Article Surfing Archive

Tijuana'the mere mention of the word conjures up images of a sultry afternoon spent relaxing under the shade with a cold drink in hand or strolling leisurely along the brightly colored avenidas in search of a memento of your trip to take home with you. While you will certainly find many opportunities to do those things in Tijuana, there is so much more that the city has to offer.

Located on the U.S.-Mexican border right next to San Diego County in California, Tijuana is visited by countless thousands of tourists every year, not just from the U.S. but from other countries as well. This has given the city the reputation of being the 'Most visited city in the world', a distinction that is the source of no small amount of pride.

In many ways, Tijuana serves as the gateway into Mexico from the United States. This is reflected in the city's motto, 'Aqu' empieza la patria', which when translated means 'The homeland starts here'.

While there is certainly no shortage of fun and leisure activities that you can partake of in the city, some people may be surprised to find that Tijuana is actually gifted with a rich and varied cultural heritage that often takes a back seat to its more tourist-oriented features. The city is in fact home to a flourishing arts and entertainment scene, with many world-renowned galleries, museums and cultural centers that feature works from both local and international artists and performers. Among these are the Tijuana Cultural Center, the Museum of the Californias, Municipal Institute of Art and Culture, the Tijuana Wax Museum and the Trompo Museum. The Tijuana Cultural Center is a particularly highly regarded cultural center in the city, having hosted the Orchestra of Baja California since 1992, and serving as the headquarters of both the Center of Scenic Arts of the Northwest and the Hispanic-American Center for Guitar.

Of course many people come to the Tijuana for fun, and naturally the city has plenty to offer in that area as well. The Avenida Revoluci'n or Revolution Avenue is the place to be in that respect, and it is where you will find virtually everything that you came to Tijuana for. Food establishments abound and anything that you could possible want'from international cuisine to a host of flavors from many different countries'can be had. Of course, you would be missing out if you didn't at least try some of the local cuisine and this is the best place to get it.

The Avenida Revoluci'n is also the place to go for that all-important shopping spree. Leather goods, jewelry, perfumes, cigars and tobacco products, and of course, genuine handmade Mexican handicrafts'they're all here and at amazingly low prices.

Now if you can have this much fun visiting Tijuana for a few days, imagine living here for an extended period of time'or even retiring here. With the ever-rising prices of real estate in the U.S. and everything that Tijuana has to offer, it's a prospect that just may be worth a closer look.