Hey all,
I really wasn't sure where to put this, but has anyone ever gotten strange reactions from bystanders when taking a photo of a road sign along the highway? I know I have. My worst was when I was taking a photo of an old US 98 shield in West Palm Beach, FL this past spring and someone honked and hollered at me. Not only did it embarrass me, but it also scared me half to death!
Anyone else?
-Ian
I generally take pictures from inside the car while moving, and I'll do my absolute best to make sure there aren't people in the picture, but it does happen occasionally. Ive gotten funny looks, but no honking or hollering.
I'm working on a project now for my job for a city government where I'm photographing every house within city limits while collecting a GPS point, requiring me to drive around, stop in front of people's houses, photo, and drive to the next house- on that job I'll usually get 3 or 4 people an hour come out and ask what I'm doing/holler at me (I'm in an unmarked white 1994 Mercury Sable with no hubcaps and a broken windshield, so I couldn't possibly look any sketchier), so I'm becoming fairly desensitized to people questioning me taking pictures. In this case, the police department is fully aware I'm doing this (they're among the agencies that can use the data!), so I have absolutely nothing to worry about.
On a quasi-related note, if I'm roadgeeking and a police car pulls up behind me, I'll stop photographing road signs- I'll usually turn onto a side street or into a parking lot until they move away so I don't miss any signs. I don't know what their reaction would be and I don't want to find out
Quote from: PennDOTFan on July 21, 2010, 08:37:51 PM
Hey all,
I really wasn't sure where to put this, but has anyone ever gotten strange reactions from bystanders when taking a photo of a road sign along the highway? I know I have. My worst was when I was taking a photo of an old US 98 shield in West Palm Beach, FL this past spring and someone honked and hollered at me. Not only did it embarrass me, but it also scared me half to death!
Anyone else?
-Ian
I do a pretty good job at ignoring passers by. Occasionally I will hear someone holler or a car horn, but I usually tune it out or if it pisses me off, mouth something to myself. Otherwise, I tend to not let it bother me. More recently I have taken to wearing an orange vest while standing on the side of a road for a photograph. I have been pleasantly surprised at how much it deflects the miffed reactions from drivers and the assumed legitimacy it brings.
When on foot, say walking around taking photos of signs, sometimes I will be dissuaded. Other times however, I just figure, they'll be puzzled, and a few minutes later, not think anything of it. That was the case when I photographed this assembly in 2000: www.aaroads.com/shields/show.php?image=NY19700622&search=104 There were a few people sitting on a front porch, and I thought, when will I get to see a US 104 shield again? Back then I only had a film camera, so it was "now or never", and I chose to ignore them, get my photo, and move on.
To Corco, when I worked in mapping, one of my jobs as a researcher was to drive around and collect data/observations for our map updates. Occasionally I would get tailgated or cut off for not going fast enough, or better yet, hear yelling because I drove down a road that one of the residents considered "private". I just learned to tune incidents out, or to let my reactionary frustration out in spurts to keep it from building up, and moved on...
the only people that I have any reason to respond to are the police, and in my experience, 100% of the time they will accept you as being "strange, but generally harmless".
Hell, I've been pulled over for speeding, and upon the usual "what are you doing all the way out here" I showed the officer photos of old green signs and identified them as "these date back to 1967 when the intersection was built - you're looking at a piece of history right here!" ... and gotten away with a warning :sombrero:
I've actually had police cars pass me when taking closeups of old signs, and they didn't even bother to stop and ask questions. I am surprised that they have only passed because its usually the ones who are around my age that like to steal things like road signs.
For me, I will lower the camera when I see a cop facing the direction of traffic I am in. If not I go on as usual. For someone who is photographing on public property with train stations, I am usually fine and dandy unless there's a train coming, in which I will move to the opposite platform, where the conductors won't see me. (I am legally allowed to do this, but some conductors lack knowledge of the rules)
I try not to show my camera when there's a car directly next to me on a multi-lane highway. I've gotten some weird looks when I'm making a highway video, especially on roads with traffic lights or pedestrians, but have never been pulled over though. The police doesn't patrol as much in Europe as the do in the United States. You can drive hundreds of miles on major highways without ever seeing a cop.
