A Quick Trip to Mexico City

Spoon

Best Of IgoUgo

Restaurant

Spoon Photo - Spoon, Mexico City, Mexico

Quote:

The friend I was visiting in Mexico recommended this French restaurant on my first night in Mexico City. I was not expecting to find such delicious French cuisine in Mexico, but I was very pleasantly surprised. The scrumptious food had a slight Mexican flair to it. We opted to sit outdoors in front of the restaurant on a fresh, comfortable evening. The restaurant is in a quiet, fairly residential neighborhood which allowed us a nice, relaxing meal. The tables were nicely adorned with white table cloths. We were quickly greeted by our server and brought a delightful mix of breads in all different shapes and colors, accompanied by a lovely herb butter. We started our me...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on August 24, 2003

Spoon
Campeche 345
Mexico City, Mexico
(55) 5286-4763

Cheer!
Flag

Hidalguense

Best Of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "El Hidalguense"

El Hidalguense Photo - Hidalguense, Mexico City, Mexico

Quote:

I arrived at El Hidalguense, named for the state of Hidalgo from which this famed Barbacoa style food comes from, with the promise of a traditional Mexican Sunday brunch by my friend and his neighbors. At the front of the restaurant we passed an employee making consommé from the drippings of barbecued meat. We were led to a table dressed with different salsas, lime, and rice. We ordered our food for the table to share. The consommé that they had been making in the front of the restaurant was extremely flavorful and satisfying. We were brought barbacoa (sheep meat steamed slowly to make it very juicy), a plate of napoles (chopped up cactus), and a plate of avocado and goat cheese. We made tacos...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on August 24, 2003

Hidalguense
Colonia Roma Sur on Calle Campeche
Mexico City, Mexico

Cheer!
Flag

Pirámides de Teotihuacan

Best Of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Pyramids at Teotihuacan"

Street of the Dead Photo - Pirámides de Teotihuacan, Mexico City, Mexico

Quote:

These grand pyramids, Pyramid de la Luna (Pyramid of the Moon) and the Pyramid del Sol (Pyramid of the Sun), are amazing reminders of a civilization long past. On either end of a long "street", Calzada de los Muertos (Street of the Dead), sits the two large pyramids. We were first led to La Ciudadela (the Citadel). We walked through the ruins, where our guide conveyed some of the history of the site. We were shown some paintings that were found in the excavations of the site. We were then given free time to walk around, climb the pyramids if we so chose, and visit the museum. I opted to skip the smaller Pyramid of the Moon and to attack the Pyramid of the Sun, the third largest pyr...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on August 24, 2003

Pirámides de Teotihuacan
Carretera México Teotihuacan Km. 46 (zona Arqueológica De Teotihuacan)
San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico 03010
+52 5 9560052

Cheer!
Flag

Pirámides de Teotihuacan

Best Of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Tour of Teotihuacan and Basilica de Guadaloupe"

Ramone Photo - Pirámides de Teotihuacan, Mexico City, Mexico

Quote:

I had wanted to visit the pyramids at Teotihuacan, but traveling to the site is a bit difficult if you choose to go by yourself. As luck would have it, I stumbled upon a hotel, Hotel Estoril, that books tours for tourists. They had a one-day trip to the pyramids with a couple of other stops along the way. I paid my deposit and left, planning to embark on the tour the following day. The price of the tour was 330 pesos, which includes the price of tickets for the sites. The following morning I was picked up by a van and brought to a holding area. This is where all of the tours meet up and are sorted into the correct group. At this point they asked for the rest of the money. There wa...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on August 24, 2003

Pirámides de Teotihuacan
Carretera México Teotihuacan Km. 46 (zona Arqueológica De Teotihuacan)
San Juan Teotihuacan, Mexico 03010
+52 5 9560052

Cheer!
Flag

Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

Best Of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Basilica de Guadaloupe"

The Grounds Photo - Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, Mexico City, Mexico

Quote:

