<p>US State Department issues travel alert for Mexico</p>
<p>MEXICO CITY The U.S. State Department has renewed a travel advisory warning Americans about an increase in violence along the U.S.-Mexico border.</p>
<p>US</a> State Department issues travel alert for Mexico</p>
<p>Thank you for the warning! It really is too bad it's so unsafe to go down there.</p>
<p>Good thing UCSD is actually a bit north of San Diego and the uppermost north college I believe compared to SDSU and USD.</p>
<p>yeah..state has trollies/buses that go back and forth</p>
<p>closest thing we have is hollywood ray, the creeper</p>
<p>but mexico is waay too unsafe anymore</p>
<p>tijuana tips: go with 3-4 people...dont wear nice clothes...dont wonder off and talk to strangers....other than that have a great time...</p>
<p>i dont think the college is that close.....
not that it isnt close.</p>
<p>I live In Ensenada right now, extensively travel between US and Mexico</p>
<p>and NOTHING bad has ever happened to me.
Seriously people, I'd be more scare of San Bernardino or Downtown LA.</p>
<p>Tijuana is a border town is it NOTHING like the rest of Mexico, it is an unsafe city at night.</p>
<p>Overall, it's like any place, you have to be careful and not be accompanied by friends/family. Make sure to not wander off at night and such.</p>
<p>Yeah I agree, it is just all about using common sense.</p>
<p>I live about 25-30 minutes from the border, inland san diego. I used to go down to TJ a couple times a year, but I wouldn't go down there any more. It has had way too many riots and chaos. I stuck out when I would go there, but I used to be ok with that. It used to be fun and no big deal. Most of my friends are mexican, and have family in mexico, but even they don't go to TJ because they know how sketchy it is right now. Be smart, think about it, but you can have fun in so many other places.</p>
<p>^ Then DONT GO INTO THE CITY!</p>
<p>if u drive like a few miles ur in Rosarito, a few more miles your'e in Ensenada</p>
<p>way better places, safer, nicer, with better clubs, attractions, tourism</p>
<p>why would u go to Tijuana?
It's a business district, huge, and really not people-friendly.</p>
<p>but as I said, it's just like ANYWHERE</p>
<p>be safe, don't mess around with the wrong crowd, bring a friend or two, and don't wander at night.</p>
<p>Tijuana is the sort of "business district" that involves consumers in its business; that is the short answer. It looks delightful at the main throughfare, Avenida Revolucion, with all manner of designer buildings full of personality. There's a bullring colliseum (it is Mexico, after all), a building with a scorpion statue on top, a St. Louie-like arch with a big TV hanging from it, and, thanks to a lack of copyright enforcement that only China can probably match, a candystore called "Pikachu" and a Flintstones-themed restaurant. You can get ripped off shopping (always count your change!) but Mexico, like Canada, does not charge the ridiculous prices that America does for drugs (the legal type, though maybe the other, as well), so Tijuana pharmacies are as booming as Las Vegas casinos, and similarly advertised. Then, there's naturally the sin-trade, and the lower drinking age.</p>
<p>However, for all the economic thrill Tijuana offers, it's also one of the ugliest exhibits of unrestrained capitalism ever. Venture off Avenida Revolution, and its name will take on a new, sadder meaning: That's the only part of Tijuana that has revolutionized; the rest looks like it was forgotten by the world. No, I don't mean that the rest of Tijuana looks like those quaint adobe arcades you see in Mexican folk art, I mean that it's stagnated and decayed under its own weight. Off the path, the streets and sidewalks are cracked, sometimes right down into the sewers, street lighting, when it exists, often looks like they just bound a spare car headlight to a telephone pole, houses are made of cheap concrete blocks and tin roofs and some have no windowglass, and trash seems to just be thrown everywhere. Whether it's because Tijuana has too small of a sanitation bureau or people just don't care, I don'y know.</p>
<p>The city also literally stinks like excrement, even in the aforementioned GOOD part, although sometimes food smells drown it out. That's because Tijuana and its sewers were not built with the intention of supporting the large population the city now contains, so they spill out into the river. You'll see this river--and smell it--just as you cross the bridge from San Ysidro, and it goes right into the ocean. Occasionally, currents flow north and San Diego recieves an invasion of Tijuana feces in its harbor.</p>
<p>In closing, Tijuana is livened up by market forces, but it has no sector to ensure the public good. I'm not even sure the attractive part is truly the work of a free market; it could be all controlled by gangsters instead. I'm glad I went to Tijuana, just to experience something very novel to me, but it leaves much to be desired and I won't risk going there again until things improve.</p>
<p>Border towns are usually like that.</p>
<p>To see the real Mexico, you have to travel further south...</p>
<p>^Farfield and UC Transfer</p>
<p>coming from a kid who's been to 28 of the 32 states in Mexico</p>
<p>Baja California, especially TIJUANA, is NOT WHAT MEXICO IS
IT is a border town that gives out the WRONG IMAGE of MEXICO.