I had a Sheriff Deputy question me briefly in Missouri last year, but when I told him I was taking pictures of the old bridge, he told me there were quite a few in the area, then left me alone.
Signals & signs I try not to do when there are lots of people around, but generally, then ignore me.
I got chased away from a gas station in Baton Rouge, also Atoka, OK.
I got questioned by a station owner in Meridian, MS who calmed down after I explained what I was doing.
Kat from tiedyetravels takes food pictures for her blog and occasionally gets questioned by people in the restaurant, but otherwise leave her alone.
Quote from: AARoads on July 21, 2010, 09:32:38 PM
Occasionally I will hear someone holler or a car horn, but I usually tune it out or if it pisses me off, mouth something to myself. Otherwise, I tend to not let it bother me. More recently I have taken to wearing an orange vest while standing on the side of a road for a photograph. I have been pleasantly surprised at how much it deflects the miffed reactions from drivers and the assumed legitimacy it brings.
I used to have that problem as well. Since I started wearing a fluorescent vest I've had no one blow their horn. It's amazing how official it makes you look.
Quote from: Chris on July 22, 2010, 06:42:15 AM
I try not to show my camera when there's a car directly next to me on a multi-lane highway. I've gotten some weird looks when I'm making a highway video, especially on roads with traffic lights or pedestrians, but have never been pulled over though.
I also put the camera lower down when a car is beside me. This is annoying when there's something you want to get a picture of at the moment there's a car beside me. A way around the problem is to look at the traffic approaching from behind and predicting when it will pass you then alter your speed to ensure there's nothing beside you at the location of a potential photograph. If that fails and/or the photo is blurred I will turn round and try again.
Another thing that pisses me off is when there's a tractor trailer or semi in front. I've had many pictures ruined by the ass end of such vehicles being in the way. I've sometimes pulled on the shoulder and waited until there's no trucks in the approaching traffic before setting off. Renting an SUV helps in getting a better view over the traffic.
heh, I don't care if there is anyone beside me, but if there are cars in front of me, I curse the fates at how much Photoshop I'm going to have to do. The whole point of me going out into the middle of nowhere is to get away from all the hosers - if I wanted to see other people, I'd go to work or something!
Quote from: Truvelo on July 22, 2010, 11:15:16 AM
I used to have that problem as well. Since I started wearing a fluorescent vest I've had no one blow their horn. It's amazing how official it makes you look.
Can they be customized? Usually when I'm working, I'm wearing one of my Cafe Press shirts. ;)
I've never been particularly with non-police when taking pictures while driving. I try really hard not to modify my driving behavior while I'm photographing (except maybe some lane positioning where I'll hold off on passing another car to get a picture of a sign on the right side), so I figure as long as I'm not driving like an asshat to get a picture I may get some funny looks but there is nothing they can or will do. I have yet to be honked at or anything like that while taking a picture and driving.
I have had to explain myself to police officers several times. However, by far the worst incident was in south London (Elephant and Castle?) when I decided to photograph an old internally illuminated overhead direction sign. I had to stand in a particular spot in order to avoid getting streetlighting columns in shot, and I could not shoot and go because the sign was occluded part of the time (I forget why, but suspect it was partly cloudy that day). Some idiot passerby saw me with my camera, patiently waiting for my shot, and thought it would be really amusing to harass me by talking at me, waving his hands around me, dancing a jig etc.
