Two Blondes in Tijuana: Post Trip Report
“Brought by passport in case we need to swing through Mexico”
– Text from my sister on her way to visit
After a few dormant years, my sister, Andrea, recently renewed her passport. I recently had my first experience day-tripping to, rather than just traveling through Tijuana when I visited Telefónica Gastro Park last month (that article here) and loved it.
With that background, it’s not completely surprising that while she was visiting, we hatched a loose plan to go back to Tijuana together for a day-trip. You know, to “test out” Andrea’s passport. 🙂 Our goals: get good food and if the price was right, a Mexican poncho for her and Mexican blanket for me.
Andrea’s husband expressed a little hesitancy when we told him about our plan. And our parents, well…we didn’t tell them that their two blonde gringa daughters were going to Tijuana together until after we returned safe and full. San Diego friends who are frequent visitors to Mexico were supportive…of our plan not to tell our parents ahead of time.
We went yesterday. Here’s the post-trip report including our route, what we ate, and observations on safety as female travelers.
Food & Drinks
Telefónica Gastro Park
Boulevard Aguacaliente #8924*
Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico 22000
Phone: +52 664 684 8782
Facebook: @telefonicagastropark
Instagram: @telelefonica_tj
My sister Andrea in the outdoor area of Telefonica Gastro Park.
Andrea and I arrived at Telefónica shortly before noon and found out a few of the food trucks open a little later. There were none-the-less, no shortage of available, open options, no lines, and seating was easy to find.
We shared a shrimp taco, fried fish taco, and mystery green drank (agua of the day) from the Tacosteño truck and a mixed seafood tostada from Otto’s Grill. All different, all delicious. Though, I have to admit that like last time, Otto’s really stands out. The taste is just so fresh and clean! I added an IPA from Cerveza Lírica, the craft beer brand brewed on-site, to finish it off.
While enjoying our food and drink, we caught some World Cup Soccer. I found my interest in soccer naturally increased just by being in Mexico.
Our Food Finds at Telefonica.
By the time we were leaving, it was getting crowded enough to create a line for the bathroom. On the way out, we discovered that some of the food trucks have weekend brunch offerings. I’d like to go back and get some chilaquiles from one of the trucks and one of decadent sweet breakfast options from the Azarosa truck. Any takers?
*This is Telefonica’s relatively new location so make sure you don’t accidentally go to the old one.
La Justina
Av. Revolucion 926
22000 Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Phone: +52 664 638 4936
Facebook: LaJustinaTJ
Instagram: @lajustinatj
La Justina’s Craft Cocktails Are Tough to Compete With
We enjoyed craft cocktails and the reprieve from 90-degree heat that La Justina’s dark, cooler space offers while snacking on the complimentary, spicy popcorn. I had the Mezcal Clandestino which was the perfect blend of spicy and citrus. Andrea went with the Bartender’s Choice, which is explained by the name. She told them she likes tequila, spicy, and citrus and they concocted a drink that fit the bill. A blow-torch was used in the creation of our drinks so you know they’re legit.
We stumbled upon La Justina’s because I had saved the address as a reference point on La Revolucion not knowing anything about the gastro bar. We didn’t end up need use the address to navigate but when we walked by it, figured it was, you know…”a sign” or an excuse to get out of the heat. Apparently, it’s a pretty big deal. Watch a video about it and Tijuana’s culinary scene here about La Justina or read more about it here and here…and here.
Border-Psycho Cantina
Website: http://borderpsychobrewery.com/
Only had room left for a taster at this Tijuana craft brewery tasting room.
I was quite full and a wee bit buzzed after Telefonica and Justina’s but because I love trying new, local beers and cannot think of a better name for a Tijuana brewery, I snuck in a taster of Brutal Imperial Stout at Border-Psycho. It was perfect.
US-Mexico Border
As we approached the border, we grabbed churros from one of multiple street vendors a/k/a “border churros.” You almost have to buy border churros. It’s like an exit-fee that makes you smile.
Getting to and from Tijuana
From San Diego or Southern California you get to the US-Mexico border the same way you get anywhere else in the United States: drive, cab, ride-share, bike, take public transportation, or some combination thereof. You’ll either go to the San Ysidro border or the Otay Mesa border. I’m more familiar with the former and that is the border my sister and I crossed at.
Once you’re at the border, you either walk across or drive across. Having to get insurance for driving in Mexico, driving in unfamiliar areas, having an out of area tag, parking in Tijuana, and the often multi-hour wait to drive back across the border on weekends led us to walk. I also like public transportation when possible.
Following the signs to Mexico at the San Ysidro border between San Diego, California and Tijuama, Mexico
The step-by-step breakdown of how we got to and from Tijuana:
- Drive to Old Town Station from Encinitas. Park in free public day parking at the station. Purchase all-day Trolley Pass. ($5 for pass + $2 for the compass card that holds it)
- Take Green Line Trolley from Old Town Station towards 12th and Imperial to Santa Fe Depot Station.
- Connect to Blue Line Trolley at America’s Plaza towards San Ysidro. Note: America’s Plaza is across the street from, not at Santa Fe Depot.
