Mexico City / Sep 4-7, 2026 / 13 of us
Chhaya's Birthday Weekend
Canals, cocktails, one dress-up dinner, and plenty of room to explore. Optional stops are always your call.
Rain is possible throughout the weekend, with the heaviest showers currently expected Friday and Saturday. Saturday includes four hours on an open boat, so rain gear is essential. Storms often arrive as a hard afternoon or evening burst and clear quickly; mornings are usually brighter. Forecast checked Aug 30 and likely to shift before we fly.
Bring
- A rain layer. Bring a packable jacket or a small umbrella, especially for Saturday on the canals.
- Layers. It's a 20-degree swing between the afternoon and 1 AM, and we're out late two nights running.
- Sunscreen and a hat. Chinampas means four hours on open water with little shade, at altitude.
- Bug spray for the canals.
- Real walking shoes. Roma and Condesa sidewalks are uneven, and Sunday afternoon is a lot of ground.
- One polished look. For the private-chef dinner and dancing afterward.
- 1,000-3,000 pesos ($60-$180). Bring cash if you want to shop Bazar Sábado or try street food — stalls, smaller local spots, tips, and the dock are cash only. Exchanging dollars before you fly is the cheapest way to get pesos, so sort it out at home rather than at an airport counter.
Friday
Sep 4Arrive, settle in, and let the first evening stay easy.
- 7:00 PM
Check in Confirmed
Drop your bags, choose a bed, and make yourself at home.
First night, no plans Idea
Aditya lands at 1:20 PM. If you're in earlier, wander into Condesa or Roma for dinner; both are easy from the house.
Saturday
Sep 5 · The big oneCanals in the morning, a proper reset in the afternoon, then dress up for dinner and a night out.
Pastries at the house
Panadería Rosetta and Odette, ordered in. Coffee and something sweet before the drive.
Ubers to Xochimilco
Allow 45-60 minutes depending on traffic. Please be ready at 8:00 so we reach the boat before its 9:00 departure.
- 1:00 PM
Chinampas Confirmed
Four hours with Humedalia: a canal ride, floating farms, and farm-to-table brunch on the water. This is the quieter side of Xochimilco, not the party-boat version.
- 5:00 PM
Afternoon reset
Take the afternoon to nap, shower, and eat before a late night. If you still want to wander, Parque México and Avenida Amsterdam are a few minutes from the house.
- 6:30 PM
Chhaya's birthday dinner Confirmed
Chef Rodrigo is cooking a vegan-friendly private dinner and birthday dessert at the house. This is our formal-ish moment: nice attire, like a going-out look.
Café Tacobar Confirmed
Our first drinks after dinner, with cocktails and tacos for anyone who somehow still has room.
Ahorita Cantina Confirmed
A modern cantina from the Handshake Speakeasy team, with serious cocktails in a looser room. There is a DJ and space to dance.
Keep dancing Ideas
If the group wants another stop, these lean into salsa, cumbia, son, bachata, reggaetón, and Latin pop rather than house music.
Sunday
Sep 6 · Brunch, adventures, long nightBrunch together, explore in smaller groups, then regroup for a casual dinner and cocktails.
Mandolina Confirmed
Our group brunch in Roma, with an Italian-leaning menu and two tables side by side.
Afternoon: pick your adventure
From roughly 12:30 to 6:00, choose the part of the city that sounds best and explore in smaller groups. Each route heads in a different direction, so staying within one area will leave more time for the fun part.
Chapultepec · 10-15 min west
- Librería Porrúa, a bookstore on the water with a terrace over the lake, five minutes from the museums below.
- Museo Nacional de Antropología, the big one. Give it at least two hours.
- Museo de Arte Moderno, smaller and excellent, in the same park.
- Casa Luis Barragán and Casa Gilardi, just south of the park. Both require reservations and do not accept walk-ins. Book before Sunday if either is a priority.
Centro · 20-30 min northeast
- La Lagunilla for flea-market finds and antiques. Sunday is its best day.
- Mercado de Artesanías La Ciudadela for crafts from across the country.
- Biblioteca Vasconcelos, the free floating-stacks library unlike anything else in the city.
- Palacio de Bellas Artes and MUNAL for murals and architecture, just two blocks apart.
Roma & Condesa · on foot
- Xinú is the perfume stop to beat. Also consider Perfumerica and Lulu.
- Clothes, bags, and local shops: Goodbye Folk, Vintage Hoe, Back to Life, La Nación de Todos, Verde Permuta, and Void. Enjoy them as a neighborhood wander, not a six-store checklist.
- Cara de Planta, a plant shop worth the detour.
- Or simply wander, sit in a park, and drink coffee. A slower afternoon is entirely valid.
Coyoacán · 35 min south, the committed option
- Museo Frida Kahlo, plus the surrounding plaza and market. Timed tickets sell out days ahead, so book before Sunday. Allow 35 minutes each way and leave by 5:15.
Secret missions
Try any three of six with your group. Extra credit is real and will be acknowledged.
Páramo Confirmed · Terraza
A casual Sunday dinner of tacos and mezcal in a lively open-air Roma courtyard. Come as you are after the afternoon's adventures.
Kaito del Valle Confirmed
A Japanese-influenced cocktail bar recognized among North America's 50 Best. This stop is for drinks and snacks, not another dinner.
FOMA Confirmed · 6 seats
An experimental cocktail bar back in Roma, reserved for whichever six people still want one more stop.
Sunday dancing Ideas
Sunday has fewer late options, but these keep the music on the Latin and Mexican side rather than house.
Monday
Sep 7 · OutOne last brunch, then everyone scatters.
Madre Café Confirmed · 10 seats
One last brunch for whoever is still in town. Anish and Maddie fly earlier, so this is a smaller table by design.
Check out
The cleaners arrive at 11, so the house needs to be clear.
Anytime
Not scheduled, just good. Slot them in wherever they fit.
Dessert
- Lindy for the classic flan, 15 minutes' walk from the house.
- Ren & Nata for churros.
- Ritmo Café for frozen yogurt.
One more idea
- Mezcal tasting, roughly $100 per person and not currently booked. Tell Aditya if you are interested and he will see whether there is a group.
Worth knowing
- Use Uber rather than street taxis. Rides are inexpensive and work well. Trips between Roma, Condesa, Juárez, and Reforma are usually about 15 minutes or less.
- Every address has a copy button. Tap the small icon next to any place name to copy its full address, then paste it straight into Uber. Tapping the name itself still opens Google Maps.
- Most stops are clustered in Roma Norte. Tacobar, Mandolina, Páramo, FOMA, and Madre are within a few blocks of one another. Páramo to FOMA is a 9-minute walk; Kaito is about 10 minutes north in Zona Rosa.
- Aditya and Chhaya are covering the house and the private chef. Chinampas is $62 USD per person. Everything else we split as we go.
- Some tables are under different names at Tacobar, Mandolina, and Kaito because of our group size. If you arrive separately, use any of the reservation names listed for that stop.
Split us up
Everyone is in. Say what shape you want, pick how much chaos, and draw.
Who's in
Tap a name to sit someone out; the × removes them for good. Changes stay on this phone.
The shape
Not quite right? Tap a name, then tap a group to move them there — or tap a second name to swap the two and keep every group its size. Press and hold to drag instead.
Happy birthday, Chhaya