36 Hours in Mexico City

Trip date: October 2023

This trip was all about finally getting to Oaxaca with my friend Aaron, but as I had to fly through Mexico City to do that I decided to spend a quick 2 nights there. The first night I'd be on my own, and then Aaron would meet me the next. It had been 8 years since I had been last!

Currently there is only one direct flight a day from Seattle, available thru the Delta website and on Aeromexico metal. The direct flight was not offered on points so I just bought an Economy Comfort seat. 

I got lucky and no one was in the middle seat. I hadn't flown Aeromexico before and was impressed with the hot breakfast served. But what I was very surprised by was when I asked for a glass of wine and they let me know that there wasn't any beer or wine, just tequila, vodka, & rum served from large liter bottles on the 5 ½ hr flight! 

It was late afternoon when I landed and it was very easy to request an Uber to pick me up and take me to my hotel. I was staying at The Red Tree House in the Condesa neighborhood. This 21-room boutique hotel had been recommended to me by multiple people. It books up extremely quickly as almost everyone I met there was a repeat customer. 

I absolutely loved this hotel! My room was good, I was in the Frida room, but it's more about the interior courtyard garden where Happy Hour is served from 6-8pm nightly and breakfasts are served in the morning, the multiple communal spaces in the main house, and the incredibly nice employees. I highly recommend, but book far in advance. 

The Condesa neighborhood is very safe, but being solo for my first night I took Ubers to my destinations. Almost all my rides were about $5! Amazing!

My first stop that night was in the nearby Colonia Juarez neighborhood at Handshake Speakeasy, currently #3 on the 50 World's Best Bars list. It's important to make a reservation here as it's small and you will only be given a 90 minute time slot. I don't want to give anything away about the speakeasy, so I'll just say that I loved it, loved my cocktails, and would absolutely recommend it.

For dinner I headed to #49 on the World's 50 Best Restaurants, Rosetta. It's a beautiful space with tables set up in an open courtyard and soft lighting. And the menu reads deliciously. 

I was very excited for my elote tamales, but when they arrived (about 3 minutes after I ordered) they were barely lukewarm. My fresh fish baked in a salt crust arrived right as my partially eaten tamales were taken away. This was cooked well but the fish was very plain and only served on a bed of watercress. I had 1 glass of wine and a bottle of water and was presented with the check having been there for just 55 minutes. To say I felt rushed is an understatement. 

Recently a friend of mine also ate solo and had a horrible experience, while others in a party of 2 had a wonderful meal. Personally I think you can do much better in this culinary city and I'm not sure how the restaurant scored a coveted spot on the 50 Best list. YMMV

I left to have a nightcap at Fifty Mils, in the Four Seasons Hotel. This property is absolutely gorgeous!! As is the bar. 

The team behind the bar was just ok, they didn't know much about the brands on their shelves when I inquired. They were definitely more interested in chatting with each other than in the customers. I'd say it's a fine place if you are in the area and have a thing for hotel bars, like I do, but otherwise it's an expensive place for just an ok experience. 

The next morning I had a delicious breakfast in the garden area of my hotel. I helped myself to a buffet set in the dining room with fresh fruit, breads, yogurt, juice, and coffee while the women in the kitchen made me the morning's dish of chicken "enchilada". The manager Victor delivered it to me with a bowl of salsa and instructed me to eat it like a taco, with my hands.

It and the setting were excellent! 

Aaron would be arriving later in the morning so I went on a little stroll around Condesa to see more of the area in the daylight. The streets here are lined with trees and sidewalks cut through a series of small parks. It was cool and quiet and I could hardly believe I was in a city of over 22 million people! Mexico City is the 6th largest in the world!

On the main street, I passed by lots of street vendors selling all sorts of food and drinks. It was almost lunch time and the neighborhood was starting to smell delicious!

I headed back to the hotel and met up with Aaron and then we walked the short distance to our own lunch destination, the very busy Contramar. Reservations are absolutely essential here unless you are ok with an hour + wait. 

