A winter trip to a warmer place is a must and I'm not a resort/beach fan, so I decided to spend a few days in Mexico City. It's a bit pathetic that, living in the US, I had never been to Mexico before. So, unlike most Americans, my introduction to Mexico will be their massive capital city, rather than a beach resort.

Things started with a polar vortex and massive storms moving into the Midwest, Southern and Eastern US. Although, there was no significant snow in the forecast, United issued a weather waiver for extreme cold temperatures for ORD. Although, airplanes have no issues, the ground personnel have limitations as to how long they can be in sub-zero temperatures, which can lead to delays. United has been amazingly proactive with weather waivers this season. I've really appreciated it. However, I decided ORD can handle the cold and kept my flight.

Flight is UA 359 ORD-MEX on a 737 max 8. Regular economy with tickets costing about $360. Up front was full, so no upgrade to first, but did manage to get an E+ seat.

Checking in online kept on giving me an error. I contacted United and they couldn't figure it out, saying that it seemed to be an IT issue and I'd need to check in at the airport. It was a shame and I would have to get up earlier.

Planned on leaving at around 5:50 for Mrs. Mlbcard to drop me off at ORD around 6:30 for the 8:50 flight. I was worried about the checking in issue and gave myself more time. Unfortunately, the polar vortex got us. Temperature was -15 F (-26 C) and the car wouldn't start. Not sure if the fuel line was frozen or battery dying, but looked like I was going to have to take an uber. Luckily, it wasn't much of a wait. Ended up getting to ORD at around 7.

ORD was extremely busy. Got the same error with checking in at a kiosk. Luckily, there wasn't much of a wait in the premier line. The agent told me that the federal government had put a security hold on me. I have no idea why. I've traveled internationally multiple times last year without an issue. I have a "foreign" name and maybe that flagged it (being an American citizen isn't enough these days, I guess)? Either way, the agent eventually cleared the security issue (but wouldn't tell me more) and I had the boarding pass in hand. I really hope this isn't a new thing I have to deal with every time I fly international.

The TSA line was quick and I got to the gate about 10 minutes before boarding started. Off to CDMX!


Gate signs at ORD with the Chicago Blackhawks logo to celebrate the hockey teams 100th anniversary. The replica of the dinosaur also has a Blackhawks jersey. Goes along with United's 100th anniversary.

Despite the cold, the flight was on time and uneventful. We landed in MEX via a southeast approach, which our pilot said was unusual. From -15 F to a sunny 75 F was exactly what I was looking for. Immigration took no time. We collected our bags and headed out. FYI: MEX is a mess with construction everywhere.

Some logistics:

• I wanted some cash and there are many foreign exchange stands all over the airport. There are minor differences in the exchange rate, but they were decent, so I got a bit of MXN to have on hand for the markets and tips. ATMs are also an option, but with the fees, there is little difference. I ended up also using an ATM in the city - no issues.
• Seems the legality of ubers at the airport was unclear, but I opened the app and it gave me pick up options and with a minimal wait, I was in my ride. Uber is cheap and convenient throughout the city and, besides walking, was my primary mode of transportation. I did take the metro and metrobus a few times (super cheap 5-6 MXN) and had no issues.
• The gentle American gastrointestinal system can have trouble in Mexico. On the advice of some colleagues, to avoid the "turistica," I took probiotics and pepto bismol each day and avoided tap water and had no issues.
• Don't expect cheap prices (aside from uber and the metro). Mexico City is a major international city and the prices match.

Using a combination of Hyatt points and cash, I stayed at the Andaz in the Condesa neighborhood. The location is perfect, in a relatively quiet residential area, but close to shopping and restaurants. The staff was wonderful and very accommodating. Unfortunately, the hotel was fully booked on the first day and only a first floor room was available and I couldn't handle it. Despite the residential location, it was fairly loud outside the hotel throughout the night. I barely slept. The next morning I asked to change rooms and the staff was able to quickly get me a higher floor room which was fine. The room itself was ok. Large enough, but kind of dark and a giant column in the room that got in the way (sorry, forgot to take a photo before I put my stuff all over the room). It served its purpose. The hotel has two bars, a fitness center, a pet area and a rooftop pool - small, but with great views of the city. However, the highlight of the hotel was the breakfast - which was included when I booked through Hyatt (otherwise, expensive at around $30 usd). Lots of western and traditional Mexican options, great pastries, omelet bar, coffee to order and alcoholic drinks. A perfect way to start each day.

First day was relaxing and exploring the Condesa neighborhood, which consisted of lively, tree-filled streets with interesting stores, coffee shops and restaurants. I stopped at a seafood taco place for an early dinner which hit the spot.


Endless construction in MEX. At least we were able to quickly get out of there.


