Been There, Smelled That explores the aromas of places around the world. Travel writer Maggie Downs investigates some of the world’s most potent smells, looks at how odor cultivates a connection to place, and presents how humans engage with smells, from scents that have endured generations to the latest innovations in aroma-making.
Sometimes I think a good scent is like receiving an invitation to a party—the more enticing the smell, the more flamboyant the promise, and the more excited I am to go wherever that journey will take me. And nowhere was that more true than in Mexico City.
My family and I stayed in a third-floor apartment in Roma Norte, a panadería conveniently located on the ground floor. I never needed to use an alarm clock, because my body stirred each morning with the scents of bread and pastry, wafts of cinnamon and sugar tugging me from one dreamlike state to another.
