Travel Agent Hugo

The Plan

San Francisco

Built around what you actually want from a city: inspiration, the vibe of the place, a great seat to do some work, and food worth lining up for. No reservations, not expensive. Carry cash.

Your day

Thursday, June 25

The Mission run you wanted, then the museum you owe yourself, in one clean line heading south then east. It is also the last day of Config, and SFMOMA sits a block from Moscone, so you finish the day right where your wife finishes hers. Carry cash for the morning.

9:00

Coffee and beans

BART

BART from Powell to 16th St Mission, then four blocks to Linea Caffe (3417 18th St). A proper espresso, and grab a bag of their own-roast beans to carry home.

Linea Caffe · Mission · a quick cup, not a long sit

10:45

The Mission burrito

Walk

Walk south down Mission to the burrito. La Taqueria for the best one (no rice, ask for it dorado), or El Farolito for the classic rice-and-everything super burrito. No reservation, just a line that moves.

La Taqueria or El Farolito · cash only · walk it off after

12:30

Journal in the quiet

Walk

Head east to SoMa and post up in Yerba Buena Gardens: a sheltered lawn with a waterfall and benches, far calmer than Dolores. The peaceful spot to work or journal that you were after.

Yerba Buena Gardens · SoMa · benches, shade, and quiet

2:00

SFMOMA, finally

Walk

Two minutes from the gardens. Go straight for the surrealist and modern floors, the rooms that floored you in CDMX, and use the rooftop sculpture garden and the cafe to keep working between galleries. Open Thursday until 8, so there is no rush.

SFMOMA · 151 3rd St · $30 · open till 8 on Thursdays

5:30

Meet your wife

Together

Config wraps today at Moscone South, one block from the museum. Meet her when she is out, compare notes on the day, and find dinner. Sotto Mare or Tony's in North Beach, or Z and Y and R and G back in Chinatown, are a short ride toward the hotel.

Moscone South · last day of the conference

Golden Gate Bridge — The Golden Gate

de Young Museum

Palace of Fine Arts

Painted Ladies

Home base

Palihotel San Francisco

417 Stockton St, Lower Nob Hill

Union Square + Apple flagship2 min
Config 2026 at Moscone South15 min
Chinatown dim sum (Good Mong Kok)9 min
Swan Oyster Depot16 min

Your office

Levi's Plaza

1160 Battery St (East), Suite 401E, 94111

Coit Tower + Filbert Steps6 min uphill
Tadich Grill (1849, the cioppino)7 min
Ferry Building on the water8 min
City Lights + North Beach6 min

Everything on one map

Hotel Your office Config (conference) Inspire Coffee Eat Parks Landmark Skip these blocks

The dashed green line is the safe daytime walk from the hotel to Config. The red wash marks the Tenderloin, 6th Street, and the Mid-Market / Civic Center blocks. Tap any pin for notes.

Safe by day Walking to Config? Yes, with one rule: keep east.

The hotel-to-Moscone walk is about 0.7 miles, roughly 15 minutes, and it stays inside the busy Union Square retail core and Yerba Buena the whole way, well east of the Tenderloin. In daylight and during conference hours it is lively and fine. The real risk in this part of the city is petty theft, not violence, so don't walk staring at a phone or with a laptop out.

The route she should take

South on Stockton through Union Square, then down 4th Street past the mall.
Cross Market at Powell / 4th and stay on 4th toward Yerba Buena Gardens.
Past SFMOMA and the gardens to Moscone South on Howard. Busy foot traffic the whole way.
After dark, take a 5-minute rideshare instead of walking it.

Blocks to skip

The Tenderloin: west of Powell, north of Market (Taylor, Jones, Eddy). The city's roughest blocks.
6th Street between Market and Howard. Quiet and rough, worse after dark.
Mid-Market and Civic Center, on Market west of 5th, at night.
Don't cut west to "save time." East is the safe line and barely longer.

