To Tijuana, Mexico, by trolley; then the fun starts

The sleek, red trolley pulled up to the platform just as I

retrieved my round-trip ticket from the automatic ticket machine.

I had walked a few yards from the elegant Westgate Hotel, where I

had stayed the night, to the platform. Grabbing a seat, I spent the

next 40 minutes enjoying the passing scene. The new Padres stadium,

PetCo Park, was a knockout.

What fun it was riding a trolley to the Mexican border, instead of

grinding my way down the 5 Freeway to a parking lot near the border.

Arriving at San Ysidro, walking through the winding bridge tunnel

and arriving in Mexico was a breeze. Officials are welcoming, and the

Tijuana tourist office is just across the street, with its nice staff

and hundreds of brochures. You can pick up a self-guided tour map and

enjoy the sights from a sidewalk, take a coach tour, or for $5, you

can get a guide for an hourlong cultural walk. Tijuana citizens are

very friendly and many speak English.

Avenida Revolucion is the main drag, and everything spins off it.

For an easy and fun trip, begin at the wax museum, which houses more

than 80 lifelike figures of Mexican and international celebrities.

Then stroll the boulevard, checking out the action, and take a gander

at the Tijuana Arch and Monumental Clock at 1st Street.

The nearby markets are crammed with herbs and cooking utensils

rarely seen in the United States, as well as pinatas, Mexican sweets,

ceramic pots, colorful serapes and clothes of all kinds. Don’t miss

the Old Tijuana Cathedral. Walk down to the lovely Jai Alai Fronton

Palace, which alas, is no longer used for that sport.

For wine tasting, visit the L.A. Cetto Winery, an international

award-winning winery, and buy a bottle or two.

For lunch, there is a huge choice of international or local

eateries. Try Caesar’s Palace for a real Caesar salad, or visit the

city’s brewpub, Cervaceria Tijuana, with its heady aroma of hops and

excellent tipica Mexicana comida.

You can tour the brewery, or just have lunch in the little lunch

bar next to it. A beer tasting comes with lunch, and the morena beer

was truly mellow.

After lunch, we visited the amazing Cultural Center of Tijuana

with its Omnimax theaters, planetarium, permanent exhibits, the

historical Museo de las Californias and countless festival events.

In Tijuana, the residents celebrate American and Mexican holidays,

and the number of people who cross the border daily for business is

astounding.

We went down to the waterfront, discovered hundreds of new condos

and homes on the hills overlooking the Pacific, and then we wandered

the little shops and cafes that will remind you of Laguna.

Tijuana has grown up and now truly offers visitors an upfront look

into Mexican traditions, as well as a look into the future with all

the modern companies that have set up shop here.

-- Pat Neisser lives in Newport Beach.

* TRAVEL TALES runs on Thursdays. Have you, or someone you know,

gone on an interesting vacation? Tell us about your adventures in

about 400 words, accompanied by a couple of photos to choose from

that do not have the Daily Pilot in them, and send it all to Travel

Tales, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626; by e-mail to

[email protected]; or by fax to (714) 966-4679.