[SIDE NOTE: I
don't think I've ever actually written the word
"dilly-dallying". Now I've written it twice.]
That being
said, it was a wonderful and successful trip, both professionally and
personally.
We flew from
Toronto to Mexico City direct on Air Canada. The flight was nice n' easy:
I finished What the Dog Saw, read some Toronto Life, did a little
work, and watched some on-demand TV: "Portlandia".
[SIDE NOTE #2:
I had seen a clip from this show, and had heard great things from
my girl Sains, but had never seen it. I've now seen all the episodes Air
Canada has to offer (which I now realize is the entirety of season 1) and I can
now say that this show is AMAZING!!! Seriously. Brilliant and
extremely clever television. Love it!]
Anyway, t'was a
great flight!
We arrived to a
very clean and organized Mexico City airport. Customs was quick n' easy,
and guess what?! We saw the one and only Margaret Atwood in line
at customs. Seriously. She was looking very snazzy in a pink
jacket.
We then hopped
into a cab to go to our hotel to check in, freshen up, and have our first
meeting of the trip. We stayed at the Hotel Galería Plaza in the Juárez district in Mexico City. We stayed in the executive suites,
and my experience at the hotel was really fantastic from beginning to
end. The staff were attentive, professional, hospitable, and all spoke
fantastic English. My room was great albeit a slightly firm bed (not my
taste); clean, well-kept, and comfortable. Since we stayed in the
executive suites we had use of the executive lounge for a complimentary breakfast
as well as wine and canapes in the evening. I never had the wine and
canapes but the continental breakfast was pretty good. I say "pretty
good" because continental breakfasts never fully satisfy me. That
being said, the woman who oversaw the breakfast made me a delicious coffee, so
I was just fine. The executive lounge itself was nice, too; there was the
breakfast area and then a more loungey area where you could use the
computer. I was able to print some documents I really needed there, too,
which was great. The hotel also had a rooftop pool with a great view of
the city, and an exercise room close by. On my third and final morning I
went for a quick dip early in the day and enjoyed the view. That was a
nice little touch. In fact, there were lots of nice little touches --
fresh fruit and a card waiting in my room when I arrived, chocolates waiting on
the bed and the sheets turned in the evening... that stuff definitely enhances
my experience. Finally, on our second night there we held a reception in
one of the event rooms at the hotel. Once again, fantastic service, great
spot for a reception, good food, good wine, and a good experience. Thank
you, Galería Plaza!!!
So, that's the
hotel. What else?! Meeting #1 went very well, and when it was over
my colleague asked the person we were meeting with where we should eat for
dinner. He suggested a restaurant called Anderson's. We thought, that doesn't
sound very Mexican, but as it turns out it's been around since the 1960s and
has really authentic and delicious Mexican food, so we went for it! [SIDE
NOTE #3: Grupo
Anderson also
owns the very popular Senor Frog's restaurants and bars, that are located all
over Mexico and elsewhere.] Once again, the service was top-notch, and
the food was delicious. I can't remember exactly what I had, but there
was lots of yummy spiciness, a little guacamole on the side, and the margaritas
were delicious... and very strong. I highly recommend.
After our
wonderful dinner, we headed out in search of drinks on a rooftop outside
somewhere. We tried the Four Seasons first but they didn't have what we
were looking for, so someone recommended we go to the St.
Regis hotel.
It was there that we found a beautiful 3rd floor patio where we could
enjoy all the margaritas we wanted. It was a slightly chilly night, but
we stayed there until we were too tired to talk, and then headed back to the
Galería Plaza.
The next
morning was a lazy one. I enjoyed my breakfast with a side of Toronto
Life, and then around 11:30am joined my colleagues for a walk along the
Reforma (main street) for some sun and souvenir shopping. We wandered
around, stopped at a place called La
Pescaderia (that's
the only link I could find) for some fish tacos and a cervesa, and then
searched for some authentic-looking sombreros for my colleague to bring back.
We found them, and I bought a few magnets for friends.
Back to the
hotel we went to freshen up again before meeting #2. We held this meeting
at a wonderful restaurant in the Polanco district (think Mexico City’s Yorkville)
called Casa
Anis.