You're right, Tijuana does feature all of those features... however, u have to understand it's a border, not like any other city of Mexico. Go to Guadalajara, Acapulco, Mexico City, Monterrey or Mazatlan, Cancun, and it'll be NOTHING like Tijuana.</p>
<p>If you want to go to the REAL MEXICO, don't go to baja, it's that simple, don't take a drive to Tijuana, drive down a little down further (to Rosarito, they have some nice places)</p>
<p>Even Ensenada, (although I kinda don't like it)</p>
<p>However, if u really want a good Mexico vacation go to PUERTO VALLARTA, CANCUN, ACAPULCO, MAZATLAN.</p>
<p>Mexico City is amazing too, it is the most diverse city I've ever seen (and biggest) yeah you hear "all the bad things" about Mexico, and people BELIEVE it because they see Tijuana.</p>
<p>Yet, I would STILL be more scared of cities in East LA or San Bernardino (yeah, they are more dangerous, truly)</p>
<p>The whole thing about kidnappins, drug lords and such are part of the government issues to contain their crime, it's nothing to be really scared of (it's not like u walk down a street and see people shooting each other) just be careful, don't go out at late night</p>
<p>USE COMMON SENSE.</p>
<p>I was born in the #1 Drug-lord state in Mexico, nothing ever happened to me, sure I heard about all the crime and saw all the news and I heard stories about the increase insecurity. Yet, living in fear sucks, u just have to live life!</p>
<p>And not hang around with the wrong kind of people.</p>
<p>My best advice to someone visiting Mexico by car.
Go to Rosarito, it's about 30 mins from the border, you'll be alright, there's a Wal-Mart and McDonald's if ur missing the States.</p>
<p>or go to Ensenada and stay at one of their resorts (like Stero Beach) there's wal-mart, mcdonald's, even costco.</p>
<p>but if u ever consider visiting it truly, go to Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Mazatlan, Acapulco, Ixtapa, Zigutanajeo, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Mexico City.</p>
<p>And don't be AFRAID!
also, it's always best to go with someone who knows the country.</p>
<p>Well, I'm glad that not all of Mexico is like that, but I wasn't implying it WAS; it's just that the THREAD is about Tijuana.</p>
<p>However, for all that its reputation may be overblown, I think Mexico really doesn't have it all together. Make no mistake, this is not arrogance, I think the USA needs a major facelift or two as well, and I agree that Los Angeles and the Inland Empire have some truly disgusting elements to them. However, regardless as to the degree of how much crime controls Mexico (or vice versa) any bad news is still scary, and I'd prefer to stay away. </p>
<p>There is a bigger reason, though. One of my friends' father had a car accident somewhere South in Mexico and could not be treated in their hospital. Not only that, but they refused to pay to transport him back across the border. So he just died from lack of care. That sort of thing is enough to make me mad at Mexico; not at its population collectively, mind you, but still enough to not want to risk going there.</p>
<p>^
True, it happens, the government situation in Mexico is a super mess. Laws are unfair, and it needs major REFORM of the governmental structure.</p>
<p>That said, I just get annoyed at how I listen to the radio, read the newspaper or watch the news and the US says "Don't go to Mexico, is bad, u better believe it!"</p>
<p>And it's the same thing here, In mexico is like "Don't go to the USA, they're just a bunch of discriminating fat people"</p>
<p>It's ANNOYING! especially for someone who travels between both countries on a regular basis.</p>
<p>The kind of people who say that kind of thing are very ignorant.</p>
<p>Like the other day, I was listening to the radio, a dude was saying "Don't let ur kids go to MExico for spring break or they may end up on drugs"</p>
<p>and I was like "Okay... well, If I do remember correctly, u can always say NO to drugs if u don't want any, it's not like Mexico is the only place u can get drugs."</p>