Getting around

Your plan barely needs a car. Most of it is a walk out of one of your two doors. Here is the rest, and what actually fits how you are moving.

Set this up before you land, and you are done

Add Clipper to your Apple or Google Wallet, or just tap any contactless card or phone at the reader. It works on both Muni and BART, with no paper tickets. Muni is a flat $3 a ride with free transfers for two hours, and Clipper now caps your day after two rides, so extra trips are free. Then put Uber or Lyft on your phone, plus the Waymo One app: the driverless cars are the local novelty worth trying, and they now run all the way to SFO. That is the whole setup.

On foot

Walking

Best for The entire downtown core: Union Square, Chinatown, North Beach, the Ferry Building, and your office at Levi's Plaza.
What you need Nothing. Good shoes and the map on this page.
Your call This is most of your trip. Both your doors sit in the most walkable part of the city.

BART

Regional rail

Best for The Mission food run (16th and 24th St stations), the airport, and crossing to Oakland or Berkeley. Fast, underground beneath Market St.
What you need Tap a contactless card, phone, or Clipper. Fare is by distance.
Your call Your shuttle to the Mission: ten minutes from downtown, versus a slow drive and no parking.

Muni

Metro trains and buses

Best for Crosstown hops too long to walk, and reaching Golden Gate Park or the Sunset on the N Judah line.
What you need The same $3 tap, with two hours of free transfers.
Your call Useful, but for your western trips a car is usually faster and simpler.

Historic lines

Cable cars and the F streetcar

Best for The experience, not getting somewhere. The Powell cable car climbs Nob Hill from near your hotel; the F runs vintage streetcars down Market and the Embarcadero, right past your office.
What you need The cable car is now $12 a ride. The F is normal $3 Muni fare.
Your call Ride the cable car once for the fun of it. Take the F past the office for the waterfront view.

Uber / Lyft / Waymo

Rideshare and robotaxi

Best for The western coast and parks, anything after dark, and door-to-door when you are carrying things. Waymo is driverless and a genuinely fun ride.
What you need The apps, and a few minutes of wait at peak times.
Your call Your default for the coast, and for any night move through downtown instead of walking.

For your plan, by area

Walk

Your two doors and the core. Union Square, Chinatown, North Beach, Ferry Building, Coit Tower, Swan Oyster Depot, Tadich, R&G Lounge, Good Mong Kok. All 5 to 16 minutes on foot.

Walk

The conference. Config at Moscone is the 15 minute walk mapped above. If it is raining, the Powell BART and Muni stop is 5 minutes from your doors and a few blocks from Moscone.

BART

The Mission. La Taqueria, Tartine, Ritual, Linea, Farmhouse, Dolores Park. BART from Powell or Montgomery to 16th or 24th St Mission, about 10 minutes. Do not drive, parking is misery.

Car

The western coast and parks. Lands End, Legion of Honor, de Young, Presidio Tunnel Tops, Ocean Beach and Andytown, plus Arsicault and Burma Superstar in the Richmond. Rideshare or Waymo. Transit out here is slow and full of transfers.

Car

The Interval at Fort Mason. A short ride from the hotel, not a walk. Grab a car, or the 30 bus if you want the local way.

Bottom line: one Clipper setup plus the Uber and Waymo apps covers the whole trip. You will use your feet most, BART for the Mission, and a car for the coast. Don't rent one, the parking and the hills are not worth it.

The lists, ranked

Everything below is ranked for you, not for everyone. Stars are Hugo's quality rating out of five. Match is how well a place fits you specifically: food worth lining up for, art and ideas, a great seat to work, and nothing touristy. A few came from a local who knows the city, marked Local pick. Tap a pin on the map for the same notes.

Eat well

Now 33 options, because half my first list was the kind of place you cannot get into. The new Table meter says how hard it is to actually sit down, whether by line or by booking: green is walk right in, red is near impossible. Sort your night by it.

