Mexico DF Santa Maria la Ribera Neighborhood

with standardized marking and driver´s licence displayed

That's pretty much all taxis now. The city has cracked down (they're not even allowed to ride around at night without turning the interior light on, which I really dislike), and you'd be hard pressed to find an unmarked, pirate taxi to just jump into. All taxis should have the driver's license displayed and except for a few red-gold holdovers, which should be gone by this year, almost all are of the standard pink/white variety. There's never any 100% guarantee of taxi safety in any city in the world... even if you ask the hotel to call a taxi every time you need one, which would be a major pain, you never know who's going to show up or if you might get that one-in-a-million.

I second the motion that Santa Maria la Ribera is a cool neighborhood. I like it a lot, very family oriented with a good market and some nice color and shady trees. The kiosko is cool, and the geography/national history museum - the building anyway - is great. And because the Buenavista neighborhood is undergoing a real revamp it's made the entire area busier and, I think, safer for sure than it used to be.

The Vasconcelos library @ Buenavista is fantastic, and the Metroubus runs right along Insurgentes. Great area all around. I hate to recommend it because I don't want to see the place get busier!

• Andrew

PS - oh and I know it's an oft debated issue and has been forever, but personally speaking I have zero qualms using cruising taxis these days in CDMX. Caution is still required in dodgy areas perhaps, and if a driver is too enthusiastic maybe find another one, but of the last 50 or so taxis I've used in CDMX over the last years I've never had anything remotely close to a problem. So for what it's worth I think taxi travel is now safe. (I know, I know, it's a debatable point...)

I second the motion that Santa Maria la Ribera is a cool neighborhood.

Last year (maybe it was 2 years ago), I started a discussion about what I think are colonies in the city on the bubble to attract substantially more foreign tourists. Santa Maria de la Ribera was one of the two.

During my last two visits to the city, including Feb.2018, I've stayed exclusively in accommodations in the colonia, spent the bulk of my time and took most of my meals in restaurants there.

When I get around to it I will post a report. But, it's time has come and the colonia deserves the attention of more foreign visitors ... particularly Mexicophiles unfamiliar with the colonia.

LW

I remember that discussion, Lake:

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/americas-mexico/mexico/mexico-city-colonias-with-potential-to-become-the-next-colonia-roma

The time perhaps is nigh - I was there the day before yesterday and noticed A LOT more people mooching around than I recall from previous visits. Day trippers, Mexican primarily, eating ice cream and wandering through the park and looking at the kiosko. A few of the shops around the park have been updated (a cool cafe even) and there is quite a lot of residential construction in the neighborhood, old buildings getting face lifts and some quite modern flat blocks.

The time perhaps is nigh - I was there the day before yesterday and noticed A LOT more people mooching around than I recall from previous visits.

Yes, it's increasingly becoming gentrified... in a nice way. Many small restaurants, shops, good Mercado. Popular with 20-something Mexicans ... and families. One of the very active parks in the city. New apartment construction seems to st art at the peso equivalent of US$150k and above. And ... for Lutheran's, one of only 2 Lutheran Churches in the region.

Day trippers, Mexican primarily, eating ice cream and wandering through the park and looking at the kiosko.

Weekends and holidays are crazy busy in the Alameda. Teens learning swing dancing on the kiosko, adults with danzon and rock and roll with hundreds of adults on the plaza on weekends.

A few of the shops around the park have been updated ...

The Delegation is putting finishing touches on a total rehab of the Colonia's cultural center ... across from the Alameda.

LW

This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you.