On Mexico City

DETAIL SHOT FROM A WALL IN THE MUSEUM

www.museofridakahlo.org.mx

www.museofridakahlo.org.mx

UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO MEXICO, ROBERTA JACOBSON, MEXICAN SECRETARY OF TOURISM, ENRIQUE DE LA MADRID, AND MUSEUM DIRECTOR CARLOS PHILLIPS OLMEDO (SON OF KAHLO'S CLOSE FRIEND DOLORES OLMEDO) AT THE FRIDA KAHLO MUSEUM.

www.museofridakahlo.org.mx

THE MUSEUM'S BEAUTIFUL CENTRAL COURTYARD. THE SPACE THAT IS NOW THE MUSEUM PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS FRIDA AND DIEGO'S HOME FOR 25 YEARS. THEY LIVED, WORKED, AND PLAYED IN THIS SPACE AND ENTERTAINED NEARLY EVERY NIGHT.

www.museofridakahlo.org.mx

IN MY IMAGINATION, THESE VIALS OF POWDERS AND PIGMENTS CONTAIN A TOUCH OF MAGICAL FAIRY DUST; IT'S PART OF WHAT HELPED FRIDA CREATE SUCH FANTASTICAL AND VIVID WORKS, DESPITE BEING BESET BY TREMENDOUS PHYSICAL AILMENTS. 

www.museofridakahlo.org.mx

http://www.museofridakahlo.org.mx

www.museofridakahlo.org.mx

THOUGH SHE WAS DOGGED BY CRIPPLING INJURIES AND AILMENTS, FRIDA KAHLO NEVER LOST HER LOVE FOR FASHION NOR HER COMMITMENT TO SHOWCASING BEAUTIFUL TRADITIONAL MEXICAN FABRICS AND DESIGNS. SHE USED HER CLOTHES, ESPECIALLY HER CORSETS, AS VEHICLES FOR SELF- ADORNMENT AND EXPRESSION. LEARN MORE ABOUT HER CLOTHING HERE: http://www.museofridakahlo.org.mx/esp/1/exposiciones-temporales/actual

SELF PORTRAIT BY MS. 

www.museofridakahlo.org.mx

www.museofridakahlo.org.mx

UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO MEXICO, ROBERTA JACOBSON, MEXICAN SECRETARY OF TOURISM, ENRIQUE DE LA MADRID, AND MUSEUM DIRECTOR CARLOS PHILLIPS OLMEDO (SON OF KAHLO'S CLOSE FRIEND DOLORES OLMEDO) AT THE FRIDA KAHLO MUSEUM.

OH HAPPY DAY! A FANTASTIC AND REASONABLY PRICED NEW RESTAURANT JUST OPENED, STEPS AWAY FROM MY JOB. NOW I CAN ENJOY A LOVELY LUNCH WITHOUT WASTING PRECIOUS TIME GOING TO AND FRO. 

MAISON BELEN PETIT BISTRO ET PÂTISSERIE IS ALL DRESSED UP IN SHADES OF BLUE AND GREEN. THE COOLNESS OF THE COLOR PALETTE IS OFFSET BY THE SHABBY CHIC FURNISHINGS AND WHIMSICAL ACCESSORIES. THERE IS A LOT GOING ON VISUALLY BUT THE COHESIVE COLOR SCHEME KEEPS THE DESIGN MOTIF FROM GOING AWRY. TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING REALLY ISN'T ENOUGH. THESE TILES APPEAR ON THE FRONT STEPS OF THE RESTAURANT

THE BRUNCH MENU IS PRESENTED ON AN EMPTY WINE BOTTLE

I SPENT THE AFTERNOON AT MAISON BELEN PETIT BISTRO ET PÂTISSERIE, A LITTLE JEWEL BOX OF A RESTAURANT AND BAKE SHOP IN POLANCO, MEXICO CITY.  I STARTED MY MEAL WITH A CUCUMBER AND MINT AGUA FRESCA, WHICH WAS AS COOLING AND REFRESHING AS IT SOUNDS. I ALSO HAD A PERFECTLY PREPARED CUP OF COFFEE - A RARE AND GLORIOUS THING! I ORDERED A HAM AND CHEESE CROISSANT WHICH WAS SERVED WITH A SIMPLE SALAD OF DRESSED GREENS AND CHERRY TOMATOES. 

FAMED SPANISH-AMERICAN CHEF, JOSÉ ANDRÉS, OPENED HIS FIRST INTERNATIONAL OUTPOST AT THE W HOTEL IN MEXICO CITY LAST OCTOBER.  ANDRÉS, WHO TRAINED AT EL BULLI, HAS MORE THAN TWENTY RESTAURANTS IN THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING D.C. FAVORITES JALEO, ZAYTINYA, AND BARMINI. J BY JOSÉ ANDRÉS TEASES OUT THE CULINARY ROOTS SHARED BY MEXICO AND SPAIN IN SMALL PLATES THAT FEATURE FRESH LOCAL INGREDIENTS, LOTS OF SEAFOOD AND AN OUTSTANDING SELECTION OF MEZCAL AND TEQUILA-BASED COCKTAILS. 

