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Following Frida Around Mexico City
It had been 10 years – and a lot of press about kidnappings and deadly air pollution -- since our last family visit to Mexico when the opening of the fabulous Embassy Suites Mexico-City Reforma and the 100th anniversary of the birth of artist Frida Kahlo coincided to lure us back in the summer of 2004. Since her death, Kahlo had become a magnet for the country's intelligentsia; from reproductions of her self-portrait in shop windows, to an enormous retrospective of her work at the fine arts museum and famous chefs recreating her favorite recipes at world-class restaurants, Mexico City had gone Frida-crazy. In one great family vacation, so did we.
Given the beautiful weather (summer days are typically 70°-80°F/21°-27°C with a once daily downpour), our teen's short attention span, and our interest in Frida Kahlo's work, we decided to stay outdoors to get a feel for the city. A two-day pass on the new Turibus double-decker sightseeing bus was perfect.
Following its reduced crime rate, Mexico City has experienced a building boom; modernist highrises tower above the edges of classic neighborhoods, such as Condesa and the Zona Rosa. We rode past attractions we remembered (the extraordinary collection at the Museum of Anthropology and Chapultepec Park) and discovered more: the stylish El Palacio Hierros department stores; the 42nd floor Torre Latinoamericana observation deck; and the ritzy fashion boutiques of Polanco. New to us were The Chapultepec Castle, Tamayo Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art. It was Saturday, the air was crisp, so we decided to continue on the bus as it circled to Insurgentes Sur and the Plaza San Jacinto for the weekly Bazaar Sabado flea market in San Angel.
Flea Markets to Frida Menus
Although the small streets around the San Jacinto church were packed with fruit and toy vendors, locals come year round for the indoor arcade of upscale galleries that feature jewelry, tiny plaster Day of the Dead figurines, embroidery, painting, copper pots, and other wares. Resisting the urge to buy too many things, we left after a wonderful lunch at the historic San Angel Inn (5255/5616-1402) a restored 17th century hacienda where fine Mexican fare is served indoors or out on a pretty patio.
The home shared by Mexico's two most famous artists is the Diego Rivera/Frida Kahlo Studio Museum (5255/5550-1189) at Diego Rivera 2, in San Angel, and it's open to visitors daily. The Dolores Olmedo Museum (5255/5555-1221) at Av. Mexico 5843 in Xochimilco (about 20 minutes by car south) is said to have the best collection of work by both artists.
And Frida Kahlo's birthplace, now the better known as Casa Azul or Frida Kahlo Museum (5255/5554-5999), is at Londres 247 in nearby Coyoacan. The large home is painted in the vibrant blues of her art and displays items from her tempestuous daily life there between 1929 and 1954. The audio guide is essential for a self-guided tour; in addition to the corset Kahlo wore to ease her lifelong back pain and the kitchen tiled with images of lovebirds touching wings, the most memorable aspect for us was the large garden where she often entertained. Running the house as a writers' and artists' salon, a destination for visiting intelligentsia and communists, prompted Frida to develop recipes that could feed her friends well, and economically. The elegant Coyoacan quarter is full of colonial homes and heladerias or ice cream shops, so we stopped at Siberia for tuna ice cream (flavored like a type of cactus flower) before joining the Turibus bus loop back to the hotel.
That evening, a hotel concierge suggested we try the "Frida Menu" at La Valentina (5255/5282-2297) in fashionable Polanco. The stylish crowd and Kahlo-inspired décor rival Madrid's most chic restaurants, and the sophisticated fare from Frida and Diego's kitchen (typically poultry seasoned with dried fruits or vegetables) was as delicious as their regular menu.
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