Anybody familiar with Nuevo Laredo? (San Antonio, Austin: 2009, live, dangerous)

[Dopo]

I've been in San Antonio for a year and I'm interested on traveling to Mexico (border towns) with my wife and 2 little kids.
I know, it sounds crazy, but what I want to do is go on a Saturday morning and be back in the US by noon. (all the criminals should be sleeping)

I already went to Del Rio - Ciudad Acuña.
we crossed around 10am, Ciudad Acuña looked almost deserted, very few people around.
we were there until about 2pm and left.

I've heard that Nuevo Laredo has some good markets to shop for mexican things.
So I'm planning on getting there around 8am and come back to the US at noon.

Is anybody familiar with the markets in Nuevo Laredo?

[jgar477]

if you're looking for the market experience i would drive down to the rio grande valley and go to nvo. progreso instead. its catered to tourists and with all the stuff going on in mexico right now it would be your safest bet.

[LovingSAT]

Originally Posted by Dopo

I've been in San Antonio for a year and I'm interested on traveling to Mexico (border towns) with my wife and 2 little kids.
I know, it sounds crazy, but what I want to do is go on a Saturday morning and be back in the US by noon. (all the criminals should be sleeping)

I already went to Del Rio - Ciudad Acuña.
we crossed around 10am, Ciudad Acuña looked almost deserted, very few people around.
we were there until about 2pm and left.

I've heard that Nuevo Laredo has some good markets to shop for mexican things.
So I'm planning on getting there around 8am and come back to the US at noon.

Is anybody familiar with the markets in Nuevo Laredo?

Not something I would even consider at this day and time, especially taking my children and my wife.

[ChristieP]

Acuna is a very sleepy little town in a region the Spaniards called the "despoblado" meaning "no one lives here." The drug violence has mostly not affected Acuna just because it is so remote.

Do some searches and you'll see that Nuevo Laredo has been VERY dangerous with the violence, and is practically under martial law. I would not go across there on a dare.

As someone else suggested, Progresso is a MUCH better and safer place to go across.

[Cupcake77]

Probably not safe unless you go with the right people. Half my family through marriage is from Juarez and I have gone many times and for me it was perfectly safe. If you go I would only go with people who are native, otherwise I wouldn't go.

[CptnRn]

Austin couple returns to Laredo, wishes other would, too

Soldiers beefing up security In Nuevo Laredo | Pro 8 News.com - News, Weather, Sports - Laredo, Texas | Local

Nuevo Laredo's tourism appears all but dead

Interesting article here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124709606468215025.html

"If the immigrant community represents a large proportion of the population, you're likely in one of the country's safer cities. San Diego, Laredo, El Paso -- these cities are teeming with immigrants, and they're some of the safest places in the country."

[jtur88]

However, visiting Nuevo Progreso would be about as interesting as Wall, South Dakota. And does not really have the flavor of Mexico. Everybody walking down the street will be American. It would be much more interesting and just as safe to cross the river at Roma or Rio Grande City, and visit Ciudad Miguel Aleman or Camargo.

You can park your car on the US side, ant it is a very easy walk into downtown C. Miguel Aleman, but it will have the overall aspect of a border town. Alternatively, it's about a ten-mile drive from the border into Camargo, but it will have a more typically Mexican atmosphere.

Many things close up in the middle of the day in Mexico for siesta, so try to get over early enough in the morning that things are still busy.

[stillkit]

You'd have to be insane to take your family to Nuevo Laredo. Or, Ciudad Acuna for that matter. Especially if you have a little girl. Why on earth would you want to take that risk right now?

If you want to "see" Mexico, get away from the border. Take them to Monterey, or DF or Veracruz.

[lalo2378]

omg im sooo tired of people bashing mexico because of the violence..im an american born and raised and i took off and went to mexico and lived in border towns for a year...

NOT ONCE did anything bad ever happen to me there..i did this as an experiment..yeah sometimes bad things happen to good people but that is EVERYWHERE. Other than that as long as you don't do drugs and keep to yourself you will be OK.

Nuevo Laredo is pretty big and has some great areas for shopping, Reynosa is nice too..regardless..you are going to do what you want, I hope you do go and that way when nothing bad happens you can come back and tell us about it and hopefully change the minds of these people that have been brainwashed by the "we have to put every country down because we are america" media.

[Dopo]

Thanks for the info lalo,
I'll send you a PM later asking you a few questions related to this.

I grew up in Venezuela, close to Caracas,
there's a hell lot of crime, but I also know that thieves go to sleep late and wake up late.
That's why I would think we (my family) would be safe going to Nuevo Laredo and the markets on Saturday morning.