No I don't have one but I am really keen to get some as we make our first visit in January, so if you have something you consider to be a <font color="red">&quot;must<font color="red">know&quot; !! Let me have it !
thanks in advance !</font></font>

I went to Mexico City for the first time this past January. I personally really enjoyed the megalopolis.

Given that there's so much to know and so many fabulous things about Mexico City, buy a guidebook and pick out things you want to do based on your interests (nightlife, history, food). The only &quot;must know&quot; that's different from other North American cities that I can think of is that it's highly recommended to go with taxis seguros (safe taxis); i.e. have the hotel call one for you, pick up a ticket at the airport/bus station there are taxis seguros lined up.

Oh yeah. As for me, Teotihuacan, the Templo Mayor, the Museo de Antropologia and Xochimilco changed the way I see the world and I still think about them tdoay. (!) Particularly the 3rd but all of them to some degree... But maybe you are not as historically ignorant as I was .

I hope you have a great trip!

My Mexico City advice is, even when taking a &quot;safe taxi&quot;, always get the taxi number. I was robbed by one coming from the airport and then spent the next 5 hours looking through huge books of pictures of all the drivers, all men, all wearing a white shirt and black tie. Needless to say, I couldn't exactly pinpoint him. Now I always memorize taxi numbers, wherever I am .

I don't mean this as a negative on Mexico City. I love the place and think it could have happened anywhere. And....one really nice taxi driver spend 2 hours trying to help me and then invited me to come home and have dinner with his wife and kids. That part probably wouldn't have happened anywhere else.

I have just returned from a long awaited trip to Mexico City.My feeling whilst I was there was that every day there was a safety issue which made me feel more concerned than I want to be on holiday.
I still haven't managed to sort out the taxi situation. I know that you get licensed taxis from the airport or your hotel and these worked O.K. .I also know that you never take an unmarked taxi or flag down a taxi on the street.
This left us uncertain then when a restaurant called a taxi for us that was unmarked. Or How do you return from somewhere that does not have a queue of taxis outside. If taxis are marked in the street is it O.K. to call one?
Failing to sort this out effectively stopped us going to Frieda Kahlo's house. We had driven through Coyoacan a few times on the bus or in taxis and it looked grim- deserted streets, fenced and walled in buildings.We did not know whether it was safe trying to walk from there to the tube in the event that we couldn't get a taxi.
I also felt that the city didn't have any particular charm which made you want to wander or just sit and enjoy being there.
We went to Xochimilcho which I have wanted to do for years. We travelled out by tube to the south station and then transferred to the light train which departed from across the platform(the integrated transport system is very good). When we arrived in Xochimilcho we had a bit of trouble finding our way to the gardens and then on the way back to the train got lost again but made it eventually.I really enjoyed this day.
Travelling back into the city we stopped off at the Museum Dolores Olmeda. Fodors Gold Guide is poor on the location of this and certainly gives you no indication at all that you need to travel 4 stops back into the city before you are in the area of this museum.
We went to Teoticuahan with a private trip from our hotel(the Maria Christina)The vehicle taking us was old and on the point of packing up.Many times it nearly stopped. I really didn't want to break down in the north of the city! The next day I saw the same vehicle outside our hotel taking another trip and wondered if it had been repaired!
As against this nothing at all happened and I didn't see anything threatening. All my fears were as a result of the advice I read. In fact people were friendly and as soon as you smiled they smiled back.
The first night we walked to the Zocalo from the Zona Rosa I had read about trying to blend in. I had a Mexican style ankle lenghth skirt(all the rage in the U.K.)Was I so wrong in thinking I'd blend in! Everyone wore dark T-shirts and jeans. The major difference was that my husband I and are very tall and we really stuck out!Standing waiting to cross the road outside the Belles Artes a man grabbed my arm. I turned around anticipating a problem and he pointed out I was standing in the bus lane and a bus was bearing down on us at a rate of knots. That was funny!
I won't return to Mexico City both because of the reasons I've pointed out here and also because I have now seen the three things I went there to see- Xochimilcho, the Museum of Anthropology and Teoticuahan.
The positives- it was not as dangerous as I expected.
(I haven't told you about my husband taking me in the dark through the streets from the Zocalo to Plaza Garibaldi!)

&quot;I also felt that the city didn't have any particular charm which made you want to wander or just sit and enjoy being there.&quot;

I personally felt very differently in this regard. I'm almost saddened to read Frances, that you didn't feel the same charm, particularly since we stayed at the same hotel, the Maria Cristina. Every day I would smile even at the colourfully-painted neighbourhood homes across the street from the Maria Cristina as I ate in the hotel restaurant.

