Crime, Safety, and the Police

[Cheerfull]

When I took uber back to the border last night, I typed "frontera" and the uber driver said Uber understands this word as the name of a storefront. He said I should type "frontera San Ysidro" to go to pedwest. Does this mean I type "frontera San Pedro" to go to pedeast?

When returning to USA, the border guys ask if I have anything to declare. Should I declare any Figral (viagra) tablets I bought? Where is the best place in Tijuana to buy this brand?

Thanks!

[Dcrist0527]

Agree 100%. Lots of fear mongering. As I've said, I've walked Revolucion literally hundreds of times, day and night, without any issue. The only issues I've had were away from Revo and away from the zona, near the bridge, at night. There are no guarantees in life. The next time I make that walk might be different. But I've not personally experienced or witnessed anything that would cause me safety concerns if you have a reasonable amount of awareness. In fact, the scariest encounters I had this past visit were on the trolleys in San Diego with some clearly mentally disturbed riders.

With respect to others that have had issues occur to them in Tijuana, I would very likely feel like you do. When I've had a scary issue or two stateside, I too generalize about a city, or an area. But we all need to remember, YMMV. And you can take common sense steps to mitigate those concerns.

I was in Tijuana this afternoon and evening (Wed). I was in the RLD and visiting Hong Kong and a couple other places on the block. There were a couple of policemen in the alley with assault rifles but other than that everything looked pretty normal. Just another day in Tijuana. I walked over to Revolution around 7:30 pm and up a couple kilometres to Calle Once. Nice walk! No one accosted d me or gave me the evil eye. I think there is some scaremongering going on about Tijuana that seems a bit unwarranted. In the RLD you have to keep your guard up. But once you away from the RLD Tijuana becomes just another tranquil Latin American town. I noticed a lot of nice shops, restaurants, and bars walking up Revolution, and plan to return soon. Took uber back to the frontera (San Pedro) around 11 pm. No complaints great Uber service.

[Cheerfull]

While I understand people have different comfort levels with what they wear, dressing "upper class" or anything close is just advertising for trouble. I try to dress like the locals as much as I can. I'm not fooling anyone into thinking I am a local. But wearing nice shoes or dress clothes is a statement. Just not one I care to make walking around Tijuana.

I was in Tijuana this afternoon and evening (Wed). I was in the RLD and visiting Hong Kong and a couple other places on the block. There were a couple of policemen in the alley with assault rifles but other than that everything looked pretty normal. Just another day in Tijuana. I walked over to Revolution around 7:30 pm and up a couple kilometres to Calle Once. Nice walk! No one accosted d me or gave me the evil eye. I think there is some scaremongering going on about Tijuana that seems a bit unwarranted. In the RLD you have to keep your guard up. But once you away from the RLD Tijuana becomes just another tranquil Latin American town. I noticed a lot of nice shops, restaurants, and bars walking up Revolution, and plan to return soon. Took uber back to the frontera (San Pedro) around 11 pm. No complaints great Uber service.

[Travv]

I think I saw you today with your buddy pulling up to the HK valet station in a car with a big American flag with an eagle logo on the rear window around 1 pm. You were wearing a dirty T-shirt and black baggy shorts and were barefoot walking from the car to HK valet station with your suitcase, which was an old Apple computer cardboard box wrapped with tape. I think the valets were struggling to keep from laughing. But looking like you just spent the night sleeping in a Tijuana alley or sidewalk with the locals might be going to far for most posters here. The upside is that the Rateros would never suspect you were worth robbing since you weren't wearing nice shoes or any shoes at all. What surprised me is that you didn't look like you were burning your feet on the hot asphalt.

While I understand people have different comfort levels with what they wear, dressing "upper class" or anything close is just advertising for trouble. I try to dress like the locals as much as I can. I'm not fooling anyone into thinking I am a local. But wearing nice shoes or dress clothes is a statement. Just not one I care to make walking around Tijuana.

[Ctytek]

I don't know what all this "upper class Mexican man" nonsense all about. But there is really no "dress code" when it comes to Tijuana streets or clubs. I'd agree that one shouldn't dress to stand out or attack unwanted attention, but you do need to dress like you're a real estate agent going to a realtor convention on a hot summer day.

