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Mexico City Travel / Mexico City Field Trip / Mexico Travel / → All Tags

A First-Timer's Guide to Mexico City: Taking On Teotihuacan

We don't hear too much about Mexico City these days, even though it's a totally doable flight and an easy trip from most major US Cities. So this week we're changing that, and clueing you in to the must-dos for a first timer's trip to La Ciudad de los Palacios (The City of Palaces), AKA Mexico City.

Teotihuacan and Chichen Itza are probably the two most famous pre-Hispanic historic sites within easy tourist reach in Mexico. While Chichen Itza is over on the Yucatan Peninsula and more accessible via Cancun, Teotihuacan is just north of Mexico City and therefore perfect for a day trip. You can rent a car and/or hire a driver to get you there, but there are also several reputable tour companies that can do the trick for you.

Wayak Tours, which operates out of the Mundo Joven Catedral hostel just off of the Zocalo, is a good one. In addition to Teotihuacan, they’ll take you to Tenochtitlan as well as the Basilica de Guadalupe, where the Virgin Mary was said to have appeared to the Spanish.

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A First-Timer's Guide to Mexico City: Get Lost in Chapultepec

We don't hear too much about Mexico City these days, even though it's a totally doable flight and an easy trip from most major US Cities. So this week we're changing that, and clueing you in to the must-dos for a first timer's trip to La Ciudad de los Palacios (The City of Palaces), AKA Mexico City.

Mexico City has an embarrassment of riches. The city’s just so grande and so full of museums, ruins, churches, and the like that even tackling one neighborhood at a time may not be enough. Chapultepec Park, which spans almost 1,700 acres, is the largest city park in the Western hemisphere. You can easily spend a whole day in and around this e, which is reason enough to give yourself more than just a few days in Mexico City.

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A First-Timer's Guide to Mexico City: On the Canals of Xochimilco

We don't hear too much about Mexico City these days, even though it's a totally doable flight and an easy trip from most major US Cities. So this week we're changing that, and clueing you in to the must-dos for a first timer's trip to La Ciudad de los Palacios (The City of Palaces), AKA Mexico City.

Mexico City is dotted with UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but we want to talk about Xochimilco, one of the last remaining remnants from when Mexico City was an island. This district of canals is a popular place for locals to hang out on weekends and, naturally, the way to see the canals of Xochimilco is by boat.

The traditional small, brightly colored boats of Xochimilco all bear the names of women (Brenda, Rosita, Carolina) and can be rented by the hour. Adding to the female-friendly vibe is the fact that women are traditionally given rose corsages when they board. While on the water, other boats glide by and hawk their wares, selling everything from spicy corn on the cob to silver jewelry to beer and soda. If you’re interested, simply signal and the boat will attach itself to yours long enough for the purchase to be finalized.

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A First-Timer's Guide to Mexico City: From Zona Rosa to Roma

We don't hear too much about Mexico City these days, even though it's a totally doable flight and an easy trip from most major US Cities. So this week we're changing that, and clueing you in to the must-dos for a first timer's trip to La Ciudad de los Palacios (The City of Palaces), AKA Mexico City.

Zona Rosa isn’t the neighborhood most representative of Mexico City, but it’s safe and a great place to be a tourist. This upscale area is convenient from the airport (you can get there for about 200 pesos, or less than $20, by taxi) and has all the basics a visitor needs: pharmacies, ATMs, and stuff that’s open late.

Though Zona Rosa deservedly gets the rep of being all foreign restaurants and overpriced internet cafes, there’s also some excellent scenery nearby. El Angel de la Independencia (Angel of Independence) is a large, beautiful sculpture located in a traffic circle on the busy Paseo de la Reforma. On weekends, it’s not unusual for ice cream vendors to set up shop near El Angel or for marathon runners to pass by on their morning route. If you ever get lost, El Angel is such a recognizable landmark that almost anyone in Mexico City will be able to point you in the right direction. Also nearby is the statue of Diana the Huntress, who is said to be pointing her arrow “toward infinity.”

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A First-Timer's Guide to Mexico City: Zocalo A-Go-Go

We don't hear too much about Mexico City these days, even though it's a totally doable flight and an easy trip from most major US Cities. So this week we're changing that, and clueing you in to the must-dos for a first timer's trip to La Ciudad de los Palacios (The City of Palaces), AKA Mexico City.

If you only have one day to spend in Mexico City, spend it in the center of town, where there’s the best concentration of activities. The big main square is technically named Plaza de la Constitucion, but it’s been called the "Zócalo" for so long that locals will scratch their heads and wonder what the heck you’re talking about if you use the formal name.

Zócalo means “base,” and it's all kind of a joke. A former president planned to build a huge monument in the square, but only got around to finishing the base. The name stuck, and now Zócalo is also the name of the metro station serving the area.

