Where to Shop: Mexico City

A bunch of you emailed me for tips on shopping Mexico City (I took a weekend trip down there this winter to check it all out), so click through for all the info.

First of all, stay at Condesa DF if you can--it's beautifully done, really well located, and the on-site restaurant (and umm, gift shop) is great. If you've already sorted out your accommodations, at least head over for a drink. It's owned by a group of brothers who moved back to Mexico City in the last decade to open a chain of boutique hotels--they also own the equally popular Mexico City-based Habita, and it's gorgeously-conceived, from start to finish.

Anyway, there are a handful of fairly ho-hum boutiques in the area (along with a bunch of American Apparels!), so we spent most of our time at Centro Artesenal, which is one of the main craft markets. People will tell you that it's tourist-y, and drivers will try to usher you to MUCH MORE tourist-y spots on the outskirts of the city, but we really scored here. There are tons of vendors in a maze of stalls selling everything from filigree silver earrings to Otomi needlepoint coverlets. And prices are really good (we did a fair amount of bargaining, as well). Do a quick tour just to get a sense of the variety and the pricing before you commit to any one vendor, and then localize your spending for the best deals.

On Saturdays, try Mercado de Antiguedades de Cuauhtemoc in Condesa--it's on the smallish side flea market-wise, but it's definitely worth a quick walk-through. And it's very close to the Mercado del Alvaro Obregon, which you should also breeze by.

Our (I went with Gigi Guerra, fellow hardcore flea marketer) favorite activity, though, was La Lagunilla, which is the most famous of the flea markets. Go on Sunday, when all the vendors are set-up outside. It's conveniently located right on the way to the Pyramids, so we hired a driver to take us to both and wait. We bought paintings, jewelry, old apothecary jars, and even a chandelier (this is when the aforementioned American Apparel came into play, since we needed an extra duffel). Contrary to reports, we felt very safe (though we did go to an ATM before heading up there, since it's in a slightly-sketchy part of town). There was no jostling and everyone was exceedingly polite.

In fact, Mexico City didn't seem dangerous at all--Gigi and I are both pretty seasoned travelers, but everyone did their best to convince us that we would be kidnapped within minutes of landing at the airport. Not at all. We left our fancy jewelry at home, and exercised common sense, but all in all, felt totally safe.

Let me know what you guys find!!!