01

Swan Oyster DepotNob Hill · 16 min from hotel
4.9

James Beard ClassicCash onlyLunch only · closed Sun$$

The one to plan around. 18 stools, a marble counter, family-run since 1912, the seafood as clean as it gets. Go early, expect a line, order the crab back, chowder, and whatever is fresh. This is the SF meal you'll still talk about.

Your match
98/100

Table
No res, brutal line
02

La TaqueriaMission · cab or BART
4.8

James Beard ClassicCash only$

The James Beard burrito: no rice, just meat, beans, cheese, salsa. Ask for it "dorado," griddled crisp on the outside. Worth the trip to the Mission, and you're a block from Dolores Park and Bi-Rite after.

Your match
96/100

Table
No res, line moves fast
03

Arsicault BakeryInner Richmond · cab
4.8

Local pickBest croissant in AmericaLong line$

Bon Appetit named it the best new bakery in America and the croissant backs it up: laminated dough turned three times, baked all day so it's never stale. Inner Richmond, worth the line and the cab.

Your match
95/100

Table
No res, long line
04

Mister Jiu'sChinatown · 5 min from office
4.7

★ MichelinReserve ahead$$$

Modern Cantonese in a stunning room above a Chinatown banquet hall, the first Chinese restaurant in SF to earn a Michelin star. This is the art-meets-food pick: the kind of meal that floors you, the way the surrealist rooms did in CDMX. Book it now.

Your match
92/100

Table
Book 2-3 weeks out
05

R&G LoungeChinatown · 6 min from office
4.6

Local pickBourdain favoriteNear your office$$

Cantonese institution since 1985, and the salt-and-pepper Dungeness crab is the whole reason to go. Bourdain filmed here. Six minutes from your office and built for a group dinner.

Your match
91/100

Table
Walk-in usually fine
06

Tartine BakeryMission · morning
4.6

James Beard bakeryExpect a line$

The morning bun is the move, plus a loaf of country bread to carry. Grab it, walk five minutes to Dolores Park, sit in the sun with the skyline in front of you. A near-perfect SF morning.

Your match
90/100

Table
No res, long line
07

Zuni CafeHayes / Market · F line or cab
4.6

SF iconRoast chicken for two$$$

The wood-fired roast chicken for two with bread salad is a 40-year-old icon, worth the hour it takes to cook. Order it the second you sit, and get a dozen oysters while you wait.

Your match
89/100

Table
Book ahead on Tock
08

Tadich GrillFinancial District · 7 min from office
4.5

Near your officeEst. 1849$$

California's oldest restaurant, white tablecloths and waiters in white coats, unchanged for generations. Sit at the counter, order the cioppino. The best long lunch within walking distance of your desk.

Your match
88/100

Table
No res, lunch wait
09

Hog Island Oyster Co.Ferry Building · 8 min from office
4.5

Near your officeOysters on the water$$

Oysters shucked in front of you on the water, with a glass of crisp white. The easiest great seafood near your office, no reservation needed. Hit the happy hour for cheaper bivalves.

Your match
88/100

Table
Walk-in, wait at peak
10

El FarolitoMission · BART to 24th St
4.5

CashOpen late$

The other great Mission burrito: the al pastor super burrito, griddled, cheap, and open past midnight. No line drama, no reservation, just walk up to the counter. The local rival to La Taqueria.

Your match
88/100

Table
Walk right in, cash
11

State Bird ProvisionsFillmore · cab
4.7

★ MichelinJames Beard$$$

A James Beard best-restaurant winner, served dim-sum style off roving carts so you point at what looks good. The food is genuinely thrilling. The only catch is the booking, which vanishes in seconds.

Your match
88/100

Table
Books 60 days ahead, set an alarm
12

Good Mong KokChinatown · 5 min from office
4.5

Near your officeCash$

A counter, a line of locals, and a few dollars buys a bag of the best cheap dim sum in the city: shrimp har gow, BBQ pork buns, sticky rice. Takeout only. Eat it walking the Chinatown alleys.

