Photo: Laura Bernheim

8 Things You Can Do in Mexico City to Get Over Your Sadness

Restaurants + Bars
by Susannah Rigg Mar 31, 2015

1. Head to the market

If you are feeling sad, head to the market. You will find yourself in a sea of colours that will lift your mood, no matter how much you try to resist. The markets of Mexico are also a place where compliments come and go as easy as money. The vendors will call you bonita, guapa, rey or reyna and you will leave with such a big self-esteem that there will be no more space for sadness.

2. Wander around the Zocalo in Coyoacan

The main plaza in Coyoacan is like a festival every day but particularly on the weekends. Before getting to the Zocalo, take a wander down a beautiful tree-lined street called Francisco Sosa. Admiring the beautiful houses in the shade of the branches you will feel like you are in a fairytale. When you finally arrive at the Zocalo, the balloons, the organ music, and the sounds of children playing will lift you to cloud nine. Buy yourself a hot chocolate in El Jarocho…and let the happiness flow!

3. Go walk a dog

It is a well known fact that animals are brilliant for lifting your mood. Therefore, head to Animalia, in Condesa, where they will lend you a dog to walk for a few hours. There are two beautiful parks nearby, Parque España and Parque México, where you can head with your four-legged friend. But a quick word of warning, returning the dog might lead to sadness and ultimately to permanent adoption. You have been warned.

4. Leave your cares in Plaza Garibaldi

Although mariachi sing songs of heartbreak, their music can’t help but make your soul smile, even if they also make you cry just a little. Grab a shot or two of tequila, which obviously cures everything and sing along…ay ay ay, Canta y no llores!

5. Lose yourself in old books

For me, the smell of old books can quickly rid me of any sadness. If you are the same, head to Donceles Street in the historic center where you will find shop after shop of secondhand books. You can spend hour upon hour searching, reading, and enjoying all that these shops have to offer, and without doubt your sadness will have drifted away by the time you leave.

6. Get lost in Chapultepec Park

Sometimes you just need to spend some time in nature to feel better when you are sad. Chapultepec is an enormous park full of trees, with botanical gardens, orchid gardens, a lake with rental row boats and a whole clan of cheeky squirrels. You can simply walk in the fresh air or even head to one of the many museums that surround the park, getting yourself lost in all the wonders they have to offer.

7. Join a nighttime bike ride

Dust off your bike and join one of the many bike tours through the city at night. It’s a known fact that exercise improves one’s mood, and if you add that to the incredible view of the city lit up in all its glory, you will have forgotten your woes just half way through the ride.

8. Check out the lucha libre

There is nothing quite like seeing men dressed in lycra flying through the air and landing on top of each other to make you laugh. Head to the Arena Mexico with your friends, squeeze on your mask and let all of your sadness out, screaming for your favourite wrestlers.

9. And if none of this works…

You know what they say in Mexico “Para todo mal, mezcal. Para todo bien, también. Y si no hay remedio, tómate un litro y medio.” For everything good, mezcal, for everything bad, mezcal. And if there is no cure, drink a liter and a half.

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