This was the first true stop on the tour I took with Estur – Operadora Mexicana Highlights Tour Company (see separate tour entry). Guadaloupe is Mexico’s patron saint and as the story goes, she performed a miracle for a native man, Juan Diego, and emblazoned her image on the cloth that he was wearing. Ramone, our tour guide, first led us to the gift shop, where he explained the story of Juan Diego and Saint Gaudaloupe. We then continued on to the central courtyard, where you can see the Old Basilica, the New Basilica, and other chapels. The New Basilica was built to replace the Old Basilica, which is sinking into the ground. The Old Basilica had just reopened after being closed for...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on August 24, 2003

Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
Calzada de los Misterios y Paseo Zumárraga
México, Mexico 07050
+52 5 5776022

Cheer!
Flag

Ballet folklórico de Amalia Hernández

Best Of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Ballet Foklorico de Mexico at Palacio de Bellas Ar"

Quote:

One of the things that everyone tells you to do when traveling to Mexico City is to catch the Ballet Foklorico. The Ballet Foklorico de Mexico performs twice a week at the famed Palacio de Bellas Artes. Buying tickets was a bit difficult to do from the United States. The tickets are sold on the Mexico Ticketmaster site, but in order to use a credit card, you need to have a Mexican billing address. So while in Mexico we walked to a local music store with a Ticketmaster booth and purchased our tickets for a Sunday night performance. If you want to pay with a credit card, make sure that you bring along your American Express card as that was the only foreign card that was accepted. On ...Read More

One of the things that everyone tells you to do when traveling to Mexico City is to catch the Ballet Foklorico. The Ballet Foklorico de Mexico performs twice a week at the famed Palacio de Bellas Artes. Buying tickets was a bit difficult to do from the United States. The tickets are sold on the Mexico Ticketmaster site, but in order to use a credit card, you need to have a Mexican billing address. So while in Mexico we walked to a local music store with a Ticketmaster booth and purchased our tickets for a Sunday night performance. If you want to pay with a credit card, make sure that you bring along your American Express card as that was the only foreign card that was accepted.

On Sunday evening, we entered the Palacio de Bellas Artes with its tiled floors and beautiful, ornate ceilings. Having purchased the least expensive tickets in the house, we kept walking up flights of stairs to reach our sky-high seats. When we finally reached our tier, we gave our tickets to the usher, who quickly made an offer to move our seats to the tier below ours for 100 pesos total (approximately $9US). Initially, we politely refused the offer and made our way to our seats, but while waiting for the performance to begin we realized just how high our seats were, and changed our minds. With the exchange of money we were moved to the front row of the tier below. My friend had been surprised by the usher's offer and said something of the sort. The usher responded by stating that this type of exchange was not at all unusual in Mexico.

The performances were a mix of pre-Hispanic and post-Hispanic dances. They are a flurry of vibrant color, music, and dance. The program included nine pieces with one intermission. Two of the dances that stand out in my memory are Fiesta de Tlacotalpan (Festivity in Tlacotalpan) and Danza del Venado (The Deer Dance). In the first, there are two wooden platforms on the front of the stage where different dances are performed for the "people of the village". This performance includes many different dances that are representative of characters and legends of Tlacotalpan. The Deer Dance invokes the ceremony of the hunt of the Yaqui people, an Aboriginal tribe that has resisted influences from other cultures. The agility of the dancer who portrays the deer is quite startling, and it's nearly impossible to take your eyes off him.

The final piece was a nice ending to the entire performance. It begins with Mariachis playing and includes many traditional and famous Mexican dances, including the Mexican Hat Dance. The end of the night is marked by the dancers throwing colored confetti streamers into the audience.

