Central Mexico Itinerary - Winter 2021

The emergence of the Omicron variant derailed our end-of-the-year trip to Morocco. The kingdom took a dramatic step to ban all commercial flights in and out of the country for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, our ticket with Royal Air Maroc was fully refundable due to the involuntary cancellation. Among all the alternatives, Mexico was an easy and obvious choice. With a rather hands-off attitude toward the pandemic, Mexico never imposed any form of travel restriction during the pandemic. During our trip to Yucatán a year ago, we found that Mexican people are relatively vigilant regarding sanitization and mask-wearing. It somehow eases out the guilt of international travel during times of pandemic.

Since our previous Mexican trip was to the Yucatán region, we opted to explore the country's geographical heartland this year. Naturally, Mexico City is like a natural starting point. From the capital, we opted to head north to explore three UNESCO World Heritage Cities: Querétaro, Guanajuato, and San Miguel de Allende. Given that we opted not to rent a car for this trip, the excellent bus network among these cities is a breeze.

Day 1: New York - Mexico City

In my finite wisdom, I thought booking a 2 am flight out of New York’s Kennedy Airport was a good idea. Because of the COVID-related delays, we did not take off until about 3:30 am. Luckily, the wind direction worked in our favor, and we arrived at our Airbnb apartment around eight o’clock. Unfortunately, we were not able to check in until 3 pm. So we opted for a quick nap in the rooftop hammock before heading to the city for our first Mexican breakfast at Cafeteria Sienras, a local cantina. We spent the next few hours wandering around the bustling city. Along the way, we popped into CDMX’s most famous churreria: Churrería El Moro.

My main agenda for the day was our 1 pm. appointment to tour Casa Gilardi, a private home designed by Luis Barragán. Because we had a little time, I opted to take the metro there. Little did I know that would be the last time we used public transportation in CDMX on this trip. The guide for the one-hour tour grew up in the house and was able to provide an intimate perspective of architecture. After the tour, we walked through the nearby Chapultepec Park, the green lung of CDMX. Along the way, we stopped by Montezuma's Baths, which was said to be the royal bathing ground of the late Aztec ruler. It was almost three o’clock by then, so we were eager to race back to Centro to check into our Airbnb. After a well-deserved nap, we had our first Mexican dinner at TESAL. I have never had such a decadent octopus dish in my entire life.

Day 2: Mexico City

This being my second visit to CDMX, I was eager to visit many important sights I neglected during my previous trip. My biggest regret was somehow missing out on the National Museum of Anthropology. It is the national depository of Mexico’s vast archaeological treasure and arguably the most important cultural institution in the country. To my surprise, they were open on Christmas Day, and I could hardly think of a better way to spend my Christmas morning. For lunch, the museum restaurant Sala Gastronómica is surprisingly gourmet and elegant. Across from the museum was a giant blue flag pole, the “stage” for Dance of the Flyers (Danza de los Voladores). I first heard of this traditional ceremony from the Mexico episode of the Australian TV show Travel Guides. It was indeed quite an amazing experience.

Back in Chapultepec Park, we enjoyed a stroll around the bustling lagoon. It was almost like New York’s Central Park on steroids; I had never seen so many paddle boats in one place. Our next stop was Polanco, the Beverly Hills of Mexico. My plan for the afternoon was to visit two popular art museums: Soumaya Museum and Museo Jumex.

Unfortunately, I discovered that one was closed early because of Christmas, and the other had a two-hundred-person line into another. Waiting an hour in line under the sun did not sound too appealing. Instead, I took a half-hour Uber to one of the CDMX’s most famous sights: the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The legend of Our Lady of Guadalupe requires no introduction for most Americans. But it was only recently that I learned that the alleged apparition occurred within the modern municipal boundary of Mexico City.

The ground of Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

It was another half-hour Uber from Polanco. Having been to Fátima a few years back, we had certain expectations about a “blockbuster” Catholic pilgrimage site. I could confidently say that the full ensemble religious structures are exhilarating. Of course, seeing Juan Diego's actual tilma was also quite exciting, even for a non-Christian like myself. We wrapped our day with a fancy dinner Porfirio's Masaryk back in Polanco. This place was too highfalutin for us and was quite an unpleasant experience.

Day 3: Mexico City

Since Brian was still recovering from altitude sickness and air pollution, I took the opportunity to tick a major item off my architectural bucket list. Torres de Satélite is the most massive work of Luis Barragán. Located in a suburb called Satélite, it was a solid 25-minute Uber ride from the Centro. I honestly could say this is the most exciting piece of architecture I have visited since the Villa Tugendhat in 2016. Despite being sandwiched between a multi-lane expressway, the tower’s majesty still had me in awe.

