Girl Trip 2024: Ciudad de México: Day 4

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

El Cuarto Dia: Frida, Diego, Carol, Adrienne, and Me

Feliz Martes!

Today we set out for an early breakfast at the market in Coyoacán. We ate at a stand called Lucha. How anyone decides which stall is better than the next is a mystery. But we did fine at Lucha sharing chili relleno heaped with panela (a very mild cheese) inside—something Lucha calls “the breakfast dish” (tortilla with spicy salsa and shredded cheese), and potatoes, along with rice and beans and lots of salsas and crema. From there we walked to Casa Azul – Frida Kahlo’s house and studio with its beautiful gardens surrounded by those unmistakable bright cobalt blue walls of the house. We had a minor glitch in that our tickets were time-specific which we didn’t notice. We arrived around 11:00 and the tickets were for 10. Took about 15 minutes to both apologize and beg for entry. But alas, we got in at around 11:30. I had been to Casa Azul about 15 years ago and my recollection was that it was much less of a tourist destination with no lines and no appointments. I also didn’t remember the exhibit on the first floor. Mostly I remember the house and the reality of Frida’s life and her belongings and the accommodations for her frailty and difficult mobility. Anyway, we strolled leisurely through the house and the gardens and then headed to Diego’s house and studio (where Frida also had another studio).

There are three buildings on the property and unfortunately we could only get into one (Diego’s house and studio) because a new exhibit was being installed and some work was being done on the other two buildings, Like Frida’s Casa Azul, Diego’s house includes parts of his many collections as well as a look at the artistic work of their generation and their politics. The architect Juan O’Gorman designed all three buildings, and they are considered the first “functionalist” buildings in Latin America. Initially there was a house for Diego, a house for Frida, and separate studios for each of them. These independent buildings were joined together by a small bridge on the top floor. Over time, this changed and there are the two house/studios and a photographic laboratory, also designed by O’Gorman.

We lingered a while in the outdoor courtyard, and then grabbed a bite in a nearby restaurant. Then we needed to get back to our Coyoacán hotel so that we could get a taxi to our next hotel (in polanco area, where we’d stay for the remaining two nights)—closer to the center of the city. We tried to hail a cab but none seemed available. A few busses passed and finally we decided to just get on the next bus (it said it was going to Coyoacán). We hopped on, since it was going in the right direction, so it seemed like a good idea. But, the Mexico City busses don’t take cash or credit cards. You need to pay with an app or with Apple Pay. Adrienne was trying to get her Apple Pay to work but it just didn’t connect. The driver didn’t know what to do with us… and then a woman who was sitting up front got out of her seat and used her phone app. We tried to repay her with cash, but she wouldn’t hear of it. So off we went on the bus (and I tried to download that app, but couldn’t get a strong enough signal). The bus got us pretty close to the hotel; we hopped off once we saw a familiar street.

We got our bags and bid adios to the wonderful folks at H21 Hospedaje and took a taxi to our next destination: El Patio 77 which is located in the San Rafael neighborhood. En route to the next hotel, we asked the taxi driver to take a particular street because I had seen this amazing bird cage inside a shrub. We didn’t have the exact location, so the poor guy had to drift around with us for a bit until we found it. But alas– there it was.

We arrived at El Patio around 5:30. El Patio is like the exact opposite of H21. It’s an old house, two stories with very high ceilings.. so each floor is probably at least 15’ tall. Whereas everything at H21 seemed to be carefully thought through, El Patio is more like being in your great grandmother’s house with mismatched everything. Frankly, it feels sort of creepy. We settled in (a bit reluctantly) and headed for a fantastic dinner at Ticuchi which is located in the Polanco area off the main drag.

I’d describe the food as nouvelle Mexican where each dish is a bit of a work of art. The place is extremely dark and we found ourselves using our phone flashlights to not only read the menu, but to see the food, at times. But it was great. Started with margaritas with guacamole which came with paper thin chips and a dish of shredded panamar cheese. We moved on to an assortment of small dishes including the standout hongo tamale (mushroom) and carrots in mole, and a wonderful ceviche, and pulpo (octopus) tacos.. and more. Ended with two desserts including a corncake topped with a cinnamon (?) ice cream.

We got back to El Patio and tried to decide if we should spend two nights (including our very last night in Mexico City here at El Patio or change hotels in the morning. We will meet on this first thing in the morning. Tomorrow will be our last jam-packed day in Mexico City.

Take care.
Fern