First off, check out the Palacio Nacional, or National Palace, which used to be the residence for the presidents of Mexico. Now, however, it’s a free museum, and the real highlight is the collection of Diego Rivera works adorning most of the building. Be sure to scope out the giant mural, a triptych which covers major events in Mexican history, from the days of the Aztecs to the arrival of the Spanish and beyond. (Frida Kahlo’s also in there somewhere, if you can spot her.)

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What It's Like to Be Stuck Onboard a Crippled Cruise Ship

Yikes. If you haven't already heard, there's a Carnival Cruise ship drifting without electricity (and, thus, propulsion) in the Caribbean. It's the Carnival Triumph, a megaship which embarked on a 4-night cruise from Galveston, Texas over the weekend, only to be crippled by an engine room fire on Sunday. Not much was known about the state of the ship and onboard conditions for the passengers until several were able to place phone calls when a sister Carnival ship came to the Triumph's aid with backup food and water.

The ship is being pushed by two tugboats from her position off the coast of Mexico and she should reach Mobile, Alabama on Thursday.

Still, this is one more entry into our series of "The Evolution of Cruise Ships," as events like this do happen as much as you pray they won't on your cruise. In fact, one of our friends suffered a similar fate on her cruise, though it took place before the age of cellphones/internet/immediate news dissemination.

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How To Get Tickets To / Art Travel / Frida Kahlo / Mexico Travel / Mexico City Travel / Museum Travel / → All Tags

How To Get Tickets To Visit Frida Kahlo's Wardrobe in Mexico City

The flamboyant artist Frida Kahlo knew there was no better runway than the runway of life and that was evident in her over-the-top style. For the first time in almost 60 years, the public can now view the extravagant wardrobe of Kahlo in Mexico City.

The exhibit, named "Appearances Can Be Deceiving," is housed in her former home-turned-museum in the Del Carmen area of the city, and it features about 300 items from her personal wardrobe. Everything from dresses and headpieces to jewelery and her famed corsetry are all on exhibit to honor the unique life of the artist.

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Before Your Next Trip, Learn to 'Pack for a Purpose'

If you're planning a trip abroad and want to help the community you're visiting without making a binding commitment, Pack for a Purpose has some pointers.

According to the organization's website, sacrificing a small amount of space in your luggage can have a big impact on the communities you visit. For example: with only five pounds' space you can transport 400 pencils, a stethoscope, a blood pressure cuff and 500 band-aids, or 5 deflated soccer balls and an inflation device.

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A Semi-Secret Surfing Oasis South of Zihuatenejo, Mexico

Less than an hour’s drive outside Zihuatenejo, Mexico (including 15 exciting minutes on a very unpaved road), you’ll find Playa Viva—a beachfront oasis amid miles of tranquil (and surfable) beaches.

Being the first trip away from our one-year-old, my wife was looking forward to lying by the pool with a good book for three days while I, the avid surfer, was looking for waves. Although Playa Viva isn’t a world-renowned surf destination like Troncones and La Saladita to the north, I was pleasantly surprised with chest-high, glassy waves each morning. Even in the afternoon when the waves weren’t as good, the swimming and body surfing was fun in the rougher water.

For land lovers, Playa Viva hosts daily adventures like yoga on the sundeck or an hour-long ATV ride into the mountains to visit a cacao and coffee farm. And yes, lying by the pool with a book is available as well.

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The Very First Instagram Was Taken While Traveling

Two days ago, social photo sharing app Instagram posted a small update on their blog which then rippled throughout the internet. It was their second birthday, and they were celebrating by reflecting on the very first Instagram photo ever posted.

The image of a flip flop-shod foot and a happy dog was snapped and uploaded by Instagram founder Kevin Systrom in July 2010. It wasn't until October of the same year that the public could chime in with their own pics, as Instagram notes that the app was actually titled "Codename" until those later months.

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Mexico Volunteer Travel Now Emphasizing Earthquakes and Tsunami-Preparedness

It goes without saying that Mexico travel has become a bit of a capital-t Thing in the tourism world. For fairly obvious reasons, many travelers have gotten the impression that the country is a Mad Mex dystopia awash with drug lords who fight wars using DIY scrap-metal tanks and submarines.

In response, Mexico's tourism board has waged an aggressive rebranding campaign by dispatching politicians and inventing slogans and leveraging social media and placing stories in media outlets.

Many casual travelers, nonetheless, have remained skeptical. Mexican tourism companies have therefore chosen—quite logically—to target the non-casual travelers. The country is even developing something of a reputation as a volunteer travel destination.

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Celeb Travel / Cabo Travel / Justin Bieber / → All Tags

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez Celebrate One Year of Dating in Cabo

Most teens mark a one year anniversary with a burger at McDonald's and a movie, but when your Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, you do things a little differently.

Considering an average date night for the young couple has included renting out the Staples Center, it's no surprise they are spending their one year anniversary of dating at a posh resort in Cabo.

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