-TJ- Downtown Tijuana

http://www.tijuana-net.com/main.jpg

Tijuana Downtown

If you have come to Tijuana to shop, drink and shake your stuff you will find everything that you need without having to wander to far off the few blocks of Avenida Revolución between 1st and about 8th streets. There's an continual stream of bars, dance clubs, malls, markets and souvenir stalls, and more or less permanent crowds of people, tourists and activities especially at night. Part of what makes Tijuana so fascinating is the fact that its inhabitants come from all parts of Mexico and bring the city a myriad of influences, cultures, flavors and unique character. Tijuana has much to offer visitors. As soon as you cross the border (walking or driving), signs direct you to Revolucion, which is the center for all the clubs, bars, shops and action. Go to Revolucion during the day and shop to your hearts content. Literally hundreds of shops offer everything from handmade Mexican crafts to cheesy tourist T-shirts.

When the sun goes down, the Avenue changes from a sunny street, filled with tourists and persistent, annoying shopkeepers, into a neon avenue, filled with teenage partygoers and persistent, annoying bar-barkers. The avenue is usually packed by 11PM.

Avenida Revolución (“La Revu” to locals) will be our main reference and starting point. It is an eleven-block tourist Mecca that began as Tijuana’s main street over a century ago.

POINTS OF INTEREST
Tijuana Wax Museum
Located in the old chamber of commerce building, this is the first and only museum of its kind in the state, housing over 80 lifelike renderings of Mexican and international celebrities and historical figures, as well as a House of Horrors. Admission is under two dollars and photos are permitted.

Tijuana Arch and Monumental Clock
This symbol of modern Tijuana, which can easily be seen from the U.S. side of the border, is the most recent addition to the city’s skyline and has caused much debate among locals. As you pass this gateway to Avenida Revolución you can form your own opinion.

Plaza Santa Cecilia (Arguello Alley)
Arguello Street is the last remaining diagonal street dating from the city’s original colonial-style layout. The name was chosen because Saint Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians, and, each day, mariachi and Norteño bands gather here waiting for patrons to hire them. Songs can be purchased individually or by the hour. Many visitors like to sit at the outdoor tables and have a drink while listening to the music here.

The Old Tijuana Cathedral
Built more than a half century ago, the Cathedral offers visitors a chance to glimpse an interesting part of Mexican culture. The devout pin petitions to the statues daily and bring fresh roses for the Virgin of Guadalupe, patron saint of Mexico. A new 30-story cathedral is currently being constructed in the Río Zone, but this landmark is well-loved by locals. All around the nave of the church makeshift stalls sell religious (bordering on superstitious) trinkets. You can also find people selling mouth-watering corn on the cob, churros, gorditas de nata and other popular Mexican snacks. Please remember that the Cathedral is a place of worship that deserves respect. No loud talking, flash pictures or walking down the center aisle or near the altar. Also, remember that people in halter-tops, short shorts or miniskirts should cover up before entering. If visiting during Mass, please observe quietly from the back rows.

El Popo Market
A large wrought-iron clock on the sidewalk marks one of the entrances to this colorful market. The outside stalls are mostly candy shops that stock popular Mexican sweets, semi-sweet Mexican chocolate and traditional spicy-hot candy. This is a great place to sample Mexican delicacies like dulce de leche, gloria caramel, jamoncillo milk fudge, white coconut alfajores or walnut mazapan. Also popular are the candied and dried sweets like pineapple, mango, camote sweet potatoes, pumpkin and chilacayota squash. Within the mercado, you can browse numerous mini shops featuring different types of dried chile peppers and Mexican spices, as well as a well-stocked herb store. This is a great place to find traditional kitchenware like molcajete grinding stones or tortilla presses.

The Old Town Hall
An example of early 20th Century provincial architecture, the Old Town Hall now houses the Small Historic Archive and
government library. The city government (“Ayuntamiento”) was housed here until it outgrew the building. After that, various offices were scattered all over the city until a new city hall was built in the Río Zone.

Historic Bank Building
This turn-of-the-Twentieth Century nouveau-French building was one of the first built on Avenida Revolución and still houses a working HSBC bank with an ATM.

Prehispanic Sculptures
These replicas of famous pre-Columbian monuments and stonework are scattered along the sidewalk of this block. They represent various cultures that thrived before the arrival of Europeans in what is now Mexico.

Hotel Caesar’s
The world-famous Caesar salad was created at this hotel. Bet you didn’t even know that Caesar salad was a Mexican dish. Hotel Caesar’s represents Tijuana’s glitzy past when the city was a luxurious spa and gambling destination in the 1920s and 1930s.

The Jai Alai Fronton Palace
This “palace” was originally built in the 1920s to house one of Mexico’s first professional Fronton (Vasque ball) courts, a testament to Mexico’s Spanish heritage. Jai alai, played here for decades, is the fastest game in the world. The building currently houses an events forum as well as a Caliente Sports Book where you can bet on everything from the Miss America Pagaent to the NBA playoffs.