Address: Campos Elíseos 252, Miguel Hidalgo, Polanco V Secc, 11560 Ciudad de México, D.F.

Phone:01 55 9138 1818

www.thinkfoodgroup.com

CHARRED BEEF WITH ROASTED RED PEPPERS.

WHITE FISH CRUDO WITH CORN AND TOMATOES.

CITRUS, BEET, AND GOAT CHEESE SALAD.

SMOKE EGGPLANT AND RED PEPPERS.

SEARED CHICKEN.

SHRIMP AND PRAWNS IN A SMOKED TOMATO SAUCE.

IF YOU WANT A BIT OF FRENCH BREAD TO ACCOMPANY YOUR QUESO DE CHIAPAS, LOOK NO FURTHER THAN THIS CHARMING BAKERY. WITH A WIDE SELECTION OF SAVORY AND SWEET BREADS, COFFEE, CAKES, AND TARTS, THIS QUAINT BAKERY IS THE PERFECT PLACE FOR A MIDDAY OR AFTER WORK SNACK. TRY THE OLIVE BREAD AND THE ALMOND CROISSANT.  LOCATIONS IN POLANCO AND ROMA NORTE.

https://www.facebook.com/Fournier-Rousseau-166372353455009/info/?entry_point=about_section_header&tab=overview

PAINTED FLOOR TILES AT FOURNIER ROUSSEAU - POLANCO.

THIS ADORABLE  PINK AND GREEN TEDDY WAS WAITING FOR ME AT THE FRONT DOOR! HE HAD A CADRE OF FRIENDS WHO SHARED THE SAME BODY BUT WERE TRICKED OUT IN DIFFERENT, EQUALLY VIBRANT PATTERNS. 

HUICHOL BEADED SKULLS

THE LA LONJA + SECTUR POP UP SHOP IN POLANCO RUNS THROUGH JUNE 30. ‪#‎LALONJAMX BRINGS TOGETHER THE BEST PROJECTS OF INDEPENDENT DESIGNERS OF‪#‎MEXICO. 

@LALONJAMX

#‎YOCOMPROMEXICANO@LALONJAMX

ORAGAMI CHAIR

UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO MEXICO, ROBERTA JACOBSON (FAR LEFT), LED THE U.S.'S PRIDE PARADE DELEGATION. ELEVEN OTHER COUNTRIES, INCLUDING SWITZERLAND, CANADA, AND THE UNITED KINGDOM, JOINED AN ESTIMATE 800K REVELERS AT MEXICO CITY'S 38TH ANNUAL GAY PRIDE PARADE. THE PROCESSION STARTED AT THE CITY'S LANDMARK ANGEL DE INDEPENDENCIA STATUE AND SNAKED ITS WAY DOWN PASEO DE LA REFORMA, TERMINATION IN EL ZOCALO, IN THE HEART OF THE CITY'S CENTRAL HISTORIC DISTRICT.

THE CANADIAN DELEGATION SHOWED UP AND SHOWED OUT. THEIR BRANDING WAS TO DIE FOR - TEES, FLAGS, AND EVEN MAPLE LEAF TEMP TATOOS!

MUSEO TAMAYO IS LOCATED IN BOSQUE DE CHAPULTEPEC/ CHAPULTEPEC PARK, THE LARGEST URBAN PARK IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE. THE 1.600 ACRE PARK HAS THREE DISTINCT SECTIONS AND IN  ADDITION TO MUSEO TAMAYO, IT HOUSES A WORLD RENOWNED MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY, A CASTLE, AN IMAX MOVIE THEATER, RESTAURANTS, AND COUNTLESS AREAS FOR RECREATION.

CHECK OUT THESE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE ARTIST, THE PARK, AND THE MUSEUM:

ISAMU NOGUCHI: http://www.noguchi.org/noguchi

MUSEO TAMAYO:http://www.museotamayo.org/

CHAPULTEPAC PARK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapultepec

MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY: http://www.mna.inah.gob.mx/index.html

I CHECKED OUT THE TAMAYO MUSEUM YESTERDAY - IT'S FEATURING THE WORK OF FAMED AMERICAN ARTIST AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT ISAMU NOGUCHI AS ONE OF ITS PRINCIPAL EXHIBITS. THE SHOWING INCLUDES SCALED AND LIFE SIZE REPRODUCTIONS OF NOGUCHI'S WORKS, AND INCLUDES SEVERAL OUTDOOR PLAYSCAPES. THE EXHIBIT WILL BE UP MAY 11-OCTOBER 9, 2016 

CHECK OUT THESE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE ARTIST AND THE MUSEUM:

http://www.noguchi.org/noguchi

http://www.museotamayo.org/

HERE'S THE POOCH THAT INSPIRED THE HOOCH. MEET MEZTLI, THE FACE OF MEZTLI MEZCAL. YES, HER HAIR IS PINK.

