Putting the Meh in Mexico City
You know how sometimes things are so hyped up that no level of expectations could quite possibly be met? Sort of like Godzilla: King of the Monsters. I waited 5 damn long years for that movie and based on all the stuff I read and the awesome trailers I watched over and over and over I went into that film with sky high expectations it would be the best damn American Godzilla yet!
Wrong. It was terrible. But then I just thought maybe my expectations were too damn high. I gave it another shot and, well, it still wasn't good but at least I could enjoy it a bit more than the first time.
I sort of feel that way about Mexico City.
Oh Mexico City, I had longed for you for so long. Friend upon friend upon friend had told me how much I would love Mexico City. How the culture was amazing, the food delicious, the city so vibrant. Even before I set out on this Remote Year life I had Mexico City (or CDMX as the cool kids refer to it) circled as a destination I needed to get to in the near future.
Well, I made it with my Polaris group and...
Mexico City is basically a ginormous city. And yes, it has a lot of cool things. Mainly, it has a lot of cool things that you can find in any other big city. Museums. Parks. Really good restaurants. It does have Lucha Libre and that shit is hilarious and entertaining as hell and was most likely the highlight of Mexico City for me personally. The history of it and the mystery surrounding the wrestlers is also really interesting and it's a really fun time out. Aside from lucha libre, CDMX has a ton of great jazz clubs, speakeasies and rooftop bars which is also rad. Aside from that, I was left wondering... What makes it so special? I've been told that, along with Medellin (which actually was the rare thing where ridiculous expectations were met and surpassed), Mexico City is the most common city where post Remote Year citizens wind up living or going back to repeatedly. I see the allure. It's just like any big American city. So if you like the creature comforts of home but want to live outside the U.S., I guess you can stay in Mexico City. To me, that isn't what Remote Year is about though. I want to experience the unfamiliar more than the status quo. Don't get me wrong, I'm the guy that went to Hooters in Medellin and ordered Papa John's in Santiago. I am not against having some good old fashioned Americana here and there. But Mexico City just felt a little too much like home.
The other reason Mexico City probably didn't jive with me as much as others is that, confession, I don't love authentic Mexican food. Turns out, authentic Mexican food is basically just tacos. I grew up in California. We basically invented the burrito. I like burritos. I like quesadillas. I like salsa. I really really like breakfast burritos. I love fajitas. Know what you can't find in Mexico City? Pretty much any of that. I knew burritos were essentially American made, but I had no idea that ALL my favorite Mexican food was not, in fact, Mexican. My least favorite of the Mexican dishes happen to be the real authentic Mexican food. Tacos. And not only that, but just like how they raved about Mexico City, all my friends who had visited Mexico City raved about the Tacos El Pastor. Meh. I found most of the tacos to be quite honestly dry. And the salsa that was provided didn't blow my socks off. Worst of all, any time I tried to eat anything Mexican, I usually wound up with Montezuma's Revenge. What's the point of being known for having amazing food if it just makes you feel like shit later? That being said, there were exceptions. Just as my friends raved about CDMX and tacos el pastor, they all unanimously seemed to rave about Contramar and Pujol, two amazing restaurants in Mexico City. I will definitely bow down and admit that both were fantastic. Contramar's tuna tostado's were to die for and we didn't have anything on their menu that wasn't delicious. Pujol was a fancy schmancy restaurant following in the same vein of Maido in Lima and Carmen in Medellin. A 7-course meal of small plates that were all great. I recommend both highly. Don't go to CDMX and not hit either one of those places.
While I know this post sounds somewhat negative, it's really not meant to be. Mexico City wasn't my cup of tea mainly because it was so familiar. I did have a blast scooting around the city on my Bird scooters (or Lime or Grin scooters) and the city was greener than I had anticipated. I also love Mezcal and having a ton of access to really good Mezcal's was also a big plus. However, just like with Santiago, the best experiences I had of Mexico came outside Mexico City. Some highlights:
I DID actually enjoy things in CDMX as well. Chapultepec Park is huge and interesting and has a castle and roller coasters and paddleboats in it.
Wrong. It was terrible. But then I just thought maybe my expectations were too damn high. I gave it another shot and, well, it still wasn't good but at least I could enjoy it a bit more than the first time.
I sort of feel that way about Mexico City.
Oh Mexico City, I had longed for you for so long. Friend upon friend upon friend had told me how much I would love Mexico City. How the culture was amazing, the food delicious, the city so vibrant. Even before I set out on this Remote Year life I had Mexico City (or CDMX as the cool kids refer to it) circled as a destination I needed to get to in the near future.
Well, I made it with my Polaris group and...
