Hey everyone!
I hope you’re doing well! I just got back from my first trip of the year and I’m really excited to share this one with you. I went to Mexico City with a few girlfriends and we had the time of our lives! From the moment my girls and I touched down at MEX for our 2nd annual “Anti-Valentine’s Day” vacay, we were blown away by the sites, the food, and most importantly, the people.
After checking into our hotel (Le Meridien in the downtown financial district), my friends and I enjoyed a delicious introduction dinner at Amaya, located only a few blocks away from our #homesweethotel. In between the cocktails and tasty bites, we planned out our activities for the next few days, and toasted to what we could already tell was going to be an amazing trip.
The next day we woke up ready to embark on our first full day in Mexico City. First, we wandered the grounds of the Castillo de Chapultepec, an enormous castle perched at the top of Chapultepec Park. The castle is now home to the National Museum of History, so we were able to admire both the beautiful architecture of the castle, and learn a little about the history of Mexico at the same time.
When we were finished touring the castle grounds our group headed out of the park and into the city just in time to make our lunch reservation at Quintonil. This restaurant came highly recommended by a food writer who I admire, so I had been looking forward to our meal here since the day I made the reservation, and it did not disappoint!
We tried a little bit of everything from the a la carte menu, including the crab tostada, Atocpan-style mole and their catch of the day, but my favorite dish by far was the avocado tartare served with “escamoles” and mexican herb chips. I could go on and on about our meal, but to summarize, everything we ate was delicious and our entire dining experience was amazing. I highly recommend making a reservation at Quintonil if you visit Mexico City.
After our glorious nearly two-hour lunch, we hopped into an Uber, and headed across town to the Coyoacán borough to visit La Casa Azul (The Blue House), also known as the Frida Kahlo Museum. This museum was obviously a must-see for our girl power trip, and we loved seeing some of Frida Kahlo’s original works as well as being able to tour the actual home she was born, grew up and later passed away in.
Major thanks to Ruchika for booking our tickets ahead of time. You can enter without advance ticket purchase, but the line for walk-ins is incredibly long, and it’s not guaranteed that you’ll even get in, so #protip buy your tickets in advance!
Just as we were wrapping up our tour of the museum it started to rain quite heavily, so Ruchika, Sungano and I knew it was time for us to make our exit. We headed back to our hotel for a quick change before hitting the town for our Anti-Valentine Girl’s Night Out.
After managing to squeeze into the tightest dress I own, I was ready for a fun night out on the town with my girls. The only problem? We had no idea where to go. Luckily for us our hotel concierge lived in the area and knew exactly where we should go for a good time. He recommended a Latin bar named Mama Rumba, and off we went!
Okay guys, I have a confession to make: I can’t dance. It’s a painful truth for me to admit, but a truth nonetheless. So while my friends shimmied their way into the crowd at Mama Rumba, I sought out a nice spot in the corner to watch the live band and enjoy my Paloma in peace. I was trying my best to blend into the wall when a particularly handsome stranger walked up and asked if I wanted to dance. And the excuses started flowing like lava:
“Oh no I can’t leave my friends,” “I’m not feeling this song,” “I need to keep an eye on my drink…”
I was racking my brain for any excuse to get out of dancing with this man, but then I remembered what I told myself at the beginning of the year. Just go for it. And so I did. I downed my drink, grabbed the outstretched hand of Mr. Charming Stranger, and hit the dance floor. It wasn’t pretty, but it sure was fun.
My girlfriends and I danced the night away, and made it back to our hotel in the wee hours of the morning, exhausted from a long day of adventure. Our “Anti-Valentine’s Day” was a major success, but the best part was we still had three more days of good time ahead of us. Keep an eye out for Part 2 of this series to read about the rest of our time in Mexico City., muy pronto!
xoxo,
Veesass
Veesass Abroad 
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