Torres de Satélite is the city’s best kept secret.

Around noon, I met Brian and began our hunt for lunch. We visited several famous taquerias in and around Centro. Besides the famous tacos al pastor at Tacos El Huequito, we also tried some of the more “adventurous” tacos from Los Cocuyos. This was the taco stand featured on the Travel Guides episode. Unfortunately, Brian still did not feel so well, so we decided to head back to the apartment. While he was recovering, I took a walk to the nearby Plaza de Loreto. The bustling nearby street market may be the draw, but the extreme tilting Nuestra Señora de Loreto Church is memorable.

The main event for the day is the visit to La Casa Azul, the Frida Kahlo House Museum. These are arguably the most popular tickets in town, with tickets sold out weeks in advance. The popularity of Frida Kahlo is astonishing. The house museum is quite modest but meticulously preserved. The museum provides an intimate look at her life with Diego Rivera. The house museum is also conveniently located near the center of Coyoacán, one of the most popular neighborhoods of CDMX. The bustling square is such a nice contrast from Zócalo. We ended our day with an amazing seafood dinner at Entremar in Polanco. It was the best meal we had so far on this trip.

Day 4 - Mexico City - San Juan Teotihuacán - Mexico City

In Mexico, most museums close on Monday. However, there is one noticeable exception: the pyramid at Teotihuacán. Even though I have been there before, I was still excited to revisit it with Brian. The bus to Teotihuacán departed from Terminal Central de Autobuses del Norte. Since our bus to Querétaro will leave from the same bus terminal, I used this opportunity to scout the station's layout. The bus ride out of CDMX was quite hellish as we got to experience the city's legendary traffic jam. Fortunately, we got on the bus early and arrived at the pyramid gate by 10 am. To my surprise, the on-site museum is closed due to pandemic restrictions. But more disappointing, visitors could no longer climb either of the main pyramids.

Back in CDMX, I took a long excursion around the Centro. Of all the street activities, the most interesting must be the traditional cleansing ceremony performed by “Aztec priests.” By all accounts, the recipients of these rituals were mostly Mexicans, not foreign tourists. Ironically, these pagan ceremonies took place in the shadow of the Metropolitan Cathedral, the greatest symbol of colonial Spain. Speaking of colonialism, I also visited the Church of the Immaculate Conception and Jesus Nazareno, the resting place of the infamous Hernán Cortés. A visit to the hugely popular Pastelería Ideal was a great way to cap an exhausting day of sightseeing. For dinner, we had a dinner reservation at the upmarket Limosneros.

Day 5 - Mexico City

This was our last full day in Mexico City before heading north to Querétaro tomorrow. Even though we still had a full day back in the city at the end of our trip, I was determined to make today a busy sightseeing day. After reviewing my to-do list, we started our morning at the Templo Mayor Museum. The partially excavated temple remains stand in sharp contrast with the soaring cathedral nearby. While the National Museum of Anthropology may have the most important Aztec artifact, the Temple Mayor Museum has some of my favorite objects, such as the amazing life-size clay statue of the Aztec eagle warrior. We ended up spending more than two hours in the museum.

Our main event for the day was to enjoy the magic of Xochimilco’s canals. As CDMX expands over the past century, much of the pre-Hispanic landscape has disappeared. Today, the canals and chinampa of Xochimilco are the best representation of the original Aztec landscape. Because of the atrocious traffic conditions of Centro, it was a 90-minute Uber ride to make our way to Embarcadero Nuevo Nativitas Xochimilco. After grabbing a quick lunch at a nearby eatery called Tienda, we got our own chartered trajinera, a traditional flat-bottom Mexican boat. The three-hour-long charter was just pure festive fun. From the floating elite stands to roving mariachi bands, this was easily the most amazing Mexican experience we have ever had.

To make this an ultimate “Mexican” day, we had tickets to an evening of lucha libre. We revisited Tacos El Huequito to have a couple more tacos al pastor before the 7 pm. performance. The preeminent wrestling event in the city takes place in Arena México. Both of us were in awe by the size of the arena. As expected, just about everything lucha libre was outlandish and odd. For me, a big part of the fun was to observe the crowd’s enthusiasm. In particular, the female wrestlers and their bands of superfans were just so much fun to watch. I hardly thought of the best way to celebrate our last evening in the city.

