The breakfast area of the hotel
Day 2 of CDMX was our busiest day because it was our only full day in the city. After getting a bunch of rest the night before, we woke up pretty early to get started with the day. We began with eating breakfast in the cafe area of the hotel which was the perfect blend of minimalism + lots of sunlight thanks to the giant window above. After pastries and fresh nopal juice (I am embarrassed to admit I didn't enjoy it as much as I was hoping), we headed out. The first to do before tackling our to do list was coffee. Fortunately, we found a coffee shop less than a 5 minute walk from our hotel, Caffe Biscottino.
Outside Caffe Biscottino
After getting my sweet, sweet coffee fix, we headed towards the Frida Kahlo museum (about a 30 minute drive from the hotel). I was mostly expecting to not actually be able to get into the museum, but had held out some hope and wanted to atleast stop by to check. Unfortunately, I was right, and the lines were massive. General admission tickets were sold out for the day already (and actually already had been for almost 1 week prior), and the only tickets left were for a bus tour + general admission. Even the lines for that admission were incredibly long, so we decided to forgo the museum and save it for another visit. Just a few blocks down was the Leon Trotsky museum, so we took the opportunity to finish our coffees as we walked over there.
The prettiest blue exterior of a home on our way to the Trotsky museum
The courtyard of Leon Trotsky's home
The museum building is separate from Leon Trotsky's actual home, but the two are side by side. Included in the museum admission (which is itself very tiny) is a walk through of Trotsky's home, which I felt like was the highlight. Besides the historical significance, the home is beautiful and features a gorgeous courtyard. Much of what was kept in the rooms is preserved very well, including furniture and books. The walls of the home also have multiple bullet holes from when he and his family were attacked and assassinated in 1940. The ashes of both Trotsky and his wife are in the courtyard.
The exterior of his home
A bedroom in the home
Trotsky's study
After wrapping up at the museum, we headed to the beautiful Biblioteca Vasconcelos. The natural lighting + size of the library + seemingly floating bookshelves was every bit as breathtaking as I imagined from the photos I had seen online. The library was one of my favorite things we saw on our list in CDMX, and a highly recommend checking it out if you're ever in the city. The geometric almost puzzle-like layout is kind of like an optical illusion that you can walk through.
The interior of Biblioteca Vasconcelos
After the megalibrary, we (mostly me) got hungry and opted to head over to neighborhood of Roma Norte (which was exciting after just having watched Roma the week before) to check out places to eat per friends' recommendations. I also felt like another intake of caffeine was already in order for us, so we stopped at Panaderia Rosetta (the smaller location) for coffee and carbs. Neither did the cute interior nor the food and drink disappoint. Thanks for the recommendation, H & U!
The cozy interior of Panaderia Rosetta in Roma Norte
Caffeinated and carbo-loaded, we walked around Roma Norte and took in the neighborhood. To say it was picturesque would be an understatement. The abundant greenery + warm winter sun made for a beautiful sight and a good chance to kind of wander aimlessly before we began part two of the day, which involved more museums (of course).
The streets of Roma Norte
One of the many small parks situated around Roma Norte
After our fill of walking outside, we switched to more indoor walking, and headed over to Museo Soumaya. The exterior is equally as beautiful as the interior, featuring 16,000 hexagonal aluminum tiles. There are no windows except for the very top of the building. The inside of the building is completely white and is organized similarly to the Guggenheim in NYC. The entire collection is owned by Carlos Slim and features the world's largest collection of works by Rodin outside of France. Other artists in the collection include Monet, Degas, Renoir, Da Vinci, Van Gogh, and of course, Rivera. If you don't get a chance to check out the museum, I would highly suggest atleast stopping by the outside to marvel at the architecture.
Museo Soumaya
On the way to the top floor of Museo Soumaya
The Museo Soumaya lobby
After Museo Soumaya, because we just hadn't gotten our fill of museums for the day (kidding), we decided to check out another one- Museo Jumex. Located just diagonally to Museo Soumaya, it was hardly a 2 minute walk and just small enough to not feel too overwhelming. It, like Museo Soumaya, is a private collection, and features works by Warhol, Twombly, Hearst, and more. The museum features a cafe on the bottom floor, multiple floors of art, and a balcony featuring a beautiful view of Museo Soumaya.
The cafe inside Museo Jumex
An interactive exhibit in Museo Jumex
After Museo Jumex, we headed back to the hotel for a much needed nap before continuing the night. With all that CDMX has to offer, it is impossible to squish so much into the trip without forgoing other things. After only the first day and with two days left in the trip, we had decided at that moment that we would absolutely need to come back to the city. For the time being, we resigned ourselves to a snooze with a continued night exploration to follow afterwards. We decided on La Zaranda for dinner (thanks for the recommendation, A!), eagerly seeking fish tacos. Before dinner, we stopped by Cafebreria El Pendulo, which had been another location on my list.
The inside of Cafebreria El Pendulo
Named after the giant pendulum inside, this place really is, as the Atlas Obscura page describes it, part bookstore, part cafe, and part forest. Featuring two floors of books, it is incredibly easy to spend quite some time here. An overwhelming majority of the books, however, are in Spanish (which was unfortunate for H and I since neither of us speak Spanish). Nonetheless, the place was a marvel.
The patio outside La Zaranda
The view from our table at La Zaranda
Dinner at La Zaranda featured various tacos, my favorite of which were the fish tacos. Combined with a tangy lemonade, it made for a fantastic meal after a very long day. The view and nightlife outside of the restaurant didn't disappoint either. Last on our list for the night was dessert, and what better dessert when in Mexico than churros? We wrapped the evening up waiting nearly an hour for churros at El Moro, which was totally and completely worth it.
Outside the churreria
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