The Heist in Mexico City. Beautiful hotels (Umbral by Hilton) and clubbing in abandoned KFCs.

Mexico City was a near-flawless production and culinary eating tour. In our 4th episode with Hilton as part of their My 9 Things Series, we travelled to the Umbral Curio Collection by Hilton in the heart of Centro Historico, Mexico City. This area of CDMX was perfect for immersing ourselves in the culture that only comes from such a globally connected, creative-driven hub in central America. The Umbral is a boutique hotel dating back to 1924 and features an art gallery, rooftop pool and terrace, hanging garden, mini-cinema, library, and vinyl record collection. The perfect place to explore the city - which we truly did.

Acclimatizing to the culture and altitude of Mexico City, we connected with our locally based team members Daniela Pérez and Arturo Acevedo who gracious took us on a tour of the sights. City-wide views from Chapultepec Castle set our bearings amongst the city while Lucha Libra wrestling concluded our evening with drama. Nothing quite beats the energy of a packed stadium cheering, taunting and heckling wresting inside and out of the ring. I highly recommend going if you get the chance.

Mexico City is known for its incredible culinary landscapes as much as it is for its culture and we truly had some incredible dinner experiences on this trip. Grasshopper guacamole on the rooftop at Alterna Roma was a notable experience, (not just for the grasshopper, the menu and vistas were spot on) along with churro ice cream sandwiches at Churrería El Moro Condesa. Tacos of course had to be eaten and we kept it safe with Taquería Orinoco while our stomachs got accustomed to the local cruise. Although, Will Dickson our iron-stomached producer did dabble with 2am street tacos and survived to tell the story!

Embracing the Paseo Dominical (Sunday Streets) we took a quick run for coffee at Curva.Cafe. Beating the heat and seeing more sights of the city before our location scout was a great way to kick the jet lag.

Heading into production we brought on LA-based Director of Photography Drew Dawson. Drew’s eye for luxury and attention to detail brought this episode to life and we were thrilled to have him on.  His vision and interpretation of Bronwyn’s directions were tested almost immediately when she fell ill to the molé she’d had the previous night. Our Canadian stomachs weren’t as strong as we originally thought but after an adventurous trip to the doctor, she rallied to film with Arvin Olano, the talent on production. And where would we have been without Dani, who helped Bronwyn and I navigate the streets and helped get her the help she needed at the doctors that afternoon.

After 4 days at the Umbral we headed to the La Condesa neighbourhood for the remainder of our stay and further local activities. Did you know there's a 30m tall climbing wall in Mexico City? We didn’t either but it was great to see the views from another high point.

Oh, and one last fun fact about an abandoned KFC restaurant. We aren't sure KFC knows about it yet, and we're hoping they don't find out, but it just so happened that the local Riot Games fan club threw a new release agent party there.

An agent that we made the official musical visualizer for with Riot Games, just a month prior.

And this is why CDMX is the best city in the world - you never know what you'll find around the next corner. Abandoned KFC's turned nightclubs, guacamole with crickets, churro icecream sandwiches.

From there the team went directly to Cancun to continue our work for Hilton - but that's a story for next time!