I've been hassled while taking road photos:
-- when taking photos near the entrance to a military base (not a good idea, the military is allergic to photography of their facilities, and they have a Federal law authorizing their photography restrictions);
-- when a passing driver thought my parking in a pullout to snap sign photos was a safety hazard (I disagreed, but moved along); and
-- when I took a photo of a car passing through a one-lane bottleneck to illustrate how narrow it was, and the driver didn't like him or his car being photographed (I explained what I was up to, and in particular that I wasn't photographing everybody passing by or trying to get people's faces; now I try to take such photos only as the vehicle is moving away from me).
Quote from: oscar on July 22, 2010, 01:45:43 PM
-- when taking photos near the entrance to a military base (not a good idea, the military is allergic to photography of their facilities, and they have a Federal law authorizing their photography restrictions);
indeed. also the US border patrol seems to not like photos. Whenever I enter the country from Canada or Mexico, their first comment tends to be "no photos, please. all right, let's see your passport". Not that I particularly want photos of their crummy border patrol facilities - the only time I've been tempted to take a photo is at the US-201 international boundary in Maine, where the dedication plaque on the side of the building has a date of July, 2009 - with the president being identified as George W. Bush. Talk about being in denial!
Oh that remembers me, I once had to take pictures of a local road for work (for inventory reasons), and this guy stopped, and was quite mad I took a picture of his car (regular street scene) (not intended of course, you can't wait for an empty street on an 8,000 AADT road). He wanted to call the police. Well, I said; "go ahead, I don't care the slightest." I had a clearly marked company van parked on the curb by the way. He finally backed off and drove away, probably because I wasn't impressed at all when he said he'd call the cops on me. (it was perfectly legal what I was doing and I could've explained it to the police without any problems).
My summer intern job with the City of Stamford sometimes entailed going out to take pictures of things. I would often get people asking me questions, naturally. Although, most of the time it wasn't directly related to what I was doing, but rather because they saw my badge and/or the city car and decided that since I was a city employee, I was someone to file their complaints with. So, I would get asked by people when their street was going to get paved, why the cops weren't nabbing the people that kept running the stop sign at the end of the block, why the branches that were too close to the power lines hadn't been trimmed, etc. :rolleyes:
I've yet to get bothered when photographing things recreationally, though.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 22, 2010, 01:47:32 PMindeed. also the US border patrol seems to not like photos. Whenever I enter the country from Canada or Mexico, their first comment tends to be "no photos, please. all right, let's see your passport". Not that I particularly want photos of their crummy border patrol facilities - the only time I've been tempted to take a photo is at the US-201 international boundary in Maine, where the dedication plaque on the side of the building has a date of July, 2009 - with the president being identified as George W. Bush. Talk about being in denial!
They didn't bother me when I visited Lukeville, Arizona, walked up to the Mexican border (not setting foot across the boundary line), and took pictures of the signs leading into the vehicular inspection lanes. It is true that areas where passports are checked--not just at border stations, but also within international airports and the like--tend to have photography bans, not just in the US but also in foreign countries.
BTW, because I had walked past the frontier controls, I had to stand in queue and show my passport despite never actually having been in Mexico.
Lukeville is actually rather boring. The border facility I would really have liked to photograph is Mariposa (Arizona SR 289 crossing). It is quite interesting because it is oriented toward handling truck traffic, with bilingual signs not just for border-related formalities but also for commercial motor vehicle inspection. Moreover, the complementary facilities in Mexico are not actually at the border--when you cross into Mexico at Mariposa, you are immediately in a fenced-off
corredor fiscal (essentially a freeway without intermediate interchanges) which ends at the actual border inspection station about five miles south of the border itself.
But CBP and their partners (both public and private, I think) working in the vicinity make it very difficult to photograph Mariposa. For starters, all of the roads within a mile or so of the crossing have "no parking" restrictions. Private lots are signed "unauthorized vehicles will be towed." There are no sidewalks within the POE itself, and there are lots of roving officers around to ask pedestrians what they are doing near vehicles. I didn't want to talk with any of these people, so I just left.