MY GOOD FRIEND, SOL, HAD A BIRTHDAY PARTY AT HER HOME IN COYOACÁN (WHERE FRIDA KAHLO AND DIEGO RIVERA LIVED, ALONG WITH GENERATIONS OF LEFTISTS AND ARTISTS). SOL HANGS WITH THE COOL KIDS - ARTISTS, WRITERS, POETS, AND A GREAT GUY NAMED DAVID VARGAS, WHO WORKS TO PROVIDE CLEAN WATER TO INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES IN RURAL MEXICO. IN ADDITION TO CLEAN WATER, DAVID ALSO HAS THE HOOKUP ON FIREWATER. HE INTRODUCED ME TO  CORAZON DE MEZTLI,  A PUEBLA-PRODUCED MEZCAL, MADE IN A DISTILLERY RUN BY WOMEN. MEXCAL IS COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH OAXACA STATE, WHERE MOST OF IT IS PRODUCED BUT THIS HOOCH IS FROM PUEBLA AND IS DISTILLED WITH MOLE. DAVID'S DOG, MEZTLI, IS THE FACE OF THE COMPANY. HERE'S A LINK TO MEZTLI MEZCAL'S FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/MeztliMezcal/info/?tab=page_info

CORN ON THE COB AKA ELOTE IS A WAY OF LIFE HERE. IT'S SERVED WITH LIME JUICE, MAYO, WHITE CHEESE, AND GROUND CAYENNE PEPPER. THIS VENDOR WAS SELLING CORN FROM HIS CART...AND ENGAGING WITH HIS PHONE.

6-11-16 WAS A DAY FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS. I MET AND MINGLED WITH A DIZZYING CROSS SECTION OF MEXICAN AND INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS, WRITERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, DIPLOMATS, EVEN A MAN WHO SELLS HOOCH (MORE ON THAT LATER). THIS IS A PHOTO OF ME IN MY HOME, BEFORE THE EVENING KICKED INTO GEAR. 

WHEN CHICAGO AND DETROIT MEET IN MEXICO CITY, THIS IS WHAT YOU GET; TWO MIDWESTERN GIRLS, TAKING ON THE TOWN! PRUDENCE IS SMART, LOVELY, AND AMAZING, AND THE BETTER HALF TO MY WORK BROTHER, KEVIN/KEHBEEN. 

MY DEAR FRIENDS, KEVIN AND PRUDENCE, HOSTED A BEAUTIFUL FAREWELL COCKTAIL RECEPTION LAST NIGHT. THEY'RE PREPARING TO LEAVE DF, AND THEY'RE GOING OUT IN STYLE; THEIR PARTY WAS A FASHIONABLE, FUN, AND TOGETHER ARE THEY ARE!

LOVE, LOVE THESE NAPKIN RINGS. INTERWOVEN BRASS, WITH A SIMPLE COTTON PLAID NAPKIN. ELEGANT AND EASY.

I AM MILDLY OBSESSED WITH THIS GOLDEN PIGGY. HE'S AN ACTUAL PIGGY BANK. IT WOULD PROBABLY COST A BUNCH OF GOLDEN COINS TO GET THIS BIT OF BACON, BUT IT WOULD BE WORTH IT!

It's not all glitz and glamour. Mexico City is the largest city in the Western Hemisphere, with nearly 23 million residents. In a city of this size, there's bound to be beauty, along with a healthy dose of destruction and decay. This photo was in taken in Cuauhtémoc (named after the last Aztec Emperor), and shows the faded beauty of a once grand building.

STREET SCULPTURE IN POLANCO, MEXICO CITY.

THIS LITTLE GUY HAD A ROUGH NIGHT. I UNDERSTAND THAT GETTING WHACKED UPSIDE THE HEAD COMES ALONG WITH THE TERRITORY WHEN YOU'RE A PAPIER-MÂCHÉ DOLL, BUT DID PEOPLE HAVE TO THROW A STYROFOAM CUP ON MY MAN'S HEAD??? TALK ABOUT ADDING INSULT TO INJURY...

ONE OF MY WEEKEND RITUALS IS TO GO SEE MY FLOWER MAN AND TO DISCOVER WHAT'S NEW AND FRESH. THIS WEEK, HYDRANGEAS AND PROTEAS WERE ON THE MENU. I'M HOSTING A DINNER LATER THIS WEEK AND THERE WILL BE PROTEAS IN THE MIX - THEY'RE A HOLDOVER FAVORITE FROM MY YEARS IN JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, WHERE THEY GROW IN ABUNDANCE. 

The view from the balcony at Casa Modelo - Food by Contramar and Mezcal-based cocktails by Union Mezcal. 24 April, 2016

A proper brunch is equal parts visual feast and culinary feast. Padam, a quaint restaraunt tucked away on a quiet residential street in Roma Norte strikes that balance. The menu is French inspired, and the decor is shabby chic, with a healthy dose of Mexico's vibrant colors. 

Mexico City comprises many colorful, hip, jewel-like neighborhoods. Two of my favorites are Roma and La Condesa. I was having an al fresco lunch with friends when I spotted this rainbow painted fence across the street from where we were sitting. I love the unabashed embrace of color that I see so often here. This fence is a perfect example of the saturated aesthetic of this city.