It was on the second floor above another restaurant and was half outside,
which made for a great (and breezy!) atmosphere. I enjoyed a red snapper
and it was absolutely delicious. We also had an amazing Mexican wine
there, which I was told was a mix of a chardonnay and something else... it was
amazing!
Then, once
again, back to the hotel where we held our big reception, which as I said, was
great! It was about double the turn-out I'd expected, which was great
news for me! There was a wonderful vibe in the air, and it made it feel
even more successful than the trip had already been.
I was
exhausted after the reception, went straight to sleep, woke up for a dip in the
pool, tidied up, checked out, and headed to the airport. There we had 2
last cervesas, and then were on our way! YYZ followed by ZZZ.
And that was
Mexico City!!!
Then, of
course, is the obligatory...
10
things I learned while in Mexico City:
- I've never been to the Southern United States, so I haven't experienced the famous "southern hospitality", but I have to say that Mexico has hospitality of its own. Everyone we crossed paths with was helpful, kind, polite, and friendly; not an ounce of snarkiness. Most people spoke fantastic English, and always made us feel comfortable and at home. A delight!
- The rumours I heard about Mexico City traffic were not a myth. Something that could take 5 minutes to drive in Toronto (and 1.5 minutes in Port Hope) could take 20+ minutes in Mexico City. Allow for lots of time to get from one place to another, and buckle up because the ride is often not smooth.
- Being a wordsmith is fun. My colleague and I played an unspoken game of figuring out what words meant by thinking critically (apparently I'm not the only geek in this way). He figured out that "extranjero" meant "foreigner" because it looked like "stranger". I figured out that the restaurant "La Pescaderia" was a fish restaurant, because people who eat no meat but fish are called "pescatarians". POW!!!
- Breakfast in Mexico might be at approximately the same time as we have it in North America, but lunch and dinner are a totally different story. Lunch is usually eaten from/between 2:00-5:00pm, and dinner between 8:00-11:00pm. We learned that this may have originally been inspired by the siesta style of living, where during the hottest part of the day workers would head inside for their biggest meal of the day, lunch, and then a rest because it was too hot to work. Our friend told us that siestas don't happen now in quite the same way because most people work indoors, but the tradition continues. Aside from the siesta, the other reason for meals being the way they are is the altitude of Mexico City (more on that in #4). To eat your biggest meal of the day in the evening would be too much to digest overnight, so instead you have something light, later in the evening. I'm sure that's not the most comprehensive explanation, but you get the idea...
- The gentleman we met with on day 1, after mentioning the altitude in relation to meals, mentioned that we'd definitely feel the altitude change, and in particular on day 2. I took this with a grain of salt, thinking: "how significant can the change be?" Then on day 2 I felt nauseous all day - upset stomach and intense headache. I figured it was because of the few too many margaritas I'd had the night before at the St. Regis, but it persisted in a way very different from a hangover. My colleague reminded me of the altitude change and I thought, that's it! Then again, I might be finding a scapegoat for my hangover...
- This, as I said, was my first international business trip, and so therefore I learned a few non-specifically-Mexican-but-business-trip-related things. One being this -- even as a woman, you don't have to pack heavily. I made due on one shirt, a pashmina, a cardigan, a skirt with a matching blazer, a pair of casual shoes, a pair of heels, and a dress. That being said, I would've done even better with the skirt and blazer, the dress (not mandatory, but necessary considering the reception we held), the cardigan, and three shirts. I didn't mean to pack only one. I improvised with the inclusion of the pashmina, but a shirt or two more would've done me good. Anyway, what I'm saying is -- it's worth it to pack light so that you don't have to check a bag.
- Margaritas are no joke in Mexico. They're strong, tasty, and not to be taken lightly.
- Green salsa is the hottest. I have been slowly upping my tolerance for spice over the past 5 years or so since I met Waleed, so I can take quite a kick at this point in time, but I should refrain from telling less spice-tolerant colleagues that it's "not that spicy", because they'll hate me the next morning (TMI).
- As ridiculous as this might sound, I'm going out for Mexican food in Toronto tonight at a great joint on Eglinton West called Frida. I've been there once before, and this may sound like sacrilege, but after having visited Mexico, I still maintain that Frida serves the best guacamole I've ever had. And I'll put this out there - I've had a lot of guacamole in my day, so I consider myself a bit of a pro. Frida -- way to go!!!
- Home is where the heart is.
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