Day 6 - Mexico City - Santiago de Querétaro

Our “travel day” finally arrived! We checked out the Airbnb early to catch our 9 am bus from Terminal Central de Autobuses del Norte. We splurged a bit for our two-hour journey north with a luxurious ride with ETN. It was the most comfortable bus ride we ever experienced. I was also impressed that the bus could adhere to the published schedule despite the horrendous traffic out of CDMX. As we approached Querétaro, I was amazed by how massive this “medium-sized” city is.

It was a 15-minute Uber from the bus station to our hotel, Tá Hotel de Diseño. This new boutique hotel in the middle of the Centro Histórico was a welcome relief after five days in CDMX. Our first impression of Querétaro was just how orderly and clean the city is compared to any other Mexican city we have visited. After a short rest at the hotel and a late lunch at PÍA Cocina Libre, we took a casual walk to familiarize ourselves with this city.

From the impressive 19th-century aqueduct to the memorials to the local heroines of the Mexican Revolution, the historical heritage of Querétaro is astonishing. The city is also fully decked out with Christmas decorations and festive lights. Although it may not be the most impressive light display, seeing local families enjoying the atmosphere is everything. For dinner, we made a last-minute reservation at Tikua Sur - Este, which specializes in the cuisine from Oaxaca and Yucatán. While I thoroughly enjoyed my dishes, Brian was less than enthused with his ant-stewed mole dish.

Day 7 - Santiago de Querétaro

This was our first full day in Querétaro, and I made an early start by taking a long photo walk around Centro Histórico, including countless churches and public squares. I met Brian for an authentic Mexican breakfast at Bisquets Querétaro. The first stop for the day was Pirámide El Cerrito, a fifteen-minute Uber ride from the city center. The pyramid’s claim of fame was the colonial-era hacienda on the top, which was constructed without knowledge of the existence of a century-old pyramid.

We were both surprised by how good the tourism infrastructure is around Querétaro. Afterward, it was another 10-minute Uber ride to the Hill of Bells (Cerro de las Campanas). This was a historical site where the Mexican revolutionary executed the Emperor Maximilian of the Second Mexican Empire. Besides the memorial chapel for the emperor, there is also a museum and a colossal statue of legendary president Benito Juárez.

From Hill of Bells, it was a casual 25-minute stroll back to the center of town. I took the opportunity to try out Pastes Kiko's, a hugely popular food chain serving filo-wrapped savory and sweet pies. After visiting a few more churches, we visited Museo de Arte de Querétaro. Housed in a former Augustinian convent, the museum gave us a peek into one of Latin America's most flamboyant Baroque spaces. The cloister reminded me of Lisbon’s Jerónimos Monastery. Two blocks away is MUCAL Museum Calendar, a museum dedicated entirely to Mexican calendars. It was one of the most unusual museums we have ever visited. Before we knew it, we wrapped our day up with dinner at Restaurante 1810.

Day 8 - Santiago de Querétaro - San Sebastián Bernal - Santiago de Querétaro

San Sebastián Bernal is one of Mexico’s “Pueblo Magico” and one of the most popular day trips from Querétaro. For convenience, we used Uber for the 50-minute journey. The $725 peso trip was the most expensive Uber ride on this trip. That said, it did feel fancy to arrive at Bernal in style. Bernal may be small, but it is one of the loveliest in central Mexico. Of course, the star attraction here is Peña de Bernal, the world’s third-largest monolith. Towering over the town, Peña holds a mythical quality no matter from whichever angle.

There is definitely a mythical quality to the Peña de Bernal.

After lunch on Restaurante Milo's fabulous rooftop terrace, we decided to try climbing Peña. We took a tuk-tuk to the trailhead. It did not take us long to realize that we neither had the time nor the stamina to take on summiting today. Instead, a few pictures of the monolith's base would suffice for now. I was unsure about the bus schedule back to Querétaro because today was New Year's Eve. Luckily, we caught the bus right as it was about to leave the bus stop.

Back in the city, Brian returned to the hotel to recover from the worsening discomfort. I spent the rest of the afternoon walking the streets of Querétaro. Since Brian was staying in for the rest of the day, I spent the evening sampling all sorts of street food. In particular, Buñuelos Queretanos was especially delicious and surprising. Since it was New Year’s Eve, Jardín Zenea was transformed into an enormous block party. Of course, there were also obligatory New Year fireworks!

