Tijuana—located in the Mexican State of Baja California, just across the US-Mexican border from San Diego.
Buenos Dias from Tijuana, Mexico. My name is James Knott; the city is just waking up here and we’re going to spend the day finding out what this town is all about. After crossing the busiest international land border in the world, most visitors head to Avenida Revolución, also known as "La Revo." This main street is geared towards entertaining tourists with shopping, restaurants, partying and much more. It is definitely worth feeling the energy of this famous avenue but take your streets marks with you. You can bargain with the shop keepers and find good deals and local trinkets but keep an eye on the exchange rate whether it is pesos or dollars, local business seem all to eager to round the weights in their favor. The restaurants can be fun but the food is head or miss. The people watching for the balconies are entertaining but I can’t figure out why they work so many just one margarita. I order one and several Mexican minutes later, two come up.
The area has lots of hotels for any budget. One notable one is the Hotel Caesar where the Caesar salad was invented. This is my hotel. This is what you get for $24.00 a night, pure luxury. It is hard not to feel a little overwhelmed with the barrage of shop keepers inviting you in and waiters and waitresses trying to gain your business as you walk down the street. You can get a massage or a photo taking with a zebra. I mean a pony painted like a zebra.
These places have one goal in common, to suck money out of your wallet or purse so have fun but beware. One thing I noticed is that these people must get sick a lot. There are pharmacies everywhere, discount pharmacy, super pharmacy, drug discounters, the list goes on. In actuality, these pharmacies are set up so the Gringos can cross the border and buy cheap prescription drugs. The Tijuana Convention and Visitor’s Bureau probably list this as one of the many reasons to visit Tijuana.
Tijuana, the most prominence during prohibition in the US is a place where Americans could go to legally drink and gamble. This tradition continues on today as the clubs on the La Revo cranked up music and offer up shots of tequila like it is water. The drinking age is 18 and on weekend to the under 21 crowd crosses the border to party. The hard core partiers might end up northwest of Revolución in the infamous Zona Norte. Street prostitution is legal in Tijuana but in this red light district on La Coahuila hundreds of prostitutes line the street. It is interesting to see that the way that their glances made me very uncomfortable, too uncomfortable to video tape.
According to people I talked to, strict to US border enforcement because of the US wear and tear the US immigration policy was cut down on the number of tourists willing to go through the hustle of crossing the border. Because of this, business on La Revo has been down easily.
Even though La Ravos main section is only eight blocks long, it’s the only impression that most visitors get in order to leave the tourist stress behind and get the better sense of the city, you must leave Avenida Revolución. One street over is Avenida Constitution. A busy avenue with restaurants and shops aimed at the local population.
In the neighborhood around La Revo, you can find beautiful peaceful parks and interesting monuments. You are likely to find local residents hanging out and you’ll find life outside of La Revo to be more relaxing without businesses constantly hounding you to spend your money.
I’m currently located in Zona Rio, this area of town located along the Tijuana River is generally nicer and more cultural than the party atmosphere along La Revo. Zona Rio’s busy boulevard Paseo de los Adores is marked by huge statues to great Mexican heroes of the past, including Abraham Lincoln.
Along the route is the central cultural Tijuana, featuring the golf ball shaped Cine-Planetario with a 180º movie screen, a museum on the history of Baja California and plays concerts and dancers labels.
This neighborhood hosts a wide variety of restaurants on all different ethnic flavors and there is also a mall, the concert Plaza Rio Tijuana is one of the most visited in the region and has a Cine police, VIP movie theater. Other diversions include going to a bull fight at the El Toreo De Tijuana; an Agua Caliente boulevard. Not to be confused with Aguascalientes Boulevard. Further along Agua Caliente; dog racing is a sport of choice. At the Hipodromo de Agua Caliente, you can bet on grey handlers each night after 7:45 pm.
Overall, Revolución was enjoyable but I recommend venturing out and seeing more of the city. There is so much more than I could cover my short time there; art, music, shopping and culture. Event though La Revo is interesting to see, it is a shame that most visitors never get pass there.
Night is fun on Revolución, the shop keepers are closing up, the night clubs are just kicking into full gear. I am going to go grab a margarita because my time here is almost up. Thanks for watching, I am James Knott. Adios. Buenos noches!
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