- Get off Trolley, follow people and signs up ramp into the border station. Unlike driving across the border from the United States, you do need to present your passport at the border station and get an entry registration. No fee. We had no wait.
- Put bags through x-ray machine. Walk out of station. Marvel at how easy it was to get into another country.
- Reverse it. Naturally, getting back is similar but in reverse. There are sometimes lines for walking back over the border. We got lucky and spent virtually no time waiting. Through in under 5 minutes.
And following the signs to the USA to get backto San Diego, California from Tijuana, Mexico
Getting Around Tijuana
We stayed within a small radius so we only needed to take one cab, from the border to Telefónica Gastro Park ($5 USD / $100 Pesos) and walked everywhere else. After walking out of the border station, the exit dumps you right at a cab line which is quite convenient. Although we didn’t use them, cabs were also abundant throughout the “Zona Centro” where we spent our day.
Here’s a Google map of our route through Tijuana:
The yellow spots are where we ate or drank. Some of the routes may not be exact because I was not recording street names as we went but it’s pretty close. (It’s my first attempt at making a Google Map so be gentle in your critique:))
Tijuana Safety
“Tijuana” and “safety” are two words that are guaranteed to lead to a controversial conversation. The border town’s decades long history of gang violence and depravity that its name has become virtually synonymous with images of public shoot-outs and seedy strip clubs in the minds of many.
But in recent years, things have been changing – changing so much that the New York Times ranked Tijuana one of the 52 Places to Go in 2017. Safety has improved drastically from 2007 – 2010 when the so-called “cartel wars” plagued the city and made it too dangerous for travel, period. Tijuana’s Culinary Revolucion and general revival has provided an incentive for foreigners, particularly Southern Californians, to visit and even set up permanent residences in Tijuana.
If it’s been a while since you’ve been to or read about Tijuana, there’s good reason to re-evaluate your conception of the city.
Subjective Experience
My sister and I are two fairly petite blondes with fair skin. We did not expect to “blend right in” in Tijuana, Mexico. And we didn’t. People noticed us. But neither of us felt unsafe at any point while in Tijuana.
The hawkers could eye us from across the street and were quick to offer, or depending on the distance, yell [sometimes witty] requests for us to buy from their store, eat from their restaurant, or take their cab. The solicitation never crossed the line into overly aggressive or intimidating. It was the same type of solicitation of tourists that you find in any tourist area in any country. It’s how people make a living, you can’t fault them for trying.
Other than that, no one bothered us in any way. People were quite friendly in the streets, at restaurants, and at the border where the Mexican border agent who checked us in was surprisingly jovial! Good things to say about how secure we felt during our visit.
In an interesting contrast, we did get yelled at by a likely schizophrenic woman a row away on the Blue Line Trolley in San Diego, United States where we also stood out a bit. “You should be at home with your husbands,” “tell your husbands not to bother me,” and “get your slaves from Asia.” were a few of the nonsensical zingers she threw in our direction. I was a little unsettled by it. My sister was less bothered because in her words, “mentally ill people are usually are not violent.” A man eventually intervened.
For context of our opinions on how safe we felt: neither of us are what you would call “fearless,” in fact, we’re both prone to waking up to a noise in the middle of the night convinced someone is trying to break in.
Caution Still Warranted
As positive as our experience was (and my prior experience last month), traveling to Tijuana is not a no-risk proposition and we did not throw caution to the wind when visiting.
Violence and murders rose significantly in Mexico, generally, and in Tijuana, specifically last year. Current US Department of Secretary of State warnings and news reports (like this one) identify the violence as largely targeted attacks between rival gangs recurring in the same dangerous areas. Tourists are not being targeted (other than for the expected travel crimes like pick-pocketing), though have been caught in the crossfire.
We were risk-aware when visiting Tijuana and did not run into the cities in bikinis chanting “USA” or anything equally obnoxious and attention grabbing. Here are some of the basic precautions we took:
- Conducted basic research regarding the city’s current safety;
- Scanned recent news for warnings;
- Talked to people who have been to Tijuana recently;
- Found out what area is generally considered to be safe;
- Stayed in the area we had planned and did not go wandering into unknown areas (all too easy to accidentally find yourself in an area you don’t want to be in);
- Stuck together;
- Traveled during the day;
- Did not get drunk;
- Left nice jewelry, including Andrea’s very pretty and very shiny wedding ring, and accessories at home;
- Did not wear flashy clothes;
- Kept money spread out, not just in one place;
- Wrote down addresses ahead of time;
- Downloaded offline map of Tijuana in maps.me;
- Used GPS to watch cab-ride on offline map to ensure we were headed in the right direction;
- Did not pull out money or wave cell phones around in public (we did use phones to take photos but were conscious about when, where, and how frequently)
- I held passports (and some cash) in my super-cool under clothing fanny pack (like this one on Amazon).
Everyone has to weigh their own risks and determine what countries, cities, and areas they feel comfortable visiting. I don’t fault anyone who finds Tijuana beyond their risk tolerance. It’s a personal decision.
As for me…I’ll keep an eye on what’s going on in Tijuana, but as of now, I not only would visit again, I want to visit again…and would feel safe doing so.
