I lived in Bogotá when I was really young and spent all my summers there until I was about 16 years old. I still have most of my family there and go back from time to time. Not sure if dylandom, was kidding or if he just happened to go to some smaller town, but Bogotá has had electricity and running water longer than most of us have been alive.

Not sure if they still do this, but when I was a kid, on Sundays they would close down huge stretches of La Septima (7th ave) for cyclists, walkers, rollerskaters (not rollerblades yet), etc. It was awesome. I turn 35 in a few days so that should give you guys an idea of how long ago I am talking about. This former mayor, Peñalosa, did a great job, but a lot of it started before him. Cycling was *huge* in Colombia during the 80's.

As for the crime, I have always felt that it is a bit overblown by the press, though admittedly it is not, as you said, Disneyland, but then again neither is NYC. I am not sure where you are from or what you look like, but the best thing in my opinion to do while you are there to keep yourself safe is to not do anything that screams out GRINGO, if you know what I mean. Good luck with your time down there.

Not hijack this thread, but since other mentioned Bogotá, I thought I would provide this article which admittedly is old, but does provide some interesting ideas that I would love to see implemented in NYC.
Car Free Bogotá: the response to the transportation challenge by Oscar Edmundo Díaz