Loveletter: Mexico City

How an afterthought trip sparked a lasting love

By Patrick janelle

My first visit to Mexico City, in January 2015, was a last-minute addition to a boisterous New Year's Eve trip to Tulum. After the holiday, while waiting to board my flight from Cancún to the Mexican capital, I met a young couple in the boarding gate area: Jeremy and Cecilia introduced themselves as the owners of Chiquitito, a small coffee shop in Mexico City's hip La Condesa neighborhood. They had found me on Instagram, thanks to my daily coffee documentations under the #dailycortado tag. Upon learning I was heading to Mexico City for the first time, they invited me to visit their shop. The next morning, I walked to their tiny, creative oasis of a café. I had packed for a beach vacation, but due to the city's high elevation, the weather was much cooler than I anticipated. So I shivered my way from my Airbnb to the coffee shop in sandals and a t-shirt. I also quickly fell in love.

Chiquitito, an example of the artistic spirit that drives an emerging capital, has since become my first stop every time I return to the city. Mexico City is an enigmatic, sprawling city with cinder block alleys and utilitarian structures giving way to neighborhoods full of neoclassical architecture, verdant parks, and gushing fountains. Increasingly, Mexico City (formerly known as Distrito Federal and still colloquially referred to as "The DF") lands top billing as the next cool city: an innovative food scene, vibrant nightlife, modern art community, and low cost of living all contribute to its draw. It's the type of place that rewards the curious and adventurous traveler: that taco, tortilla, or tostada you find on the street or in the mercado is going to be just as flavorful as the composed dishes you'll get at the chef-driven establishments that celebrate and elevate Mexican dining.

Several days into the visit, Alfonso Parra, director for GQ Mexico, sent me an email asking to meet and, subsequently, shot a profile on my Instagram activities for GQ.com. Also on that first trip, I met Salvador Compañ, whose company <a href="https://www.lordagsondag.com" target="_blank">Lørdag & Søndag</a> makes chic leather and felt bags. The introduction came virtually through a mutual Instagram friend who lived in London; we have since become good friends and I always make time for a lunch or cortado with him each time I find my way to the city.

Since that first excursion, I've been constantly drawn back to Mexico City for the food, friendships I've made, and serendipitous encounters that have made the city all the more magical. Once, when I went to check out Lalo, a then-newly-opened daytime café by a celebrated local chef, I ran into dear New York friends, which instantly turned my solitary trip into a fun-filled, friends vacation. On a subsequent trip, I met Patricio Campillo, a Mexico City native who left his job in marketing to start his own men's fashion line, The Pack, as well as employ a local workforce to produce small-run pieces for niche LA-based fashion labels. At the end of 2016, I traveled back to Mexico City to receive an award as GQ Mexico's Influencer of the Year. While there, I posed for a feature in the glossy pages of the magazine.

On my most recent visit, I heard more English on the streets and noticed a growing international creative class moving in. More people are discovering the beauty of the city's parks and fountains, the infectious vibe of energetic neighborhoods, and the mouthwatering food opportunities at every turn. I don't blame them one bit.