Jan 17, 2023 - Feb 14, 2023 Last updated: 2/18/23 3:00pm PT
I know you Chicago residents are saying to yourselves, “you two are wimps”. Yeah you’re right, but we needed a break from the cold of western Oregon, where highs are mostly in the 40s, to go somewhere that has highs in the 70s. So we thought, where can we go that’s not too cold but not too hot, and has a ton of restaurants? Mexico City was the answer.
We went to Mexico City for a month and we were not disappointed! Most days were in the mid-70s, but the evenings were cold, in the mid to low 40s. So, no sleeping with the windows open.
Almost everyday we walked in the beautiful Bosque de Chapultepec, a massive park in the middle of a massive city of over 20 million people. The park has miles of walking paths, multiple museums (I think 8?), a zoo, a botanical garden, castles, fountains, lakes, statues, … The park has 3 sections. We never made it to the third section because that section started 3 or 4 miles from the apartment we rented (yeah, the park is that big). The main section of the park was only 1 block from our apartment, which was the perfect location for daily walks.
And restaurants! There is every type of ethnic food available in Mexico City. In addition to Mexican food, we had Cuban, Chinese, German, Brazilian, pizza, burgers, even Chicago style Italian Beef. Our favorites were:
- Mr. Pampas (a chain in Mexico), a Brazilian churrascaria, where the waiters come to your table with large skewers of grilled meats, slicing off the meat directly onto your plate. Mr. Pampas also has a massive salad bar, with more then just green leafy salads (stews, rice, beans, potatoes, soups, cheeses, lunch meats, breads, pizza, and more). Also, they have a wide variety of bite sized sweets for dessert. Very high quality food and pricey, but way cheaper than any version of this in the US. We went here 3 times. We discovered Mr. Pampas in 2019 when we were in Guanajuato (there is a restaurant in nearby Leon, MX).
- La Loca Hambre, a trendy cafe 3 blocks from the apartment. They have multiple choices for taco fillings, but our favorite was the cochinita. They serve some heavy tacos, filled to the rim. Great flavor and great price. We went here 3 or 4 times.
It was a great month. And yes, Oregon was still cold outside when we got home.