T-shirts, jeans, quality sandals. All just fine. If you're a gringo. You're not going to fool anyone into mistaking you for a local anyway. Just wear nice clean clothes, which make you comfortable and that don't attract attention or scream that you're cash loaded tourist. You will do just fine.

[Dcrist0527]

While I understand people have different comfort levels with what they wear, dressing "upper class" or anything close is just advertising for trouble. I try to dress like the locals as much as I can. I'm not fooling anyone into thinking I am a local. But wearing nice shoes or dress clothes is a statement. Just not one I care to make walking around Tijuana.

I will be in Tijuana Monday-Wednesday (staying at Ticuan) and I walk everywhere. I wear shorts, a nicer shirt and Teva sandals. Although I don't really care, I have never been shown anything but respect. BTW, a lap dance is 100% more fun if you're wearing shorts.

[John Clayton]

I will be in Tijuana Monday-Wednesday (staying at Ticuan) and I walk everywhere. I wear shorts, a nicer shirt and Teva sandals. Although I don't really care, I have never been shown anything but respect. BTW, a lap dance is 100% more fun if you're wearing shorts.

[Simmer]

Generally IMO, if you are visiting Mexico, Do As The Mexicans Do! Mexican upper class men usually wear long sleeved shirts and pants with quality leather boots with a hat or baseball cap. If you want to dress like Bozo the clown or the 50 Cent Rapper prison costume with saggy shorts, you can do so in Zona Norte at your own risk. Looking like an Ugly American with too much money will not go well if the Rateros notice your bad taste in clothes. So to blend in, dress like a Mexican. This advice applies to all European countries. Ugly Americans wonder why waiters and clerks ignore them in Hawaiian shirts and flip flops and the men who dressed well get treated well by the staff. Many Europeans and Mexicans judge you by your clothes, unlike the USA today where criminals are glorified and baggy Rapper shorts are "in".

Well said. The less obvious, the more "local" you look (within reason), the better. Regarding the service, it's fairly well known that at least attempting to speak a little French in France *usually* goes a long way to better relations with your waiter, and similar applies elsewhere.

That said, I don't speak Spanish more than words (not sentences) but I certainly wish I did. I was in Rio once and met up with an American who happened to speak a little Portuguese. We were drinking beers by the beach when he said "drink up, let's go, vamanos, don't turn around". I later learnt that he'd overheard a couple of men nearby planning how to rob us. Had he not understood any Portuguese (like me), we would have at least been somewhat less rich that night, at best.

[ScatManDoo]

Generally IMO, if you are visiting Mexico, Do As The Mexicans Do! Mexican upper class men usually wear long sleeved shirts and pants with quality leather boots with a hat or baseball cap. If you want to dress like Bozo the clown or the 50 Cent Rapper prison costume with saggy shorts, you can do so in Zona Norte at your own risk. Looking like an Ugly American with too much money will not go well if the Rateros notice your bad taste in clothes. So to blend in, dress like a Mexican. This advice applies to all European countries. Ugly Americans wonder why waiters and clerks ignore them in Hawaiian shirts and flip flops and the men who dressed well get treated well by the staff. Many Europeans and Mexicans judge you by your clothes, unlike the USA today where criminals are glorified and baggy Rapper shorts are "in".

I agree with you Travv. To a point.

Probably our biggest difference if that I don't want to appear to be "Upper Class" to just about anybody I'm likely to run into (or be observed by) when I'm in Tijuana.

So it's always t-shirts and jeans for me. That's the class I want to blend in with.

[Baxter Slade]

And people always ask me why I dress "up" all the time.

I am closing in on 49.

When do we start planning the grande fiesta for the big 50?

[Artisttyp]

Generally IMO, if you are visiting Mexico, Do As The Mexicans Do! Mexican upper class men usually wear long sleeved shirts and pants with quality leather boots with a hat or baseball cap. If you want to dress like Bozo the clown or the 50 Cent Rapper prison costume with saggy shorts, you can do so in Zona Norte at your own risk. Looking like an Ugly American with too much money will not go well if the Rateros notice your bad taste in clothes. So to blend in, dress like a Mexican. This advice applies to all European countries. Ugly Americans wonder why waiters and clerks ignore them in Hawaiian shirts and flip flops and the men who dressed well get treated well by the staff. Many Europeans and Mexicans judge you by your clothes, unlike the USA today where criminals are glorified and baggy Rapper shorts are "in".

