Stay Longer: A Travel Blog
by Blaine Leal
Discover Mexico City: Culture, Food and Fun
Centrally located in Mexico, CDMX offers amazing museums, unparalleled street food and a vibrant and friendly culture for visitors and transplants.
With over nine million residents in Ciudad de México, the city offers the diverse array of dining, bakery and nightlife options that only a metropolis can provide. Walking down almost any street in Mexico City, you will be immersed in the sounds and smells of flavorful street food. Also, the friendly culture, historical sites and museums create an overall ambiance that attracts many visitors and ex-pats every year.
First of all, the food in Mexico’s capital city is truly unbeatable. Vendors line the streets, selling delicious creations like tortas stuffed with chilaquiles, elote (corn on a stick) and endless tacos steaming on the grill. As a giant city, you can also find fare from all around the world, from conveyer-belt sushi to delicious burgers and fries.
It helps to speak Spanish when communicating with locals, especially when you’re outside the hotel or ordering food from small vendors. Even though there may be a language barrier, the people of Mexico City will greet you warmly, often with a smile and helpful advice for navigating the historical city.
This iconic Mexican city is dotted with museums, monuments and culturally significant parks. One of my favorite was the Museo de Arte Moderno, featuring many modern art pieces, including Frida Kahlo’s “The Two Fridas” (1939). Other museums with amazing artwork and appeal include the Frida Kahlo Home & Museum, Diego Rivera Mural Museum and Museu de Arte Popular. Along with museums, the Monumento y Museo de la Revolucion is an epic sight in the neighborhood of Centro Histórico. The towering monument makes large buildings appear tiny in comparison!
As the historical center of Mexico, CDMX offers many other monuments and historical destinations for visitors to experience. Many of these structures are located in and around Chapultepec Park, a vast parkland with museums and monuments interspersed, located centrally in the city. It is known as the largest and oldest urban parks in all of Latin America. The landscaping in this park features amazing tropical trees, perfectly manicured hedges and endless birds singing.
As Mexico City becomes an even more exciting location to visit or move to, the parks and shops around Roma Norte and Condesa—two trendy neighborhoods—are teeming with residents from around the world. Many of the restaurants and bakeries have English-first menus and signage, making it simple to navigate the city with minimal Spanish skills. Whether you’re visiting or moving to this city, you will enjoy the people, parks and culture of this bustling city.