I found myself a few times sitting on the stone benches surrounding the glorietas on the Paseo de La Reforma for 10 minutes, just admiring, and I very much enjoyed exploring the side streets of the Zona Rosa. The Centro Historico I found enjoyable wandering about during the day as well, all the way to the Alameda, with the pedestrian side streets. I found the area around the Bellas Artes almost magical and romantic in its energy. Maybe I'm easily charmed or it could have been because I went during the Xmas holidays but I was totally seduced by the gran DF...

DAN

My family recently returned from a trip to Mexico City. We had a fantastic time. Mexico City is fascinating, huge, culturally important, relatively inexpensive and the people we met could not have been nicer. There is much to see and do and there is good shopping for handicrafts. Also, we found the food to be excellent. There are many very upscale restaurants and small &quot;fondas&quot; and we never had a bad meal. Neither did anyone get sick.

With respect to taxis, we did not encounter the types of problems others may have. We had our hotel call a taxi sitio nearby whenever we needed one. It came in a couple of minutes. No problem, ever. Ditto whenever we left a restaurant. Indeed, on one occasion after dinner, the restaurant called a taxi and we were late in leaving the restaurant and it was raining. Recognizing that the taxi might have left, our waiter walked with us outside and waited with us until another taxi came. Even the manager came outside to see what had taken so long and he too waited with us, all the time apologizing. We live in NYC and I can't remember such a thing ever occuring - neither would it be likely to occur - here. We also found no problem at all getting cabs at tourist destinations or elsewhere. There are &quot;sitio&quot; taxi sites most everywhere you will be. The taxis line up there, are registered and are also dispatched by telephone. (You can also call a radio/sitio taxi from anywhere. There are a few large very well known companies and every driver will give you his company's card.) We never had a problem using sitio cabs. We did not flag down random cabs on the street.

The people of Mexico City were universally warm. We had a number of conversations where the talk was about the resurgence of tourism to the City, how sad the people feel that the City has obtained a dangerous reputation (and no doubt still is in some circumstances). In fact, when we were at the Saturday Market in Coyoacan we had more than one vendor say &quot;thank you for coming and welcome to our city.&quot; Mexico City is not midtown Manhattan but, we never once felt threatened or ill at ease. Simply take common sense precautions and read some guide books. We would return in a heart beat.

I hope Frances is encouraged to go back. My experiences in Mexico City have been much more like the other posters -- a fascinating place with helpful people.

One note -- while the subway is efficient and fast, it does pay to heed the warnings about pickpockets. I know two people who foolishly boarded a jammed train at the notorious Hidalgo station and had their pockets picked.

However, if you take the usual big city precautions you should be all right.

In addition to the sights listed above -- be sure to visit the Templo Mayor and the National Palace on the Zocalo (bring photo id for the Palace, where you will find the famous Diego Rivera murals).

<font color="red">more <font color="purple">more <font color="pink"> more
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ttt

Well, I don't have a simple list of &quot;must know&quot; tips to visit Mexico City, though if I did one, it would include some of the points already mentioned in this thread.

I'd be careful, but not paranoid.
I'd try to catch the Ballet Folklorico at least once, even if it has been hyped out the wazoo.
I'd focus on some kind of theme in order to make things manageable: like &quot;art&quot; on one trip, &quot;shops and boutiques and the Saturday market&quot; on another, &quot;aztec sites and culture&quot; on another. (Just a thought).
I'd use Metro when possible, and avoid rush hours.

Have fun!
Mark
www.tiogringo.com

A few other tips.

Temperatures in January can go into the low 20's celsius midday, but can fall to 5 or lower at night, especially early in the month, so you will need a warmish jacket.

Leave your fancy watch, any diamonds and other expensive jewelry at home. Upper class Mexicans own such things but very rarely wear them in public, so having a lot of jewelry really makes you stand out.

Meal times are interesting. There are no siestas in Mexico City, but the main meal of the day is still lunch, otherwise known as the comida. Restaurants are very busy from about 1-4pm (many restaurants don't open until 1 or 1:30), so if you have a particular place in mind you should consider making a reservation. Dinner hours are on the later side, with few diners before 8:30 or 9pm -- prime time begins around 9:30 or 10.

If you arrive at a restaurant and it is not very full, consider ordering a drink first, then later your first course, and when the first course arrives (or after you have finished it), order your main course. Pacing of meals is not a strong suit in many restaurants, so if you want a leisurely meal at non-peak times you need to take charge of the pacing yourself. If the restaurant is really busy this is less of an issue.

The last top before I start to cut and paste! <font color="red"> thank you !!!</font>

thanks for all the help !

HERE MY MEXICO CITY AND MEXICO WARNINGS, DO AN DONTS


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My only regret is that We did not allow more time at The Museum of Anthropology truly Smithsonian quality. Also the floating gardens are nice EXCEPT in the winter months. Very Chilly out there &amp; no flowers etc. to speak of. Defiantly a spring must however.