Your match
87/100

Table
Quick takeout line
13

Molinari DelicatessenNorth Beach · 6 min from office
4.6

Near your officeCashSince 1896$

An 1896 Italian deli where they build the sandwich to order at the counter. Get the Renzo on a fresh roll, carry it to Washington Square, eat in the sun. The best cheap lunch near your office.

Your match
87/100

Table
Counter line, cash, takeout
14

Farmhouse Kitchen ThaiMission · cab or BART
4.5

Local pickBib Gourmand 2016-19$$

Bold, loud, rose-walled Thai in the Mission: khao soi, crispy chicken with yellow curry, a room that feels like a party. The Thai you were missing. Bring a group, it gets loud, and that's the point.

Your match
86/100

Table
Book a few days out
15

Tony's Pizza NapoletanaNorth Beach · 6 min from office
4.6

Near your officeWorld pizza champ$$

A former world pizza champion making a dozen styles in one room, from Neapolitan to Detroit. Walk in, put your name down, it moves. The Margherita is capped at 73 a day, so go early for it.

Your match
86/100

Table
Walk-in, can wait
16

Sotto MareNorth Beach · 7 min from office
4.4

Near your officeThe cioppino$$

A tiny North Beach seafood room with the best cioppino in the city, the bowl big enough for two. No reservations, so go right at opening or grab a counter seat. Cheerful, cramped, perfect.

Your match
86/100

Table
No res, go early
17

Liholiho Yacht ClubNob Hill · 8 min from hotel
4.6

Hawaiian-CalifornianBar walk-ins$$$

Hawaiian-Californian with the energy of a party: the tuna poke, the baked Hawaiian bread, the duck-liver mousse. Near your hotel. Book ahead, or grab a walk-in seat at the lively bar.

Your match
86/100

Table
Book early, or bar walk-in
18

House of Prime RibVan Ness · cab
4.6

Since 1949One dish, done right$$$

One thing since 1949, done perfectly: prime rib carved tableside from a silver cart, with a spinning salad bowl and Yorkshire pudding. Pure old-school theater. Book well ahead and go hungry.

Your match
85/100

Table
Book 3-4 weeks out
19

NopaDivisadero · cab
4.5

Late-night Cal$$$

The Divisadero standby, wood-fired Cal-American that still cooks past midnight: the pork chop, the flatbreads, a great bar. Hard to book at prime time, but the bar takes walk-ins late.

Your match
85/100

Table
Book, or bar after 10
20

Z & Y RestaurantChinatown · 5 min from office
4.4

Near your officeSzechuan$$

Fiery, mouth-numbing Szechuan in Chinatown, five minutes from your office. The chicken with explosive chili pepper and the spicy fish are the orders. Walk in, short wait, bring water.

Your match
85/100

Table
Walk-in, short wait
21

Kin KhaoUnion Square · 4 min from hotel
4.5

★ MichelinThai$$

Michelin-star Thai with no white tablecloth, just bold, fresh cooking, right by your hotel. The rabbit curry and the pork-belly noodles. The most convenient great dinner to your home base.

Your match
84/100

Table
Book a few days out
22

Brenda's French Soul FoodPolk · cab
4.5

Creole + beignets$$

New Orleans soul food: crawfish beignets, a shrimp po'boy, cheesy grits. Worth the no-reservations line, which gets long on weekend mornings, so go on a weekday or right at open.

Your match
84/100

Table
No res, long line
23

Golden Boy PizzaNorth Beach · 6 min from office
4.4

Near your officeCash$

Square Sicilian slices, focaccia-style, the clam-and-garlic the cult favorite. A slice and a beer, standing up, late. Pure North Beach, and a short walk from your office.

Your match
83/100

Table
Walk right up
24

Yank SingRincon Center · 8 min from office
4.3

Near your officeDim sum carts$$$

Pricier dim sum, but the carts are endless and the dumplings are pristine, especially the Shanghai soup dumplings. A reliable, no-stress group lunch a short walk from your office.

