San Diego to Tijuana for a day?

[bateman]

Howdy all

Just wondering if someone can help me out

One of my fav comedians is playing San Diego in Feb when i am in Anaheim so im gonna drive there for the day... But I have been told that Tijuana is only a 10 walk from the San Diego train station. Is this true or is this a bunch of bull?

Anyone done the walk if this is true?

thank you

 

[Miss SD]

You can walk to Tijuana from the San Ysidro border trolley station, not the main downtown SD train station. I did that walk years ago so I don't remember much about it. I'm sure you know, but I have say this, if you go, be extremely careful about where you go and what you do. (This advice was pertinent even in the 1980s, when I would go down every weekend.)

 

[bateman]

Cool thank you for the info...

Just another question - WHat am i to be careful of??

 

[HeatherH]

You do NOT want to go to Tijuana! It is a dirty, poverty-filled cesspool of crime...and that's putting it NICELY. Seriously, it has become a war zone, with drug trafficking and wars.

I LOVE Mexico, there are wonderful places and wonderful people there...but Tijuana is NOT one of those places.

Please spend any extra time exploring the lovely city of San Diego. LOTS to do and see there.

 

[bateman]

The problems is that this really strikes my curiosity.... I do like to see the seedier side of things

 

[kim3339]

I went do once or twice when I lived in San Diego. One of the annoying things that I found were the immature teenagers that were down there. B/c the drinking age is 18, a lot of kids would go do, especially on the weekends to go to bars and stuff and you get to deal w/ all that fun. I don't know if the passport thing has restricted that somewhat, but it did put a pamper on the evening being in a bar w/ the kids. Not only that, getting back to the border, taxiwise, isn't fun at the end of the evening isn't fun, b/c everyone is trying to catch the last trolley and it was like gridlock.

 

[Miss SD]

Tijuana has seen some of the drug violence that is plagued some areas of Mexico. I wouldn't know how to avoid that type of thing; it's probably a "wrong place, wrong time" deal.

Americans have gotten into trouble down there since I can remember. (I grew up and spent my young adulthood in SD.) They get drunk and things happen. I know at least two people who had serious car accidents. One died because no one would stop to help her. Granted, you can get drunk anywhere, but this is a foreign country. Americans are seen as easy targets by everyone from petty criminals to the corrupt police force.

So, yeah, if you're into the seedier side of things, some areas of TJ will be right up your alley. Just be on your guard.

 

[bateman]

Wow..> This sounds like an amusement park from hell

Thank you everyone for your feedback.. Please keep it coming if you want

 

[Miss Peach]

Hi!

Well, you sound like you fancy yourself as a thrillseeker, so enjoy!!

Be prepared with someone stateside to bail you out of jail, that means cash.

Keep some cash hidden on your person as well, if you need to 'pay your fine' to the local police, for whatever it is that they say you did.

Have a hot shower when you return and hopefully you have someone to pick you over for beg bugs and lice.

Don't buy anything, all the tourist junk is now made in China, the pharmacias are gray market, and the rest you cannot bring over the border anyway.

Try to not get between any drug deals, etc.

Have fun,

Cathy

 

[Magix]

Yeah, seriously. There's the seedier side of life, and then there's the get your head cut off randomly side of life. Visit Las Vegas for the seedier side. Visit Tijuana for the lose your head as part of a drug war side. Not a place to visit these days.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Yeah, seriously. There's the seedier side of life, and then there's the get your head cut off randomly side of life. Visit Las Vegas for the seedier side. Visit Tijuana for the lose your head as part of a drug war side. Not a place to visit these days.

agreed.

 

[c&m]

Yeah, seriously. There's the seedier side of life, and then there's the get your head cut off randomly side of life. Visit Las Vegas for the seedier side. Visit Tijuana for the lose your head as part of a drug war side. Not a place to visit these days.

Yeah, it's that scary. And as for "lose your head", Magix means that literally.

 

[eduk8r26]

TJ is one of the places listed as dangerous and to stay away from, along with Nogales, Monterey, and Juarez.

 

[skiingfast]

This was such an innocent question. LOL. Bateman.

 

[StageTek]

The area within walking distance of the boarder is still relatively
safe. In its July 2010 travel warning the U.S. department of State
advises tourists to stay in well known tourist areas. A walking day
trip across the boarder should be fine.

Be aware of your surroundings, do not take any valuables in, don't
flash money around, go with a group of people. There have been
recent all out, movie style gun battles in TJ recently so be careful.

 

[Squirrel!!!]

I live in San Diego, and while I do not go into TJ, my DH does fairly often since he his hobby is restoring vintage cars. Getting old cars painted, chromed, and reupolstered and that type of thing is extremely reasonable, as you can imagine in TJ as compared to San Diego.

One of his buddies has even opened a shop in TJ with some locals. So, I do worry when he goes, people get killed, but he is crossing the border, then going into the actual business districts, not the "funny business" districts. He is always with fluent Spanish speakers, so that helps.

Just be careful. You need a passport. (Don't forget--used to be a license was enough) Do not eat the street tacos!!! (last time the DH ate them 4 days of E.Coli food poisoning).

Day trip would be a better idea for safety, but it is something to say you did. Look for the donkeys that are painted with stripes to look like zebras.

 

[lilpooh108]

It's seedy, but it's not even fun there, even when it was "safe." All there is is gray market pharmacies, 18 and over bars and streetside tacos. Then gridlock on the way back. Fun if you're 18, but really not that fun overall. I've walked from the border trolley station across. It's an interesting walk, but not that fun since it's just shops and made in china souvenirs.

See this article below for the latest drug bust in the area.

http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2010/oct/19/record-marijuana-seizure-mexico-ar-264910/

Hospital on lockdown in Mexico's "most violent city" (per the article): http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24372823/

If you ARE going to venture down that way, at least go to Puerto Nuevo. You can eat lobster, ride ATVs----although, I'm not sure with the crime/violence/shoot-outs if anyone bothers driving that far in anymore. I've heard from former Ensenada surfers that surfers don't even bother going down anymore since they've been getting robbed on the beach. It's about 45 minutes/1 hour from the border. Gridlock on the way back. Once it took me over 4 hours to get through the border going toward SD.

http://www.rosarito-ensenada.com/puerto_nuevo.htm

It's really not something to take lightly---do your research before you go. It really isn't "fun" seedy, as in run down, mildly amusing other side of life tourism. Go to side streets/shady bars/pawn shops in Vegas for that. If you have no point in going to TJ other than to go, I'd say skip.

 

[bateman]

This was such an innocent question. LOL. Bateman.

I know

But seriously thank you everyone... You have all talked me out of it

I like my body without added bullet holes in it

Now.... Might have to look at San Diego stuff to do... Dont want to drive a 4 hour round trip just for a Comedian that I love

 

[Squirrel!!!]

Tons of stuff to do in San Diego. What are you looking for?

 

[bateman]

Tons of stuff to do in San Diego. What are you looking for?

Don't know... I'm not really interested in Sea World.
Maybe some shopping or chilling out to a nice view and food.
Maybe spend the afternoon there after a morning at Disneyland