This is one of Mexico City's most famous restaurants to lunch at. The entire menu consists of seafood that has been caught and flown in the same day. Everything on the menu sounded so good! We started with ceviche of sole, celery & chile manzano and an order of their well-known tuna tostadas with chipotle mayonnaise, crispy leeks & avocado. Outstanding!

Our main was their famous pescado a la talla, a whole grilled fish, half with red adobo rub & half with parsley rub. It comes with tortillas so you can make a fish taco or just enjoy it on its own. It was absolutely fantastic, even though we couldn't finish it all!

Somehow we managed to share a piece of gorgeous meringue pie with fresh strawberries after! We also asked our waiter about assorted mini brandy glasses we saw on a lot of nearby tables. He explained it was a "Mexican Flag". One glass has fresh-squeezed lime juice (green), one has tequila (white), and the 3rd has Sangrita (red). You take sips from each of the glasses, combining the flavors in your mouth. It was a very fun and boozy way to end our 2 1/2 hour lunch. This place is fantastic, I highly recommend! 

Back at the hotel we joined the other guests for glasses of happy hour wine, everyone comparing their days/trips/etc. It was a really nice group of people. Then we were off to check out another cocktail bar!

Hanky Panky Speakeasy, currently #22 on the World's 50 Best Bars list, is not easy to find! Luckily a passerby on the street pointed us in the right direction after we exited our Uber and started looking on the wrong side of the street. Again, I don't want to spoil anything so I will not comment on how to enter. 

We had a great time here, and really good drinks! Another one I'd recommend!

It seemed impossible but after a couple of rounds we both were feeling a bit hungry. So we headed to El Califa where you can order your tacos costras, cheese that has been griddled and is crispy. YUM!

The salsas here are also particularly good! This is a big, bright restaurant that stays open until 4am. But the food is really good and I'm a sucker for crispy cheese. I ate here the last time I was in town also!

The next morning we were up early for our flight to Oaxaca after a quick breakfast of fresh fruit and churros at the hotel. It was very quiet at the airport so we had an hour to hang out in the Priority Pass Lounge where I had some chilaquiles and a mimosa. 

Unbeknownst to me, I would be back in CDMX 5 days later for an extra night, thanks to Aeromexico delaying my flight out of Oaxaca causing me to miss my connection in MEX. They put me up in a really not-so-great hotel BUT it was right across the street from Handshake Speakeasy! 

I quickly made a reservation on OpenTable and spent the evening enjoying a few more of their lovely cocktails!

When I did fly home the next day, I checked out the Amex Centurion Lounge at MEX. There was a line to get in and it was very busy inside. I sat at the bar and had some really bad food. If you are in MEX I'd choose the Priority Pass Lounge over the Centurion!

I had purchased my return flight home by transferring Amex points to Aeromexico for a First Class seat. Even though they were able to put me on a flight the next day, it was only in Economy which was frustrating since I burned those miles. I reached out to Aeromexico when I was home, asking for reimbursement of the miles I spent and also compensation for the loss of a work day. They ended up giving me $300 but no miles. I will not willingly choose to fly with them again. I mean the fact that they don't offer wine on a flight alone is enough for me to feel that way!

All photos of Mexico City here. 

Other post from this trip:

All Around Oaxaca

Mezcal Day Trips Around Oaxaca

 

24 Hours in Saratoga Springs, New York

Trip date: January 2023

My friend John lives in Saratoga Springs, and I had never been there. I mean, that is enough for me to buy a plane ticket! But when I saw that John and his business partner Charles were putting on a dinner in the area with Chef Erik Anderson (currently at Barndiva in the Napa area) I knew it would be a great time to visit.

John and Charles run Rascal + Thorn, a company that specializes in culinary travel. I went on a Northern Spain food & wine tour with John years ago and it was awesome! 