Your match
83/100

Table
Walk-in or book
25

Burma SuperstarInner Richmond · cab
4.4

No reservations$$

The tea-leaf salad, tossed at the table, is the dish people fly in for. No reservations, so put your name down and wander Clement Street's bookshops while you wait.

Your match
82/100

Table
No res, long wait
26

SouvlaHayes Valley · cab
4.3

Greek, fast-casual$$

Greek fast-casual done right: spit-fired lamb or chicken in a warm pita, a cup of frozen Greek yogurt with baklava crumble after. Order at the counter, grab a stool, in and out in 20 minutes.

Your match
82/100

Table
Order at the counter
27

NopalitoNoPa / Inner Sunset · cab
4.4

Cal-Mexican$$

Organic, from-scratch regional Mexican: carnitas, mole, fresh masa tortillas. The sit-down counterpart to a taqueria. No reservations, but they run a tight, text-you-back waitlist.

Your match
82/100

Table
Waitlist, no res
28

Marufuku RamenJapantown · cab
4.4

Hakata ramen$$

Rich, silky Hakata-style tonkotsu with thin noodles, in the Japantown mall. Put your name on the digital waitlist, wander the bookstore and stationery shops, and come back when it buzzes.

Your match
82/100

Table
Join the waitlist
29

Ferry Building MarketplaceEmbarcadero · 8 min from office
4.3

Near your office$$

Not one restaurant but a hall of the city's best vendors on the water. Graze the stalls, then walk the Embarcadero. Saturday is the big farmers market with the whole city out.

Your match
81/100

Table
Just walk in
30

Original Joe'sNorth Beach · 7 min from office
4.2

Local pickNear your officeSince 1937$$

A red-sauce institution on Washington Square: tuxedoed waiters, big martinis, a room frozen in amber. You come for the atmosphere more than the cooking, and that is a fine reason. Seven minutes from your office.

Your match
80/100

Table
Walk-in usually fine
31

YamoMission · BART to 16th St
4.2

CashTiny Burmese$

A three-table Burmese hole in the wall on a Mission corner: a wok, a counter, a few dollars for great noodles and samusa soup. Cash, fast, in and out. The opposite of a reservation.

Your match
80/100

Table
Tiny, cash, sit fast
32

Saigon SandwichTenderloin edge · cab
4.4

CashBanh mi$

A banh mi for a few dollars that punches absurdly above its price: crusty roll, pate, pickled carrot, jalapeno, cilantro. A quick cash line on the edge of the Tenderloin, best as a daytime grab.

Your match
80/100

Table
Quick cash line, takeout
33

Bob's DonutsPolk · cab
4.3

Open 24 hours$

The 24-hour Polk Street institution and its giant apple fritter. A walk-in at any hour, and the ideal stop after a late one. Pure, unpretentious, and always open.

Your match
78/100

Table
Walk right in, any hour

Coffee to work from

Ranked by how good a seat it is for a long working session, then by the coffee.

01

SightglassSoMa · near Moscone
4.8

RoasteryMezzanine seating$$

A double-height former warehouse with a roaster in the middle and a mezzanine that's made for a laptop and three hours. The best work cafe in the city, and a short walk from the conference.

Your match
97/100
02

Saint FrankRussian Hill · 12 min from hotel
4.7

Bright + quietLaptop-friendly$$

A calm, light-filled corner room with proper tables and outlets, the kind of place that respects a working morning. Walk over Nob Hill from the hotel to get there.

Your match
93/100
03

Reveille CoffeeJackson Square · 7 min from office
4.5

Near your office$$

A bright corner cafe in the prettiest blocks near your office, good light and a quick line. The closest genuinely good working coffee to your desk.

Your match
90/100
04

Ritual CoffeeMission + Hayes Valley
4.5

SF original$$

The third-wave classic that set the tone for the whole city. Busier and more social than a quiet work room, but the coffee is dialed and the Mission energy is the point.

