Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [286]
Perhaps the only lasting solution will be for the Mexican economy to reach something like economic parity with the US economy, although one visit to Tijuana will tell you there’s still a way to go.
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Sights & Activities
Tijuana’s historical sites and rowdy party scene are concentrated around Av Revolución. About half a mile southeast is Zona Río (‘River District’), a more sophisticated cultural center.
LA REVO
Virtually every visitor to Tijuana has to experience at least a brief stroll up raucous Av Revolución, also known as ‘La Revo,’ between Calle 1a (Artículo 123) and Calle 8a (Hidalgo). It’s a dizzying mishmash of nightclubs, street photographers with zebra-striped burros, tacky souvenir stores, restaurants from flashy to trashy, discount liquor stores and bellowing hawkers outside seedy strip bars.
If you find the sensory assault too overwhelming, the more conventional shopping street Av Constitución, parallels La Revo one block west. The colorful Mercado El Popo (Calle 2a & Av Consticion) is a busy yet accessible market with locals selling daily needs from tamarind pods to candles and religious icons. Architecture fans may want to visit the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Cathedral of our Lady of Guadalupe; cnr Av Niños Héroes & Calle 2a), Tijuana’s oldest church.
At the far end of La Revo, the oddly baroque art deco Frontón Palacio Jai Alai (Av Revolución btwn Calle 7a & Calle 8a) celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2007. For decades, this striking, block-long building hosted jai alai – kind of a hybrid between squash and lacrosse originating from Basque Country (in north Spain). The building now hosts cultural events including music and theater performances.
CENTRO CULTURAL TIJUANA (CECUT)
This aggressively modern cultural center ( 664-687-9695; www.cecut.gob.mx; Paseo de los Héroes at Av Independencia) is the city’s showcase for highbrow events – concerts, theater, readings, conferences, dance recitals and more.
The Museo de las Californias ( 664-687-9641/42; admission US$2; 10am-6pm Tue-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat & Sun) provides an excellent history of Baja California from prehistoric times to the present, including the earliest Spanish expeditions, the Mission period, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the irrigation of the Colorado River delta and the advent of the railroad. Signage in English.
Eating
You won’t have any problem finding tourist restaurants on Av Revolución; alternatively, take taxis to some of the city’s best restaurants in the Zona Río and Zona Gastronómica (restaurant zone).
ZONA CENTRO
La Especial ( 664-685-6654; Av Revolucíon 18; mains breakfast US$5-12, lunch & dinner US$6-17; 9am-10pm Sun-Thu, 9am-11:30pm Fri & Sat) This woodsy, old-time dining room is a charming escape from the bustle of La Revo, in a shopping arcade below Hotel Lafayette. Enjoy vegetable soup (be sure to mix in the rice and squeeze in lime) and classics like carne asada and righteous tacos.
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HAIL, CAESAR!
To taste a Caesar salad at its birthplace, head to the restaurant at the venerable though shop-worn Hotel Caesar ( 685-1606; Av Revolución 827; 9am-midnight). The namesake salad will set you back $6, $8 with chicken. Wash it down with beer.
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Chiki Jai ( 685-4955; Av Revolución 1388; mains US$9; 11am-9pm) Thanks to its Spanish/Basque seafood, the small, friendly Chiki Jai has been packed with patrons since 1947. Main courses (with soup or salad) include steak, salmon or lamb, or go for broke with seafood paella.
ZONA RIO & ZONA GASTRONOMICA
La Querencía ( 972-9935; Av Escuadrón 201 3110; mains US$6-16; 1pm-11pm Mon-Thu, 1pm-midnight Fri & Sat, 1-8pm Sun) The chef calls his cooking ‘Baja-Med’, and who are we to argue? Tacos might include oysters or marinated duck, there are sandwiches for lunchtime, and aged rib eye, duck or game main dishes. Stateside, this inventive cooking would