I knew of Anderson from when he was chef at Nashville's Catbird Seat, but when I had the opportunity to eat there Anderson had just left days before! This seemed like a perfect opportunity to finally visit my friend and eat some delicious food! When John found out I was interested in attending the dinner he graciously invited me to come to Saratoga Springs first. 

I booked a United flight in first class from Seattle to Albany, NY which connected through Chicago. It was a quick layover but I made sure to grab some popcorn from my fave Garrett's while walking to my gate. And thank God I had that popcorn as my next flight served only pretzels during dinner time! The flight attendant kindly snagged me a tapas box from the paid cart. 

January in Upstate New York is COLD! And snowy!! I called an Uber at the Albany airport and a huge pickup truck showed up! It was a 30 minute ride to the Holiday Inn in Saratoga Springs where I was upgraded to a bigger room and given free daily breakfast- so posh! haha! 

The hotel offered a free shuttle within a 5 mile radius so I took it to Hamlet & Ghost, as it was the only place in town still open at 10pm. But it turned out to be a great choice, as I ran into John and Erik who were just finishing dinner. 

I had a couple of drinks in their very pretty bar before heading back to the hotel. The kitchen was closed for the night, but the menu looked fantastic. I'd definitely book here if I was back in the area.

The next morning, after my free breakfast, I had the hotel shuttle take me to the Roosevelt Baths & Spa. 

The city is known for its naturally carbonated mineral waters that flow from 20 different springs around town. Each spring has its own makeup of vital minerals and carbon dioxide gas and are known to have numerous healing properties. The water from each spring also has very different tastes!

There use to be a number of baths in the area where people could "take the cure" but The Roosevelt Baths are the last remaining historical baths in the town now. Opened in 1935 as a health center, people would usually come for a 3-week stay that included daily baths in the bubbly waters, diet, exercise, and rest. 

I would just be there for the morning and had an appointment for a 20 minute soak followed by a 50 minute massage. While the waiting lounge was very comfy and modern, the treatment rooms are very clinical and old school. The tub had been filled for me, and it was explained that the color was normal and also that the water was very bubbly and I would probably float, which I did!

Unlike many springs on the west coast, the water here isn't coming from hot springs. The mineral water is cold from underground springs, then the spa mixes it with warm fresh water to a comfortable temperature. It was very relaxing and quite an experience feeling all the bubbles on my skin! My massage was also great and super relaxing. And the residue from the water does not look appetizing but it does taste pretty good!

The shuttle picked me back up and I had them drop me off at First Fill Spirits which is owned by John's biz partner Charles. This is the whiskey shop that every city dreams of having! Charles has put together a really thoughtful collection from around the world and was nice enough to give me a few tastes!

Before heading back to my hotel, I had a quick lunch at the historic Adelphi Hotel, which is right on the main drag. Saratoga is a very cute town, founded in 1776, it still has a lot of Victorian and Renaissance Revival architecture.

I walked through Congress Park which has both a Civil War Memorial, and a World War Pavillion. The park was really pretty, especially in the sunny winter weather. There are also 2 active springs here, Congress Spring and Deer Spring.You'll see Columbia Spring also, but that has dried up and is just the city's normal water now.

That evening John and his wife Kitty had invited Chef Erik, Chef Alex Lempka (from Hamlet & Ghost), and Will Wyatt (owner of Mister Paradise and Pretty Ricky bars in NYC), who would be working the event. Their significant others joined, as well as the couple who own Mack Brook Farm (local beef farmers). I was thrilled to be included in such a fun and delicious night!

Chef Erik and John cooked up a storm! There was lobster and beef and duck! There was a magnum of 1995 Beaucastel and a gorgeous Kistler Pinot Noir. 

Charles brought a bottle of Akashi Whisky for us all to taste and Kitty made individual crostatas. 

And for cheese, I had sent a huge can of Cougar Gold White Cheddar. IYKYK!! It was a hit! 

