Mexican Sushi

After our very late night, we slept in until 10am. Then it was time for our complimentary Mexican breakfast! Sam quickly found out that it's a lot more than a muffin and OJ like at an American hotel.

We had fresh fruit (papaya and melon), orange juice, coffee/tea, a tray of Mexican pastries, and then our selection from a big menu of authentic breakfast dishes. Most were egg-based, with lots of interesting treatments and flavors. We plan to try a different one each day we are here.

Next we headed out to see the sights and get our bearings. When we arrived at 2am, the street was lively and full of people and cars. This morning it was much more serene, and the trees and flowers along our street and around our hotel make it seem like a whole different place.

We headed north in the general direction of the Angel de la Indepencia monument. It's sort of the Mexican Statue of Liberty.

Along the way there we found an artisan's market where vendor's display all types of antiques, and crafts, and memorabilia. Sam found a giant plaster bust of some historical figure, and there was even a Coca-Cola bulldog for sale. Go Dawgs!

There is a huge police presence here in Mexico City. There is literally a cop on every corner, and they are very serious about their work. They don't talk and they are well-armed. A few times today, we have seen Jeep-fuls of them deploy in an area and spread out to assigned positions. I have read this is one of the safest parts of the city, and it does seem very secure and orderly, despite the party atmosphere and large number of pubs and taverns.

The mix of old buildings in various states of disrepair and scyscrapers of very modern design is fascinating to see. Often they are right next to each other, and it seems perfectly normal to the citizens.

Street food is very popular with the locals.Customers order and eat right at the counter. This guy sells sausages, meat on a stick, and vegetables all served in warm tortillas.
We haven't gotten to try any yet, but we did find a Mexican MacDonalds (just to check it out), 
Krispy Kreme donuts and many other corporate food stores abound.

Meals work differently here. A large brunch-like breakfast gets everyone through the day until around 2 or 3pm. Most people eat a large lunchtime meal then, and just have a snack in the evening.
We decided to follow the Mexican custom, and had a long wait after our  breakfast until our next meal.
There is a pedestrian only street near our hotel with dozens of restaurants as well as pubs and bars. We chose Cafe Ventura today.


Food is very inexpensive, quantities are huge, and service is very attentive. We managed to get by the language barrier even when our waiters do not speak English.
Our afternoon meal was delicious and included bread with a spicy spread, huge bowls of soup, entree plates of enchiladas and sopes (like  mini pizza with meat, cheese and bean filling) and "agua con sabor" which is  water flavored with various things like coconut, berry, mango, etc. For this very satisfying meal, we paid $19! Tax is included in all prices, and tips are only 10-15%, so restaurants are a great bargain.



After that we needed a little siesta, so we returned to our hotel and chilled until about 7pm. We made some plans for the next few days  after conferring with the concierge and doing some research online.

Then we took another stroll and saw some interesting sights, like a big stone cat posed like a sphinx. 

And some guys having a meter of draft beer, from a chilled tube with a spigot.

Crazy!


Having had two excellent but filling Mexican meals, we decided to try something else for our evening bite. There are a lot of Asian and sushi restaurants here, so we found one away from the busy area and had our experience with Mexican Sushi. Food items were bigger but a little more expensive than in the States, but everything was tasty and wholesome. Strangely, they hand out fortune cookies and also ask if you want dessert, which are unusual for American sushi places.

I will leave you with a panorama Sarah took on her fancy I-phone of the view from the rooftop terrace of our hotel. Not quite breathtaking, but it does show the scope of this very interesting city. More tomorrow!