Weird, Wonderful, Tough, and the Most Underrated City In North America.
Written: Mar 12 '01 (Updated Jun 13 '01)
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Pros: Energy, cultural frisson, weirdness, and astonishment every three feet.
Cons: Cons so obvious that I'll leave them to others.
The Bottom Line: Overwhelming, dire urban problems, and one of the most energetic, fascinating, stimulating places in North America. Go deeper. But go.
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| amycamus's Full Review: Tijuana |
Let me state first off so that you may choose to stop reading now if you like: I LOVE Tijuana. Most commentaries about Tijuana, most visitor reports including the majority of those here on Epinions, focus pretty much exclusively on Tijuana as a day visitor destination for great bargains and great tequila consumption. There’s usually a nod to the terrible poverty and then, before midnight, everyone is back across the border with cheap stuff and a good buzz and gratitude that they don’t have to live like many of the people there. If Avenida Revolucion is your only interest in Tijuana, and you’ve come this far, you may definitely want to stop reading here.
If, on the other hand, you’re willing to take Tijuana more seriously, you should also probably stop reading here, and instead start by reading two stunning books by Tijuana-born-and-raised writer Luis Alberto Urrea: “Across the Wire” and “By the Lake of Sleeping Children.” Mr. Urrea’s books put Tijuana in context and lay a foundation for a deeper understanding of the place. Urrea puts a human face on the poverty of Tijuana, and explains much more eloquently than I could ever hope to the fabric of human desperation and hope that is this border city. And once you have read Urrea’s books, you have pretty much read most of what there is to read in English about the place. There are occasional magazine and newspaper articles (the New York Times does a particularly good job of not forgetting that the place exists), a history of Tijuana by a California Ph.D. student, and Joseph Wambaugh’s excellent book “Lines and Shadows,” about police attempts to deal with the border problems, but that’s about it. Most travel guides to Mexico either skip Tijuana entirely or treat it dismissively, as something to be avoided.
The reasons usually given for avoiding Tijuana may be catalogued as follows:
1) It is not “the real Mexico” – as though it should be. If you’ve come here looking for “the real Mexico” – whatever that is – you may have better luck at Disney’s Epcot Center. Tijuana is what it is, an integral part of Mexico, and one of the most unique cities on the planet.
2) Poverty – read Urrea’s books, and read the eyes of begging children and desperate trinket salespeople. Tijuana is the northern terminus for the desperate treks of thousands upon thousands of people hoping for a better life in the U.S. and colliding with an iron fence - literally. And that fence, that heavily patrolled border, is largely what makes Tijuana the problematic city it is. In one of Urrea’s best anecdotes, he describes U.S. Border Patrol officials proudly showing off the border fence to some visiting German government officials, who are immediately appalled, and say to their embarrassed guides, “We tore OUR wall DOWN.” What distinguishes poverty in Tijuana from poverty elsewhere is very little, except that the sense of desperation is amplified by the existence of the border.
3) Tijuana is dirty. Yes, it is. It’s in a barren coastal desert, with almost no tree cover, and it is, in a word, gritty. If you are inordinately bothered by dirt, you should probably avoid the place. Disneyland is a mere hour away.
4) Crime. Tijuana’s crime is notorious. In the late 1980’s, there were State Department warnings about Americans visiting here following assaults on a number of US sailors. More recently, the city has been identified as THE center of the movement of illegal drugs from Central and South America to the US, with a number of organized, active and dangerous drug gangs operating in the city. The police chief was assassinated last year by one such gang. And it is true that one needs to be careful in Tijuana, as in any place where there are desperate people. One should definitely be careful about wandering alone off of Revolucion. But it is also important, I think, to keep Tijuana crime in perspective. As Urrea points out, for instance, the homicide rate in Tijuana is TEN TIMES LOWER than that in neighboring San Diego, which has approximately half the population of Tijuana.
