Our five weeks in Mexico City were everything we wanted them to be and we left the city more in love with it than ever and committed to a longer stay (probably eight weeks) next year. We slowed our pace a little after the first week, only seeing two more movies and only seeing our friend a couple more times (we all got busy) but we had a fantastic visit from my sister, an unforgettable Valentine’s Day, and enjoyed the high quality of life we’ve come to expect in CDMX every single day. 

I also made time to try to improve my Spanish with private lessons again. I purchased 11 hours for just under $200 USD from a company called Speak Like A Mexican. I don’t think I made as much improvement as I did in Puerto Escondido the first time I took lessons, but I definitely improved and recommitted myself to getting better at Spanish. It is very beneficial to have in Mexico.

Visit from My Sister

The big highlight of our stay was my sister coming to stay with us for five nights. It was her first real international trip (she got a passport especially to make it) and we had so much fun sharing with her all of our favorite parts of CDMX.

We started with an overnight trip to Teotihuacan, a bucket list item for her. We got up bright and early to be among the first at the site and managed to climb the Pyramid of the Sun and see the rest of the site including the museum before noon. After a nice local lunch at a fondita, we headed back to CDMX to prepare for the rest of her activities.

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In Mexico City, our main activities were the wonderful Museo de Nacional Antropologico. It was the first visit there for me and Chad too and it was wonderful! One of the best museums we’ve ever visited. We also visited the Templo Mayor ruins in the zocalo (downtown area) and went in the National Cathedral, and Jenn and I spent a sister afternoon in my favorite neighborhood, Coyoacan. And we attended an UNAM Pumas futbol (soccer) match.

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The highlight, I think, again was the Lucha Libre wrestling. We had a phenomenal time and Jenn even bought a lucha mask after! I hope this was the first of many visits to us on the road from my sister.

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Falling in Love with UNAM on Valentine’s Day

One of my Christmas gifts from Chad was the promise of five neighborhood tours on five continents over the course of our travels this year. First up was the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México campus, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site for its mid-century architecture and importance to urban planning. Chad did a fantastic job on the tour, starting with the on-campus murals, then taking me to its botanical garden, and then finally lunch and exhibits at the contemporary art museum on campus. It was a great way to spend Valentine’s Day, capped that night by an excellent Japanese dinner out in our neighborhood, Polanco.

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Summary

We loved our time in Mexico City again! Our apartment worked out great (though we learned that the heaters weren’t really necessary, opening up new possibilities for less expensive places when we returned), we stayed under budget, and we had a wonderful time. Honestly, we were both a little sad to leave when it came time to depart for Costa Rica, but knowing we’ll return and stay even longer makes it better.

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Airbnb Review – Guadalupe’s apartment is exactly like the photos, and very clean and comfortable for our 5-week stay. The location is a 10-minute walk to the Polanco metro station and convenient to supermarkets and nice parks. The main bed is very comfortable and it was nice to have an extra room with a great desk in it for working. The kitchen, though small, worked well for us, and it was great to have a washer in the apartment. The hot water worked great and in January/February we rarely needed space heaters for warmth. The building security and weekly housekeeping was an added bonus for us and everyone was very kind and professional. Guadalupe herself was very warm, had great communication, and was willing to provide recommendations. The only slight issue we had was the wifi was occasionally spotty and sometimes slow, especially in the evenings; I find this inconsistency with the internet to be very common in Mexico. Overall, a great place that I highly recommend.
(You can see photos here.)