Just skip it please! No, really!!
by Antolin1
Sometimes I forget that TJ can be a destination for those curious to visit Mexico-my forgetfulness is due to the fact us native Californians don’t really consider TJ to actually BE Mexico! I figure those who aren’t familiar or have never been might choose to go there because its easy to get to (say if visiting San Diego), or likely because there are more English Speaking Mexicans there than in other cities….
Here’s the deal/my advice: If planning to travel to Mexico, please skip TJ! Don’t worry your not missing anything. Mexico is an incredibly beautiful country and TJ is in no way reflective of this; matter of fact I can’t count the number of times people I know (who have only been to TJ, no where else in the Country) say “I will never go to Mexico again!” . While I mean no offense to those who live there as the local folk are quite nice, they do see Americans as nothing more than “money bags” most of the time- be prepared for lots of harassment and ogling if your female, and constant asking for money from children and taxi drivers… This place is dirty, crowded, high crime, police are corrupt beyond belief and its chock full of idiotic gringo teenagers crossing the boarder from LA and lord knows where else looking to get drunk and act foolish. Yet its gotten so bad in the past 5 yrs or so that the cons out way the pros for even the teens- worse still is the rapes, kidnappings and murders of Americans have increased so much in the border region here that we now have millitary assigned here!
Skip it and head for the mountain side or any other picturesque part of “real” Mexico, ok?
Chaos ?
by PeterVancouver
Simply the sanity and order at US Customs on our return compared with Tijuana. From the moment you step across the boarder into Mexico you are bombarded with Taxi drivers wanting to take you into town which by the way is too far to walk. As a day trip it is an experience but is not typical Mexico. Food and drink is cheap though
Some general info . . .
by acemj
TJ is a great place to do some shopping. You will actually get a better deal if you use U.S. dollars so don't bother changing your money into pesos.
The San Ysidro border crossing is among the busiest in the world and Tijuana is the most visited border town in the world. You can expect it to be relatively packed with tourists and the sights and sounds are definitely different that what you'll experience in the States. Just keep in mind, not all of Mexico is this tourist-oriented.
For an evening while in San...
by Pierre_Rouss
For an evening while in San Diego, we took the train just downtown, and went South down to the Mexican border (17 miles) where we took off. We crossed the border on foot to Tijuana, where countless street vendors were waiting for the tourists with souvenirs of all kind : maracas, chest and checkers game in alabaster, jewelry, pottery, nik-naks, etc...
A bus could take us to downtown Tijuana. You can tell that this town lives from the handouts of daily tourists from San Diego. Cheap booze (tequila for less than $3), always the same souvenirs in every shops, as you walk on the sideways, you are asked every 10 feet if you want a cab back to the border... pretty annoying.
You pass the border back to the states like through a carrousel, they don’t even bother you with your purchases. Of course, they check if you are not a Mexican or if you have one hidden in your bag.
Tijuana lies just in the...
by daBertl
Tijuana lies just in the northwest corner of Baja California along the Pacific Ocean and the Mexico-U.S. border, 12 miles south of San Diego, California. From being a ranch settled on part of a land grant in 1862, Tijuana developed as a border resort with gambling casinos and related activities during the 1920s as a consequence of the prohibition in the U.S. Its fast recent growth, however, is due to steady industrialization. In fact, Tijuana's population has been growing up since 1950, rather accelerating from 1970 to 1995, a period in which the city population grew at an annual rate of 5.0%. In 2000, city population added up 1,212,232, 48.7% of Baja California total.
Tijuana is the site for the largest concentration of maquiladora firms in the state and the country. By May 1996, 516 plants provided jobs for 108,282 persons. Many of the most important U.S. and Asian firms run plants located in the city’s industrial districts, where an extensive variety of electrical household appliances, such as videocasssete, recorders and televisions, are assembled. Due to this amazing economic transformation, Tijuana is nowadays known as 'TV City', in fact, the biggest TV manufacturer center in the world.
Tijuana economic activity also flourishes with trade, tourism and other services. An slogan for it is 'the most visited city in the world'; in 1995, its borderline was crossed over more than 50 million times.
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