I would like to argue here that Tijuana is the most interesting metropolis on the West Coast of North America. Tijuana is not a “town,” as it’s usually called. It is a city of some two million people, which makes it larger than San Diego, larger than San Francisco. It is, in fact, the fourth largest city in Mexico, and one of the fastest growing, so by the time I click on the “publish” button here it may well be the third or even second largest. So, I would take issue with anyone who refers to it merely as “a town.” Tijuana has given the world the Caesar salad, the margarita, and Rita Hayworth; while many cities boast of a greater number of accomplishments, few can boast of accomplishments of THAT peculiar and wonderful quality. And Tijuana, largely because of the border, exists in a realm of its own, not quite Mexico, not quite the U.S., not quite anything like anything on earth. Since the North American Free Trade Agreement was enacted, it has become even more of a magnet for American and other foreign businesses taking advantage of cheap manufacturing labor by setting up hundreds of maquiladoras (factories) along the border (which makes one pause for a reflective moment at the sight of a Nike factory outlet store next to the border crossing on the American side). But there’s much more complexity to the border than mere economics. Did you know, for instance, that Tijuana and a large part of Baja California Norte were once considered as a location for the state of Israel, and that as recently as the 1990’s, proposals have been made for the location of the Palestinian state here? And did you know that the emerging art scene in Tijuana is cutting edge, among the most vivacious in Mexico (or on the whole West Coast, for that matter)? Tijuana not only serves as the center for Nortec, an increasingly popular blend of electronica and Mexican nortena music that is sweeping Mexico and gaining attention elsewhere, it is also the site of a major public arts project which has just concluded its third incarnation. In Site 2000 – a reprise of two earlier festivals, brought internationally acclaimed artists to the border region for installation of dozens of major art projects throughout San Diego and Tijuana. And this points to Tijuana’s place as a catalyst for artistic activity. Many psychologists who study creativity note that creativity seems to spike in “border” areas – whether physical borders or psychological ones – and Tijuana is no exception. There is an energy about the place that is palpable, and will, I think, in coming years, put Tijuana firmly on the cultural map. One other thing – the people I’ve met in Tijuana are remarkably kind. They have been particularly kind in places away from Revolucion, where they seem genuinely impressed by visitors bothering to look a bit further into the city. As with travel anywhere, but especially here, I think, your giving your utmost respect to the inhabitants will go a LONG way towards making your visit richer and more enjoyable.
But perhaps you want less rhapsodizing and more practical details. I’ll get to more of the nitty gritty, or at least comment on some favorite things. Ok, so, Avenida Revolucion – go, sure, see it, do it, enjoy it, it’s great – it really is. Other Epinions writers have done a superb job of giving details about how to get there and what to do, so I won’t. But tucked in there amid the tacky stores and bars that cater to Southern California college students are some mesmerizingly odd shops, a few really nice restaurants, and a coffee house or two that would not be out of place in San Francisco. But just going to Revolucion would be like just going to San Francisco and only visiting Fisherman’s Wharf. Even a single block off of Revolucion is a whole different world, and when one considers Tijuana’s sprawling size, there is plenty more to explore, including museums, some quite beautiful parks and residential neighborhoods, a wonderful central market, the world’s most charming little amusement park (Mundo Divertivo, across from Cien Anos restaurant), an ornate – albeit quite disheveled - spa (Valparaiso) with a Hollywood history, some lovely churches, and a very good cultural center. There are some superb restaurants in Tijuana – such as Cien Anos, already very well reviewed by an Epinions member, Mariscos Don Pepe, where I had perhaps the best fish I’ve ever had, anywhere, and the charming Café Merlot, where I had a superb Mexican wine with my pickled quail eggs (many of the wines of Mexico, by the way, are grown near Tijuana, and some are truly excellent). If you’re looking for a good meal, and willing to travel out of the tourist zone, I strongly suggest beginning to look by turning to the hard-earned expertise of Pat Fisher, whose website – The Hungry Hiker’s Guide to Tijuana Restaurants – is a remarkable accomplishment detailing dozens of great places to have a good meal (use a search engine – the site shifts service providers on occasion).
The bottom line is that Tijuana is unlike anywhere else, and requires a unique approach if one is to fully appreciate it. It is not an easy place; the sense of danger and grit and poverty can be utterly overwhelming. But if one is willing to recognize it for what it is, in all its ghastly poverty and grime, and its extraordinary flashes of beauty and kindness, and its tremendous energy and cultural frisson – it can be a very rewarding place to explore. And one day, that border is going to come down.
(Note: I have corrected the title of Alberto Urrea's book "Across the Wire," which I had erroneously recalled as "Across the Border." It's still a superb book).
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
amycamus
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Location: San Francisco, CA
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 38 members
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