WAS THE NEWSLETTER #81

HELLO Mexico City

Maren Loveland
June 13, 2025

#80

I’m Paige Wassel. WAS the Newsletter is your weekly dose of design inspiration, where we can never, ever escape Los Angeles Hinge.

I just returned from 12 dreamy, design-y, semi-debaucherous days in Mexico City, and I have thoughts. And flea market finds. And edibles. But mostly thoughts.

Kate and I needed a real break after working our asses off (for basically ten years straight but especially this past one), so we decided to hit pause and pack light (ish).

Let’s get into it.

We rented this absolutely ridiculous Airbnb in Roma Norte. The area is Wicker Park meets Silver Lake—gritty, gorgeous, and full of people who definitely own a Matisse print and at least one vintage espresso cup.

When we travel together, where we stay is kind of everything because we’re not people who spend only eight hours in the room. We need space to hang out and just be, because, unlike our luggage, we don’t overpack our schedules. A lot of times, we want to feel like locals when we go somewhere and this place delivered.

The house had a full atrium, a movie theater in the basement (seriously), and architecture that made me consider putting down roots and starting a mezcal bar. We like to chill when we travel—sleep in, stay in, lounge early and often. So yeah, we vibed hard with the space.

Who Was There: Tag-Ins & Tag-Outs

The first four days were a dream trio: me, Kate, and my brother Jack, who flew in from Chicago. Total bonus—we ran into my friend Maddie and her boyfriend, which turned into a fun, wine-soaked dinner party kind of situation.

Later, our friend Dave joined the rotation. Honestly, this trip turned into a casual open house—like, if you’re around, pull up a chair. And Dave came with recs, which we LOVE.

What We Did

Restaurants: We hit so many good spots. Top of the list was the famous seafood place Contramar. We ordered the “Divorced Fish,” which is butterflied and grilled and covered in zesty parsley sauce on one side and spicy adobo on the other. Ironically, I would marry this fish.

Flea markets: We found some great art. Kate got a ton of stuff she’ll frame and sell in our store. Even Jack brought some art home to hang. That said, if you're down there to shop and you’re hoping for Paris or Brimfield energy… temper expectations. You’ve got to dig. But we laid everything out on the kitchen table and did a mini shoot for Office Supplies, and that was such a good time.

Museums, Culture, Etc.: We did the Luis Barragán house (an actual pilgrimage—his work is everything), plus an artsy collective space, La Laguna S.A. de C.V., with coffee and cool shops. We also hit the Biblioteca Vasconcelos, the insane library with towering shelves and brutalist architecture. We felt SO inspired for the store. Metal, glass, concrete—vibes on vibes on vibes.

Lucha Libre: Yes, we saw masked wrestling. Yes, it was a short walk from our place. Yes, we drank micheladas and screamed like it was the Super Bowl.

Bar Hopping: We hit a few of Dave’s favorite spots because he knows all the happening clambakes, and we also went to places recommended by our readers who are locals. (Y’all are the best!)

A.Siento: We also hit up this local bookstore that sells vintage architecture books. They actually sent me some in the past as we follow each other on instagram. It was fun to see in person.
Caan Crudo: We hit up a lot of jewelry spots but this one was def a top fav.

Slower Days & Cinderella Nights

After Dave left, it was just me and Kate again and we were a little less energetic. We slowed it down. Fewer dance bars, more wandering, more sleepy mornings. We closed things out with one last flea market (the best one, naturally), quesadillas in hand, and then a night in watching A Cinderella Story. Classic.

And then—L.A. came for me. On my flight home, I ran into a guy I matched with on Hinge. So, no, you cannot escape L.A. Hinge, even at 30,000 feet.