Forget New York. Forget L.A. To find North America’s most vibrant city, you need to look south — way south — to Mexico City, where long days of sunshine and tacos give way to wild nights of tequila cocktails, lucha libre and, of course, more tacos. DailyXY does Mexico City.
Crash
Rest your head at Condesa df hotel, where architects Javier Sánchez and India Mahdavi have restored an 82-year-old building to boutique hotel perfection. The sun-drenched, open-air atrium has sliding doors, which staff close when the rooftop bar – packed with the city’s cool kids – gets too boisterous. Which it does. Nightly. Avenida Veracruz N.102.
Scarf
The city’s tastiest eats might come from the ubiquitous — and cheap (like, 85-cent-empanada-cheap) — street vendors. Our favourite is north of the Museum of Anthropology, where exquisitely seasoned pork tacos overflow with fresh cilantro, onions, tomatoes and green salsa.
Brawl
Lucha Libre is Mexico’s WWE, but without concerns about litigation — or political correctness. Unless you want a 250-pound masked man or a 65-pound midget in a gorilla suit in your lap, avoid the first three rows. Fridays, 8:30 p.m., Arena de México, Dr Lavista 197.
Drift
Hire a private gondola (about $40), grab some beers, and spend an afternoon floating through Xochimilco’s centuries-old system of canals. Don’t forget to buy a song from a floating mariachi band.
Stroll
Grab coffee and a croissant from Pasteleria Maque (Ozulama 4), and head over to Parque México, in the heart of the city’s coolest hood, Colonia Condesa. From there, stroll along Avenida Nuevo Leon to scope the city’s of-the-moment boutiques and restaurants.
Image courtesy of Ridrigo HerRaz on flickr