Quote from: Chris on July 22, 2010, 02:04:47 PMHe wanted to call the police. Well, I said; "go ahead, I don't care the slightest." I had a clearly marked company van parked on the curb by the way. He finally backed off and drove away, probably because I wasn't impressed at all when he said he'd call the cops on me.
I am sure he did not intend to call the cops at all. He felt you were harassing him by taking pictures of his car and he wanted you to know that he could bite back. In this situation an explanation of what you were doing (photographic survey for possible future highway improvements) would probably have defused the situation.
I've had people blow horns before, and also had a few ladies yell or whistle at me. LOL
And I've actually had a few people stop and say, "take my picture!"
Quote from: hbelkins on July 23, 2010, 01:43:11 PM
I've had people blow horns before, and also had a few ladies yell or whistle at me. LOL
And I've actually had a few people stop and say, "take my picture!"
I did that when I was in Rapid City, SD last year. I was taking photos of the US President statues and a guy in a wheelchair wanted his picture taken, so I did.
Quote from: hbelkins on July 23, 2010, 01:43:11 PM
And I've actually had a few people stop and say, "take my picture!"
what's the point of that? now you've got a picture of some random person that you'll never see again. great?
Quotewhat's the point of that? now you've got a picture of some random person that you'll never see again. great?
Not an issue when the picture is taken with the photo-requester's camera. Which is something I've been asked from time to time.
Quote from: froggie on July 23, 2010, 07:42:24 PM
Not an issue when the picture is taken with the photo-requester's camera. Which is something I've been asked from time to time.
oh okay. didn't think of that. I'd figure if someone already had a camera the first person they'd ask isn't the one who is occupied with taking a picture of a boring old sign.
In Mexico I had some people down there looking at me weird when I was taking These (http://picasaweb.google.com/bigmatt30000/Mexico?feat=directlink) pictures. I didn't really think much of it though. I can't really tell if someone looks at me funny when their going 70 down the highway. So I figure most places I take pictures the odds of me seeing them again aren't very good...
With the Police officers, I don't see why they would stop you (unless it's a sheriff). Cause it's not like you're waiving a handgun at the sign ;). I just kinda shrug if there's someone next to me.
In San Antonio I didn't have much choice but to take pictures behind the vehicles in front of us, as we were following them going to a state volleyball tourney :D.
BigMatt
fixed borked URL
Oh whoa, that was weird. I was doing that too. Wow. Strange :-D
BigMatt
Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 23, 2010, 08:11:11 PMoh okay. didn't think of that. I'd figure if someone already had a camera the first person they'd ask isn't the one who is occupied with taking a picture of a boring old sign.
It doesn't matter. Old signs, the Parthenon, whatever--if couples are walking around and see you by yourself with a camera, they stop and ask you to take your picture. I am usually happy to oblige but it does annoy me a little when I take the picture, hand back the camera, they look at the picture in "View" mode, and I can tell by their palaver that they are unhappy with the way the picture is composed. What do they expect when they hand their camera to someone they are not paying and do not give him scope to adjust exposure etc.?
Quote from: froggie on July 23, 2010, 07:42:24 PM
Quotewhat's the point of that? now you've got a picture of some random person that you'll never see again. great?
Not an issue when the picture is taken with the photo-requester's camera. Which is something I've been asked from time to time.
But that didn't happen with me. It was my camera. And they didn't leave an address to which i could mail/e-mail the pics, either. So they got deleted off my camera as soon as I got back in the vehicle. This happened in Tompkinsville, Ky.
Just further proof that Kentucky is weird. In that case, as Jake noted, "what's the point?"
Some 2,000 trucks honked at me while I was taking a video of a freeway widening :D
Quote from: froggie on July 25, 2010, 07:08:46 AM
Just further proof that Kentucky is weird. In that case, as Jake noted, "what's the point?"
Being friendly?
Quote from: osu-lsu on July 25, 2010, 02:19:13 PM
Being friendly?
