I Am Thankful For My Thanksgiving Trip

November 28th: Thanks to so many coincidences and kindnesses, I found myself taking in these favorite views late Thanksgiving morning.

I cannot put into words the jolly feeling that comes over me when I set foot in Mexico City, but that morning I stood waiting at passport control, looking at everyone else in line, thinking “I hope they all have a great time here in Mexico City.”

Thanks to my visit two years before with Mom, I was feeling like a real pro when it came to getting my Uber into town. Mid-afternoon traffic was a little thick and our route a little circuitous, but my driver kept me quite entertained along the way. When he told me that when his woman left him she took everything, “even the meat in the fridge” I laughed so hard I was afraid I wouldn’t stop. It was good to shake the dust off my speaking Spanish, the driver told me my Spanish was probably pretty good, I just needed to access my hard drive. What a guy!

I settled into the apartment I’d be sharing that weekend (but with whom? If you don’t already know, you’ll be finding out in a few photos!) and soon hit the lovely streets of La Condesa, heading for my Thanksgiving lunch.

Lunch was at Taqueria Orinoco, a place I had been dreaming of trying for I don’t know how long (probably two years, though). And my hosts, Derek and Rebecca and their boys met me there. That’s right! I was sharing a Mexico City apartment with fellow travelers Derek and Rebecca that weekend! Am I lucky or what?

Foodwise, I was in absolute heaven at Orinoco. I was too in love with the food to remember to get more photos of it. But a few bites in I was thinking that if I had flown to Mexico City, eaten at Orinoco, and then flown back home, really that itself would have been a pretty good trip. But lucky me, I didn’t have to go back after lunch! I got to stay for three more days!

After lunch we made friends with some chatty workers and headed through Roma, stopping at stores and parks and the Mexico Scouts headquarters and, yes, I grabbed a Peking duck taco, too.

Then we took a car to El Centro where Rebecca needed to meet with a famous card-presser. We saw some good Centro sites, I helped some guys with their homework, visited Pasteleria Idea, and then we ate dinners at Cocuyos and El Huequito. Honestly, it just doesn’t get better than a plate of campechano tacos from Cocuyos.

November 29: Can you believe this luck: I woke up the next morning and I was STILL in Mexico City! I left the apartment early (but not early enough) to get in line for chilaquiles tortas. I got there at 7:45, I was 15th in line, the stand opened at 8:00 and I had our breakfast sandwiches at 8:45. And it’s not that the workers there don’t hustle! It’s just that the people ahead of me were like ordering 20-30 sandwiches each to take to the office or whatever. And I don’t blame them! These tortas are great!

Now I had things I thought I was going to do that Friday morning, but I got a Facebook message from a friend from my dear precious days as a missionary in Mexico City only 22 years ago telling me his parents (who I understood to have moved out of the city) were workers at the Mexico City Temple during the week and would so glad to see me if I paid them a visit. Imagine my plans for the day a table covered with papers and books and then imagine me swiping them all to the floor because that’s what happened. Hunting down the Peñuelas was mission number one for the day. They didn’t know I was coming and I wasn’t sure exactly where or how to find them at the temple, but the short version of the story (and there’s a very long version I’d be glad to tell you sometime): I found them and the reunion was more than I would have dared dream.

Blessed beyond belief, I bid them farewell after a few hours and Ubered back to the center of the city for a quick visit to the Ciudadela market and a long walk back to the apartment.

The afternoon, evening and night were dedicated to a little culture with a visit to the plaza-sharing Soumaya and Jumex museums. Soumaya had all the good old stuff from before and Jumex had a major James Turrell show (and some dresses).

Someday maybe I’ll spend the better part of the daytime exploring Polanco by daylight, but once more I found myself happily walking to Taqueria Turex at the end of the day. Then I sampled the wares of La Casa al Pastor and a little more Polanco in the dark. I returned to the apartment for a friends’ late night long chat with Derek and Rebecca over some Churreria El Moro takeout, because that’s what it’s all about.

November 30: After a little family time at the apartment I walked to Chapultapec Park to see the pandas because I really can’t imagine passing up the chance to see pandas for free, no lines no waiting no crowd.

Then a little more park walking before I paid a visit to the Tamayo Museum which, well, I would have preferred they told me all the galleries were closed except one before I paid and went in, but that’s just how it goes sometimes.

Then I walked back to the apartment, grabbing a chile relleno taco at El Pescadito and a carnitas taco at Don Juan across the street. After a little apartment recharge I had some wonderful bites at nearby Molino Pujol, Enrique Olvera’s budget-friendly tortilleria.

Then I took a nice long walk through La Condesa, Roma, and whatever you have to walk through to get back to La Ciudadela again to find my roommates. Along the way I walked through Mexico Park for the first time and it was awesome, saw lots of different Scout Troops, saw another El Moro, saw lots of great deals on Hot Wheels cars and action figures for sale in parks, and ran into a few different sets of park tango dancers.

Meeting back up with the roommates, I learned that there’s a whole huge giant part of Ciudadela that I hadn’t noticed when I went the day before. After business was settled there we walked to El Centro and braved full-tilt, churro-rush hour original El Moro…an endeavor that no one ever said would be easy but is beyond worth it. Oh and also we were celebrating Rebecca’s birthday!

After dinner, a walk through a crowded beyond-belief Centro on our way to (drumroll) an evening of Lucha Libre! They confiscate (wow) your cameras at the door so I don’t have any pictures of the goings on inside but let me say: We had a great time.

December 1: And then the trip was over. Was able to spend enough time at the airport to enjoy a plate of Huevos a la Veracruzana and just marvel in disbelief over the magnificent fortunate that was mind to have visited this wonderful place again. And in such marvelous company! I don’t think trips get any better than this one but I am willing to try again if you want to go.