Day 9 - Santiago de Querétaro - Guanajuato

Unfortunately, our time in Querétaro has come to the end. I woke up early again to do a farewell tour of this beautiful city. The city looked especially serene and radiant on New Year's morning. Brian and I met up at Chucho El Roto for a traditional Mexican brunch buffet. We actually had a little bit of scare when we were trying to find a taxi or Uber to the bus terminal. Because it was New Year, there was actually no Uber on the road in Querétaro. It was really the first time Uber “failed” us in Mexico; we almost did not make it to our 1 pm. bus to Guanajuato. For this journey, we traveled on Primera Plus, another first-class bus line albeit less luxurious than ETN.

Querétaro’s 18th century aqueduct. is a work of beauty.

From the moment of our arrival, we sensed that there was something special about this magical town. In contrast to the grid layout of most Mexican cities, Guanajuato's winding lanes are particularly magical. The taxi ride to our hotel through the twisting lanes was particularly memorable; we were glad we did not rent a car for this trip. For the next three nights, we called Antigua Trece Hotel Fusión home. From the room, we had a wonderful view of the colorful hillside.

As most guidebooks indicate, navigating the streets of Guanajuato could be a challenge for the first few hours. At some points, the cityscape reminded me of the etchings of M. C. Escher. All the architecture and energy completely enthralled me to the point that I had not thought much about dinner. We ended up at a cozy bistro called La Fuente Cocina Internacional. It was the worst meal we ever had.

Day 10 - Guanajuato

In comparison to Querétaro, the historic center of Guanajuato is extremely compact. The narrow lanes and irregular-shaped piazza made this city incredibly photogenic. The city's architectural heritage is breathtaking, from the grand staircase of Universidad de Guanajuato to the elaborate Temple of the Society of Jesus Oratory of San Felipe Neri. The city’s unique tunnel system provides the city with a unique characteristic. After breakfast at the hotel, we began a busy day of sightseeing at Museo Palacio de los Poderes, the former home of the Congress of Guanajuato. A couple of blocks away is the Diego Rivera's House Museum, the childhood home of the famous muralist.

After a coffee break at Café Conquistador, we proceeded to Alhóndiga de Granaditas, a colonial-era granary pivotal in the Mexican Revolution. Famously, the decapitated heads of revolutionaries Miguel Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende, Juan Aldama, and José Mariano Jiménez were once hanged at four corners of the building here. Nowadays, the building houses the Regional Museum of Guanajuato, which includes somber memorials to the revolutionary heroes and a wide variety of historical artifacts.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at the famous Callejón del Beso, the Alley of Kiss. Like Juliet's balcony in Verona or Brussel’s Manneken Pis, its popularity with visitors is a sight of its own. I rounded out the day with a visit to Museo del Pueblo de Guanajuato, a university art museum with a beautiful Baroque chapel and a great contemporary photography exhibit. After a busy day of sightseeing, we took refuge on the hotel rooftop to enjoy the beautiful sunset over the dazzling colors of Guanajuato. For dinner, we found a nice bistro Costal Cultura Cafetera, just a few blocks from our disastrous dinner yesterday. I was particularly fond of my Cuitlacoche fettuccine!

Day 11 - Guanajuato

After breakfast at the hotel, we started the day with one of the must-dos in Guanajuato. A four-minute funicular brought us to the city’s most amazing views. At the viewpoint is a monumental statue of El Pípila, a legendary miner and a hero of the Mexican Revolution. From this viewpoint, it was a 10-minute walk down the steep lanes. It dawned on how physically fit the locals must be to tackle these steep hills. In our hunt for lunch, we stopped by Mercado Hidalgo, the city’s grand indoor market. Legend has it that the market design was originally meant for the infamous Antwerpen-Centraal railway station. For a variety of reasons, it transformed into a public market.

They Guanajuato is the most colorful city in Mexico, and we couldn’t disagree.

After a quick lunch at Tacos "El Paisa II” we decide to visit the most popular tourist attraction in the whole state of Guanajuato: the Museum of the Mummies of Guanajuato. With about sixty mummies on display, the museum attracts a large crowd and a long line. Instead of waiting in the sun for an hour or two, we opted to try beating the crowd first thing in the morning.

Before returning to the city center, we stopped by the adjacent Panteón Municipal Santa Paula, from which the mummies came. We spent the afternoon with a leisurely stroll around Jardín de la Unión to soak in all the conviviality of mariachi bands and student musicians. The nearby Museo Iconográfico del Quijote gives us yet another glimpse into the city’s cultural heritage. For dinner, we returned to Costal Cultura Cafetera again for our final meal in Guanajuato.