"can you break your concentration and inconvenience your schedule for something that will end up benefiting neither of us?"
yeah, real friendly.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 25, 2010, 02:43:33 PM
Quote from: osu-lsu on July 25, 2010, 02:19:13 PM
Being friendly?
"can you break your concentration and inconvenience your schedule for something that will end up benefiting neither of us?"
yeah, real friendly.
Break your concentration? This isn't the case of being in a studio creating something out of your imagination without being bothered.
It's not like the object you're photographing is going to disapear (unless you're photographing weather).
Quote from: osu-lsu on July 25, 2010, 03:30:14 PM
It's not like the object you're photographing is going to disapear (unless you're photographing weather).
you'd be surprised.
Sandor, if you're taking the photo with their camera (as I noted earlier), it's a different story. But if they want you to take their pic WITH YOUR OWN camera, without leaving a forwarding address or whatnot, then that's where the "what's the point?" comes into play. Unless you're into that sort of thing. But not everyone is.
Taking photos used to bother me at 18, but not anymore. I don't care what others think (there's a lot worse things I could be doing with my time), but sometimes I feel that people driving in front of me think I'm stalking them if they are in successive shots (like photographing traffic lights along a segment of road).
Quote from: froggie on July 25, 2010, 09:53:01 PM
Sandor, if you're taking the photo with their camera (as I noted earlier), it's a different story. But if they want you to take their pic WITH YOUR OWN camera, without leaving a forwarding address or whatnot, then that's where the "what's the point?" comes into play. Unless you're into that sort of thing. But not everyone is.
Well since it was H.B. who had this happen to, why don't you go ask him.
I know I've scared friends(one of them was actually videotaping me once) driving right in front of me or in my car before but overall I really don't care.
The only time I've gotten a weird reaction that bothered me was back in 2000 when I was in San Diego and it was actually railfanning not roadgeeking. (but similar thing happen to both groups)
I was in a San Diego bus and we passed the light rail carbarn. I had to snap around to take a picture of it, but was still shooting out the window. A woman that looked Hispanic got real upset at me and started yelling at me in Spanish. I can only guess that she was here illegally and, hence, didn't want to be photographed. But, I couldn't convince her that I never got her picture nor was trying to. One other passenger on the bus talked to me later and realized that nothing had happened. And, yes, the bus driver said absolutely nothing.
Not a bystander per se, but I was taking some photos in Dumas yesterday and was followed out of town by the local constabulary.
Also has a state police car stop while I was taking photos in Pine Bluff, but he quickly drove on.
Quote from: US71 on July 30, 2010, 08:47:21 AM
Not a bystander per se, but I was taking some photos in Dumas yesterday and was followed out of town by the local constabulary.
Also has a state police car stop while I was taking photos in Pine Bluff, but he quickly drove on.
I stopped and got out of the car for this shot:
(//www.aaroads.com/wp-content/uploads/blog_images/midwest/co-b_sb_at_i-057.jpg)
Got back in the car and was about to pull away and saw the strobe lights from a police car on behind me. Stopped, rolled down the window and an old timer cop walked up "just curious as to what you were doing there?" "Taking a photo for a project." "Oh *smiled*, have a nice day!"
The only other copy experience I had was walking on the small sidewalk within the volleyball interchange (should not be a sidewalk there, but its there under the I-240 overpasses!) at I-240/U.S. 70 to get this photo:
(https://www.aaroads.com/southeast/north_carolina070/us-070_wb_at_i-240_eb_02.jpg)
Cop queued in traffic rolled her window down and asked "what are you photographing?" "This sign for a project" I answered. "oh *smiled*, have a nice day." I don't remember the exact answer, but it was extremely similar to the Missouri experience.
One time in Chiefland FL, I pulled off the road and put on my four way flashers when I was taking pictures of red 19s, green ALT 27s and black 98s. I got out of the car and walked up to get a picture, and the very first person who drove by stopped, rolled down her window, and asked if I had broken down and needed help. "No, I'm just taking a picture of this sign." I did thank her for asking, though I don't know if she understood why I was doing what I was doing.
