Historical & Hip: Mai Tai Tomás Travels To México City

Chapter Nine: Conchas, Churros, Crisscrossing & (Near) Catastrophe

Days Nine & Ten: Thanks Eva, Exploring Roma Norte, Murals Murals & More Murals, Taco Shut Out, The McDonald’s Of Tacos?, Walk Till We (Almost) Drop, Not A Straight Arrow, Near Monument-al Fall, A Churro Made In Heaven, Einstein Finally Appears, Worthless Slip Of Paper and Saying Adios To Magical Mexico City

Our final full day in marvelous Mexico City was upon us, and just like Chuck Berry, we had no particular place to go. So, in honor of Tim and Sheila, we decided we would ambiance our way through some CDMX neighborhoods. As we exited Hotel Villa Condesa (highly recommended as a place to stay, as were all of our lodgings) …

… we noticed something that had been prevalent throughout our stay in Mexico Citye. No matter which neighborhood we visited, people took pride in its appearance. On this day nearby our hotel we saw a gentleman sweeping the sidewalk and taking pride in his dwelling. I wish some of my neighbors took this much care of their own surroundings.

Well, we did have one plan. A few weeks before we left on the trip, we watched Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico. The first episode explored Mexico City and mentioned Tomasa Condesa as a place to enjoy some of the best conchas in town. When a former Desperate Housewife recommends something to three desperately hungry travelers, we listen. As always, it was a pretty colorful Condesa stroll.

Our destination would be Tomasa Condesa (C. Atlixco #74, Colonia Condesa).

We didn’t know at that time but we would soon be eating something that would become the second favorite thing we ate on the entire trip (and #1 would only be about six hours from now). Its website states, “Tomasa is inspired by proudly Mexican women, who get up every day at dawn to knead delicious shells. Soft, sweet and spongy, they remind us of the Mexico of yesteryear in which they prepared their bicycles and placed their basket full of shells and dreams on their heads.” Walking inside we were greeted by a number of the traditional Mexican pan dulce delicacies known as conchas.

We watched as they were being made and finally it was time to order. Decisions. Decisions.

Stephen ordered the pecan conchas, Tracy tried the vanilla while I finally decided on the orange/almond (naranja con almendra). As Stanley Tucci says at least a 1,000 times in each of his Italian food show episodes, “Oh, my God!”  I’ve had a number of conchas in my lifetime, but none have ever tasted like this. Our conchas, Tracy said, “tasted like eating flavored air.” Wow!                   

Three fabulous cappuccinos, and the three of us were happy campers to start our day.

This was just another peaceful spot in charming Condesa, a part of CDMX that I had already fallen in love with. Let the ambiancing begin!

We started roaming through Roma Norte, admiring its interesting buildings.

It seemed everywhere we turned another vibrant building popped up.

Soon we were in a familiar place. Old David greeted us one last time at the Plaza Rio de Janeiro.

Being gluttons, we went in search of a shop in Colonia Roma that also offered some delectable pastries (what’s an extra few hundred calories?). But we weren’t the only people looking for Panadería Rosetta (Colima 179, Roma Nte.), because upon arriving there was a line stretching to Centro Histórico (slight exaggeration). Another place to stop at the next time in CDMX.

We were now on Roma Norte’s main drag, Avenida Álvaro Obregón, a street that dates back more than 100 years. It is named for the general of the Mexican Revolution who later became the 46th president of Mexico in 1920. He was re-elected in 1928 but as president-elect, he was assassinated while dining at La Bambilla, a café in San Ángel, a neighborhood on our list for the next Mexico City journey. One of the many statues found in the pedestrian median (best place to capture the feeling of this street) is Satiro y Amor.

Avenida Álvaro Obregón contains a number of beautiful, historic buildings. One of those is El Parian (130 Avenida Álvaro Obregón), more than 100 years old, where the stone portal entrance leads to a passageway containing a number of interesting stores selling crafts.

I thought Stephen might purchase the cactus candle holder.

Nearby we ducked into Librería Ático (Av. Álvaro Obregón 118-B). It seems bookstores have become a part of our vacation itineraries, which speaks volumes about our travels.

As we stepped out of the store, the Edificio Balmori stood out. It was originally built in 1922, then demolished and finally renovated. It originally contained a cinema that held nearly 2,000 people, or enough to see the premiere of Barbie. It looks like a building you might see when visiting Paris.

Looking inside this restaurant, we realized it was way too early for lunch, even for us.

This mural gave us the bird, but in a good way.

I believe this high-flying mural was done by an artist who goes by Los Nook.

It wasn’t long before we hit Plaza Luís Cabrera, a small Roma Norte community park. It was named in honor of a lawyer, politician, diplomat, critic, essayist, and poet, who was an advocate of peasant rights. The plaza has a fountain that spurts water out of tourists’ heads (not purposely) and is surrounded by restaurants.

I don’t know this structure’s purpose, but I liked it.

Some murals leave a lot to your imagination.

More Los Bronces de Obregón (bronze statues of Obregón) caught our attention along Álvaro Obregón.