First Evening in Ciudad de México

| Photo by Gary Enns |

Arrived in Ciudad de México. Needed to get back to summer travels, plunge into another culture, maybe leave some of the political news behind for a spell, get my Spanish back on track.

Hailed and Uber. Getzy arrived in a black Acadia, After some prodding with my patchy Spanish, she offered a few bits of wisdom about town. Unfortunately, I can speak better than I can understand, which isn’t saying much.

Condesa y Roma—street vendors, tacos, verdant tree canopies, cheap sunglasses, plastic baskets, tiny one-off restaurants and big chains, tailors working in their step-down shops, bright white and brightly lit drug stores, fashion malls, and lots of traffic. 

In a decent modern apartment on the Avenida Baja California, close to the Chilpancingo metro stop and a few minutes walk to Parque Mexico.

On the hunt for a good Mexican novel or collection of short stories or something nonfiction, preferably by a City writer about the City. Classic? Is there a Mexican writer known for a simple, Hemingway-style Spanish prose? Would love to read in the original.

Started cooling to a wonderful rainforest temp, and the sprinkling rains began. Wandered around this evening, hunting and pecking to find Por Siempre 2 on Calle Coahuila, a vegan taco joint I’d heard of through one of those passionate Internet searches vegans do when they land in a new town. A bit of a punk flair to it, the feel of DIY, but with camareros amables con mucha información. Menu full of killer vegan meats—pastor and brisket and breaded chicken. Sat outside, my back to the rain, and we ate a plate full of double-tortilla’d street tacos loaded with cilantro and onion, pineapple and salsas verdes y rojas. Ordered a second round.

After, to the Selecto Supercito market for a gigantic bottle of bottled water because, it’s Mexico, you’re not supposed to drink from the tap. Wandered the aisles to pick up some staples for breakfast the next day, then meandered through a mall and back to the apartment.

Left my camera phone in my picket the entire time. Didn’t want to dilute the simple experience of wandering.

Now, a Corona and this journal. Tomorrow, another day in CDMX.