Quote from: mefailenglish on July 30, 2010, 01:55:22 PM
One time in Chiefland FL, I pulled off the road and put on my four way flashers when I was taking pictures of red 19s, green ALT 27s and black 98s. I got out of the car and walked up to get a picture, and the very first person who drove by stopped, rolled down her window, and asked if I had broken down and needed help. "No, I'm just taking a picture of this sign." I did thank her for asking, though I don't know if she understood why I was doing what I was doing.
That has happened to me a few times, as well.
Only one such experience in my road photographing....last year when i was shooting Long Island Sound from a scenic gas station in Niantic CT when the owner/manager came out and asked me what i was doing. Told him i was trying to snap photos of the boats in the distance (and showed him my LCD display as proof) and Long Island itself, he told me to be careful...there was a nuclear plant just down the road and they would get paranoid over people taking pictures of it...if they tho0ugh someone was trying that, he would be compelled to place slats in his fence and lose the scenic views his location was locally known for...
No problem i assured him, and had no trouble after that
This is to do with rail rather than roads, but the essential nature of the experience is similar.
Today I arrived at Keleti pályaudvar, the main railway station in Budapest, on a train from Vienna. Keleti pu. has a really bad reputation and tourists are typically urged to steer clear of the currency dealers (exchange rates for euros are unfavorable by at least 20%, and since Hungary is in Schengenland but has kept its own currency, the brokers are alive to the possibility of ripping off tourists with euros in their pockets). I discovered, on arrival, that it was overrun by taxi and hotel touts as well.
During the almost 3-hour train ride from Vienna, I had observed some features of panel marking of rolling stock in Austria, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, including the convention of underlining the nationality sign to indicate ownership of each carriage (A for Austria, CZ for Czech Republic, etc.) and also the practice in Czech and Hungary of identifying a "home" station for each carriage (e.g., "DOM. PRAHA HL. N." on a carriage making up part of a Czech InterCity train).
When I pulled out my camera to take pictures of a few of these markings, a taxi tout saw her chance. She stood in front of my camera and started her spiel just as I was trying to bring the lens into good focus. I almost lost it and did a violent "Go away" gesture with my hands. She thought that was laugh-out-loud funny.
ah good old Keleti - is it still overrun by feral cats?
That sounds like the east station, "kelet" means east, and that's about as far as my Hungarian knowledge goes.
People were staring at me when I took this photo.
I was laying with my belly on the pavement. :)
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffc00.deviantart.net%2Ffs70%2Fi%2F2010%2F114%2Fd%2F3%2FLower_Columbia_River_Road_by_KEKInc.jpg&hash=219e4a2a1475e1a21621f59a6bb059703865c24e)
Quote from: KEK Inc. on August 03, 2010, 10:49:11 PM
People were staring at me when I took this photo.
I was laying with my belly on the pavement. :)
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffc00.deviantart.net%2Ffs70%2Fi%2F2010%2F114%2Fd%2F3%2FLower_Columbia_River_Road_by_KEKInc.jpg&hash=219e4a2a1475e1a21621f59a6bb059703865c24e)
I might look at you thinking your crazy doing that. :P
Quote from: J N Winkler on August 03, 2010, 12:13:39 PM
When I pulled out my camera to take pictures of a few of these markings, a taxi tout saw her chance. She stood in front of my camera and started her spiel just as I was trying to bring the lens into good focus. I almost lost it and did a violent "Go away" gesture with my hands. She thought that was laugh-out-loud funny.
Ruining someone's picture is a sure way to get business :rolleyes: Did she go away?
