Alright, back to the itinerary! Of all the days that I'll be in Mexico City, Wednesday will probably be the most logistically challenging. My plan is to get out to the ruins of Teotihuacan nice and early in the morning, spend most of the day exploring the area, and stop by the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the way back. ![Picture of the ruins of Teotihuacan][1] By bus, the pyramids are about an hour away from the closest metro station, so I'll definitely be bringing along a book to keep me occupied. For lunch, I think I'll try this restaurant near the ruins called La Gruta. Its seating area is situated in the mouth of a large cave, and it just looks like a really unique and cozy place to eat! For dinner, I think I'll keep exploring some of the food trucks around La Condesa, and spend another quiet evening in a cantina somewhere nearby. On Thursday, my last full day in the city, I'm planning to head up to the El Centro district, which is effectively the heart of the old city. While there, I plan to stroll through the city's most well known plaza, El Zocalo, and stop by El Palacio de Bellas Artes (huge Mexican art museum) and El Museo de la Ciudad (general museum on the history of Mexico City). If I have time, I'll also try to stop by El Mercado de San Juan, which is one of the largest open air markets in the city, to score some souvenirs for my friends and family. ![Picture of El Zocalo][2] For lunch, I've read good things about a little cafe near El Palacio de Bellas Artes that's on the 8th floor of a Sear's department store. I don't know if it will still be a Sear's anymore, but I imagine the view will be pretty nice nonetheless. And for dinner, I'm planning to stop by one of the better known restaurants in the city, El Cardenal, for a fancier dinner on my last night. Their mole poblano is supposed to be really good, and I've been dying to try that sauce for a long time. And on Friday, I'll head back home to Kansas bright and early in the morning. I really can't express how excited I am about this trip. This is the first vacation that I've ever been able to plan and execute on my own, and I'm hoping it becomes but the first of many. As I mentioned on Friday, I have a tremendously exciting bit of news: I was invited to join the team of Brand New Box here in Lawrence as an apprentice software engineer this fall! Brand New Box is a company that specializes in designing software to fit the specific needs and problems that their clients bring to them. For a generalist with a burning love of learning for its own sake, a job like this that demands such a high degree of flexibility, discovery, and innovation is an absolute dream, and I couldn't be more thrilled by this opportunity. As I begin my new job in earnest, I'm sure I'll have more to share as I become familiar with a new tech stack and aggressively expand my programming skill set. But for now, just know that I feel more excited and hopeful about my future than at any point in my life. This feels like the start of a bright new chapter, and I can't wait to see what the future holds. -Joe [1]: https://pickert-website-static.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/blog/11-8-19/Teotihuacan.jpg [2]: https://pickert-website-static.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/blog/11-8-19/Zocalo.jpg