magoo35
7/5/2018 18:42 EST
My gf and I are planning a trip to DF after I return from Panama for business. She is a bit concerned with safety. What would you say is the Safest Colonia?
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YellowTail
7/5/2018 19:46 EST
I assume it is a short stop. My advice - stay somewhere near the 'angel' off reforma. We like zona rosa. Stay off the metro (take cabs - they are cheap).
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novato1953
7/7/2018 14:33 EST
As the man said, the zona rosa -- or the centro historico, which has fewer broad streets and thus less rush hour traffic. Good thing about the D.F. is there isn't a lot of attention paid to camouflage -- when it looks like a bad neighborhood, it usually IS a bad neighborhood; and when it doesn't, it's usually not.
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magoo35
7/7/2018 23:06 EST
Thanks for the advice guys. So you think Zona Rosa or Centro Historico is safer than Polanco or Condesa?
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novato1953
7/8/2018 12:14 EST
Mainly, they are denser neighborhoods, hence more walkable, hence more enjoyable for me.
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magoo35
7/8/2018 12:20 EST
My original post was asking which Colonia was safest. Maybe someone can advise in that regard.
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YellowTail
7/8/2018 12:50 EST
That is like asking "Where is the best pizza in New York City".
Perhaps the US Dept of State (US Embassy) maintains statistics - they are concerned with the safety of their employees.
In the April time frame I was mugged by a group of perhaps 6 men/boys while getting on the metro. When the doors opened these guys surrounded me and pushed like a rugby scrum. When the doors closed I realized that my cellphone was lifted from my back pocket.
Lesson learned : If you are a guy - keep all valuables in your front pockets. If you are a girl - hug your purse at your chest. If you have a backpack - wear it so that pack is on your chest and not your back.
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novato1953
7/9/2018 14:59 EST
Your question is basically unanswerable. All of the D.F. is equally safe in my experience -- in 40+ years of travel there, I've never fallen victim to crime. But there's always a first time, and a first place.
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tony7240
7/9/2018 16:56 EST
This whole question of safety in Mexico is crazy.! I’m from Chicago and I feel much safer here in PuertoVallarta.
I won’t go to any bad hoods in Mexico or the US so I feel very safe. Mexico is safer in my opinion. More polite and very helpful. I hardly hear any antiTrump complaints from Mexicans.
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YellowTail
7/9/2018 18:24 EST
Memory is a funny thing. We LOVE to walk along Reforma in Mexico City. From one end to the other. Years ago we walked from the angel to the zocalo. Reforma kind of forks at one point. So we did the zolcalo and then headed east (?) figuring we would run back into reforma at some point Well we took a left at the first main drag heading back north. We passed a 'mariachi museum' (didn't go in). Passed a few sidewalk venders.
I'm going to stop there for a second. I like wearing shorts. For many years I had a job that allowed me to work from home and I wore shorts and hardly ever put on shoes. So this particular day I was definitely the ultimate tourist wearing baggy shorts.
My wife and I stopped at a curb to allow traffic to flow - waiting for the light to change. All of a sudden I felt someone either trying to grab my butt or remove my wallet from my back pocket (the wallet was in my front pocket). Without looking I turned very quickly and my elbow just happened to be at the proper height to catch the nose of the person accosting me (hard). He was one of the street vendors we had just passed moments before. He went running holding his nose.
This all happened within one block of the main Mexican Post Office building - very near the arts center.
For what it is worth - since then I generally wear jeans when walking around Mexico City...
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magoo35
7/10/2018 18:10 EST
Wow…didn't think this would be such a difficult question. I am from Chicago and if you asked me which part of the city was safest I would say certain areas on the North side..places like Lakeview, edge water, parts of Lincoln Park. West side is pretty unsafe. Much of the Southside is unsafe as well. However, certain south side areas like Mount Greenwood, bridgeport are reasonably safe.
A ten to fifteen minute drive out of the city in the Western suburbs also pretty safe. Short drive to the lake shores northern suburbs extremely safe. I could give names of suburbs but i think you get my point.
Thats what I was looking for. Thanks for your input nonetheless.
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JohnRobbie
7/10/2018 19:31 EST
I agree with you...perhaps the question was not answered as you hoped.
There are good people on this forum that have much experience and helpful responses.
Then there are others who comment incessantly and have never even lived here...but whose comments are based on their 'visits'.
Try doing a PM to someone on this site you feel may be able to help..or also consider going to another forum.
There are enough ex-pats here that you should be able to get info that you feel is helpful to you.
Good luck!
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MonicaRixPaxson
7/10/2018 21:40 EST
The comparison you are asking for between Chicago and the colonias in Mexico City or anywhere else in Mexico simply doesn't work. Cities in the USA are far younger and more planned than the vast majority of cities in Mexico. In the US, neighborhoods tend to be homogenous. For example, people who live in Berwyn, IL tend to be blue collar and housing is typically a bungalow. Chicago was a swamp 200 years ago. Mexico City was also a lakeside swamp, but it has been populated for far longer than the USA. It was founded in 1325 (wow! nearly 700 years) and has never had segregated areas similar to zoning or developments in the USA. Rich and poor people are far more likely to live side-by-side in Mexico. Many people living on the Northshore of Chicago have never even seen how poor people live. They are protected by zoning laws that make it impossible for poor people to live nearby. So, yes, there are some areas that are more gentrified in Mexico City than other areas, but the way you are thinking about "safety" and good neighborhoods doesn't really work. This is just one of the reasons that it is highly recommended that you come and live here and do your own research to find a place that is a good fit for you.
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RVGRINGO
7/11/2018 11:35 EST
In the USA, when you find yourself in a strange place and where some people dress and act differently, and speak other languages, you probably feel ill at ease; perhapes even fearfull.
It is the same in Mexico, except that YOU are the strange one, and are probably handicapped by speaking only one language. You may feel like the proverbial 'fish out of water', but you will survive.
First step: Learn basic Spanish
Second step: Smile and greet people
Third step: Shake hands
Ahhhhhhh! What a relief it is!
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