quirky places to go as well.

So we got our work cut out

for us this week, and it is huge.

I mean, we've got 20 million people in the.

In the greater metro area, one of the largest ear urban areas on the planet.

And I think it's a place people have a lot of misconceptions about as well.

I mean, I think there can often be a lot of the news coverage around, travel to Mexico, sometimes pretty sensationalist.

And Mexico City, a lot of times, you know, emphasis, I think, around the safety of traveling there.

I don't know what your experience has been, but I've found, you know, for sure it's a city where you've got to do some research and know the parts of the city that you want to spend your time exploring and there are areas I'm sure that you want to avoid.

But I've had a tremendous time every, every time I've gone.

I mean, I've been out walking two in the morning in night markets.

I've never found it.

Like I've never found issue.

I've been there with young family, walking around, traveling around.

Never found any, any issues from a safety perspective during my trips there.

No.

Agreed.

And I think just like any city in the world, any big city in the world, you have to be aware of, you know, which neighborhoods are going to be safe after dark and which aren't.

Ubers are not expensive, they're extremely convenient.

And then if you stay in a central location, which I know we're going to get to in one of our segments today, you can walk pretty much anywhere around and still feel safe.

So never felt threatened, stuck to the safe neighborhoods and yeah, just always had a great time in Mexico City.

It's a surprisingly green city as well, like super livable city I found.

You know, I was there over a four day weekend and on Sundays, you know, during the springtime, there were people out on bikes everywhere.

A lot of the roads were closed down to only pedestrian traffic on a Sunday.

And it almost felt like being in Paris.

Like there were these neighborhood cafes, there were people out walking everywhere.

There was a huge park next to the hotel where I was staying where there were people out doing yoga in the park and drumming in the park.

And it was not what I expected.

It was a lot different in many ways than I would have expected.

No, I think people kind of picture this big, unknowable, kind of slightly menacing place.

And you're absolutely right, it's not that way.

People tend to be very friendly.

Like you said, there's a lot of green space, a lot of neighborhoods where you can walk block after block after block and just experience awesome cafes, restaurants, all that kind of thing.

Maybe, let's get into it.

What are some of your favorite things to do in Mexico City?

As I said, I found it was an extremely walkable city, an extremely bikable city.

There were even some great bike tours you could do and e bikes that you could rent to tour around the city.

Again, not something I was necessarily expecting, but that public bike share system was super easy to use, especially around the sort of Condesa and Roma neighborhoods.

Which I'm sure are two neighborhoods that will.

Will feature a lot.

When we talk about where to stay and where to eat.

They're definitely, I would say, kind of the.

The two hip, cool neighborhoods in town, or I'm sure there's many others as well, but certainly two of the ones that draw in a lot of international travelers.

And a great place to get sort of a snapshot of.

Of daily life there as well.

There's a great park that I.

That I really enjoyed there.

Park Espana, again, in the Condesa aroma.

The Condesa neighborhood, not far from the hotel where I was staying, where this.

This just was a great snapshot of local life.

I mean, you walk out on a Sunday morning and it was packed with people doing all kinds of classes.

There was a great dog park.

Just a great place to really kind of experience local.

Local life.

And then on the periphery of it, all kinds of great vintage stores, cafes.

A lot to see and see and do there.

So that.

That was definitely one of the highlights for me.

How about you?

What were some.

What were some of your favorites?

You know, I was going to save this for my can't miss, but we're kind of into it now, and that's just taking some time to walk around like La Condesa.

I mean, it just such an amazing neighborhood.

There is a park there called Park Mexico, which they call the lungs of the city.

You know, there's cypresses and even bamboo and amazing, you know, walking paths.

And even out on the streets there are these beautiful shady streets.

And so, you know, Mexico City kind of has a reputation for being hot.

It's not necessarily that hot a city, but in the middle of the afternoon, if you're looking to escape the sun, you've got just beautiful sidewalks and this great grid work of streets there.

And I just remember walking down the street and feeling a little bit like I was in Barcelona or Madrid or one of these, you know, other great cities with bars and cafes on every corner, people just eating al fresco, big bursts of laughter, people having a wonderful time.

And that might have been a Saturday or a Sunday, or it might have been a Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon.

There's art deco architecture, and then there's also some really top spots.

And I know we're going to get into food and drink on a later episode, but there is a place called Baltra, which is ranked in the 50 best bars in the world, and that's in La Condesa as well.

So that's definitely one of my favorite things to do if in doubt, you know, and you're looking for something to do, just go take a walk and you'll find something to do in.

In La Condesa.

And I also wanted to focus a little bit on a much less known neighborhood.

And this is kind of getting into the lesser known, quirky attractions in the city.

So there's Colonial del Carmen, which is a leafy, quiet, mostly residential neighborhood.

It is like an uber ride from some of the more central neighborhoods.

And it has two attractions that I loved.

One one is well known, and if people know Mexico City, they're going to know it, which is the Blue House, which.

So famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

It was her family home growing up, and then later in life when she was married to Diego Rivera, you know, the great mural artist, they shared that home together, just filled with her artwork.

And they also shared it with another famous person.

And this is a quirkier spot to visit in Mexico City.

So they shared it for a little bit with Leon Trotsky, you know, the famous Russian revolutionary.