Antigua Bodega de Papel
A great café for hanging out on the edge and tapping the local music and arts scene, this place has a small deli and live Latin jams, trova and more.

Baby Rock
Look for the giant fake rock and you'll know you've arrived at Baby Rock. Petroglyphs make it only slightly less tacky. Still, it's a good place for a quiet cerveza.

Balak
Masquerading as a giant Mayan temple about 10 minute's walking distance from the border, Balak is Tijuana's biggest, loudest most state-of-the-art disco, featuring international DJs, a multi-million-dollar sound system, wildly festooned performance dancers and an always-packed dance floor. Pay extra to take advantage of the barra libre (open bar).

Blanco & Negro
Not the sort of place the tourist office will send you to, this small working-class salon social (social club) kicks out some of Tijuana's very best salsa, cumbia, merengue and other Latin grooves. It's a great place to get sweaty with the locals.

Caguamamas
Thursday is karaoke nights, and Friday through Sunday it hosts the somewhat legendary Amanda's Show, featuring trávesti (transvestite) performers. It's next door to Club Extasis, right near the border.

Casa de la Trova
This popular venue in the Pueblo Amigo outdoor mall serves up live rock en español (Spanish-language rock) and trova.

Club Extasis
Tijuana's biggest and some say best gay dance club - complete with male strippers and karaoke - is right on the border. It's famous for its male dancers and 'dark room' area where no lights means much more than dancing goes on.

Dandy del Sur
For something more down-to-earth than many La Revo watering holes, hit this Tijuana classic. The sort of nostalgic dive that would make Tom Waits proud, it's been around since 1957, and the charreada (Mexican rodeo) photos, vinyl barstools, mixed clientele and eclectic jukebox make it one of the most interesting places downtown.

El Callejón de Ambiente
Gay, straight, bi and freaky all rip up the dance floor to '80s dance tunes, electronica, synth-pop and more at this club in the Plaza Fiesta Mall. Great mix of people.

El Lugar del Nopal

This sophisticated café-bar-cum-restaurant-cum-cultural center is a fervent supporter of local artists and an enchanting place at that, especially in the garden patio. It's known as a café cultural (cultural café). These places are probably the best way to experience Tijuana's independent arts and music scenes. It's tucked away in a residential area and is a bit hard to find but well worth the effort.

It offers music and art classes, and live music Wednesday through Saturday nights. It's also a super place to eat.

El Taurino
On the flanks of the Zona Norte, El Taurino is the grand-daddy of Tijuana's gay bars with a much more local than foreign clientele.

El Toreo de Tijuana
El Toreo de Tijuana. Spring bullfights take place at El Toreo, which has room for 12,000 spectators. In July or August, corridas move to the ring in Playas, which holds up to 25,000 people. This may change, as there has been talk of demolishing the Toreo de Tijuana ring, in which case all corridas will take place at Plaza de Toros Monumental.

La Casa de la 9
In a funky old building surrounded by auto-repair shops, this long-standing art gallery and café hosts visual-art exhibits, live jazz, folk and various forms of Latin American music, book readings and more. It's well worth a peek.

Las Pulgas
Pop in the earplugs and grab a dance partner - Las Pulgas showcases everything from live and recorded banda (brass-band with vocals) and norteña (country style) music to cumbia and merengue.

Los Equipales
Slightly seedy but definitely energetic, Los Equipales has two drag shows every night from Thursday through Sunday.

The drinking age in Mexico is 18, and bars do check IDs if people don't appear to be at least that old. There are of plenty of people of all ages here, as well. Many "older" partiers are here to scope out the younger revelers. And boy, do they revel, leaving some to wonder how any bars in nearby San Diego can survive with this kind of activity so close at hand.
Tijuana has a long tradition of hosting American party hounds. For years, the drinking spots were GoGo bars with a local soliciting business from the door where the dancers were known for their "extra performances" for a few additional pesos. Those places still exist, but you have to go out of your way to find them (such as off to the side streets and at the far end of Revolution).
Still, the main focus of Tijuana's incredible amount of young bars is on Revolution. The most popular dance clubs are the Eclipse Disco Club and Baby Rock and there are several more bars from which to choose. Just notice the crowd outside of a particular place and pick what you like.
It's not necessary to wait until after dark to have a good time here. On weekends, many of the bars are lively in the late afternoons. The best places are the Eclipse, Iguana-Rana's Bar & Grill and the El Torito Pub.
Is it safe here? Well, it's definitely possible to get into trouble without too much trouble. Be on the alert for petty theft and don't wander off alone. There are few life-threatening situations that even the drunkest visitor is likely to encounter but there are some unpleasant situations that could arise (like the threat of getting arrested unless a certain amount of money is paid). This is a heavy tourist town and there are some people that try and take advantage of the situation. Have fun, but don't leave your common sense at the border.

[Chat Rooms - Downtown Avenida Revolucion by Day: During the day, the street is full of tourist shopping at the many shops and street vendors that line the streets.

Avenida Revolucion by Night: Nightlife lights up this downtown infamous location.]