According to this air-quality monitoring website, the air quality in Mexico City today is “good” to “moderate.” After snapping this photo today, I’m skeptical. Both Chris and I have had very dry, scratchy throats, lots of sniffling and sneezing, and are generally feeling breathless. We don’t think it’s the altitude, since we’ve been here for more than two weeks. I’m convinced it’s the pollution,...
Teotihuacan has lots of sun and fresh air — a nice refuge from Mexico City smog. See the smog in the distance? There’s another mountain at roughly 11 o’clock, but you can’t see it. Teotihuacan is an ancient, pre-Hispanic city that is home to the world’s third-largest pyramid — the Pyramid of the Sun. Fortunately, they installed some simple handrails for safety....
One might ask, how do you afford a leap year? We talk about this broadly in our FAQ, but I thought I’d dig a little deeper. While cost of living has been less expensive on the whole, things can get wildly expensive if we’re not careful. Cocktails are still ~$8-10 USD a pop and a pound of chicken at the grocery store is ~$5-7...
Today was what some might call a “tourism fail.” First, we set out to UNAM — Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. It’s one of the oldest and largest Latin American universities, with more than 300,000 students. It’s also known for beautiful murals and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We thought we could just walk off the metro onto the campus and revel in...
Tacos al pastor are our favorite. They’re cheap and they’re everywhere. We just got back from stuffing our face with some. This encampment is in downtown Mexico City — and it’s filled with teachers protesting attempts to overhaul the education system. We drove by last night during an impromptu tour from Chris’s mom’s friend’s cousin and her husband. (But not a former...
Why has it taken us this long to see lucha libre? And when can we go again? A choice quote from Chris last night: There’s a lot more slapping and ball-kicking than I was expecting! Still here? Some links to good reads for you then! Small-house movement: Living in 120 square feet (San Francisco Chronicle) To Increase Innovation, Take the Sting Out of Failure...
During our leap year, one of the things I’ve been exploring is online training platforms, like Skillshare, which I’ve mentioned in prior blog posts. Well, I thought I’d try my hand at teaching. So here goes! In one of my first jobs as a communications person, I found it was nearly impossible to find an affordable, professional media training for the spokespeople in our...
The world’s richest man sure knows how to make an amazing museum. Museo Soumaya is top-notch. The architecture is beautiful, the collection is even more beautiful, and it’s f-r-e-e. Perfect for two people who are on a leap year. Thanks, Carlos. It’s also open on Mondays when most Mexico City museums are closed. ...
Today is Papa Trenschel‘s birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! It’s hard to be so far away, but at least we have Skype. We took Holly for a walk over to Parque Mexico today, where there are more dogs than in all of San Francisco. Not really, but close. I also finished my Skillshare class and submitted it for review and publishing. It was fun to put...
Spent a good amount of time in Bosque Chapultepec today, and specifically went to the Museo Nacional de Antropología since many people recommended it. Not far across the street is a Starbucks built right around a tree. Here’s some fun with links: See The Stunning Sprawl of Mexico City’s 20 Million People, From Above (Fast Co.Exist) This Company Wants to Help You Escape Your Terrible Corporate...
This farmer’s market is right outside our front door. We’re now kicking ourselves for going to the grocery store the other day. We’re all settled into our apartment, which we found on Airbnb. It’s great, except one of our neighbors is a hardcore smoker and it wafts into our place. We’re in the Condesa neighborhood which we like because there are lots of trees...