And as people may or may not know whether they're history buffs or not, he was exiled from the Soviet Union by Joseph Stalin and ended up living with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera and was asked to leave at a certain point.

And you can look up the history on that later if you want.

But he ended up getting a place, I believe, with his wife just around the corner.

And so now that is also a museum.

And maybe a little bit on the darker side, he was eventually assassinated.

And he was assassinated in his study there.

And you can see the spot in his study where they put an ax into his head.

So it is.

There you go.

Yeah, one of the.

Maybe, maybe.

Maybe a little bit of a strange attraction.

But if you're going to the Blue House, just walk around the corner and see the Trotsky Museum as well.

It is a city packed with art and culture museums.

There's over 150 museums throughout the city.

I mean, I really think it does rival Paris or London when it comes to art and history and things that you can immerse yourself in.

Maybe two that I will call it quickly.

One was the Museum of Modern Art, very centrally located.

And it's another place where you can get to see some of Frida Kahlo's art.

And sometimes a little less lineup than going out to her house, which can be really busy.

Museum of Modern Art, little easier to get into.

And you also get to see sort of the breadth of the modern art movement throughout Mexico and throughout South America.

They've Got this great sculpture garden outside as well as all the modern art inside.

And a great shop there at the museum as well, where you can get some.

If you're looking for.

For some unusual and quirky souvenirs.

Some.

Some great stuff at the.

The gift shop at the Museum of Modern Art.

Another one that was going back to the Roma neighborhood for a little bit.

A lot of street art there.

If you're on Calais, Liverpool, Calais, London, Calais, Hamburg, they've got all these streets named after world cities, and that's where a lot of the.

The art and culture will be centered in.

In the Roman neighborhood around some of those.

Those streets.

A lot of street art there.

And another kind of fun museum, the Museum del Chocolate, which is small, but it shows you kind of the.

The history of choc.

Mexico has played an important role in helping to develop and spread chocolate around the world.

You can try making some chocolate from.

Right from chocolate being there, of course, you get to taste a lot of chocolate.

So that was a big bonus there as well.

And just getting yourself into that neighborhood, there's so much to see and do in.

In and around there as well.

Fantastic.

And who doesn't love chocolate?

I've been to a few chocolate museums around the world, and it is so fascinating to trace the lineage.

And I know the Mayans, you know, have a long history with chocolate.

So, you know, and of course, when a tasting is included, that's a wonderful thing as well.

I have a second can't miss.

If you have any more things to do in Mexico City.

Well, why don't you throw out yours then?

I've got one can't miss as well.

Perfect.

Mine again.

It's a little bit offbeat, as you know, and maybe some of our listeners know.

One of my favorite things to do is get my hair cut overseas, you know, so I've had my haircut in maybe 50 different countries.

It's a.

An opportunity to get a good haircut and to experience different methods of barbering, I guess you could say.

But it's also an opportunity to sit with a local person for half an hour and just chat and get to know them a little bit and get to know some of the local culture and be with people, local people doing local things.

And I would say my favorite place in the world to get my hair cut is this place called Paris Marine Barber Shop.

And it is a place where I got a haircut, a massage, a manicure, and some mezcal.

They bring a cart around with mezcal all at the same time.

And the biggest challenge, to be honest, was not getting hair in the mezcal.

So, you know, you still have to, you know, kind of.

I don't know.

I don't know if they gave me a little coaster for the top of my cup eventually.

But I do remember, you know, there being hair in the mezcal, so.

So that is walkable from a lot of the, you know, hotels where people might be staying in the city.

And I would recommend it if you need a haircut.

Paris Marine.

That's very good campus.

That definitely sounds like a good way to spend the day.

Good combo.

Mine was.

This is getting a little bit into shopping opportunities when you're in the city.

A massive flea market and vintage market that only happens on Sundays.

I'm going to butcher pronunciation of the name, but I will put the name in this in the show notes as well.

But it's something along the lines of Tianguas La Linguila.

Absolutely massive.

I mean, it probably covers 20 plus city blocks.

This just enormous flea market, vintage market.

You do have to be a little careful and do your research to figure out which end of the market to enter into.

Because some parts are a little bit more sketchy than others, for sure.

Like, as you start going into the market, there's some parts that are more on the flea market side and just people selling piles of used things and there's gang activity and stuff on that side.

But on the other side of the market is this really, really well curated, incredible vintage market where you've got, you know, four booths that feature nothing but authentic concert shirts, vintage concert shirts from all around the world.

Other ones with vinyl from all around the world.

Incredible modernist furniture that you can buy.

I mean, it was.

It was better than the Brooklyn flea.

It was better than any vintage market I've seen anywhere in the world.

And it was just absolutely massive.

It only happens on Sundays, but if you like cool vintage things, it's definitely a place to go check out.

Sounds amazing.

I didn't make it there on my previous trips to Mexico City, but definitely putting that on the list for the next one.

All right, well, we've got a little over our 10 minutes on today's episode.

Why don't we jump back with our next episode, getting into what to eat, because this is an incredible food city and I know we've both had some great experiences there.

And come back and we'll take people through some of those great places to check out from a culinary perspective when you're in the city.

And as always, if you're enjoying our podcast.

It's great.

If you can drop us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

And check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world@boyescape.com Sounds good.

Talk to you soon.

David thanks Tim.