Travel Tijuana Mexico
- La Avenida Revolucion is
probably what most Americans think of when they hear the name Tijuana: a strip
of souvenir stores, bars and arcades, where shoppers can find bargains on
perfume, clothing and handicrafts, and others can get an early beer.
Tijuana is full of cheap
souvenirs and touts is just what many people cross the border for. But the
city of nearly two million people has a mellower, more
cultured side. Driving in Tijuana is stressful, so we left our
car in a parking lot on the
United States side and walked across the border, a
process that involves passing through two revolving gates separated by a walkway
with a tourist information booth, money changers and travel agencies, an easy
and uneventful process that takes about three minutes. (Although there are
officials here who scrutinize people coming into Mexico, I have never had anyone
ask me a question or request identification.)
Hoteles
A taxi on the other side took us for $8 to the
Hacienda del Río, a hotel in the Zona Río, an upscale neighborhood on the
south side of the Tijuana River. My initial impression was of a clean and modern
city, which is the case in much of downtown, but the picture is patchy: Even the
more prosperous areas are marred by failed commercial developments, empty
littered lots and graffiti.
To visit Mexico, walk this way Greyhound
buses, $5 one way, link downtown San Diego to downtown Tijuana (about 50
minutes); (619) 239-8082. Or take the red trolley from San Diego to the San
Ysidro crossing ($2.50), or park in one of the lots at the Plazas de Tijuana
exit (the nearest one, to the right, is also cheapest at $7 for 24 hours), then
walk across the border or take a Mexicoach bus (from the trolley stop or parking
lot), which stops at the Avenida Revolución downtown ($1.50 each way) and
leaves about every 15 minutes; (619) 428-9517.
United States citizens should have photo
identification such as a driver's license or passport; adults with minors may be
asked for notarized parental permission to travel outside the country.
It is wise to avoid isolated areas at night and
not display valuables, and know the city's laws (driving while using a cellphone,
public drunkenness, and buying or using illegal drugs are violations; punishment
ranges from a $45 fine to imprisonment). The police are not allowed to collect
fines at the scene. Many people go to Tijuana to buy reduced-price medications,
but one needs a prescription. To guard tourists' rights, a judge is available 24
hours a day for disputes over fines.
Where to Stay Hotel
Lucerna, Paseo de los Héroes 10902, Zona Río; (800) 582-3762;
www.hotel-lucerna.com.mx/. This six-story hotel has an outdoor pool and
well-appointed, airy doubles for $141 a night; with AAA discount, $75, plus 12
percent tax.
Where to Eat Cien
Años, Avenida José Maria 1407, Zona Río, telephone (52-664) 634-3039,
a
Spanish Colonial-style restaurant, offers new and traditional Mexican dishes,
such as crepas de huitlacoche, chili-tinged crepes wrapped around a black corn
fungus. Dinner for two with beer or wine, about $70.
Carnitas Quiroga, Paseo de los Héroes 1535, Zona
Río, (52-664) 634-6899; platters of carnitas and accompaniments, with beer,
about $10 a person.
La Casa del Mole, Misión San Diego 1501 (corner
Paseo de los Héroes), Zona Río, (52-664) 634-6920; three kinds of mole sauce
over chicken, with other menu choices. A meal with beer, about $15 a person.
La Especial, in a below-ground arcade at Avenida
Revolución 718; (52-664) 685-6654. This Tijuana version of an old-fashioned
diner is 50 years old. Dishes run $5 to $10.
Sightseeing Centro
Cultural, Paseo de los Héroes and Avenida Independencia, (52-664) 687-9646;
Omnimax movies, exhibits, concerts, theater and other events; www.cecut.org.mx.
Mundo Divertido, Paseo de los Héroes at Calle
Velasco, (52-664) 634-3213; admission free, rides $1.40. Weekdays noon to 9
p.m., weekends noon to 9:30 p.m.
L.A. Cetto Winery, Cañón Johnson 8151, (52-664)
685-3031 or (52-664) 685-1644. Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; tour and
tasting, $2. MARTHA STEVENSON OLSON
Bringing things back.
You must declare anything you bring back to the U.S. from Mexico. You
are permitted only 1 liter of alcohol and $400. worth of goods purchased
in Mexico duty-free. Animals and agricultural products are also strictly
regulated and the rules can be a little mysterious. You can bring back
many fruits, including bananas, cactus fruits, limes, melons, papayas,
pineapples and strawberries
