**** So, this one is kinda long. I've condensed things a bit to make it more readable. Please let me know if you have any questions!
We had two full days in CDMX before heading to Jalisco. Even though we'd been to CDMX four times previously, we knew there was so much we hadn't seen yet. And yes, we'd been to Centro Historico several times (remember the colors of Frida?), but there just seemed to be so much. I thought we'd enjoy a private tour of Centro Historico. We had enjoyed our private tour of Museo Nacional de Antropologia on a previous trip, so I contacted Mexico a Pie tours, inquiring about downtown tour options. Ana quickly returned my email and after mentioning we enjoyed the cuisine as well, she proposed the private Tortilla and History tour.
Which is how we ended up "Ubering" to the Zocalo to meet up with our guide, the wonderful and enthusiastic Daniela.
After introductions, we swung on over to Templo Mayor, where we were treated to the history of Tenochtitlan, thought to be founded in the 14th century, home of the Mexica people, and the center of the Aztec Empire. Tenochtitlan was built on the shores of Lake Texcoco, which was eventually mostly drained. It is in this basin that Mexico City now exists.
This temple was dedicated to Huītzilōpōchtli (God of the sun) and Tlaloc which Andres had gone over with us during our tour of the Museo Nacional de Antropologia. Daniela seemed quite pleased that knew a bit about Tlaloc….she got a kick when we remembered the identifying features of Tlaloc; the round eyes and fangs.
We noticed many serpents and was told that these are symbols of fertility and rebirth.
One of the most famous items excavated here is the Coyolxauhqui Stone.
The next stop was just around the corner.
This is the Colegio de San Ildefonso, formerly a college established by the Jesuits, it is now a museum and performance venue.
Though it has some impressive murals and such, we found the elegant little touches to be impressive.
We were taken to the former Colegio de San Gregorio, now known as Universidad Obrera “Vicente Lombardo Toledano” – the "Worker's University", which bears the name of one of the most famous labor leaders in Mexico.
It was here when we discovered how flexible Daniela was. We noticed this dome from the courtyard of the University.
Daniela smiled and said, "let's go". And we were guided to and entered Nuestra Señora de Loreto Church – Church of Our Lady of Loreto.
The interior is quite stunning, though it does look a bit worn.
We notice all the bracing in the interior and was told because of the different types of stone used in the construction, the entire church is starting to tilt to one side.
And then it was time for our first "food stop". At a shop named Xaachila Comida Oaxaquena.
Having been to Oaxaca the year before, the Missus was interested in trying a tamal.
The Missus was interested in trying the Tamal Chepil.
Which She enjoyed with a nice refreshing cup of Horchata! Good smoky flavors, nice maize tones. Would it make us forget Oaxaca? Heck no, but this was a nice little brunchy start to things.
And the Missus chugged that Horchata like there was no tomorrow!
Xaachila Comida Oaxaquena
De La Santísima 17-22
Cuauhtémoc, 06060 Ciudad de México, Mexico
We then headed back to the Cathedral. But because of services going on, Daniela would not be able to guide us thru the cathedral. She did provide us with some interesting things to see though.
We were told to look for the arm of what was supposed to be the wax figure of Saint Felicitas. Yes, there are human bones there!
Which had become quite a story.
The next stop was a place we didn't know about, the Gran Hotel Ciudad de México.
According to what I've read, this structure dates back to 1526!!!! It then became a shopping center in 1895 and then an hotel.
The Tiffany glass ceiling dates back to 1899.
Personally, I loved the elevator.
The grandness of the hotel looks like it came out of a book from another time.
Our next stop was a favorite of mine.
This interesting, well adorned building is the site of one of the oldest pharmacies in the Americas.
Originally a Augustine Monastery, in 1944 this became Farmacias Paris.
And it is still an operating pharmacy, with different areas to this day.
We were told that the most popular area deals with Homeopathy.
And it's still very busy……
This was quite interesting.
We were then told that it was "taco time" and led to this unassuming shop around the corner on Calle de Mesones.
