-Apply for your passport ASAP -Tell your phone company that you're going to Mexico. Get them to give you the Unlimited USA-Mexico-Canada plan. Sometimes it's free, sometimes is $5-$10/month. You are *going* to need data while here, to order Ubers to get around. -Tell your bank you're traveling to Mexico, so they don't freeze your card -Download Uber and get your payment options set up -Download WhatsApp. This is the most reliable and widely-used communication app. Text messages can be very delayed when traveling internationally.
-Lightweight jacket -Hand sanitizer -Pack of tissue (this is really just a precaution, nearly everywhere does have TP available) -A box of Graham Crackers! (We need them for the reception! I really want a s'mores bar at the reception, especially since s'mores are almost totally unknown here. Graham Crackers are also very hard to find, and it would mean so much if each family brought a box. Thanks!!) -If you're coming from Chicago and have the space to bring some things that I left, let's talk.
Currently, pesos are around 19 to 1 US dollar. For ease, I do the math as if it were 20 to 1 ($100mxn = $5 usd). You can buy pesos through your local bank, if you talk to them far enough in advance. Or, you can exchange money in the Mexico City airport. You can also withdraw cash from an ATM here, though your bank will charge you a fee. You do need cash, as many vendors don't take cards. A full meal will cost $50mxn (about $2.50usd) at a fondo (a small local, very informal restaurant, or a food stand). At a normal sit-down restaurant, you'll spend about $250mxn (about $12.50usd) per person. I ride Uber frequetnly, and hardly every spend over $10usd on a trip. It is customary to tip 10-15% at a sit-down restaurant. Also, if someone helps your find a parking spot, bags your groceries, or does another service, it's good to tip $5-$10mxn.
Everyone I know washes their dishes, rinses their fruits/veggies, and brushes their teeth with tap water. But everyone drinks bottled/purified water. You absolutely want to bring a refillable water bottle, and fill it with purified water before going out. Depending on where you're eating you may or may not have bottled water as an option. "Aguas frescas", such as horchata, tamarind water, and fruit waters, are *probably* made with filtered water, but you never know. I have drunk them, and have never had a problem. I alway have my water bottle, because aguas frescas and sodas are all very sweet. Another good option is mineral water (carbonated water), which is bottled and unflavored.
Yes, it's safe. Yes, like any big city there are inherent dangers, but on the whole, it's not a major problem. Your hotel is in Coyoacan, an artsy and peaceful district. I specifically chose this area because it will be safe and enjoyable. Take normal travel precautions: Don't carry your wallet in your back pocket, and use a cross-body purse that zips closed. Don't waive your phone around. If you need to look at your phone for directions, don't do it while you're walking; stop with you back to a wall until you're able to walk undistracted again. I recommend leaving your passports hidden in your room, so you have no chance of loosing them or them being stolen. Although there is corruption in the government, it's not common at all for customs officers or police to try to get a bribe out of someone- much less out of someone who doesn't speak Spanish. This is not something that I even think about unless someone who is visiting asks about it.
Mexico City is NOT in the tropics! It gets quite cool in the evenings. Average temperature in the day is in the mid-70s, and drops to the low 50s in the evening. Bring a light jacket, and don't count on being in shorts every day. I know that even 50 degrees sounds like summer when you're 3 months into winter (looking at you, Chicago and Colorado), but trust me, you want a jacket! You'll want comfortable walking shoes to get around, too. And ladies, we're planning on having the reception on a lawn, so think twice about wearing heels.
Uber is your best bet. Legitimate taxis are pink and white, but you definitely need to be able to speak Spanish and know your way around to use one. When you get in an Uber, tell the drier to follow Waze ("Siguiendo [see-GEE-en-do] el Waze, porfavor"). Then just follow along on the route on Google Maps or Waze. I've never had a problem with an Uber ride, even when it was painfully obvious that I had no idea how to get where I was going. Mexico City does deserve its reputation for bad traffic. Allow plenty of time to get wherever you're going, and don't stress about being on time! Also, it's best for your mental health if you don't pay too much attention to *how* people are driving. Look at the scenery, look at the buildings, enjoy the view...just don't pay attention to traffic. In Mexico, the biggest thing on the street has the right of way. As a pedestrian, you DO NOT have the right of way. Be alert when walking, and when crossing a street, get across as quickly as you can.
