Tijuana / Zona Centro

Downtown Tijuana is referred to as the Zona Centro. It includes Revolucion Avenue, which is the main tourist drag. It is not considered by locals and tourists alike as a nice part of Tijuana, though there are some nice parts that surround it, and efforts to make an welcoming urban space. As downtowns in USA are often considered run down, Tijuana is no different. You can expect to pay tourist prices anywhere in the downtown zone, except perhaps in chain stores. Do: Pet the donkeys. Feed the donkeys. Good for children. Sample Mexican street cuisine, restaurant cuisine, buy Mexican food not commonly available nor sold in the US. Watch Mexican group dancing on some weeknights on Revo. Take an afternoon walk to the park. Parque Guerrero is only half a mile from Revolucion. (follow Carillo Puerto) several blocks past Constiticion. Lovely clean park with friendly food vendors. On Sundays there are often entertainers. Nightlife: Large nightclubs cater to partiers, girly shows, under-21 crowd from San Diego, and locals. There are also smaller bars. Buy: There are some good shops along Revolucion, but mostly they are little more than cheesy souvenir shops. There are a few "fixed price" shops as you walk south on Revolucion. The people are nice. The ladies in colorful native clothing with the little stands often have awesone painted ceramics. Just remember to haggle. The same ceramics on the "Avenida" in shops will cost at least twice as much. Eat: Restaurants vary in quality. Tourist traps are usually easy to spot. These will be overpriced, but may serve good food. Then again true Mexican prices are hard to find in downtown other than big chain stores. •La Costa •Caesar's Restaurant •Chiki Jai •El Cafe Especial •El Torito Drink: The bars on Revolucion are often packed with people from the US. The drinking age in Tijuana is 18, compared to 21 in the US, so many young people visit Tijuana to party. Revolucion is also lined with strip bars, and it is not always obvious from the outside if it is a regular bar or a strip bar, so enter with caution. •Las Pulgas, (between 7th and 8th Street on Revolucion). One of the few Zona Centro dance bars that caters mainly to locals. By: Diana Sandoval Torres