Mexico City Day 2 – Casa Azul
My second day of solo traveler, was a little rough, as I think I still suffered from altitude sickness and dehydration. The altitude is 7200 feet above sea level and I live at sea level.
It started out OK. I had breakfast with two lovely gay men from Florida who are also staying at my B&B. Then I wandered around till lunch and found a place that was recommended called Lardo where I sat at the bar and ordered a margherita pizza with burrata cheese and a salad. I sat next to a doctor from UCSF who let me use his charger. (Rookie mistake of not charging mine the night before). While I waited for my Uber, a vendor tried to sell me a bag and I bought it because I want to nurture the Mexican economy and I can’t say “no.”
I thought it would be a chill afternoon of going to Casa Azul (Frida Kahlo’s house), until mid-way into my 30 minute Uber drive in a boiling hot car. Uber drivers don’t use the A/C unless you ask and even then it’s pretty light. But who can blame them when a drive across town is only $5 (American dollars)?!
When the B&B manager warned me about how far Casa Azul is from La Condesa, I figured he was just worried I might take the metro and get lost. But after sitting in gridlock traffic that could beat the 405 in a Freeway That Resembles A Parking Lot Contest, I knew he meant that I should ask myself, how much do I really love Frida Kahlo?
(Let me say that I did not plan the day well. If I could go back, I would have gone to Coyoacán, a lovely area, in the morning, have lunch, walk around and then gone to Casa Azul. )
So I arrived at Casa Azul feeling light headed and dehydrated. I had some trouble finding my ticket because I bought it from Trip Adviser and I needed to call them. Then I entered the fray of tourists. Even though they stagger the visitors, I ended up standing in a crowded room worried I might pass out. I ended up behind a couple with very loud commentary, like, “Frida was so creative!” There were some crying children, and a ton of Instagrammers blocking doorways and creating gridlock. I was not having a great time.
The house staged the rooms the way she might have lived in them and I could see how without all of the tourists her house would be a great place to be an artist.
But after an hour, I was ready to leave. I have a lot of respect for Frida Kahlo’s work, her place in history as a female artist and her defiant style and spirit. That said, I don’t think I needed to go to Casa Azul. Maybe because in my lifetime I have seen her work celebrated to the point of overexposure as I have seen her face printed on every type of object imaginable. She had a serious moment in the 90s and kind of oversaturated the market. And while I feel her pain and suffering, it seems out of tune with the world on fire moment of 2022. Give it another few generations and Frida will be back. Meanwhile, my battery ran out as did my charger and I had to ask multiple Ubers if they were mine. It was a solo travel fail day I downed two bottles of water and sat with my driver in more gridlock traffic.
The moral of this travel story? Take a few days to acclimate to Mexico City and don’t dive in head first like me.
Next up: Waking up at 5:30 AM to go to the “grutas”!