I’ve been in Mexico City for the last month and it’s felt quite convenient to settle into. Before I leave, I wanted to articulate what made it special and drop some photos.
Neighborhoods: I’ve stayed and stuck to mostly spending time between Condesa, Roma Nte, Juarez, Polanco, Reforma, and Centro. When some friends visited, they went to Coyoacan and Doctors but during the day. These neighborhoods likely represent a bubble of middle to upper-class Mexico with beautiful parks, delightful architecture, tight security, and upscale restaurants. The safety is likely thanks to an overwhelming police presence – you cannot go more than 4 blocks without seeing a cop car idling at the intersection or watching a pickup with armed police standing on the flatbed driving around.
Remote work: My primary motivation of living was to experience a new city and country that was in the same timezone as the US to make it easier to collaborate with the team. CDMX coffee shops have good wifi and have almost been engineered to enable remote workers. You can walk into a boutique shop like Blend Station or a chain like Starbucks and find other people also doing the same. Plus, there’s lots of different Airbnb’s which’ve been optimized for remote-workers as well. I’ve had friends from India & the US both overlap while I’ve been here who’ve arrived with the same goals.
Language: Even without speaking a beginner level of Spanish the experience has been natural though one was to live here permanently, learning the language would be non-negotiable.
Inequality: You know it exists everywhere but like in India the inequality can be much more felt in Mexico City which has made me reflect a lot more. You’ll see small children who’re trying to sell you candy or flowers right as you’re doing outdoor dining which can leave a sense of guilt.
Food: I’ve not been somebody who’s eaten a lot of Mexican food and as a vegetarian there’s been a plethora of options across cuisines including Mexican food. Some highlights on the sit-down end of the spectrum have been Expendio de Maiz Sin Nombre, Rosetta, Pujol, and Sartoria with incredible takes on their respective cuisines and associated desserts. Though my street side adventures were quite limited given my desire to have meat / non-meat not be cooked on the same cookware that’s a sizable part of the Mexico experience. I’ve also pleasantly surprised at the range of non-alcoholic beverages on every menu. And a list about food in Mexico would be incomplete without mentioning hot chocolate and churros which I could have every day. A challenge has been letting people know that bugs (ants, grasshoppers, etc) are not considered vegetarian to me. Here’s our list: Google Maps.
Exercise: The city is incredibly friendly to bicycles and running routes. There’s no excuse to not lace up and head out for the day. Plus, you’ll get to meet 100’s of dogs to play with every day.
Overall, would highly recommend remote working from CDMX if you’re considering it.
Varadh 