A humid institution

If you find yourself stressed by the pressures of navigating one of the most populous cities on earth, you can do what a lot of chilangos do: take a steam bath. There are many bathhouses in the city, but my favorite is Baños Señorial in the centro histórico, on Isabel la Católica #92, between Izazaga and Mesones. If  your thing is a communal steam room, they have those, but I go for the private ones. Their most deluxe version -- the turco privado -- costs about 135 pesos per person (couples tend to come here to, um, unwind together).

This is the changing room where you get undressed and can chill out if the steam gets too hot. Note the TV above the dresser, for those who can't do without it.

This is the shower room, where you can rinse off your perspiration and lie down on that table. I tried to take a picture of the actual steam room, but of course the steam clogged up the lens on my camera.

You've got to love their logo.

If you have the stomach for this

Are organ meats an acquired taste? Perhaps, but I suspect if you don't acquire it at an early age, it's not going to happen. When I was a little boy I wouldn't go near the tripe that my mother prepared, Polish-style, in a creamy sauce. But by the time I was a teenager, I saw the light. When I got to Mexico, in my 20s, I was ready to eat sesadillas (quesadillas stuffed with brains), sopa de fideos con menundencias (noodle soup with giblets) and pancita -- stomach soup, pictured here.

Most people I know won't eat any of this stuff, period. I suspect whether or not you go for offal may have to do with how many generations ago your forebears lived in poverty. Or in Europe, where innards are still considered a delicacy, at least by older folk.

In any case, if you like pancita, or are at least willing to give it a try, I suggest you go to Pancita Rebeca, at calle Golfo de Adén #41, in Colonia Tacuba, where they have been serving it since the 1940s from 6 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon. At Rebeca it's served with a quesadilla (stuffed with cheese, not any other organ), fresh tortillas, lime and verduras -- "vegetables," as chopped onion, cilantro and chile are referred to in these parts. Three freshly prepared sauces adorn the table, including a killer habanera.

My friend, the writer Juvenal Acosta, brought me to Rebeca. Here he is, doing his best to look dignified while wearing the establishment's apron. Is it a lost cause?

The cut in my strut

Entrada Goodbye

Not long ago I saw a friend of mine wearing some very cool shoes. He told me he'd got them at a small store in the colonia Roma Norte. It's called Goodbye Folk on Calle Colima #198. They also sell accessories and clothing, and you can even get your hair cut in the back. But their strong point are shoes.

Shoes

When I went, they did not have the shoes I wanted in my size. So they measured my foot and had them custom made for me. All this for the same retail price -- 2,100 pesos. That may not be inexpensive, but just as a frame of reference, if you were to go to John Lobb Bootmaker in London for custom-made shoes, they would set you back about 46,000 pesos. These babies will put the cut back in my strut and the glide back in my stride.

For a limited time, with each pair of shoes they sell, they are giving away a six-pack of Miller Genuine Draft. The pilón left me nonplused, to say the least.