Mexico City is basically a ginormous city. And yes, it has a lot of cool things. Mainly, it has a lot of cool things that you can find in any other big city. Museums. Parks. Really good restaurants. It does have Lucha Libre and that shit is hilarious and entertaining as hell and was most likely the highlight of Mexico City for me personally. The history of it and the mystery surrounding the wrestlers is also really interesting and it's a really fun time out. Aside from lucha libre, CDMX has a ton of great jazz clubs, speakeasies and rooftop bars which is also rad. Aside from that, I was left wondering... What makes it so special? I've been told that, along with Medellin (which actually was the rare thing where ridiculous expectations were met and surpassed), Mexico City is the most common city where post Remote Year citizens wind up living or going back to repeatedly. I see the allure. It's just like any big American city. So if you like the creature comforts of home but want to live outside the U.S., I guess you can stay in Mexico City. To me, that isn't what Remote Year is about though. I want to experience the unfamiliar more than the status quo. Don't get me wrong, I'm the guy that went to Hooters in Medellin and ordered Papa John's in Santiago. I am not against having some good old fashioned Americana here and there. But Mexico City just felt a little too much like home.
The other reason Mexico City probably didn't jive with me as much as others is that, confession, I don't love authentic Mexican food. Turns out, authentic Mexican food is basically just tacos. I grew up in California. We basically invented the burrito. I like burritos. I like quesadillas. I like salsa. I really really like breakfast burritos. I love fajitas. Know what you can't find in Mexico City? Pretty much any of that. I knew burritos were essentially American made, but I had no idea that ALL my favorite Mexican food was not, in fact, Mexican. My least favorite of the Mexican dishes happen to be the real authentic Mexican food. Tacos. And not only that, but just like how they raved about Mexico City, all my friends who had visited Mexico City raved about the Tacos El Pastor. Meh. I found most of the tacos to be quite honestly dry. And the salsa that was provided didn't blow my socks off. Worst of all, any time I tried to eat anything Mexican, I usually wound up with Montezuma's Revenge. What's the point of being known for having amazing food if it just makes you feel like shit later? That being said, there were exceptions. Just as my friends raved about CDMX and tacos el pastor, they all unanimously seemed to rave about Contramar and Pujol, two amazing restaurants in Mexico City. I will definitely bow down and admit that both were fantastic. Contramar's tuna tostado's were to die for and we didn't have anything on their menu that wasn't delicious. Pujol was a fancy schmancy restaurant following in the same vein of Maido in Lima and Carmen in Medellin. A 7-course meal of small plates that were all great. I recommend both highly. Don't go to CDMX and not hit either one of those places.
While I know this post sounds somewhat negative, it's really not meant to be. Mexico City wasn't my cup of tea mainly because it was so familiar. I did have a blast scooting around the city on my Bird scooters (or Lime or Grin scooters) and the city was greener than I had anticipated. I also love Mezcal and having a ton of access to really good Mezcal's was also a big plus. However, just like with Santiago, the best experiences I had of Mexico came outside Mexico City. Some highlights:
- Hot air ballooning in Teotihuacan and seeing the Sun and Moon pyramids
- Hiking to the Tepozteco pyramid in Tepoztlan
- Visiting Oaxaca (the birthplace of Mezcal), enjoying the town, drinking Mezcal, and seeing the petrified waterfalls
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| Hot Air Ballooning in Teotihuacan |
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| Tepozteco Pyramid |
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| Petrified Waterfalls of Hierve El Agua |
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| Mezcal in Oaxaca |
I DID actually enjoy things in CDMX as well. Chapultepec Park is huge and interesting and has a castle and roller coasters and paddleboats in it.
The jazz clubs were awesome (Parker and Lenox specifically)
And of course Contramar and Pujol are must-eats.
Overall, Mexico City was a place where I felt like I was back in the States. Except I couldn't find any burritos. It is a fun city. It just didn't live up to the hype (and now that I think about it, Medellin had sky high expectations and met them but I digress). Maybe I just need to go back and give it a 2nd chance. I mean, it sort of worked for Godzilla, why not for CDMX?
Overall on the Macster Scale of -5 to 5 I give Mexico City a 0. I was largely indifferent towards it.
Mexico City also wrapped up the Polaris groups tour of LATAM. I'll have a post up in the coming week or two on being 1/3 of the way through this Remote Year craziness and my thoughts on the Latin American portion of it. Now we're off to Southeast Asia which I loved last time I was there in 2015. Looking forward to it.
And of course Contramar and Pujol are must-eats.
Overall, Mexico City was a place where I felt like I was back in the States. Except I couldn't find any burritos. It is a fun city. It just didn't live up to the hype (and now that I think about it, Medellin had sky high expectations and met them but I digress). Maybe I just need to go back and give it a 2nd chance. I mean, it sort of worked for Godzilla, why not for CDMX?
Overall on the Macster Scale of -5 to 5 I give Mexico City a 0. I was largely indifferent towards it.
Mexico City also wrapped up the Polaris groups tour of LATAM. I'll have a post up in the coming week or two on being 1/3 of the way through this Remote Year craziness and my thoughts on the Latin American portion of it. Now we're off to Southeast Asia which I loved last time I was there in 2015. Looking forward to it.
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| El Fin |
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