I absolutely loved getting a chance to see where my friend and his family live, and also meet these amazing folks in the restaurant/bar industry. 

I was really looking forward to heading to Saranac Lake the next day!

All Saratoga Springs photos here.

Sky High Vail

Trip date: April 2020

When a friend with a house in Vail say's "come visit", the only correct answer is yes! I'd never been to Vail, hadn't seen my friend in years due to the fact that he lives in Australia and Covid, and was more than happy to get away for a weekend with friends!

Another friend Gail, decided to go as well so we used her Alaska Airlines companion fare. Unfortunately Alaska was having lots of staffing issues at the time and our flight got canceled a few days prior. I was able to call and get them to reschedule us on United for the same price but the different schedule meant we had a while to wait for our transfer from Denver airport to Vail. Luckily my Priority Pass covered us in one of the restaurants so we just did a little work with some wine.

The cost to fly into Eagle County Regional was ridiculous so we booked a shuttle with Epic Mountain Express which runs from DEN to Vail and other surrounding destinations. It's a 2 hour drive through the mountains and we were very happy to let someone else navigate the snowy roads. There was another couple in the SUV with us and we all decided since we were vaccinated that we were ok going mask free for the ride making it much more comfortable. 

It had taken a whole day to get out to the mountains! Our friend David met us at the transfer drop off and we headed to Deca+Bol for drinks and dinner. Deca is a nice bar/restaurant connected to Bol, which is a very swanky bowling alley. Very fun and delicious!

It was the last weekend that the ski resort was open, but none of us were skiing. Instead we spent the first day exploring Vail village. We also spent it trying to catch our breath!! I hadn't realized that Vail is 8150 feet in elevation. That is higher than Machu Picchu by over 1,000 feet! We were all really feeling it, even just going up and down the steps in the house!

It was a gorgeous day in the village, perfect for walking around in the warm spring weather. We had a pretty good lunch at Segundo Mexican and took a break from shopping for some wine on the patio at Pepi's. 

One of the better shops in the village is the high end western store Kemo Sabe. They have a pretty incredible selection of hats made specifically for them by Stetson as well as boots, clothing, and jewelry. David found a gorgeous new hat that they branded with his initials and I left semi in love with a diamond necklace. Definitely not a typical western wear shop!

We continued with some wine in the hot tub back at the house; such great views of the surrounding mountains from their deck! That night we had an excellent dinner at Slope Room. All our dishes were cooked perfectly, the wine list was great, and they even brought out a special dessert for David who's birthday had been earlier in the week.

After dinner we headed to the Four Seasons to check out their cocktail bar Remedy. It was incredibly basic and the bartender didn't have much of a clue about anything other than vodka or gin and tonic. Not recommended. 

The next day David drove to us to Beaver Creek Village to do some exploring. First up was Golden Eagle for lunch where I had some excellent elk tacos! I thought this village seemed even nicer with its outdoor fire pits, lots of public seating, and sculptures dotting the property. We did a bit more shopping before heading back to the house for wine and hot tubbing.

Before we went to dinner I decided I wanted to buy the necklace at Kemo Sabe so I texted the sales guy and arranged to stop in. When we arrived he invited us upstairs to their private bar for a few drinks! 

We had a great time at our little private happy hour! If you aren't in the market for expensive jewelry, the upstairs is able to be rented out for private parties. It's a cool space filled with taxidermy, antiques, and booze!

Dinner afterwards at Mountain Standard was very fun and delicious. But the gem of the night ended up being King's Club! As there were no Ubers to be found, we ducked into the Sonnenalp Hotel to have them call us a taxi. When they said it would be a while we grabbed seats at the bar and were treated to some live music, and great people watching!

I'd definitely head back here and make a full night of it next time! 