Small, rooftop pool at the Andaz with nice views of the city. A bar with large windows looking all around the city is next to it.

The next day was Sunday and I met a friend who was visiting at the same time. On Sunday's a major avenue heading into the historical downtown is closed to cars so people can bike or jog on it. We had a pleasant walk down the road to the historical center. We first stopped at the "Museo de Arte Popular," a folk art museum, which was fascinating.


Fascinating displays at the folk art museum.


From there, we walked through the busy downtown area, lined with restaurants and shops. We stopped at the famous "El Cardenal" restaurant for lunch and a wonderful coffee. As we were waiting, there was a protest march heading towards the main square. Global Adventurer helpfully warns us of protests in Mexico, but this one was small and had ended by the time we left the restaurant. I had the arrachera steak on cactus leaves, which was perfect. My adventuresome friend got the "escamoles" taco (ant larvae) to share - I tried a bit and it was fine, a subtle nutty flavor, but I couldn't get myself to eat the entire thing.


Ant larvae taco.


We next went to the Zocalo (the main square). It's beautiful, but busy with lots of vendors hawking their products. Stayed long enough to take a photo and got out of there. North of there is the main cathedral which was beautiful. There was an ongoing service inside, but we were able to go in and explore. Next to it is the Aztec ruins of the original Mexico City (Tenochtitlan) with a wonderful museum attached to it. Amazing to just be able to walk through the ruins in the middle of a major city. We spent the rest of the first day shopping and eating small snacks.


Zocalo. The central square.

Monday, the museums are mostly closed, so we scheduled our tour to the pyramids. The day starting with a sunrise balloon ride over the pyramids. My first hot-air balloon ride and it was amazing. The pilot went up about 2000 feet, then brought the balloon down to very close to the pyramids.


Pyramid of the sun.


Close flight towards the pyramid of the moon.

We also had a tour of the pyramids on the ground, but the balloon view was the highlight. You can climb the Pyramid of the Moon partway to get a great view of the entire site, but it gets hot very quickly. We paid extra for a guided tour, which was well worth it, because there are no signs or other explanations of the site. The tour had a tourist trap Mezcal and Pulque (fermented agave drink) tasting, which was fine, but my advice would be to buy any alcohol in the city at more reasonable prices.

Back in the city, we spent the afternoon in Polanco, which was nice, but kind of a soulless financial district. The Soumaya museum containing a variety of art from around the world was nice (and free).


Soumaya art museum

Next day was spent in Coyoacan, a beautiful residential neighborhood, where we explored a wonderful market, visited the Frida Kahlo museum and stopped by Leon Trotsky's house. The highlight was the Frida Kahlo museum - really her and Diego Rivera's house. There is some art, but the majority of her work is elsewhere.


There's a reason why it's called "casa azul".

Next day was spent tasting street tacos and getting lost in a couple of markets: The giant Merced market and the Jamaica market, which is largely a flower market. My favorite taco was the "mixiote," barbecued lamb cooked in a leaf of the agave plant. Very juicy and flavorful.

The following day was spent in the archeology museum, which was just simply amazing. Covering prehistoric times to the aztecs, mayans and other pre-hispanic civilizations. The pieces displayed were awe-inspiring. Most of the captions were in Spanish, so google translate was helpful.


The Aztec sun stone.


An Olmec head.

The archeology museum is in a giant park. We spent the rest of the day walking around the park and visiting the castle containing Mexico's history museum. Great displays, but the garden on top of the museum was the highlight.

Next day was flight back home. The night before UA sent an alert with another weather waiver with snow in the forecast at ORD. I decided to risk it again and didn't change. UA 474 MEX-ORD 737Max8. Up front was full again, so E+ seat. This time around, I was able to check in through the app with no issues, so hopefully, the security flag I had was a one time thing. Just in case, I went early to the airport, but there were no issues. Security line was minimal.

I was going to spend the rest of the time in the United lounge, but I was sorely disappointed. The agent informed me that the air conditioning wasn't working. Half the lounge (the side with the windows) was too hot to be tolerable. The other half was packed. Coffee machine was down. There was some food and drink, but overall, very pathetic. Probably the worst lounge I've been in. Ate a bit, got a drink and quickly left.


Example of food offerings in the United lounge. After a week of amazing food throughout the city, the United lounge was a major disappointment.

Flight was on time. As we approached ORD, the pilot said most of the afternoon only one runway was operating, with a second one just opened as we arrived. After a little bit of a delay, we had a smooth landing on a snowy runway. Back to the cold and snow for me.

All in all, I had an amazing time. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to experience Mexico beyond beaches and a contained resort.


Oh yeah, Mexico, I will come back.

Thanks for sharing this report, mlbcard!