A Love Letter to Mexico City

A Solo Walking Guide & Playlist for CDMX

TRAVEL

Emily Manzer

May 02 2023 | min read

A Solo Walking Guide & Playlist for CDMX

Guest post by Emily Manzer

Ah, CDMX. The city of many dogs, ripe mangoes, watermelon, and honeydew doused in Tajin. The side-by-side studios Frida Kahlo shared with Diego Rivera, where he’d walk along the rooftops and knock at the massive window of her studio, the glass serving as both entry and barrier. Frida, who he once called the “fact” of his life, and Diego, who she described in poetry as mi esposo, mi padre, mi nino, mi hijo, mi madre, yo, universo, constructor, inicio, amante, pintor.

In preparation for my first-ever visit to Mexico City last fall, I watched Oscar-winner, Roma. It’s safe to say a movie filmed in black and white could never do this city justice: this is a city of green… a manicured jungle lush with life, its castles sinking into marshland. Candy-colored buildings and birds chirping and dog walkers with more dogs than it seems possible on a leash. It smells of smoke, carnitas, and coffee. When I go to a new city, I like to do what I like best: walk in beautiful places, listen to great music, talk to strangers, see new art, and have amazing food. I don’t want to be exhausted and I don’t want to go everywhere.

I visit a new city like I’ll visit again soon—as if I’m living my ideal day over and over, which involves, ideally, time to write, explore and be in nature; time to drink coffee and stop at different food stalls every day; time to read through the titles in the bookstores and get a little lost.

I've highlighted a few neighborhoods you can explore on foot, with a playlist I created for you to enjoy as you wander (or perhaps, imagine wandering around the city).

Roma Norte

I dedicated an afternoon to wandering through the galleries of Roma Norte, stopping occasionally to people-watch or drool over a pair of brown leather over-the-knee boots.

My favorite gallery was the Arroniz Contemporary Art Gallery, with its indoor/outdoor exhibits and a gorgeous mix of auditory and visual art. Simply searching for “art galleries” in Google Maps helped to create my itinerary, and I’d recommend the same to curate an afternoon of gallery-hopping.

Recharge at Madre Café with a life-saving fish ceviche stacked with sweet corn, buttery avocado, and red onion. The dish was cured in a vibrant Peruvian marinade with a passion fruit base called Leche de Tigre de Maracuya.

Get your late-afternoon sugar fix at the gorgeous Panadería Rosetta: They have croissants filled with soft-serve vanilla ice cream (croissant con helado), their famous guava roll (rol de guayaba), and soft pastries stuffed with dulce de leche (envuelto de dulce de leche). It’s quite crowded, so I’d suggest taking your pastries to-go and enjoying them at a nearby park.

If you have time for treasure hunting, try walking avenue Colima until you reach the flea market stalls at the end, walking West to East. GinGin specializes in gin-based cocktails (as the name might suggest) and has an iconic feature wall made of red skulls.

Walk the airy halls of the Pasaje Comercial El Parian, ducking into shops and wine bars. Sunlight falls through the leafy green trees, making it possibly the prettiest place I’ve ever window-shopped.

Polanco

Polanco is the financial heart of the city, the streets lined with designer boutiques and concrete office towers. The shine is what matters in Polanco, reflected by its defining center: the silver scales of the Museo Soumaya arching overhead, a gift to the city from billionaire Carlos Slim in honor of his wife.

Enter the museum and spiral up and up, eventually reaching the sublime sculpture gardens. The museum is known for being the world’s largest private collection of Auguste Rodin’s art, as well as holding an extensive selection of pre-Hispanic art, Mexican art, and European Old Masters.

This museum is about a block away from its apparently-cooler contemporary cousin, Museo Jumex. I’ve heard it’s amazing, but didn’t get a chance to visit— I’ll make it next time.

I really enjoyed the sushi at Pubbelly. I’d recommend sitting at the bar so you can watch as your food is prepared in front of you. My friend spoke to the chef in Spanish across the bar, letting him know the flavor profiles we enjoyed, and out came seared salmon, crispy rice, softshell crab, and the like.

La Condesa

On a breezy morning, go out and grab breakfast at one of the sidewalk cafes and pick up some fresh juice from a street vendor. Take in Condesa’s euro-style extravagance with its crumbling façades, palm fronds, and earthquake-fissured sidewalks. Walk Amsterdam, the path that forms the perimeter of Parque Mexico: the loop is green and beautiful, and I stopped at every shop that remotely interested me.

If you need to recharge, head over to the Hotel Condesa DF Rooftop Bar. Surrounded by dense treetops on its sprawling patio, you can drink something adorned with a slice of dehydrated blood orange and watch as dusk settles over the streets below.

Caiman was another local gem perfect for a nightcap, the inside like a white-walled cave. Outside, the lamplight is green and eerie enshrouded in cigarette smoke. Illustrations of reptiles (a.k.a caimans) decorate the bottles, and candles drip shallow rivers of white wax.

Overall, La Condesa was probably my favorite neighborhood to walk through in CDMX for its unique architecture, food, and overall vibe. It felt like such an oasis within the city!

Bosque de Chapultepec

Walk the Reforma through the park, starting on the East side (near La Condesa). I’m really not a history buff but I’d recommend the Museo Nacional de Antropología. It gave context to the city, those layers of history living alongside and on top of each other– Aztec, Mayan, and European. My friend recommended a guided tour, but I opted to surreptitiously listen in on a French tour guide leading a family of three. Budget hacks!

After the museum, I tried a strawberry milk-based drink from one of the vendors outside (delicious and massive) and stumbled across the most beautiful bookstore I’ve ever seen: Librería Porrúa, overlooking the Lago de Chapultapec.

More than any city I’ve been to, CDMX feels alive. Old and new coexist on the same plane, not at war or at peace, but creating something greater, rich with art and food and secrets. It was a dream to walk the streets I’d imagined when I was 15, reading Nat Geo articles in my childhood bedroom. Many well-meaning people warned me against going alone as a young female traveler, but I felt safe overall. I stayed in neighborhoods locals recommended, didn’t go out alone once it was dark, and didn’t wear any expensive jewelry.

I’d really recommend you visit if you feel the desire— I can’t wait to go back! There’s a magical energy to the city difficult to capture in words and photos. You’ll have to experience it for yourself :)

Emily Manzer is a writer based in Vancouver, BC. She loves exploring new places in a slow and intentional way as well as experiencing new food, music, and talking to strangers.