And people always ask me why I dress "up" all the time.

I am closing in on 49. I wouldn't be caught dead in public with a shirt and no collar. Sandals? Would love to but wouldn't dare. That is the ultimate disrespect in Mexico. I won't lie though the summer is BRUTAL in latin countries but I finally found pants I can wear.

JC Penney makes super thin dress pants that can withstand the high 80's and a decent amount of humidity. You will still feel warm but so much less than other pants. And they are surprisingly durable.

Now if only I could find replacements for my Dickies 60/40 % Poly Cotton shorts.

[DarrenGap]

Quote from el blog del narco. Forgive the google translation.

In the history of Tijuana, it is the first time that it has exceeded 1,000 executions in just 155 days of this year. Not even in the most critical years of confrontation ..... or even in 2016, considered the most violent, had this deadly statistic been overcome.

As of June 2017, in the first six months of the year, the Attorney General's Office of the State (PGJE) registered 771 intentional homicides in Tijuana, while in the same period, but in 2018 (June 7), it registered 1,022.

[DramaFree11]

Generally IMO, if you are visiting Mexico, Do As The Mexicans Do! Mexican upper class men usually wear long sleeved shirts and pants with quality leather boots with a hat or baseball cap. If you want to dress like Bozo the clown or the 50 Cent Rapper prison costume with saggy shorts, you can do so in Zona Norte at your own risk. Looking like an Ugly American with too much money will not go well if the Rateros notice your bad taste in clothes. So to blend in, dress like a Mexican. This advice applies to all European countries. Ugly Americans wonder why waiters and clerks ignore them in Hawaiian shirts and flip flops and the men who dressed well get treated well by the staff. Many Europeans and Mexicans judge you by your clothes, unlike the USA today where criminals are glorified and baggy Rapper shorts are "in".

So true, one of my favorite posts!

[Travv]

Generally IMO, if you are visiting Mexico, Do As The Mexicans Do! Mexican upper class men usually wear long sleeved shirts and pants with quality leather boots with a hat or baseball cap. If you want to dress like Bozo the clown or the 50 Cent Rapper prison costume with saggy shorts, you can do so in Zona Norte at your own risk. Looking like an Ugly American with too much money will not go well if the Rateros notice your bad taste in clothes. So to blend in, dress like a Mexican. This advice applies to all European countries. Ugly Americans wonder why waiters and clerks ignore them in Hawaiian shirts and flip flops and the men who dressed well get treated well by the staff. Many Europeans and Mexicans judge you by your clothes, unlike the USA today where criminals are glorified and baggy Rapper shorts are "in".

To Simmer,

We are not exactly sensitive middle-school kids. Nobody in La Zona gives a damn what kinds of clothes you put on. The chicas and meseros only care if your clothes have pockets full of cash. The bros only care if you are a cool, fun guys to hang out with. Ratero will rob anyone who give them the best opportunities.

An old guy used to hang out in HK wearing his formal tuxedo with a jungle short with his serious, all business, no kidding manners hehe. He's a funny character. The summer is very hot in day time but still chilly at night. Lots of guys show up in T shirts, shorts, flip flops in day time. Guys come in after work in starched white shirts and suit or jackets. They are there to relax and wear whatever is convenient.

Regardless what clothes you wear, HK chicas and meseros can sniff out the newbies quickly and will ply them with mucho hot girls and fichas. Just wear casual clothes that make you feel good and comfortable for the climate, and you will be appreciated for who you are and where you come from.

[Jicks]

If it went down like this then be vigilant and observant. Dangerous indeed. No details or limited info. If you are a victim of crime please be careful and take precautions for preventive measures. Some crimes are worth reporting. Any bros out and around the alley at this time? Did you see or hear something? Again be safe out there.

Looks like alley became more dangerous than it was one year ago. I was there last year during La Malquerida shooting, I think there are better places for non-socal mongers than alley.