# Mexico City Embassy Questions



## kazslo (Jun 7, 2010)

In 2 weeks my wife has an appointment for her to apply for a consular report of birth for our daughter. Since neither of us has ever been to the Embassy and my only experience in the city was being lost on the highway after missing the Arco Norte exit, I have a few anxious questions. They'll be taking a bus to TAPO from Xalapa. According to ADO the bus takes 4.5 hours to get there, but how long does it take for a cab to get from TAPO to the embassy? Also, I see on the visa interview website that it says you can't bring in barely anything, including cell phones - is this the case for everyone or only those getting a visa interview? If anyone applied for a CRBA before, how long did the appointment take, and was your appointment time honored? I guess we're just a little nervous not knowing what to expect especially since I won't be there with them :-(.


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

Security at the gate will take everything. Nothing metal gets through without an inspection. Put all the information you need on paper. No iPads, laptops, cell phones, or lighters. They'll give you a plastic bag to put in all in. 

I had problems when I told them that I had an appointment with the Benefits Office. They called to verify the appointment and I missed the time by one hour. The next time I simply told them that I wanted to go to the Benefits Office and they let me in.


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## kazslo (Jun 7, 2010)

Thanks, thats good to know about the electronics. Do they store the prohibited items for you then? The only thing she'd need to bring besides the papers would be her cell phone, and thats sort of a must-have.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Your belongings are kept safely and I've never had something missing nor have I heard from others that they lost anything. Security is tight. Listen carefully to instructions and follow them precisely.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Unless the traffic is horrendous it should take you around a half hour in a taxi to get from TAPO to the US Embassy. I live very near the Embassy and when I take a taxi to the airport, which is a bit beyond TAPO, it has never taken me more than 30 minutes to arrive, and once I made the trip in 20 minutes.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Isla Verde said:


> Unless the traffic is horrendous it should take you around a half hour in a taxi to get from TAPO to the US Embassy. I live very near the Embassy and when I take a taxi to the airport, which is a bit beyond TAPO, it has never taken me more than 30 minutes to arrive, and once I made the trip in 20 minutes.


I would take the subway. Faster and cheaper than a taxi by far. But I understand that someone not comfortable in big cities might not want to do it that way. It looks like a single subway ride, no changes of train, from TAPO (San Lázaro) to Insurgentes. Then the Embassy is just a few blocks away.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

TundraGreen said:


> I would take the subway. Faster and cheaper than a taxi by far. But I understand that someone not comfortable in big cities might not want to do it that way. It looks like a single subway ride, no changes of train, from TAPO (San Lázaro) to Insurgentes. Then the Embassy is just a few blocks away.


I know that neighborhood well (after all, it is my neighborhood), and I suggest that taking a taxi will be easier. When you get off the Metro at Insurgentes, there are several exits from the large glorieta you'll find yourself in once you exit the station. Only one leads to the Zona Rosa, which you have to traverse to get to Reforma, where the Embassy is located. For someone not familiar with this area of Mexico City, I really think that taking a taxi is a much better idea.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Isla Verde said:


> I know that neighborhood well (after all, it is my neighborhood), and I suggest that taking a taxi will be easier. When you get off the Metro at Insurgentes, there are several exits from the large glorieta you'll find yourself in once you exit the station. Only one leads to the Zona Rosa, which you have to traverse to get to Reforma, where the Embassy is located. For someone not familiar with this area of Mexico City, I really think that taking a taxi is a much better idea.


I agree. I am familiar with the Insurgentes station also. It is confusing. I usually just ask someone for directions when I am in situations like that. But that depends on one's tolerance for new situations. Also, being under a time constraint to get to an appt, would complicate things. 

It is always a good idea to follow the advice of someone who lives there.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Take a taxi. It'll get you from TAPO to the Embassy in less than 30 minutes in heavy traffic (worse case scenario) and shouldn't cost you more than the peso equivalent of US$10. Taxi fares from TAPO are fixed-price based on distance of travel and you pre-pay before getting to the taxi. There's a booth which dispenses the tickets. Quick. Efficient. For someone unfamiliar with the Metro system the shock of dealing with that very crowded environment at peak hours of operation can be unsettling.


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## mickisue1 (Mar 10, 2012)

Remember that this will be a new mom with a baby. Multiply the worries/anxiety by 100.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

mickisue1 said:


> Remember that this will be a new mom with a baby. Multiply the worries/anxiety by 100.



