I was treated to a visit from Kacy & Mike, her partner in case you don’t know and were immediately like “wtf just happened?”. I feel so blessed that in the last year I’ve gotten to see so many friends and family, that so many have traveled here to visit or made space in their chaotic lives to host me. And from what I can tell, not a single one of you was like “Mexico City is on the top of my travel bucket list”.
These two were committed to hitting the ground running and we had an action packed Tuesday of tacos, exploring Roma, and Lucha. Wednesday we meandered through the most northern part of Chapultepec Park hitting the Modern Art Museum, the botanical garden, and the zoo, which has a butterfly atrium? aviary? (I’m not super sure what we call these) and was new for me. While a bit depressing on the whole, the zoo did have a couple big wins, including a picture perfect black panther exhibiting the most intense lounge I’ve ever seen on a log pretty darn close to the viewing window.
Thursday, Kacy & Mike took off to hot air balloon it over Teotihuacan and I got some school work and Leo walks done in the morning. Upon their return, we ate more tacos and then met Fran and Gus at Handshake Speakeasy. The Handshake is regularly listed as one of the top 50 bars in the world. This was my first visit there. The drinks were incredible, even when they weren’t up someone’s alley there were amazing balanced and unique. The envirnoment surprised me a bit. You need reservations and both lounges are in a hotel and you get led into them through back hallways and such. It was a small, dark space with a sorta Gatsby 1920s theme going on. There’s a time limit and it’s a bit loud. So instead of feeling secretive and special and like something unique, for me it felt more like something ultra cool and statusy. Not generally my jam and really it’s too bad cause the drinks were quite exceptional.
Friday was Corona Capital Fest. And also a rough day for Kacy & Mike who were a bit down for the count. The morning was mellow and then Fran, Gus and I headed over to the Autodromo in just terrible traffic. As a result we missed Jet which I was pretty bummed about, but we did make it in time for 4 Non Blondes. It always takes me a moment to get my festival groove and I think a moment longer for this one since my partners in crime were not familiar with the same bands as me. (Kacy, Mike, I missed you!) But epic festival that this is I managed to also catch Garbage, Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand (a tiny part of Queens of the Stone Age) and part of Foo Fighters, for which I was quite near the stage and then about 3 songs in I remembered that I don’t really like the Foo Fighters… Nothing against them, just I can’t get into it. Franz Ferdinand was definitely the surprise of the night, putting an excellent show. Garbage was good, but for a number of their old songs they opted to slightly change up the cadence of lyrics or another element in such a way that it screwed with my nostalgia factor a little. Also Shirley Manson should just always be a redhead. I don’t know about this blonde business.
Saturday was another mellow day with very local activities only. In the evening we chilled and ate sopa de lima and watched Don’t Look Up, which is just so good and somehow Kacy hadn’t seen it. She did bear with a 45 minute discussion on various branches of the Star Wars universe earlier in the day with good humor so she definitely earned a movie she wanted to watch.
Sunday we were back at it in full force. We sped through Centro, hitting Bellas Artes, the Postal Palace, the National Catedral and checking out the zocalo. Then after a brief respite at home, we headed down to Coyoacan to the market and corresponding plaza, then up to Casa Azul and finally over to the main plazas and had some delicious soups at Los Danzantes. And I had the melty chocolate cake with gorgonzola ice cream that I remain obsessed with.
Monday was their last real day in town. In morning we wandered with Leo through Parque Mexico and stopped and grabbed a fancy mezcal for them to take home before heading down to the trajineras at Xochimilco.
As with all my guests so far, I think they were most surprised by the amount of green in this city and then also by the variety of architectural styles one encounters. Tuesday they left in morning. And I think I was ready to have my space and quiet for about half a day before I was just like “boo. I miss them”.
The rest of the week flew by between work and getting my mid term done. It is done. And that’s about all I have to say about that. Here’s me studying outside because it’s beautiful out every afternoon these days. Basically I wake up and it’s somewhere in the low 60s and sunny and by early afternoon it’s in the low 70s and sunny. In my head sometimes I miss seasons or cold fresh air, but I’m quite confident I would be over it after about 2 days.
Saturday I wandered down to San Ángel and for the first time took the metrobus down there. I knew it was easy, but I was pleasantly impressed with how easy. Both coming and going a bus arrived within moments. Six pesos and 30 minutes later, I got off in San Ángel across from Parque Bombilla and climbed a few uphill blocks to the central plaza. As always on Saturday, it was filled with art. This is a really lovely old part of town with narrow cobblestone street, lofty Spanish style mansions and gates and brightly colored homes. It’s not unlike Coyaocan, in fact, the two houses of Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo are located in this part of town. I ran my errand and then headed back down to the bus stop. I crossed over to explore Templo del Carmen de San Ángel (although I didn’t go to the adjacent museum, being a bit tight on time). My photos do not do it justice. The church was constructed in the early 1600s for the order of Discalced Carmelites, which is an order focused on prayer, community, and service, although apparently the literal translation is Barefoot Carmelites, which makes it feel like a Tom Robbins creation to me. It was built in the colonial Baroque style with some traditional elements incorportated into a European style building. There are actually three domes all of which are covered in bright ceramics. It’s an active church and while I was there a woman was kneeling at the altar and singing her prayers quite loudly. But she had a lovely voice.
Then I took a quick jaunt through the neighborhing Parque Bombilla. The park was established in 1934 to honor President Álvaro Obregón, an important figure in the Mexican Revolution and many attribute the end of the Revolution to the relative stability and social reform his election and presidency brought. That said, after being re elected in 1928, he was assassinated before he could assume the presidency while dining at Restaurante Bombilla. Hence the park name.
Sunday night I made mac n cheese and some of the ladies came over and we feasted. But not enough. So I gave a plate to my door woman. Who has now pronounced that I could be married because it was so delicious. Which is a very fucking Mexican compliment for a certain generation.
I connected with Kathryn Foster and we talked for about 4 hours and it felt natural and easy and just really nice to hear her voice, share some dark humor, and commiserate.
I have this gentle long distance flirtation going with a long standing flirt buddy. And it feels lovely. Though I find myself fighting against my instincts to progress cause I know I just want to be in it and passively let it be whatever it will or won’t be.
I have this image of what it means to luxiariate in something and it’s a cat stretching in the sun. It’s unabashed, pure enjoyment of an experience. It’s unrushed and dwelled in. It’s giving space and life to the moment. It might just be nirvana. And that’s what I want to nuture in my life.
Tomorrow I leave to meet Leigh in Puerto Escondido where I will practice luxiariating in the humid, humid blanket of a sun and the clear salt water.
Year One Project 
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