Mexico City Thoughts
Cash is king here – cards are accepted some places (not all), but cash is definitely preferred. If you want to shop at the markets, eat street food, use a public bathroom, you will need cash. Hoard your small change (1 peso, 2 peso, 5 peso, 10 peso coins) – you will need them.
Food – it’s famously excellent, but who knew I would have one of the best Italian restaurant meals ever, here in Mexico city? Or that French croissants are everywhere and excellent? And yes, it really is cheap or cheaper to eat out here. You can still get a meal for < $5 US, but you can also spend $40-$60 for two.
Traffic – I should have expected this in a city this large, but it is horrendous. Really, truly awful. Except Sunday mornings… Really pay attention when crossing the street.
Water – it is not potable. Unless you are somewhere very high end with filtered water, you just can’t drink it (or get ice cubes). This applies to EVERYONE, not just tourists. Bottled water is cheap and ubiquitous. Note – in pricier restaurants, you will be overcharged for bottled water. Just expect it.
Security – disconcerting at first to see heavily armed police presence and security guards so notable. Body armor, semi-automatic weapons, open military style vehicles with 5-6 heavily armed police riding in the back, patrolling streets. Schools look like prisons, with razor wire, armed guards, etc. Many residences have huge iron gates, multiple layers of security, broken glass embedded at top of stone walls. However, you could walk everywhere, even at night, safely. We were here a month and saw zero evidence of crime, no sirens, no gunshots, etc.
Pets -- We only saw one cat, which seemed odd in a city. Of course we only saw one rat, and that was also odd. Dogs everywhere, but not strays – leashed/unleashed but always with owners or dog-walkers.
ART – Mexico City is full of street art, public art, murals, statues, MUSIC.
CITY PARKS – by and large these are clean, and people use them for everything. Playgrounds, outdoor gyms, dance lessons, boxing, flea markets, skate parks, you name it and people are there all day enjoying the spaces.
POLITICS - passionate, serious, with protests every day.
Tips
Sundays, many of the museums are free
Don’t expect to find much open at 9am
Posted hours are more like guidelines than a promise of service
Don’t rush to cross the street when the light turns
Hoard your coins and always have a 5-10 peso coin with you
Drink bottled water, cook with bottled water, brush your teeth with bottled water (seriously)
Not all street food is safe – better to eat where the crowds eat and avoid the stalls that aren’t so busy.
Avoid the restaurants closest to big attractions. Mediocre food, top prices.
Drink refills are NOT free.
Consider walking. While the bus system is excellent and everywhere, because of traffic, it can take as long or longer than walking. We used Ubers for anything over 5 miles.
Download the Rappi app (for food delivery) and SkyAlert (for earthquake warnings)
Comentarios