Originally Posted by
ESpen36
1) My plan is to visit Border Field State Park to get some photos of the famous border wall leading into the Pacific Ocean. Then, I'm planning to find a place to park my rental on the US side.... any recommendations of a safe, inexpensive parking operation within walking distance of the I-5 border crossing?
The entrance to Border Field S.P. may or may not be open. It is off Monument Road; carefully study maps of the area. Be careful out there and whatever you do avoid wandering around in the marshes. This is the Tijuana River estuary which equates to serious pollution, especially after heavy rains.
For border parking: I usually park at Border Station Parking right off Camiones Way at the very last USA exit on I-5. Take that exit, go straight through the stoplight and you're there. The entrance to Mexico is right next to the parking lot.
2) Regarding safety: my plan is to bring nothing with me for my little walk into Tijuana but my phone, wallet, and cheap point-and-shoot camera. I've seen all kinds of warnings about bringing nothing because of the high levels of crime on the streets. Are the reports exaggerated? (I have walked the streets of Caracas and Mexico City with a daypack and carrying my DSLR camera and never felt in danger.) Or should I really carry NOTHING unless I want to be robbed?
If you've walked the streets of Caracas & Mexico City then TJ is essentially no different in the tourist zone. The violent crime areas are in the neighborhoods outside of downtown (not to say crime doesn't happen downtown, it does) where tourists have no business going anyway.
3) Related: are taxis highly recommended for safety, or is it okay to cover ground in Tijuana on foot? (I am a big walker--usually walk 80 blocks in Manhattan each day I'm there. I am a fast walker too.)
Taxis are OK; just negotiate the price (US dollars) before getting in. Some drivers will try to push single guys towards their favorite strip club or whorehouse but I've never had an issue with them taking "No thanks" for an answer. Walking around the tourist zone is fine, just beware of pickpockets.
4) Any "don't miss" places? Markets? Monuments? I know Tijuana is not "traditional" Mexico, but I wouldn't want to miss anything colorful/cultural.
The Tijuana Cultural Center has an IMAX theatre which shows bilingual movies about Mexico and its history. For more middle class traditional Mexican shopping (as opposed to tourist schlock) walk across the street from the TJ Cultural Center to Plaza Rio Tijuana shopping mall. This is northwest Mexico's largest mall - I like to buy quality Mexican made leather dress shoes here.
One restaurant I enjoy (taxi can take you there):
Cien Años
Avenida José Maria 1407, Zona Río, (52-664) 634-3039
5) Related: any "stay away" parts of town? (I don't want to go anywhere where illegal activity may be concentrated.)
Stay in the downtown tourist zone and Zona Rio Tijuana area.
6) Is there ever a line for pedestrians returning to the USA? If so, by what time of day should I definitely make my way back to walk over the pedestrian bridge to the sidewalk into the USA? (to avoid any potential line)
I have never seen a long line for pedestrians to enter the USA.
NOTE TO MODERATORS: You may want to move this thread over to the Mexico forum.