I've been to DF quite a few times, but I mostly stayed in San Ángel. However my first time I stayed in a hostel in Centro Historico. My first time to Mexico City, one euro-mestiza woman saw me standing up and eating my quesadillas, and she invited me to sit down. As I sat she asked where I was from. And even an indigenous girl from Oaxaca who was one of the street vendors asked where I was from. Next morning I chatted up a few Oaxaca girls (they were indo mestizas but their skin color was olive and not brown) at breakfast. Had relatively deep conversations with them.
Anyways, here's my overview:
Mexico City is hardly representative of the remaining 95 percent of the country. And in many ways, I thought it felt like Los Angeles.
Pros:
- cost of living is significantly lower than in large cities in first world countries
- tasty food
- many things to do and see
- cute girls, although mostly in more affluent areas like Condesa, Roma, and Polanco
- easier to get laid (with normal women) compared to most other parts of Mexico, which are more for finding a long-term girlfriend or wife
- public transportation is everywhere - you have the Metro, Metrobus, microbuses, and taxis
Cons:
- fast-paced lifestyle which can be especially stressful for people who are more used to being in small to medium-sized cities
- air pollution in some parts of the metropolitan area
- congestion on the roads, and public transportation gets crowded, especially during rush hour
- sometimes, taxi drivers won't stop for you if you hail a cab, even if there aren't any passengers
- people take advantage of others (but especially foreigners) more than anywhere else I've been to in Mexico
- it has the highest divorce rate in all of Mexico, and is on par with the U.S.
- no fault divorce (although the municipal government provides temporary 2 year marriage licenses to ease breakups)
- many municipalities in the metropolitan area that are in Mexico state have fairly high crime rates; and sometimes, first class and executive buses traveling on the autopistas (freeways) going through those municipalities are robbed during a traffic jam
Anyways, here's my overview:
Mexico City is hardly representative of the remaining 95 percent of the country. And in many ways, I thought it felt like Los Angeles.
Pros:
- cost of living is significantly lower than in large cities in first world countries
- tasty food
- many things to do and see
- cute girls, although mostly in more affluent areas like Condesa, Roma, and Polanco
- easier to get laid (with normal women) compared to most other parts of Mexico, which are more for finding a long-term girlfriend or wife
- public transportation is everywhere - you have the Metro, Metrobus, microbuses, and taxis
Cons:
- fast-paced lifestyle which can be especially stressful for people who are more used to being in small to medium-sized cities
- air pollution in some parts of the metropolitan area
- congestion on the roads, and public transportation gets crowded, especially during rush hour
- sometimes, taxi drivers won't stop for you if you hail a cab, even if there aren't any passengers
- people take advantage of others (but especially foreigners) more than anywhere else I've been to in Mexico
- it has the highest divorce rate in all of Mexico, and is on par with the U.S.
- no fault divorce (although the municipal government provides temporary 2 year marriage licenses to ease breakups)
- many municipalities in the metropolitan area that are in Mexico state have fairly high crime rates; and sometimes, first class and executive buses traveling on the autopistas (freeways) going through those municipalities are robbed during a traffic jam