-Señor/Señora: Anyone in official uniform, anyone clearly your mom or dad's age -Joven/ Señorita: The polite way to address someone of your own age (if you're in your 30s or so), or someone younger than you -Hermano/Hermana: Among Christians, we address each other as brother/sister. This will get you out of remembering people's names at the wedding! ;) -Amigo/Amiga: To address someone of your own age, in a very casual way
-"Sanitario": "restroom" (as in, the formal word for bathroom) -"Ahorita vengo": "I'll be back in a bit". Used for politely getting away from vendors in a market. Say it and then keep moving. -"Gracias": "Thank you", obviously, but also how to politely let someone know that you're not going to give them a tip for playing music at the restaurant you're in -"Así está bien": The polite way to get rid of someone who is insistently trying to sell you something. -"Provecho": The polite thing to say when someone is about to start eating, or you happen upon someone who is already eating. The response is "Gracias", or, if they are eating too, "Provecho".
I eat street food all the time. Multiple times a week. Is there a bit of a risk? Sure. Have I ever had a problem? Not at all. If you decide to eat at a food booth or not is up to you. Here are a couple tips to not have any problems. The absolute law of street food: Only eat at a stand that has a lot of people at it. That's how you know that the food is good, and that people don't get sick from eating there. The more people waiting, the better the food. No one at the stand at all? Skip it. Also, use hand sanitizer first. Street food is all eaten with your hands, so do what you can to be clean. And finally, and note about salsas. It is totally normal to test the salsa before committing to put it on your food. Take the serving spoon, and let a drop of the salsa fall onto the back of your hand (without touching the spoon to your hand). Taste the salsa! :) By the way, if the salsa is *orange*, it is probably made with habanero, and it's EXTREMELY spicy. I don't recommend it!
Lots of Mexican food, especially street food, is some kind of meat on some variation of a tortilla. Here are the basic tortilla variations, and also the common meats (and some veggie options). "Tortillas" -Tortilla de maiz (corn), or de harina (flour) -Sope: slightly thicker, and usually significantly larger, corn tortilla -Huarache: oblong, very large tortilla -Tlacoyo: oblong thick tortilla with beans or potato made into the middle of the tortilla. Sometimes made with blue corn. -Goridta: thick, large tortilla that is both filled (like a pita pocket) and topped -Tostada: hard crispy corn tortilla Meats -Bistec: beef -Pollo: chicken -Tinga: chicken in chipotle marinade -Al Pastor: marinated pork, usually served with a slice of pineapple -Birria: steamed meat, usually lamb/sheep. Often only available on weekends. -Carnitas: pork, usually very very fatty -Chicharron: pork skin. Served crispy, or cooked in salsa -Veggie: Nopal (cactus), papa (potato), frijol (bean)
Depending on where you are in the city, you may hear some sounds you can't identify. Here are a few that I've had to figure out: Someone is yelling: They are almost certainly selling something. Bread ("Pan!"), gas for the house ("Gas!), or squash blossoms for soup or tamales ("Flores!") are the most common ones I hear near my house. There's a loud recording of someone saying something: Again, for sure selling something. Very likely tamales, or buy/sell old appliances and scrap metal. Occasionally I hear a loudspeaker on a car advertising a new circus or attraction that's in the area. Explosions? Shots?: Don't worry! It's fireworks. Or really big bottle rockets. Ear-splitting whistle: Fire-roasted sweet potatoes and bananas. These are delicious! You can get them plain, or with sweetened condensed milk ("Lechera"). Clanging bell, like an old-fashioned school bell: This is the garbage men. They ring a bell so people can bring their trash out to the truck.