Day 12 - Guanajuato - San Miguel de Allende

We set our alarm early today to ensure enough time to visit the Mummy Museum. Luckily, we arrived just after their opening time, and there was only a short line. To my surprise, most visitors seem to be domestic tourists from all over Mexico rather than gawking at foreigners like us. Even more amazingly, many families with young kids visit the museum; that would not have been the case back home in the United States. My experience at the museum goes between fascination and macabre. We were surprised to learn just how recent these mummies are. For me, the most chilling are those of little infants, particularly when accompanied by the memento mori photos of the deceased and their living parents.

The underground tunnel network of Guanajuato.

Before bidding goodbye to Guanajuato, we picked up some delicious Mexican pastries at Panadería la Purisima. It is even better than the famous Pastelería Ideal in Mexico City. The bus ride to San Miguel de Allende (SMA) went through the pastoral countryside of Guanajuato; the landscape reminds me of the central valley of California. It seemed like a good prelude for a relaxing few days in SMA.

Our first impression of this well-loved city was good; it looked like any colonial city in Mexico. The reason behind this city’s popularity among ex-pats and tourists was not immediately clear to us. Our impression of SMA was further dampened by subpar accommodation by Selina San Miguel de Allende; it is one of those places where lifestyle photography masks many of the obvious flaws. Picking Selina was the worst decision I made on this trip.

To soak in the relaxing atmosphere SMA is famous for, we retreated to Selina's rooftop bar to watch the sunset. Though the views are beautiful and the weather was perfect, it became immediately clear to us that SMA is perfectly “designed” for the Instagram-obsessed millennials of today. We certainly felt a little out of place here. But if there is one aspect that SMA excels in, it must be the plethora and quality of its restaurants. Our dinner at Trazo 1810 was this trip's most elegant and delightful.

Day 13 - San Miguel de Allende

Even though we were not too fond of our choice of accommodation in SMA, its central location is second to none. To fully embrace the spirit of this town, we had a decidedly laid-back day. After brunch at Nomada Pop-Up Restaurant by L’Ôtel, we partook in the favorite activity of most visitors: shopping. I suddenly realized that SMA is designed for those who enjoy Sunday brunch or boutique shopping. To my surprise, there were relatively few sights to see. It did not take long to hit up all the major churches, including the famous Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel and Templo del Oratorio de San Felipe Neri.

My favorite part of SMA was the leisure stroll toward Parque Benito Juárez. As much as I want to say that this city did not quite speak to me to the same degree as Querétaro or Guanajuato, I do have to concede that the beauty of its cobblestone and restored colonial facades are indeed beautiful. I could fully understand the appeal of SMA to most visitors. But I must say that I was a little bored after just 24 hours here. It certainly did not help that a big section of my guidebook on SMA is dedicated to activities such as ATV tours or volunteering. We ended our day with a wonderful dinner at Tostévere. Once again, the town’s food offerings have been the one highlight of our day.

Day 14 - San Miguel de Allende

Since we have seen most of the sights yesterday, we had a relatively sluggish start to the day. After breakfast at La Sacristía Cafe, we visited the whimsical La Esquina Toy Museum before heading north toward Fabrica la Aurora. Once a textile factory, the campus has been transformed into SMA’s premier art and gallery complex. It is our one-stop shop for art and antiques in the city. With so many galleries under its roof, browsing through art was a breeze.

And unlike most galleries in New York, prices are readily affixed for buyers’ convenience and consideration. When we visited Moyshen The Gallery, we took a keen interest in a piece by British artist Josh Rowell. Over lunch at El Grand Pa & Son Burguers, we debated investing in our first original artwork. When we returned to the gallery to make the purchase, we realized we had been looking at the wrong price tag. The actual price is eight times more than we thought. Silly us!

We took a 25-minute Uber from Fabrica la Aurora to the little village of Atotonilco. The main attraction is the Sanctuary of Atotonilco, a UNESCO World Heritage Site co-listed with SMA. Architecturally, the church is said to be the most brilliant example of Baroque in New Spain. But perhaps more importantly, the church played an important role in the Mexican Revolution. It is said that a banner depicting the Virgin of Guadalupe was taken from this church to be used as the symbol of revolutionary forces.

