Hello! This is Bryan Aughey; Boy Buyer, and Alisha de Souza; Boy Graphics & Apparel Designer. We work alongside several teams to assort and design the best line possible each season, as well as create models to make sure we have the right amount of product for everyone without being wasteful.
Tea’s travel allowance has allowed us to see some amazing places around the world, as well as help cultivate a culture of worldly people with great suggestions – Mexico City and Oaxaca being high up on the list.
This was an especially magical trip, as we got engaged in Oaxaca! We flew from San Francisco to Mexico City to start the trip for 3 days, then we flew from Mexico City to Oaxaca for the final 4 days before returning.
Mexico City
Mexico City is a huge city, and we couldn’t possibly get to all of it in 3 days! We found ourselves staying most of the trip in the neighborhoods around Juarez & Roma Norte. There are no shortages of beautiful restaurants, cafes, fantastic street food, and museums.
Things to Do:
Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo – Unique home + studio of each artist
Museo de Arte Popular – Modern folk-art museum
Plaza Rio de Janeiro – Fountain w/ excellent street food nearby
Mercado de San Juan – Local food/shop venders, rich with chaos
Places to Eat & Drink:
El Tizoncito – traditional food
Garufa – great rooftop view, mezcal & wine
San Ginés Churrería – corner park views, churros & fudge, sister spot to the San Ginés Churrería in Madrid
Malcriado – Wine + small bites
Tierra Adentro – Traditional bowls
Wallace Whiskey Bar – Lively whiskey + cocktail bar
Food Stands in Roma Norte – Cheap traditional food – street food was always the best
La Ventanita Café – Coffee + Pastries
La Pescadería Condesa – Rooftop views, excellent seafood
Taller 42’ Café – Coffee & pastries
Or just grab a coconut from a passing vendor on the street if you’re thirsty!
Oaxaca
Most of our co-workers have stayed downtown, but we decided to rent a car and stay up in the mountains for a specific gorgeous Airbnb with a pool overlooking the area. We were about 20 mins driving distance from downtown but there were plenty of food vendors and dogs to keep the drive exciting. Highly recommend renting a car (we used the service Only Rent A Car) if you choose to stay in the mountains, which are gorgeous.
We had a few day trips, one to Hierve el Agua & Teotitlan del Valle to view some beautiful Oaxacan textiles. As well as daily trips to the city center for dinners and shopping. This is a spectacular city rich with such an inspirational color palette, patterns, cuisine, and kind people. Could easily spend more than 4 days here if we had the time!
Things to Do:
Hierve el Agua – “petrified waterfalls”. This site consists of waterfall like rock formations, formed over thousands of years, and natural springs that have high mineral content, and is said to have healing qualities – a sacred site for the Zapotec people who inhabited the area.
This is now a sacred place to us well, as we got engaged here.
Teotitlan del Valle – A small village known for its rich textiles, rugs specifically. Here lies many studios each run by generations of families, each of which you can visit and purchase their handiwork. These textiles are rich with Zapotec designs both traditional and modern. This village is a must see!)
Isaac Vasquez Studio – Within Teotitlan del Valle, is the Vasquez studio – a family of some of the most world reknown weavers of Oaxaca. Stop by and get a live weaving and dyeing demo!)
Aripo – Artisanal Oaxacan crafts and textiles, beautifully curated
Andares De Arte Popular – Oaxacan crafts shop
Suculenta – Culinary gifts, jarred foods
Places to Eat & Drink:
Tierra del Sol – Delicious Oaxacan menu and beautiful restaurant with rooftop views
Levadura de Olla – Seasonal traditional Oaxacan menu
Boulenc – Artisanal bakery and café
Café Punto Paz – Small corner café
Mezcalteca – Mezcal tasting
Vaca Marina – Seafood & steakhouse, rooftop views
¡Nosotros te amamos México!
