How do you lighten up a stuffy, formal house of a former Mexican President? By displaying lego-like toys, of course!
We visited Museo Casa de Carranza, which was the home of the historically important President Venustiano Carranza. The home is beautiful, with amazing furniture, artwork, and historic pieces. We visited the sitting rooms, living areas, kitchen, bedrooms, offices, and dining room of this very impressive house. And the toy displays in each room brought bit of levity. The collections in the house were impressive, if not ghoulish, particularly the bullet remnants of Carranza's predecessor who was assassinated, which brought Carranza to the presidency. Unfortunately, he met his own fate in 1913 and was assassinated like several before him.
Time for lunch. A walk across Paseo de la Reforma, and we found ourselves back in the Roma neighborhood. On our first ever visit to Mexico City, we arrived in the evening, dropped our bags in the apartment, and headed out for a quick dinner. We returned to the scene of the crime, enjoying a great lunch at our favorite La Casa de Tono.
After lunch, we walked the streets of Roma. There are so many cool buildings, murals, local art. It is tempting to take photos of absolutely everything. I particularly enjoyed the old historic building that fronts the incredibly modern Hotel Sofitel.
We eventually arrived at La Rica, a cafe specializing in small batch, locally sourced chocolate. We had to try. I had a warm chili chocolate drink, while my wife had a warm chocolate and cardamom drink, along with a chocolate dipped cookie.
Mexico City has its share of decrepit buildings, in disrepair. It is in even more sharp contract when the ruins of these buildings are near modern structures. One such building is Condominio Insurgentes, which when it was built in 1958, was considered a gem of Mexico City architecture. Unfortunately, it was badly damaged in an earthquake and subsequently condemned. It has not been torn down, and some of the apartments are still occupied, although we suspect they do not have any power or water.
A walk further east, we wanted to see the famous La Posada del Sol. This is the ruins of a once-glorious hotel. You can see through the mess that there are some amazing details. It is believed to be haunted by several ghosts, including the architect who hung himself in the hotel yard. There are many stories and legends about this hotel. But for now, it is in ruins, surrounded by street vendors, and directly across the street from the modern Judicial buildings of the city.
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