The Sanctuary of Atotonilco, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We had a leisurely afternoon exploring the back lanes in San Miguel de Allende. The true highlight of the day was the festivity of Three Kings' Day. It just so happened that Epiphany is big across the Spanish-speaking world. From the public gift-giving from the Magis to the distribution of rosca de reyes to the public, we felt very fortunate to witness such a festive occasion. Since we had no dinner reservation tonight, we picked the nearest restaurant, Bovine Brasserie.

Day 15 - San Miguel de Allende - Mexico City

We were happy to return to Mexico City today since San Miguel de Allende was not our cup of tea. That said, we did want to try out Lavanda Café, the most famous breakfast spot in the city. And I had to admit that the food and coffee were indeed delightful. It was the right send-off before a four-hour bus ride back to CDMX. One of the most remarkable things about this trip was the fact that we had incredible luck with the weather. Although we did visit during the dry season, it was still a miracle that there was not even a single piece of cloud for two weeks. Unfortunately, our luck ran out today as we approached the city. For a moment, it even seemed like we would get some rain.

Fantastic figurine at the Museum of Popular Art.

Brian and I have hoped to pick a hotel as a luxurious final stay for the trip. Unfortunately, we made a mistake by picking Le Méridien Mexico City. The hotel turned out to have the ambiance of an office building rather than a high-end hotel. Thankfully, the views from our room were decent. After freshening up, we headed to the immensely popular Museum of Popular Art. I would even say it is my favorite museum in all of Mexico. Afterward, we headed to Onora Casa in Polanco. This design shop is our favorite place to shop and adds a modern sensibility to traditional artisan crafts. And it just so happens that it is located across the street from Entremar, our favorite restaurant in Mexico.

Day 16 - Mexico City

The main objective of today was to get the necessary COVID rapid antigen test for our flight home tomorrow. It befuddled me just how difficult it is to make an online appointment for the COVID test in Mexico. After lots of online research, we decided to try our luck at the Polanco branch of Chopo. It took about an hour to get tested, but luckily, many staff speak fluent English and are accustomed to foreign visitors. We had breakfast at a nearby Vips, the Mexican version of Danny’s, while we waited for the results.

Once we got our test results, we took an Uber to Chapultepec Castle. Operated nowadays as the National Museum of History, the castle was once home to the president of the Republic and the emperor of the Second Mexican Empire. The castle offers a superb view over Mexico City and a great collection of artifacts and restored interiors.

Museo de Arte Moderno, the country’s preeminent modern art museum, is a stone's throw away from the castle. However, the museum was under renovation, so we only saw a fraction of its collection. But we did manage to see the famous Frida Kahlo painting. Afterward, we took an Uber to lunch at Cicatriz and a cup of traditional Mexican chocolate at Chocolatería La Rifa. While Brian was taking a break back at the hotel, I visited Mercado de Artesanías La Ciudadela, the city’s main handicraft market. Eventually, we met up afterward at Museo Mural Diego Rivera. For various reasons, this was the only Diego Rivera mural so far. Luckily, it also happened to be one of his most well-known murals.

We took a relaxing stroll around Alameda Central and enjoyed my final cup of horchata. We wrapped up our day with a rooftop dinner at La Casa de las Sirenas. The terrace overlooks the Metropolitan Cathedral and the National Palace. It was an appropriate setting for our last dinner in Mexico.

Day 17 - Mexico City - New York

The last day of vacation always brings up many emotions. The main agenda of the day was a guided tour of Casa Estudio Luis Barragán, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since we have seen a couple of projects by Barragán on this trip, it was fitting to end our trip with a tour of his home and studio. Because each guided tour is limited to only six participants, this is arguably the hardest reservation to get to Mexico City. Needless to say, I was beyond excited to geek out on all the little architectural details.

The infamous entry hall at Casa Estudio Luis Barragán.

With four hours left until our flight departure, I squeezed in one last attraction: the Monument to the Revolution. Since we did not have time to peruse the exhibit, we made a beeline to the observation platform. Originally conceived as the dome of the massive legislative palace, the monument was a modern engineering marvel. As an architect, climbing through the inner structural skeleton was a thrill.

Unfinished glory of the Monument to the Revolution.

In all my finite wisdom, we had lunch at the Panda Express across from the hotel. As we stood in the check-in line at Mexico City International Airport, I suddenly felt a severe stomach cramp, followed by a severe case of diarrhea. While I would like to blame it on Panda Express, Brian was adamant that it was the horchata I had yesterday at the park. With the COVID-related delay by Aeroméxico, the flight home was tortuous. I was merely grateful Uber was still available when we finally picked up our luggage at 4 am.

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