When I wrote that taking the Metro is a bad idea, I'd forgotten that she'd have a baby in tow. Take a taxi and enjoy the ride!


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## tepetapan (Sep 30, 2010)

Isla Verde said:


> When I wrote that taking the Metro is a bad idea, I'd forgotten that she'd have a baby in tow. Take a taxi and enjoy the ride!


 Ok, I have been amazed and also wondered how a person could post over 1,600 times in just a year. Now I understand.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Longford said:


> Take a taxi. It'll get you from TAPO to the Embassy in less than 30 minutes in heavy traffic (worse case scenario) and shouldn't cost you more than the peso equivalent of US$10. Taxi fares from TAPO are fixed-price based on distance of travel and you pre-pay before getting to the taxi. There's a booth which dispenses the tickets. Quick. Efficient. For someone unfamiliar with the Metro system the shock of dealing with that very crowded environment at peak hours of operation can be unsettling.


I just remembered one more point that might be worth mentioning. 

Last time I was at TAPO, I noticed the line for a taxi was very, very, very long. I don't have any idea how long it was taking but there were hundreds of people in the line. Allow some time.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

tepetapan said:


> Ok, I have been amazed and also wondered how a person could post over 1,600 times in just a year. Now I understand.


What do you understand?


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

TundraGreen said:


> I just remembered one more point that might be worth mentioning.
> 
> Last time I was at TAPO, I noticed the line for a taxi was very, very, very long. I don't have any idea how long it was taking but there were hundreds of people in the line. Allow some time.


You may have been there at a particularly busy time, holiday or special occassion. I say that because I've been in that station and used the ta.xi service scores upon scores of times ... and never have I waited more than several minutes. Time of day may make a difference


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## kazslo (Jun 7, 2010)

Thanks everyone for your replies. 100% chance she'll be taking a cab, she's nervous as it is since this will be the first time she's ventured outside of Veracruz (besides Chicago). Our daughter is almost turning 2 - we've just been putting off the application while sorting through some visa issues. 
One last question, (mainly directed a Isla since she lives in the neighborhood) - any good lunch restaurant in the area you can recommend?

Just as a side note...I was pleasantly surprised at how courteous the man from the embassy was on the phone/email, definitely not like a normal US gov't office.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

kazslo said:


> Thanks everyone for your replies. 100% chance she'll be taking a cab, she's nervous as it is since this will be the first time she's ventured outside of Veracruz (besides Chicago). Our daughter is almost turning 2 - we've just been putting off the application while sorting through some visa issues.
> One last question, (mainly directed a Isla since she lives in the neighborhood) - any good lunch restaurant in the area you can recommend?
> 
> Just as a side note...I was pleasantly surprised at how courteous the man from the embassy was on the phone/email, definitely not like a normal US gov't office.


There are lots of restaurants in the area, including a Sanborn's a block away from the Embassy, but there are many better places to choose from. What sort of food does she like?


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## kazslo (Jun 7, 2010)

Chinese, Italian, and simple Mexican


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

kazslo said:


> Chinese, Italian, and simple Mexican


There's very little Chinese food in my area, and what there is, is awful. There are some nice Italian places that I consider pricey, but I'm on a somewhat limited budget. There are tons of neighborhood joints that have the usual comida corrida. And there's a Japanese place that's decent and not too expensive.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

The Sheraton Maria Isabel hotel is situated next to the Embassy, and has restaurants, including a coffee shop. Sanborn's is a block away, next to the Sheraton. The Zona Rosa is across Paseo de la Reforma from the Embassy and there are a couple of Korean restaurants on Florencia just S. of Paseo de la Reforma and the Angel of Independence monument.


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## kazslo (Jun 7, 2010)

Isla Verde said:


> There's very little Chinese food in my area, and what there is, is awful. There are some nice Italian places that I consider pricey, but I'm on a somewhat limited budget. There are tons of neighborhood joints that have the usual comida corrida. And there's a Japanese place that's decent and not too expensive.


Good to hear there's plenty in the area...and thanks for the heads up on Chinese food, because I'm sure thats one of the first places she'd gravitate towards. We'll see how the trip goes this next week!


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

kazslo said:


> Good to hear there's plenty in the area...and thanks for the heads up on Chinese food, because I'm sure thats one of the first places she'd gravitate towards. We'll see how the trip goes this next week!


In my immediate area, there is no Chinese food, but in the Zona Rosa just across Reforma from the Embassy, there a couple of those Chinese buffet places, which is the kind of bad Chinese food I warned you about.


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