Happy Friday fam! Welcome to September!
What’s on my mind: Where we will go next January
In typical can’t-stay-in-the-present fashion, I am already worrying thinking about where we will go/stay/live next January. We currently have our Mexico trip plans for this year ironed out, and we will be back home for the holidays.
After that, it’s a big question mark. I believe we will have the same constraints as we had this year (i.e.: +/-3 hours to Pacific Time and countries allowing Americans).
With said constraints, that leaves the following in (strong?) contention: Mexico (Mexico City, Playa del Carmen, San Miguel de Allende, Puebla, Guadalajara), Medellin, Lima, and maybe Panama (pending Covid cases and their travel restrictions).
Mexico is definitely the easiest (and likely makes the most sense), but part of me is itching for something new. We could technically do something new while staying in Mexico, but there aren’t any cities I haven’t been to that are jumping out at me.
Medellin/Colombia and Lima/Peru (and to some degree Panama) would all be a change of pace from Mexico, but all have stricter travel guidelines (and worse case numbers?) and would cost more to get to.
What’s in my stomach: a lot, actually
We actually ate very, very well last weekend.
Thursday, we went to a bar that turned 100 last year called El Manantial (“The Spring” according to Google Translate). It’s not so much a dive as it is a classic bar–dim lighting and bar doors and all. They serve mainly seafood and we ordered bay scallop aguachile (yum!), octopus carpaccio (sorry Marissa!), and shrimp soup. While the drinks were subpar to average, the food was tens across the board.
Friday, we ate at Don Taco Tequila, a vegan taco spot with superb (and inexpensive!) margaritas. I was a little skeptical to read vegan tacos. I was more skeptical when every table inside was infected by (loud!) gringos. The margaritas quickly settled my fears before the food completely put them to bed. We ordered some sort of bean soup that had incredible depth and a deep-fried cauliflower taco. Both were superb (in addition to all their phenomenal hot sauces).
Saturday, we had our first bougie meal here. We ate at Marsala, a mediterranean restaurant, and ended up building our own DIY truffle oil menu. We started with roasted cauliflower with truffle oil and followed that with truffle oil penne carbonara and schnitzel with arugula on a bed of potato puree with–you guessed it–truffle oil. It was an incredible meal and the cocktails were just as good as the food (mezcal negroni WITH Ancho Reyes–ingenius!).
What I’m watching: Peaky Blinders S3, Clickbait S1
I’m sort of, sporadically watching Peaky Blinders S2 & S3. Season 2 ended with a bang, and as Season 3 starts, it feels like it’s back to a slow burn. Each season, the show has to find a new worthy foe for Tommy (protagonist) to tangle with.
The acting is great, but each season feels like a ton of tension built up just to be released on the season finale.
Verdict: if you have time to dedicate, definitely watch
In addition to sort of watching Peaky Blinders, I have spent my lunch breaks and now evenings watching Clickbait. It has former Entourage star Adrien Grenier starting as the lead man (sort of). Within about 5-10 minutes, I knew this show wouldn’t be good, but here I am watching.
What I’m reading: The City We Became
The City We Became is in one word: confusing (or bizarre?). It’s written by N. K. Jemisin of The Broken Earth Trilogy fame, so it’s no surprise it’s a bit odd. As far as I can tell so far, the book is about a handful of people (6) who are avatars protecting New York City.
What these avatars are protecting NYC from is a bit unclear, but we do know a woman in white is trying to dismantle the city (for some unknown reason). The people/avatars we’ve met represent the five boroughs of NYC, and the sixth person (whom I don’t think we’ve met yet) represents the city as a whole.
How Iceland Changed the World was very good and–more or less–exactly what I wanted it to be. I really enjoy books about history and ones full of random facts/trivia. It’s also super interesting how such a tiny, remote island could have such a major impact on the world.
Verdict: if you’re into history or Nordic countries, definitely read! I also recommend these: Utopia for Realists, Nordic Theory of Everything, and The Year of Living Danishly
What’s up this weekend?
Pending health and travel, Chloe will be spending the weekend with us in San Miguel de Allende! I’m not too sure what we will get up to, but I am sure we will eat good food and have a good time. I definitely foresee some brunches, fancy coffees, rooftops, and many, many tasty bites.
It feels like we just arrived, but we are already halfway through our time here. I have really enjoyed our time here and would definitely come back. I hope we can eat as many restaurants on my food list as possible before it’s time to leave.
Coming soon…
I’m not sure what I’ll be writing next. The cost of living articles feel like folks don’t want to read those, so it’s likely time to change gears. Maybe I will write an article about moving to Europe, reducing expenses, and/or budgeting for a sabbatical.
Here’s my most recent blog post: Cost of Living in Queretaro in 2021
YouTube is chugging along. I’ve been having lots of ideas for new videos and am considering doing a 30 day challenge (posting a video everyday for 30 days) in November or December. On YouTube, this Saturday I’ll be publishing the top 10 things I ate while in Puebla–it’s one of my favorite videos I’ve done so far!
Here’s my most recent YouTube video:
Have a great weekend and see you soon!