It had been more than twenty years since I last visited Mexico City, and I was excited to return. After all, my one visit involved a single overnight after a connecting flight canceled, so I had barely scratched the surface. This time, I would return for four nights, so I could really get a feel for the place. And how was it?

This is a great city.

• Introduction to Cranky’s Mexican Adventure
• Cross Border Express is Great, But It Can Be Tricky
• Viva Kicks the Trip Off the Right Way
• Mexicana is Weird, But the E2 is a Delight
• The Spectacular But Distant AIFA Airport
• Mexico City is More Than Worth the Visit
• Aeromexico Does It Right in the Air but Not on the Ground
• Señor Air Has the Best Name and an Experience to Match
• Los Cabos and La Paz Couldn’t Be More Different
• TAR Was a Wild Ride
• Volaris, the Purest ULCC

It’s hard to truly grasp how big Mexico City is. There are more than 21 million people living in the metro area which covers about 3,000 square miles. Contrast that with Los Angeles which has a still hefty 18 million people but they are spread across about 34,000 square miles. Mexico City is a beast.

There are many different areas worth exploring, but I decided to use my Hyatt points to settle in the La Condesa neighborhood. I was looking forward to staying at the Hotel San Fernando, a Bunkhouse hotel with just 19 rooms. I instantly regretted this decision.

When my Uber pulled up, I could see I was in a vibrant neighborhood, but when the front desk agent handed me a pair of earplugs, I got nervous. Sure enough, the old walls of this historic building were paper thin, or maybe it was the windows. Either way, I never slept well there.

I was happy to take the welcome drink when I arrived, but it turned sour when they asked me for a tip on it. I just went to my room and did my best to sleep after the long journey into town.

The next morning, I was looking forward to the included breakfast of fruit and pan dulce, but it was really just a few meager slices of fruit. Of the three days I tried to eat there, the pan dulce was only there on one, and there was one tiny croissant and nothing else. The first day they told me they were out, and the last day they said it never showed up! I regretted my hotel choice.

What I didn’t regret was being in this neighborhood. La Condesa is beautiful with leafy streets, and bustling parks. I was just a few doors down from Parque México which appears to be the hub of all dog life in the city. There is a massive dog park, and people were out with their pups all day and night.

I walked by restaurants of all kinds in the neighborhood with cuisine from all over the world. I ate my way through this town with one of my favorite meals being lamb chops at Plonk right near my hotel.

That first day was mostly just me trying to get my bearings. I find there’s no better way to do that than to walk. And walk. And walk. You might be wondering if Mexico City was safe, and I didn’t feel unsafe once despite apparently wandering into some less-than-desirable neighborhoods. I was out at all times of the day and well into the evening.

That first day I started at the Zócalo which is ringed by a cathedral, the presidential palace, and the remains of the Templo Mayor from pre-Colombian civilization. That early timeframe is where I wanted to focus my attention on this trip, so I descended the steps into the walled-off remains.

The problem with most remains in Mexico City is that there aren’t many remains to speak of. When the Spaniards arrived at this lakeside spot more than 7,500 feet up and far from the ocean, they didn’t want to have to lug materials around. So, they just took apart everything the Aztec and (primarily) prior civilizations had built to use the materials in their own endeavors. That meant finding a lot of places looking like this:

These ancient ruins were not only crumbling, but they had been paved over by a sewer long ago. Some may fare better, but I found it difficult to picture what these all really looked like.

During the afternoon, I went to a more modern architectural wonder: the Museo Nacional de Antropología. The exhibits at this museum are very well done, spanning all the different eras. But it’s the structure itself — nestled away in Chapultepec park — that makes you stop and stare.

When they kicked me out at closing time at 6pm, I walked back to my hotel and soaked in the feeling of being in the middle of a bustling city where everyone was trying to head home from work either on public transit or through traffic-choked streets.

The next day, I woke up early because I was headed to Teotihuacán. These pre-Colombian ruins lie northeast of the city, east of AIFA. What makes them special? Well, the Spaniards didn’t find these in time to dismantle them. They were covered in earth and sat quietly undiscovered until recent times when people knew better than to just tear them to pieces.

The problem with Teotihuacán is that it gets very crowded later in the day, and many of the tours stop at these crappy tourist spots so they can get a kickback. I searched until I found an option that went early in the morning (6:45am departure from Parque México) and didn’t stop anywhere silly. I didn’t love the guide, but I would suggest looking for those two attributes when you look for yourself.

After about an hour in the car where I drifted in and out of sleep, my small group tour arrived at the site. It was a chilly morning, not a surprise at that altitude. After going through some of of the living chambers in one part of the city, we walked up to the Moon Temple and climbed the narrow stairs. In this photo, you can see the Sun Temple behind.

The names are ridiculous. They guessed that these temples were for the sun and the moon back in Aztec days, but over time they learned that wasn’t remotely true. For some reason, they still use those names.

We went through a variety of ruins around the city, and finished at the third major temple on site which was the most spectacular of all.

In these civilizations, structures would get built, but then when a new ruler came into play, they would just build on top of the old one and enlarge the building. So, when archaeologists found this temple, they started to explore and learned that one face had been covered. Once they finished digging that out, they found these elegant sculptures meant to honor the various gods or display their clan name.

I was back home by 1pm after our early morning adventure, and I was exhausted. I rested, but then I went walking again. I had some hot chocolate, strolled through town, and just generally enjoyed myself.

Thursday morning I was ready to visit the final ruins of my trip, Tlatelolco. This sits in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas. My friends looked at me like I was crazy for going into the area by bus and walking. Apparently it’s not the safest place to be, but I never felt unsafe.

Here there are pre-Colombian ruins next to a Spanish colonial cathedral (that looks to be in need of repair), and then modern buildings.

That plaza itself is home to a memorial honoring those who died in the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre when student protestors were murdered.

That afternoon I went and met friends for lunch at my other favorite restaurant on this trip, Once Mil. After, I decided to do a long walk back through Chapultepec.

There were some quiet areas, but I saw people enjoying the park in most of the places I went. I came out of the park in the San Miguel Chapultepec neighborhood where I was able to observe life going on as normal.

School had gotten out, so kids were all over, including this one who was getting a treat.

Back at the hotel, I took a brief break before heading back out again that night to meet friends for drinks.

There’s no question that with all the walking, the high altitude, the loud hotel, and the pollution, I felt worn down. It was a good worn down, but I was not up for the next part of my adventure to Huatulco because of the logistics involved. So, I pivoted. I decided to go straight to Puerto Vallarta and spend three nights there before picking up the original itinerary as planned. That flight was on Aeromexico, and I’ll cover that next time.