Your match
86/100
05

Linea CaffeMission + Ferry Building
4.5

Local pickSF roaster$$

A small, serious roaster from a veteran of the SF coffee scene. The espresso is dialed. Ranked here, not higher, only because it's a tight espresso bar for a quick excellent cup, not a three-hour work room.

Your match
85/100
06

AndytownOuter Sunset · by the ocean
4.6

The Snowy Plover$$

Less a work post, more a destination: get the Snowy Plover (espresso, sparkling water, cream) and walk two blocks to Ocean Beach for the sunset. Pair it with the Lands End day.

Your match
84/100

Get inspired

Art, ideas, and the rooms that move you. The CDMX trip proved this is what you remember.

01

SFMOMASoMa · 1 block from Moscone
4.8

By the conferenceCafe to work$$

Seven floors, the surrealist and modern rooms you loved in Mexico City, a living wall, and cafes you can post up in. Literally one block from Moscone, so it doubles as your conference-week escape hatch.

Your match
96/100
02

The Interval at Long NowFort Mason · cab or 25 min walk
4.7

Cafe + bar + library$$

A bar, cafe and library built around prototypes of a 10,000-year clock and a wall of "the manual for civilization." Work by day, cocktail by night. The most you-shaped room in the city.

Your match
95/100
03

de Young + Turrell SkyspaceGolden Gate Park
4.7

Free towerClosed Mon$$

Ride the free 9th-floor tower for a 360 view of the city, then sit in the James Turrell skyspace in the garden as the light changes. Quiet, meditative, and unforgettable.

Your match
94/100
04

Legion of HonorLincoln Park · cab
4.5

Rodin$$

A French-palace museum on a cliff, with Rodin's Thinker out front and the Golden Gate Bridge behind it. Pair it with the Lands End trail, which starts right below.

Your match
88/100
05

City Lights + Caffe TriesteNorth Beach · 6 min from office
4.4

Near your officeFree

The Beat-era bookstore that published Ginsberg, then an espresso at the historic cafe next door where the poets actually sat. A perfect hour, and a six-minute walk from your office.

Your match
86/100

Walks worth doing

01

Lands EndNorthwest tip · cab
4.9

FreeCoastal trail

The best walk in the city: a cliff trail through cypress with crashing surf below, the Sutro Baths ruins, a stone labyrinth out on the point, and the bridge framed the whole way. Do this one for sure.

Your match
97/100
02

Presidio Tunnel TopsPresidio · cab
4.7

FreeLand art

New park decks built over the bridge approach, with Andy Goldsworthy land art hidden in the trees nearby. Walk out for the cleanest Golden Gate view in the city.

Your match
92/100
03

Coit Tower + Filbert StepsTelegraph Hill · above your office
4.6

At your officeFree climb

The Filbert Steps are a hidden garden stairway climbing the back of Telegraph Hill, wild parrots and all, ending at Coit Tower with 360 views. It starts right above your office: the best lunch break in San Francisco.

Your match
90/100
04

Dolores ParkMission · cab or BART
4.4

FreeSkyline + sun

The city's social living room: a sloped lawn full of people, the downtown skyline beyond, palm trees and a perfect Mission afternoon. Bring a Tartine loaf and a Bi-Rite scoop.

Your match
85/100

Is the Apple Store worth it? Half a yes, and it is across the street.

Apple Union Square is a real Foster and Partners building: 42-foot glass doors, floating glass stairs, a public plaza with the historic Ruth Asawa fountain and a living green wall. It is a 2 minute walk from your hotel, so worth a look. It is still a store though, not a reason to plan around. The spaceship campus is in Cupertino, 45 minutes south, with only a small visitor center. Skip that one.

Four ways to spend a day

01

Conference + inspired

Walk to Config, duck into SFMOMA next door at lunch, Sightglass to decompress, dinner at Mister Jiu's.

