We are entering the final month of our 6-month tourist visa stay in Mexico, and we can hardly believe we’ve been here so long. We’ve seen and done so much, and we know that we have only touched the tip of the Mexican iceberg, so to speak.
Mexico has been really good to us and we’ll be sorry to leave when the time comes. But first, we are going to finish up our final month in a city that needs no introduction – Mexico City!
This is probably a question that doesn’t need answering, but we will anyway.
With a population of over 21 million people, Mexico City is the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the world. It is also one of the world’s most important cultural, culinary, and financial centers.
For those having difficulty visualizing what that means, think of it as the Latin American equivalent of New York City, London, or Tokyo – with all the good and bad that comes with that.
So there is a TON to see and do and eat here – if you can navigate the urban sprawl!
And since it is located in the arid high Mexican central plateau at an altitude of 2,240 meters (7,350 ft), Mexico City’s climate is comfortable year-round.
Sure there are active volcanoes nearby and earthquakes are common, but what city is perfect? 😂
How Did We Get From Puebla To Mexico City?
Since Mexico City is only about 90 minutes northwest of Puebla, taking an ADO bus was the answer for us.
And at $272 MEX ($16.19 USD) per person for a one-way ticket, getting to Mexico City was economical as well.
Hanging out at the bus station.
We arrived at the ADO Taxqueña bus station at about 1:30 pm with good energy, since this was one of the shortest city migrations we have made to date.
We then summoned an Uber ($120.64 MEX/$7.28 USD) to take us to our Airbnb in the Rome Norte neighborhood.
Our Airbnb is located in Rome Norte, a trendy neighborhood overflowing with expats and digital nomads. Gentrification has made this area less culturally authentic than we would like, but we admit it is completely safe and is conveniently positioned near many cultural areas.
But man, the restaurants in this neighborhood are more expensive than we are used to!
It will take time to game the system and figure out where the locals go, assuming any actually live here, to get cheap eats. Hopefully, we’ll have the same luck here as we did in Panama City, Panama.
But for everything else (excluding rent), prices are pretty much the same as everywhere else we have been in Mexico.
There are plenty of good supermarket options near us. And we have no fewer than six excellent parks in easy walking distance. Even more a little further afield.
Many of the streets in this neighborhood are divided with dedicated walking paths down the center.
And even if some distances are too far to walk, the excellent Mexico City Metro system is an easy solution. And at $5 MEX ($0.30 USD) per ride, it is inexpensive too.
Our Airbnb is on the fourth floor of an apartment complex on Avenida Álvaro Obregón. There is no elevator, so we get a good daily leg workout!
Let us show you around.
Entering our apartment, you immediately see our combination dining room/living room area. There is a comfortable loveseat and plenty of dining space.
Cozy, but comfortable, hangout space.
Immediately behind from where the last picture was taken, is our kitchen. It is well equipped by our standards, including a coffee maker, big refrigerator, microwave, oven, and 4 burner stove.
And most importantly, it has a washing machine for our clothes!
It has everything we need, which is saying something!
Also accessible from the living room is our spare sleeping area for guests. It is basic, with a double bed, nightstand, and a big closet where we store our things.
Basic guest sleeping space.
And the closet is WAY bigger than it looks.
Also accessible from the living room, is our master bedroom. It also has a double bed, nightstands, storage shelves, a ceiling fan, and a sliding glass door to our small balcony.
The closed door is to the bathroom.
The smart TV is a nice touch!
And the small balcony is perfect for morning coffee.
Or a glass of wine at night!
And attached to our master bedroom is our bathroom, with all the basics. It works just fine.
It’s a bathroom.
Cozy, clean, and fully functional.
As a general observation, the apartment is tidy and the hosts are extremely nice and responsive.
And the location of the apartment is outstanding! Nothing is more than a short walk or metro ride away from us.
We just make sure not to ride the metro during rush hour!
So for all of this, including utilities and 60 Mbps download speed internet, we are paying $32.44 USD/night (including a 49% long-stay discount that offsets the 19% Mexican government Airbnb tax add-on).
This is pretty expensive by our normal pricing standards, but we are fully aware that this is a great deal for the area.
But hey, you have to splurge now and then!
And we think that the costs will come out in the wash in the long run.
Bottom line, we think we are going to really like it here!
Until next time…
Thanks for reading!
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