How to Tour Mexico City's Hot Spots in Style

There are many reasons to love Mexico City. The leafy sidewalks of the swanky Polanco neighborhood. The cutting-edge galleries and shops of Condesa and Roma. The colorful nightlife scene of the newly revived Juárez district, where trendy wine bars are opening up next to classic cabarets and some of the city's oldest theaters. Not to mention some of the best eating on the continent, whether at a humble taco stand or in an award-winning dining room.

And it seems now more than ever that Mexico City is luring the style set from around the world. Gallerists and artists flock to see one of the best private art collections, at Museo Jumex. Designers hit up the craft market in San Ángel and architect Luis Barragán's house in Miguel Hidalgo for inspiration. And revelers of all sorts crowd the streets of the city's historic center, which has been spiffed up with cool bars and design hotels. This metropolis of 22 million is positively teeming with possibility.

Of course it's a complicated, sometimes baffing, not easily navigated city. It has violence, corruption, glaring wealth disparity — and all eyes warily watch for signs of global political turmoil. But despite these odds, or perhaps because of them, Mexico City is bristling with creative energy right now. There's no better time to do as the T+L crew did and head south to soak up the scene in one of the world's most intoxicating cities. One visit to Salón Covadonga—a traditional cantina where the domino- playing grandfathers sip tequila alongside art-world swells long into the night—and you'll get it.

Model: Michi at Elite NYC
Hair: David Colvin using R & Co.
Makeup: Stevie Huynh at Bryant Artists