02

Park and ocean

Presidio Tunnel Tops, the Lands End loop, sunset at Ocean Beach with an Andytown Snowy Plover.

03

Mission vibe

Tartine and Ritual, Clarion Alley murals, Dolores Park, La Taqueria, Bi-Rite ice cream.

04

Right outside your office

Filbert Steps to Coit Tower, Tadich Grill lunch, City Lights and a North Beach slice, Ferry Building at golden hour.

Logged trip

Mexico City, April 2025

Six days with Cam, traced stop by stop. Every place from your log, in order, with the photos matched to where they were actually taken and your own takes kept intact: the great, the overrated, and the meal that floored you.

Best meal, ever

Restaurante Rosetta

Best drink, ever

Las Brujas Bar

Best taco

Fonda Fina, the beef

What floored you

The surrealist rooms

Roma + Condesa Centro Historico Chapultepec museums Coyoacan

The map of the trip

Food and tacos Museums Bars Shops

The timeline, stop by stop

Day 1Easing in

Dinner

Yoru Sushi

Very fresh fish and great rolls. A soft landing into the city.

Night

HiYa

A Japanese speakeasy with nice vibes to close out the first night.

Day 2Centro, lucha, and the best drink of the trip

Coffee

Cafe Rosetta

Waited two hours and walked out annoyed. Overrated, or maybe you were just in a mood. Either way, not the Rosetta that would matter later.

Lunch

Street food

Flautas and a soup. Pretty okay, nothing more.

Tacos

Caifan Taqueria

Top taco contender

Finally, a bomb Mexican meal: tacos al pastor that the lucha libre guide swore were the best in the city. Hard to argue with him.

Tacos

Orbita

Amazing birria tacos, good flautas too, and a waiter who was the sweetest person alive.

Drinks

Las Brujas Bar

★ Best drink, ever

Incredible cocktails. The first one on the menu is the single most delicious drink you have ever had.

The best cocktail of the trip at Las Brujas — The best drink of the trip, Las Brujas

Show

Lucha Libre

Incredible. Loud, ridiculous, and exactly the kind of night you came for.

Walk

Centro + the market

Walking the Centro was a trip and great for photos, and the market was wild.

A wall of paintings — A wall of paintings, Centro

Color across the city — Color on the way across town

Shop

Xinu

A cool concept store. The perfume was mid, but the incense rocked.

Shop

Fueguia 1833

An incredible perfume store, even if it is not unique to Mexico.

The perfume wall at Fueguia 1833 — The perfume wall, Fueguia 1833

Shop

Casa Bosques

A really nice bookstore. You left with Leonora Carrington tarot cards. They sell chocolate too.

Day 3The taco and the paintings

Coffee

Cafe Nin

Very nice, but forgettable.

Tacos

El Huequito

Bourdain's spot

Bomb al pastor, your favorite pure al pastor of the trip. Anthony Bourdain's old haunt, and it earns it.

Lunch

Lardo

The seafood fried rice was brilliant. The appetizers were eh.

Dinner

Fonda Fina

★ #2 meal · best taco

Perfected Mexican food. The beef taco was the best taco of the whole trip, the octopus and the pork shank were unreal, the drinks too. A flat ten out of ten.

A flight of salsas at Fonda Fina — The salsas, Fonda Fina

Drinks

Las Brujas Bar

Broke your own rule and went back for that cocktail. Still incredible. The others you tried were meh.

Museum

Museo Nacional de Arte

★ Photographed half of them

Spectacular. The rooms on the Spanish inquisition and Moctezuma and Cuauhtemoc, sculpture that was conceptual and beautiful, and then the surrealist and impressionist paintings that just blew you open. You took pictures of half of them to look at later.

The torment of Cuauhtemoc painting — Cuauhtemoc, Museo Nacional de Arte

Evening

Nima Spa

An amazing massage. You walked out feeling like you were on a cloud.

Day 4Rosetta

Coffee

Cafe Niddo

Fun chilaquiles, good coffee. Nothing to write home about.

