Ciudad de Mexico, CDMX, April 13 to 19

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[Mavica]

On 7/7/2021 at 1:44 PM, iendo said:

In this thread UBER has been motioned a few times. I can assure you that you can get an Uber from the airport. Just like in other places such as Amsterdam or New Delhi, you will not find Ubers waiting in-front of the airport. You can order Ubers when you get outside. You just have to give them you terminal and door number and they pick you up 5 minutes later.

I thought I was there in 2017 but turns out it was 2018. I was also there in September 2019 and ordered an Uber the same way. You can't beat that price.

I don't use Uber in Mexico City.  Too much fraudulent activity, IMO.  Instead, I recommend using, from the airport, "authorized" taxi's from "Sitio 300" for which you can pre-pay the drive at a kiosk at the airport.  Authorized taxi's from the airport offer safe and secure trips to your hotel/destination for a pittance in comparison to taxi prices it the USA.  I've been doing this for the past 30+ years.

[Mavica]

On 8/10/2022 at 8:57 AM, asdsrfr said:

The Room Mate Valentina closed permanently during the early days of Covid and the building is vacant now. I used to like it as well. Another nearby alternative that allows guests is the Hotel PF. It's a block or two away. I stayed there during gay pride in June and found it to be a nice older hotel. I didn't have guests there but my friend who stays there all the time says it's never a problem to bring someone in and I did not think the reception security seemed overbearing. They also run a Hotel called PF Suites which is slightly further away and seems a little more strict with visitors based on a friend's experience. One to avoid is the Hotel NH Reforma that is very restrictive about guests.

Calle Amberes, where that hotel and many gay bars are located ... is a cesspool.  Filthy.  Abandoned buildings, etc.  Visit the street for entertainment, okay.  Stay either in Colonia Roma Norte or Santa Maria de la Ribera.  Hotel Embassy in Roma Norte or Hotel Santa Maria in Santa Maria de la Ribera are both gay friendly and situated in good neighborhoods.

[belkinDC]

3 hours ago, Mavica said:

I don't use Uber in Mexico City.  Too much fraudulent activity, IMO.

How does the fraud work? I always thought Uber was relatively fraud-proof compared to taxis because you are shown the price upfront and the whole journey is tracked by the company, and you can dispute/report any problems to them? 

[scott456]

I don't speak español, so I can only use Uber (or an other Taxi app in English).   I think one of the problem is, the driver accepts your ride request but doesn't really want to go to your destination (not far enough, or not on his way home).  So he just sits idle until you give up and cancel it (and pay a cancellation fee).  Of course this doesn't cause any harm to the driver.  But the customer spend all this time waiting, and have to pay the cancellation, to try another. And because the trip is canceled, you have no way to leave a negative review on the driver. 

[belkinDC]

9 hours ago, scott456 said:

I think one of the problem is, the driver accepts your ride request but doesn't really want to go to your destination (not far enough, or not on his way home).  So he just sits idle until you give up and cancel it (and pay a cancellation fee)

My understanding is that the driver is not shown what your destination is until they actually pick you up (or at least that’s how it used to be on Uber) because they wanted to prevent precisely that behavior. 

FWIW I used Uber in CDMX multiple times per day on a 10 day trip about a year ago without any major issues. But I’m curious to hear @Mavica’s fraud concerns knowing that he has much more experience in the country.

[kjun12]

It is interesting to note that many Mexicans have large appendages that are more fat than many I have encountered  in other places.

[AMPM]

On 8/12/2022 at 10:05 AM, belkinDC said:

My understanding is that the driver is not shown what your destination is until they actually pick you up (or at least that’s how it used to be on Uber) because they wanted to prevent precisely that behavior. 

FWIW I used Uber in CDMX multiple times per day on a 10 day trip about a year ago without any major issues. But I’m curious to hear @Mavica’s fraud concerns knowing that he has much more experience in the country.

Frequent traveler to Mexico City...the so called "Uber Fraud" that Mavica wrote about is somewhat true, but it's hardly pervasive. Uber drivers in Mexico City get a general notification about what district the drop-off will be before they accept the ride and they will reject the pickup if it's very far or time-consuming during rush hour (CDMX traffic is insane during "hora pico" (peak hour) from 6p-8pm work days). Yes I have seen the behavior that Mavica mentions where an Uber driver will accept the ride and sit idling until you cancel - in all my years traveling to CDMX and Mexico it's happened a handful of times so it's not pervasive. However, if you're requesting rides that are 50+ minutes away, yeah I can see that happening more often. Take the Metro instead - it's a great alternative.

[AMPM]

On 4/13/2019 at 3:03 PM, Latbear4blk said:

 

 

My taxi turn into Amberes St at about 2PM. Three guys, one of them quite hot, were ostensibly cruising in the corner. According to the driver, they were street hustlers...

This is the first time I've seen this mentioned in this forum. Yes Hamburgo Street between Sevilla street and Florencia Street are street hustlers. Sometimes they spill over to Hamburgo and Amberes street like what user Latbear4blk mentioned, but it's rarer now. This section of Hamburgo has guys standing on the north side of the street, facing oncoming traffic and they stand next to the parked cars. You'll know they are hustlers because they will be nicely dressed in suits or dressed like "chacales" which are straight acting dudes (wearing a ball cap, clean tennis shoes, maybe tattooed, wearing gold or silver chains around the neck). They stand next to parked cars because clients will drive by looking at the "merchandise" and stop to discuss prices through the window. Police drive by but everything is tolerated and you won't be hassled. There are also men who act as security who are in cars or nearby in case anyone becomes rowdy - the hustlers pay a "piso" which is like a protection fee for the people who control that street at night. If you're walking on the sidewalk you can chat them up too and discuss prices. Most of the guys have hotels they prefer but they'll be willing to go anywhere you tell them. A popular hotel to take the guy back is Hotel Cies (an hourly hotel which caters specifically to escorts and their clients) which is about 6 city blocks away or 10 minutes by car - best you drive or take an Uber there.