Quote from: rickmastfan67 on August 04, 2010, 12:07:52 AM
I might look at you thinking your crazy doing that. :P
I think the people thought I was suicidal. The speed limit is 50 MPH, and there's rarely a cop there, so it's a local drag racing hotspot. :P
However, I chose a decent spot, since it actually rises to the same elevation as the levee wall. That way, I was able to see about 2 miles down the road behind me. I didn't worry too much about how far I could see in front of me since the road ends in 5 miles.
My brother recently asked me why I video and photograph the roads. I told him I like to see different roads, signs, etc. -- and like to share them with everyone else. Also, it's a neat and interesting hobby.
Be well,
Bryant
I would've had a run-in with the Mexican gang police people if I took a picture of a sign in front of their truck. Details below:
OK, so we were in Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico, and we were on Meixco 57 in Acuña. There was a sign that I wanted to shoot (not literally) but I was behind these two trucks with like 8 dudes in the back, and they were all wearing black like bullet proof vests, and they all had assault riffles (couldn't tell what kind. :/ Maybe a M-16 or something?) I figured if they saw me with a camera I don't think they'd be too happy. So instead of spending the night in a prison (which who knows? That might be their law, I mean it's Mexico. Ya never know.) But instead of risking a night in jail, I didn't take the picture and I spent the night in the city 4 miles north of Acuña. Del Rio, Texas
BigMatt
They wouldn't have bothered you just for taking pictures of signs, but they would have been very concerned that they themselves were not in any of your pictures. Not taking the pictures in this context was the prudent thing to do.
On both of my trips to Mexico, I stopped frequently for out-of-car shots of signs and was never bothered by anybody. But the first trip was in 2001-02 while the second was in 2002-03, and both were well before the current problems with gang warfare. I would quite like to go back to Mexico but at the moment I don't fancy checking myself for bullet holes.
Quote from: J N Winkler on August 13, 2010, 03:09:24 AMOn both of my trips to Mexico, I stopped frequently for out-of-car shots of signs and was never bothered by anybody. But the first trip was in 2001-02 while the second was in 2002-03, and both were well before the current problems with gang warfare. I would quite like to go back to Mexico but at the moment I don't fancy checking myself for bullet holes.
I don't think the problem is nearly as bad as it was about two years ago. One just has to stay out of the current hotspot border town. I am planning a trip down to Cabo San Lucas and am not dreading any inevitable shootouts with drug cartels.
Agreed. The problem is mainly confined to some border cities (Ciudad Juarez comes to mind), not all of Mexico. I'm going down to Cozumel the first week of September and renting a car, and it should be even safer than driving around Chicago.
Quote from: Brandon on August 13, 2010, 10:55:22 AM
Agreed. The problem is mainly confined to some border cities (Ciudad Juarez comes to mind), not all of Mexico. I'm going down to Cozumel the first week of September and renting a car, and it should be even safer than driving around Chicago.
indeed. for reasons I can't quite figure out, Juarez is the one place where the Mexican Army has been unable to make as much ground as in other places. Then every couple weeks, there's a rotation among one of the other towns for whose turn it is to flare up. Currently, it is Nogales.
Go to Acuña, Coahuila. It's a real nice city of about 200,000. Last time I checked it was 150,000 so it's definitely growing. Despite me seeing the scary people in the truck. It's a real nice city. I've stayed the night there once. It's not a big drug trafficking city like other Texas-Mexico border towns/cities.
~EDIT~ I did take multiple pictures of signs and stuff in Mexico. I just didn't get the sign while behind the police people.
BigMatt
Quote from: BigMatt on August 13, 2010, 06:13:12 PM
Go to Acuña, Coahuila. It's a real nice city of about 200,000. Last time I checked it was 150,000 so it's definitely growing. Despite me seeing the scary people in the truck. It's a real nice city. I've stayed the night there once. It's not a big drug trafficking city like other Texas-Mexico border towns/cities.
sounds a bit like San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, which definitely had a more inland feel despite being a border town. It may be that San Luis, AZ is removed enough from Yuma that it does not feel like a border town either.