Lunch

Restaurante Rosetta

★ #1 meal you've ever had

The number one meal you have ever had. Gastronomy and creativity maxed out, Mexican flavors reimagined in ways you did not think were possible. Floored by every single course. Hard to believe food like this exists.

A street in Roma near Rosetta — Roma, near Rosetta

Dinner

Contramar

★ #3 meal

Number three meal of the trip. The freshest fish, an incredible aguachile, the pescado a la talla split green and red. Authentic but elevated. You only wish you had gone hungrier.

Pescado a la talla at Contramar — Pescado a la talla, Contramar

The aguachile at Contramar — The aguachile, Contramar

Night

Natas

A lovely sound system and a good sommelier. Nice vibes all around.

Day 5Three museums and a sleeper taco

Breakfast

A local spot

The omelette was gas. The coffee was gross.

Lunch

Sala Gastronomica

Very, very good: a dish from each region of Mexico and clever takes on the traditional.

Tacos

Tacos Orinoco

You thought it would be overrated and it ended up delicious. The al pastor was great, the chicharron taco even better.

Tacos

Carinito

Sleeper favorite

Really, really good. Asian fusion, crazy flavor, two of the four tacos unreal and the rest close behind. Chill vibe, they pour wine, the owner seems like a great guy.

Museum

Museo de Arte Moderno

★ Would go again

Incredible from start to finish, every exhibit. The surrealist show was the favorite and absolutely brilliant.

A framed photograph of Xochimilco boats — Xochimilco, framed. Museo de Arte Moderno

Museum

Chapultepec Castle

Cool to see the colonization history and the architecture, but hectic and crowded for a Thursday morning. Would skip next time.

Museum

Museo de Antropologia

Hit or miss, and enormous, but the Tenochtitlan room with the sun stone and the replica of Pakal's tomb were both worth it.

El Paraguas fountain at the Anthropology Museum — El Paraguas, Museo de Antropologia

Day 6Colmado, the costra, and Casa Azul

Coffee

Fuego Cafe

Amazing chilaquiles and really good coffee.

Lunch

Colmado

A one-of-a-kind spot: a single semicircular bar, eight seats and room for two standing. Great vibe, the drinks and food incredible, the octopus taco awesome. The suckling pig, less so.

Tacos

Taqueria El Caifa, Roma

★ #2 taco of the trip

The Costra al Pastor was the second best taco of the whole trip. Crisped cheese, al pastor, no notes.

Read

Tetetlan

The food was a little too experimental for your taste, but the library-and-coffee space inside this Barragan house was beautiful. You read here for a couple of hours.

Culture

Frida Kahlo + Diego Rivera House

Casa Azul

A great little peek into history and art, gorgeous architecture, and a guide who was a blast: passionate, knowledgeable, the whole thing.

A tiled fountain in Coyoacan — A tiled fountain, Coyoacan

Built from your actual log. Every stop and take here comes from your Mexico City notes, matched to the twelve photos by what they actually show (the Cuauhtemoc painting to Museo Nacional de Arte, the half-green-half-red fish to Contramar, the umbrella fountain to the Anthropology museum, and so on). Two honest flags: your log had no photos embedded in it, so the pictures you took inside Rosetta are not in anything you sent me. Drop those image files in your Downloads and I will add them to Day 4. And I lightly cleaned the language for the public page. Say the word and I will put your raw voice back.

Live trip log

San Francisco, the trip

This page fills itself in. Once you are on the ground at the Palihotel, Hugo assembles the real trip here from your photos and voice notes: where you actually went, a map of your route, what you spent, and your own ratings.

Waiting for the first photos and notes

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Your route, mapped

Pulled from photo GPS, like the Mexico trip.

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Photo gallery

Geo-captioned by neighborhood and time.

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What you spent

Parsed from receipts and card activity.

★

Your ratings

Must-go, good, skip. From your voice notes.