Hi all.
Just got back from Spain. Madrid was one of the cities that I had the pleasure of visiting. Saw a bit of petty larceny, but nothing too serious. In Alicante some guy in a leather jacket was trying the old "checking for counterfeit dollars" routine. I just took his ID and threw it in the middle of the street and kept walking. I think he may have been Eastern Bloc, not Spanish. He seemed upset so I wished him a nice day. The Madrid pickpockets I ran into (2 groups) would starve to death in Mexico or South America. They just aren't that good.
If any group seemed to be paying me too much attention, I just stared at them until they knew I was aware of them. I stand 184 cm and weigh 96 kilos. That seemed to make them lose interest.
Wandered slowly down to Cadiz and encountered no problems and many friendly helpful people. Will be going back.

Hola everyone, just arrived back a couple hours ago from Madrid. During our stay of 6 days we never once saw any pickpockets or muggers.There was a large Police presence in the area of Puerta del Sol, due the state visit of Don Phillipe, (what a handsome guy) so this may have accounted for the lack of any visible crime. I did feel unsafe walking through Retiro Park on my own, until I saw the Police on their scooters patrolling the main pathways, needless to say I did take extra care of who was around me.

I'm with Sue on that one. I never felt unsafe walking around Madrid during the 3 1/2 days that I was there except for Retiro Park at 9:00pm. As soon as I got out of the Metro at the "Retiro" stop, several black guys approched me and asked if I wanted to buy hashish. I felt a little unsafe then and just ignored them and pretended I was walking with the group of people in front of me. (I have nothing against black people, it's just the circumstances that all the people selling drugs there were black.) I wouldn't recommend any women walking around there alone at night. But all in all, I felt safe in the rest of Madrid. I just kept my awareness about me as I walked around as not to be "surprised" by anyone.

This has been a VERY INTERESTING group of postings! Barry, I am GLAD that I didn't read your warnings about Plaza Santa Ana until AFTER my mom and I returned from Madrid! You see, our first night, we went for a walk up the street to Plaza Santa Ana--actually it was daylight when we started, but eventually it became dark. We walked up to c/San Jeronimo and back, stopping to buy some bread and cheese, and sat in Plaza Santa Ana and ate, watching the people going to the theatres and wondering how much it cost to stay at that fancy hotel a few yards away. We did not feel unsafe.
I have a few specific points to make:
1) I (a middle-aged female American)am accustomed to walking about in the evening anywhere I have lived, and am always alert and watchful--it's a lifelong habit!
2) I think sometimes people are on vacation and do things that they would not do in their own hometown (walk alone at night, or pick up strangers, or what have you...!).
3) My mother and I carried everything of value (money and passports and credit cards and airplane tickets) in money belts (I hate them, as I find them uncomfortable, but I did it). Anyone who snatched our shoulder bags would only get combs and guidebooks.
4) Of course, we were not at the nightclubs and bars, and we were not out past about 10:30 p.m. And we sure were not using cell phones, or otherwise looking as if we had anything to steal. I think Madrid must be more dangerous now that twenty years ago, when I DID roam about more at night.

I have been mugged (at knifepoint) in various U.S. cities (not in my present one, knock on wood)but never in Europe, though I did have a briefcase stolen on the street when I put it down (this was in 1983 in Madrid) and also someone broke into my hostal room (in 1982 in Madrid), looking (without success) for something to steal.
So--be careful out there!

I'm glad to hear you had a pleasant, incident-free walk in my beautiful square. I hope everyone reads your post and realizes that Madrid is not really dangerous. This thread runs the risk of putting people off the area and that would be unfortunate. So, let's not get paranoid. But as usual, be subconciously cautious.

Eek...this whole thread scares me, but I am wondering...what SHOULD a person do if they are being mugged in Spain? Here in the US, most of the time, it seems people advocate just giving the person what they want and running away in the other direction afterward. But here we're more likely to encounter guns, so is the advice different with knife-wielding creeps or brawny unarmed people? Do you scream? Fight back/pull away? Give in? It seems I have heard a bit of each here...any good safety advice would be helpful! I know my husband would feel compelled to try some martial arts moves or something, but is he better off just giving in and getting away, as he might be here facing a gun?

Unless you are Chuck Norris, I would either give up the goods or take off. Keep in mind that police in Europe don't take kindly to beating the crap out of criminals. That's their turf.

Do you know that "Walker: Texas Ranger" is still on TV here? What a great image to send abroad of American culture: Texas.

[ 06-15-2001: Message edited by: Asterault ]

Yeah, and our president isn't helping on that front. Oh, well.
Tara

Back on May 30 La Condesa, who I see is from Madrid, recommended having mace as a staple in a women's purse and then just going out having fun. As we are 5 blond & redhead girls/women who plan to go out at night in Madrid just what do we do? Get the mace, take taxis,say "Whatever" (in Spanish,when I learn how), or just don't go out late?

Dear Feisty Fivesome,
La Condesa has been away for two weeks travelling - there isn't one really good milliner to be had in Madrid when one is preparing for one's ensemble for Ascot - but I'm glad I've returned in the nick of time to give you all my sage advice. Firstly, darlings, the only mace allowed is that which is borne by the chief heralds of His Majesty The King, my dear friend Juan Carlos I, and I should add that the mace in question is large, hard, metallic and gripped in a subject's hand, and not to be confused with the self defence product of gaseous nature.
However, given the old adage that there's safety in numbers (and I don't mean my bank account, you naughty girls) five young ladies making their grand tour will not encounter any unwanted advances.
Shift dresses of gossamer fabrics with bold floral prints in hot tropical colours, little embroidered Indian bags and fabulous Jimmy Choo kitten-heeled mules (it's easier to run in mules than stilettos) are the Condesa's fashion-safety tips de jour.
In short, five fearless fillies, be they red or blonde (real or faux) need never worry, nor carry repellant sprays. Enjoy your stay.

PS
Darlings, please forward any correspondence to La Condesa, and not to the kind young man who has allowed me use of his computer on this occasion - hence his name as the poster of above message. I seem to have mislaid my password, which rcalls the unfortunate mishap when I lost my big black South Sea Island pearls in Venice at the Hotel Danielé - can you imagine La Condesa shouting down from her balcone like some common fishwife to the Conde who was awaiting my arrival in the gondola below - Dove mis perlas?! It will have to wait for another time I've got to dash.
Just remember girls, Madrid is safe and fabulous .

[ 06-17-2001: Message edited by: MadridMan ]