What a relaxing and fun weekend catching up with David and having him introduce us to a place he absolutely loves! Gail and I caught our Epic shuttle the next morning for our ride back to Denver. This time we were in a minivan packed like sardines; not a pleasant trip. But the scenery heading over Vail Pass, at elevation 10,666 feet, was stunning and I was very happy not to be driving!

We had Premium Class flights on Alaska Air on our way home, and half way through the flight they announced that the mask mandate was over. An end to Covid? Obviously not, but at least progress!

All photos from Vail here. 

24 Hours in Santa Monica, CA

Trip date: February 2020

A friend was going to spend a couple of days in Santa Monica after attending a conference in Southern California and invited me down for the weekend. The flights into LAX were ridiculously expensive but I had a lot of miles on my Chase Sapphire Reserve card so used those for a Premium Class seat on Alaska Air and still earned miles towards Elite Status! I got to the airport with plenty of time and had a breakfast mimosa in the Priority Pass Lounge.

There was a new area for Lyft/Uber at LAX when I arrived, you basically were sent a code by the app and then matched it up with the car/driver. It was easy and quick and soon I was on my way to the Gateway Hotel. This is a good standard hotel if you want to stay in Santa Monica proper. It's about a 2-mile walk to the beach from here but was pretty central for us getting around via Uber. 

My friend wanted to check out the Petersen Auto Museum so off we went to the Mid-Wilshire area of LA. The outside of the museum is really interesting with ribbons of steel wrapping around the bright red building. 

We started with a late lunch at their restaurant Drago which is California inspired Italian cuisine. Salads, fried calamari, some wine. It was tasty, easy and the service was great.

Now I'm not a huge car fan but I love design and history so I found the museum to be really interesting! I mean how can someone not love looking at this Bugatti? 

We spent about 2 hours exploring the different rooms and exhibits. There is history of the automobile, a room of cars used in movies and TV shows, futuristic cars, cars from the past, etc.

There was an exhibit of Metallica singer James Hetfield's custom car collection which were both odd and cool!

It was just about time for a cocktail so we left the museum and headed towards Santa Monica Pier for drinks at The Lobster. This is a perfect spot to sip on some well made margaritas and watch the gorgeous sunset.

Dinner that evening was at the absolutely wonderful Pasjoli. I'd go to Santa Monica for this restaurant alone! The restaurant's exposed brick walls, marble tabletops, and open kitchen were relaxing and casually elegant.

Everything we ordered was delicious! We started with a round of cocktails, followed by beautiful scallops that were blanketed in a ridiculous amount of caviar. My deconstructed cassoulet was perfect and we shared a truly decadent rice pudding for dessert. 

The restaurant is known for their duck press which after they roast a whole duck for two, and use breasts, legs, and crackling skin in a series of dishes, they press the entire duck carcass and create a heady sauce. This requires advance pre order which I will absolutely do if I ever get here again!

The next morning we headed to the Venice Beach area and queued up at EggSlut for their uber popular breakfast sandwich. I've had it once before, in Las Vegas when a friend brought me one by the pool, but this came right off the griddle and was perfect!

Our waiter the night before had suggested Menotti's for coffee. Not only is the coffee excellent but there is a secret menu if you can find it. A good recommendation!

We spent the rest of the day walking from Venice Beach to the Santa Monica Pier. It was a gorgeous sunny day and we needed to walk off that EggSlut!

I might have been to the pier when I was quite young (I was born in LA) but I don't remember. We didn't go on any rides but it was fun to wander around the amusement park, see where Route 66 famously ends, and watch all the beachgoers.

We had checked out of the hotel and left our bags earlier, so it was easy to just stop into the lobby, pick them up, and head to LAX which is just about 20 minutes away. 

Quick but fun weekend and also my last flight as the global COVID-19 pandemic closed everything down just weeks after returning home. I'm looking forward to jetting off at a moments notice again one day!

All photos from Santa Monica here. 

**As I visited all of these places before the COVID-19 pandemic, please double check on opening hours. And fingers crossed these businesses all stay in business!**