Mexico City is abuzz in preparations for its massive and fun New Years Celebration. The Paseo de Reforma is closed to traffic, and is pedestrian only. A massive concert stage is set up. Tons of street vendors, and many, many hundreds of police officers are already patrolling what will be a very busy street.
And we will miss it all.
This is not to say we don't want to be there. We have been so very fortunate to have witnessed two fun New Years celebrations in CDMX. The concerts are great. There is dancing in the streets. The fireworks are very impressive. But we would rather welcome 2023 quietly, relaxing in our little apartment.
This morning, I woke early and walked down to one of several neighborhood tortillerias. Nothing better than warm, fresh tortillas to start your day. When you walk up to the tiny street-front shop, you advise how much you want to purchase. I thought I was ordering 10 tortillas. What I actually was ordering was 10 pesos worth of tortillas. From a towel covered cooler, he grabbed a handful of tortillas and weighed them. He removed enough tortillas to make the total value of 10 pesos. This is what I received for about US 50 cents.
Yesterday, we bought some eggs, and we also have a spicy quacamole sauce. This morning's breakfast was divine.
We needed to buy supplies for our apartment, so we walked to La Comer, a very modern grocery store about one mile away. We purchased everything from fruits and veg to beer and tequila. But the one purchase we had to make was grapes. Tradition holds that you eat one grape for each ringing of the bell at New Years.
After returning our purchases to the house, we hit the streets for a bit of exploring. One block from our house is a busy street, and on Saturdays, a massive market appears on the side of the street. It is 3 rows deep, and it goes on for blocks and blocks. You can get anything from Levis jeans to children's toys. There are many food vendors, and several set up temporary restaurants with tables, chairs, music and more. Tons of people were shopping and exploring, just like us. It was so impressive.
We walked to Paseo de Reforma to see the road closed to cars. Perfect. We explored, walked amongst some street vendors, and watched the busy workers prepare for tonight.
I just love the modern architecture of CDMX. Some amazing buildings surrounded by historical sites and buildings.
On the way back to our apartment, we saw a movie theater with a featured film. I love the translation.
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