Mexico City vacation: Four ways to experience the city

There are hundreds of ways to experience what Mexico City has to offer. Here are just four ways to taste the food, enjoy time off with your children or find the perfect spot for a vegan ice cream: 

Mexico City makes a fun playground for parents and children

Alejandrao Ruiz, 9, looks into the telescope at the top floors of Torre Latinoamericana in Mexico City (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

In my travels to Mexico's capital, I've ticked off several must-see destinations on my list: the soaring Teotihuacán pyramids, the stunning Zócalo and the ancient Aztec canals.

Yet every time my family visits the city — and the entirety of Mexico, for that matter — I never fail to notice the children.

Children are the stars around which revolves the Mexican family, something I found out last fall, when we brought our daughter to Mexico for the first time. READ MORE>

Ox head tacos and cemita sandwiches are all part of the Mexico City street food tour

Mexico City has food vendors in just about every corner. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

It's difficult to find someone who doesn't like at least some Mexican cuisine, with its influences culled from French, Lebanese and indigenous sources.

Luckily for visitors who want to explore Mexico City's food in some place other than a fancy restaurant, there are several tours and cooking classes that provide a hands-on experience with Mexico's culinary heritage and diversity.

I took two of them in November, one a tour of a decades-old open-air market where my guide and I bought the ingredients for that most Mexican of dishes, tacos al pastor. READ MORE>

Mexico City for vegans: Where to find a pozole sandwich and other specialties

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Veganism is gaining ground in this famously carnivorous city with egg-less bakeries, meat-free tacos, plant-based grocery stores and even a dairy-free ice cream parlor springing up. READ MORE>

Navigate the Tianguis, or open-air market, and learn to make tacos the Mexico City way

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Food is an integral part of any trip to Mexico. On my November visit to Mexico's capital, I shunned the nearest taquería in favor of a more scholarly approach to satisfy my culinary hedonism.

That meant hiring Graciela Montaño. Her résumé includes hosting a public TV cooking show in Mexico City and running Aura Club de Maridaje, which is one of a few local businesses that offer food-themed tours and cooking classes.

She promised just what I wanted: a tour both entertaining and enlightening. We would visit a local market, gather fresh ingredients, then create a traditional Mexican dish from scratch. READ MORE>

IF YOU GO

Basic travel information for visiting Mexico City