The mood was giddy inside the coffee shop, where a crowd was forming on a rainy, cold February morning in Mexico City. This wasn’t just any morning. It was the day of our much-anticipated walking tour ending at the home of famed artist Frida Kahlo, an experience at the top of the bucket list for my mother-in-law, Jenny, who had set the whole thing up. While we waited for the tour to begin, my husband, Brian, his parents and I chatted with other tourists from all over the world. 

The only person missing for the 9 a.m. tour was our guide. After an hour and several calls to the tour company to confirm we were in the right spot, a petite, soft-spoken Mexican woman finally arrived. She invited us to leave the cozy cafe and step into the rain to begin her walk-and-talk.

The four of us huddled under two hotel umbrellas as the group snaked through the Coyoacán neighborhood’s historic parks, ancient church yards and cobblestoned back streets. (Note: It’s not ideal to share an umbrella with someone like Brian because he’s so tall.) Between the increasing rain, dipping temperatures and the guide’s quiet broken English, our joy faded to misery. Fifteen minutes in, we defected. 

We googled “food near me” and beelined to a restaurant with great reviews and a menu of modern Mexican fare. You know that feeling when you leave the wet, cold weather behind and settle into a corner table in a restaurant with a vibrant atmosphere and the aroma of fresh-baked bread wrapping around you like a blanket? For the next hour, we laughed about our botched tour while enjoying tapas and homemade bread. And for Jenny’s sake, we agreed to still make it to Frida’s.

When we walked up to the historic landmark that afternoon, the sun was shining, and our spirits were renewed. We explored the homestead, lingering in front of still life paintings and meandering the gardens. Jenny was in heaven. For me, however, the best part of the day wasn’t seeing Frida Kahlo’s iconic blue house or her famous works, but it was our imperfect journey getting there and the hidden gem we found along the way. 

Brian and I like to curate our own travel itinerary by wandering neighborhoods, discovering local food (not the touristy spots), shopping markets and boutiques, popping into art galleries, bar hopping and—in Mexico City, at least—dancing. This was our second trip to CDMX, or Ciudad de México as it’s known, a vast metropolis with a population of almost 23 million people situated at an altitude of 7,350 feet—that’s higher than Denver, Co. It feels more like Paris, with its wide boulevards, Old-World architecture, eclectic boroughs and cafe culture, than what someone who has never visited might imagine. 

Don’t be afraid to let unexpected detours shape the adventure.
–Jamie Rich, Editor in Chief

For Floridians, Mexico City is an easy weekend getaway with all the beauty and buzz of a European city but without the transatlantic flight and jet lag. (Fly direct from Orlando, Miami and Tampa in less than four hours, and experience only a one-hour time difference because Mexico City is on Central Standard Time.) And for Flamingo readers, we think it’s the perfect destination to kick off our 2025 print editions. 

So, bienvenido to our Travel Issue, where we head west to CDMX with writer Eric Barton as he eats himself silly on tacos and tostadas. Then, back at home, we crisscross the Sunshine State from the outer reaches of the Florida Keys to the top of the Native American mounds at Crystal River Archaeological State Park, and up the Panhandle to the Alabama border for the Flora-Bama’s notorious mullet toss competition. 

You’ll also find the debut of our new travel department, Stone’s Throw, which will appear regularly in print and spotlight destinations near and dear to our state. In its first installment, a Miamian channels his inner Southern gentleman among the ruins and refinement of the Barnsley Resort in North Georgia. Then, we have music by Jacksonville native Madison Hughes, climate-conscious designs by Miami-based Brillhart Architecture, fast-food fine art from Tallahassean Noah Verrier and so much more.

Wherever you’re headed this spring—near, far or somewhere a little bizarre (mullet toss anyone?)—don’t be afraid to let the unexpected detours shape the adventure. Sometimes, it’s not the main attraction where our most cherished memories are made but the rain-soaked moments in between.

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For more notes from Flamingo Editor in Chief Jamie Rich, click here.

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