We had told Daniela that we "eat everything" and she took us here. I was told that there are three "El Toritos" on the street, apparently there's an interesting story about a family taqueria and a falling out between them.
I will say, these were our favorite tacos of the trip. We started with the Suadero, a mix of cuts and the Tripa.
My goodness, the crisp intestine was amazing! We got a second Tacos de Tripa!
It's hard to explain; there's some nice deep, offaly goodness, with a wonderful crispness. I'll just leave it at that.
Taquería El Torito
Calle de Mesones 48
Cuauhtémoc, 06080 Centro, Mexico
From here, we made a couple of more stops like the Biblioteca Miguel Lerdo de Tejada, which had some interesting murals.
We were then headed down Republica de el Salvador.
And then to 16 de Septiembre for our last food stop. This place had me fooled as the sign looked like it was some kind of cell phone shop. But the customers were all having eats and drinks.
In spite of the sign, this is Quesadillas Bolivar.
We enjoyed the Quesadillas de Nopales and Flor de Calabazas.
The blue corn tortillas was so full of maize goodness.
Quesadillas Bolivar
16 de Septiembre,
Pasaje Savoy 6-Local #3
Cuauhtémoc, 06000 Centro, Mexico
As we walked to our final destination, the Palacio Postal, the Central Post Office, we asked Daniela how she finds all these places to eat. She told us that she's out trying places every week, to see if it is worth taking folks on the tour to and which customers would fit with what place.
We ended at the beautiful "Postal Palace", the Central Post Office, which was built in 1907.
We had visited before, but it's no less amazing…….
And as we ended our day, Daniela took us to the best spot for an Uber pick-up.
It was indeed another fun, educational, and delicious day in CDMX.
And of course we had Romeo (kinda) greet us when we returned to the Red Tree House.
It was a wonderful stay, if a bit on the "atsui" side of things.
The generous portion fish has a mild smokiness, wasn't too salty, and wasn't fishy in the least. Think of it as "bacon of the sea". Not a big fan of the queso on the fish, but I really enjoyed and appreciated the layer of melted cheese on tortilla which ensured that things wouldn't fall apart. I do enjoy the onions and peppers and the tortilla was pliable did the job.
The fish was fried nicely, crisp, the flesh moist, no off flavors. The issue would be how skinny it was. There was so much cabbage and crema that it kind of overwhelmed the poor guppy….. Well, at least the tortilla held up, but I probably won't be getting this again.
We were sent a text when our room was ready; which was in one of the buildings in back of the Inn, it was comfortable and quieter than the rooms up front.
The Missus really enjoyed the Gruet Brut and also the Gruet Chardonnay with dinner. Gruet is a winery based in New Mexico. We'd end up getting a bottle for the Missus from one of the shops in Taos the next day.
The pork was nicely charred. In terms of flavor; it had some sweetness and a bit of spice…..the nice crispy bits were pretty good. The tortillas were almost crisp and brittle without much flavor. The sofrito rice and beans I covered above.
The guacamole was fine, we prefer our guacamole a bit more coarse, with more heat, and this really in need of salt and more lime. It was almost like this was made in a food processor.
When you walk in, there is a bar area to the left and the 'main' area to the right. 
All the way back is a small stage which has mariachis or a DJ or a local band is located on weekends.
A basket of warm chips along with a mild salsa were brought out with the large, interesting menu.
We ordered Queso Fundido with Chorizo to share ($14.95). This was served in a large/deep plate with warm corn tortillas. A good crisp chorizo (you know I am 
My craving this day was for a shrimp ceviche tostada ($6.95). Look carefully at the large menu, you can find good prices for basic items. The chopped shrimp, cooked in lime juice and mixed with tomatoes really hit the spot. There are more tostadas on the tabletop, if you run out,
The Mister was looking at the "Filete Especiales" portion of the menu and chose the Relleno de Mariscos ($26.95). A large piece of fish (Didn't ask, but it was a thick, meaty filet) stuffed/topped with shrimp, octopus and marlin as well as tomatoes and onion all cooked in butter. Served with rice and steamed vegetables (which went well with the butter) this was a tasty meal with leftovers.