If you have kids, love dancing and music, or just want to experience a bit of Mexican culture, this is a performance not to be missed, despite the shows bit of touristy cheesiness. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on August 24, 2003

Ballet folklórico de Amalia Hernández
Palacio de Bellas Artes
Mexico City, Mexico 06000
+52 5 3259000

Cheer!
Flag

Museo Frida Kahlo

Best Of IgoUgo

Attraction

Museo Frida Kahlo Photo - Museo Frida Kahlo, Mexico City, Mexico

Quote:

One of the places I definitely wanted to visit while in Mexico City was Museo Frida Kahlo, the house where Frida Kahlo was born and later lived with Diego Rivera at. We arrived at the entrance of the museum and saw the bright blues and greens on the front wall. These colors are a good indication as to what one finds inside the walls of the grounds. You must check your bags before entering the grounds to the house. A 30 peso (approximately $3US) donation is "requested" for entry, as well. The first few rooms of the museum are devoted to paintings by Kahlo, paintings that were owned by her, some letters she had written to Diego Rivera, pieces of her jewelry, and some of her clothing. ...Read More

One of the places I definitely wanted to visit while in Mexico City was Museo Frida Kahlo, the house where Frida Kahlo was born and later lived with Diego Rivera at. We arrived at the entrance of the museum and saw the bright blues and greens on the front wall. These colors are a good indication as to what one finds inside the walls of the grounds. You must check your bags before entering the grounds to the house. A 30 peso (approximately $3US) donation is "requested" for entry, as well.

The first few rooms of the museum are devoted to paintings by Kahlo, paintings that were owned by her, some letters she had written to Diego Rivera, pieces of her jewelry, and some of her clothing. After these rooms of art and artifacts, you enter the actual house that has been left as it had been in her life. The first floor houses a sitting room, bedroom, and kitchen. Each brightly colored room has paintings hanging on the walls, which conveys a vibrant, full of life feel. The kitchen also has a warm feeling to it with its high ceilings, pots and pans, and kitchen table and chairs in the center of the room.

Upstairs you will find her studio. The L-shaped room has much light from a wall of windows looking out on the courtyard. There are paints left in the room and unfinished paintings on easels. One wall is lined with book shelves with old copies of books by Stalin and many others. Around the corner is a bed decorated by Frida. Be careful not to lean too close to the bed--I had the misfortune of setting of one of the museum's alarms. However, if you do set off an alarm, don't feel too badly--while we were in the museum we must have heard it go off at least five times.

Stairs lead outside from the studio to a courtyard that houses many plants and sculptures. There are also bathrooms out here for those in need. We decided to sit on the grounds for a while, soaking up all the whole experience. There was a bench right in front of a tiered structure that had the look of an altar. We sat here and passed some time until the museum closed.

This is a wonderful place to visit if you are interested in Frida's life and art. However, if you are looking for a history lesson about this cultural icon, you will have a hard time finding it here.

There is no photography allowed on premises, but we did see some visitors sneaking photos in the courtyard. There is also a gift shop off of the courtyard, but it was closed when we were visiting. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on August 24, 2003

Museo Frida Kahlo
Londres 247 (Colonia del Carmen, Coyoacán)
Mexico City, Mexico 04400
+52 5 5545999

Cheer!
Flag

Bosque de Chapultepec

Best Of IgoUgo

Attraction

Bosque de Chapultepec Photo - Bosque de Chapultepec, Mexico City, Mexico

Quote:

On the way to Maximilian's Castillo from Museo Nacional de Antropologia, we walked through Bosque de Chapultepec (Chapultepec Park), which also houses a zoo and other museums. As we exited Museo Nacional de Antropologia, there was a crowd gathering near a thick, long pole jutting up from the ground. As I looked up I saw four men on a platform on the top of the pole. We sat with the crowd and watched as these four men, who turned out to be acrobats, started to descend from the top of the pole by means of a rope tied to each one. They were spinning and performing acrobatic feats as their descent continued. This performance apparently happens regularly and is worth the slight wait to catch one. ...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on August 24, 2003

Bosque de Chapultepec
Chapultepec
Mexico City, Mexico

Cheer!
Flag

IgoUgo

Mexico City Journals

Upload Photos