General Reports

[OrganicAlo]

As many already know but just to mention in case anyone has not been. Above the alley is the restaurant Azul's overlooking the alley. It is a Great place to watch the action on the street in relative safety of the restaurant.

Have done it many times and wasn't aware of the place until we did a Red Light District tour with a guy who took us up there to talk about the history of Zona Norte and other aspects that were a bit fascinating.

After arriba session with one of the girls I asked if we could share a drink / bite up there and she could help me with my Spanish which she agreed to with a little tip. It's right next to hotel Cascadas so the location is primo.

G.

Yeah, azul is great, the food not so much, but the staff are nice, and the salsa is good.

I stop by a few times a trip, to grab a drink or food, definitely some interesting sights to be seen from above that balcony. I was in Tijuana last Tuesday / Wednesday and had a nice breakfast in the morning, chatted up with a masero and two other mongers for about a hour.

[Goyo61]

As many already know but just to mention in case anyone has not been. Above the alley is the restaurant Azul's overlooking the alley. It is a Great place to watch the action on the street in relative safety of the restaurant.

Have done it many times and wasn't aware of the place until we did a Red Light District tour with a guy who took us up there to talk about the history of Zona Norte and other aspects that were a bit fascinating.

After arriba session with one of the girls I asked if we could share a drink / bite up there and she could help me with my Spanish which she agreed to with a little tip. It's right next to hotel Cascadas so the location is primo.

G.

The "Alley" in Tijuana is not an actual alley, but it is the back street of Calle Coahuila. Calle Coahuila being the main street, the alley is the street directly behind it, HKs backdoor leads to it.

Definitely a good idea to avoid any sort of alley in Tijuana.

[Member #4722]

The first time I went to HK I was looking all around for this "alley" everyone was talking about. There weren't many girls hanging around because of weather and I was very confused haha.

[Phordphan]

I agree that this is not really an alley like we think of it. There are store fronts and room for cars and it's no different from many other streets. But it is literally named Callejn Coahuila, and callejn is best translated as "alley".

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, it was a lot more like an alley. It wasn't paved and the whole area was a lot grubbier. Yes, it's hard to believe. Then the powers that be came along and paved it, and added street lights, and tried to civilize the place.

[Baxter Slade]

Forgot about commitment on 11th. I need to be back over the border / SD by 3 pm so maybe another day is better if y'all go club hopping.

G.

We usually hit up the off the beaten path sleaze bars around once a month on a Saturday. (Just to make sure they are still there). So hit us up again if it fits into your schedule.

[KC Questor]

The "Alley" in Tijuana is not an actual alley, but it is the back street of Calle Coahuila. Calle Coahuila being the main street, the alley is the street directly behind it, HKs backdoor leads to it.

Definitely a good idea to avoid any sort of alley in Tijuana.

I agree that this is not really an alley like we think of it. There are store fronts and room for cars and it's no different from many other streets. But it is literally named Callejón Coahuila, and callejón is best translated as "alley".

[BrotherMouzone]

The "Alley" in Tijuana is not an actual alley, but it is the back street of Calle Coahuila. Calle Coahuila being the main street, the alley is the street directly behind it, HKs backdoor leads to it.

Ohhh, you mean Primer Callejon Coahuila. The street you hit from the back entrance of Hong Kong. Yeah, I've walked down that street a handful of times. Seems seedy so haven't looked to frequent it. I actually didn't know that was referred to as the "alley" LOL. Have noticed all the girls standing around on that street though (to a lesser extent) girls stand around on the front side as well.

[OrganicAlo]

Been to Tijuana 15-20 times and have fortunately never had a bad experience with a cop (at least not yet LOL). Only interaction I've ever had with a cop down there was walking from HK to go to Adelita's. A cop standing in front of Adelita's warned me (in English) about carrying my cellphone the way I was carrying it because a pickpocket could easily sneak up behind and steal it from me. I thanked him and then walked into the bar. I keep a low profile, don't dress flashy, and try not to do anything stupid down there so I don't worry too much about it. While I'm familiar with that area, I'm not sure what's being referred to when folks on here say "alley" but my instincts would tell me to stay out of "alleys" in foreign countries, even if that's where a bunch of the street girls are available.

Definitely know better than to walk the streets with beer / alcohol, though I have walked from Adelita's to the adjacent hotel and from HK to Hotel Cascadas next door numerous with a small glass of liquor in my hand without incident. I might look to putting a stop to even doing that though.

The "Alley" in Tijuana is not an actual alley, but it is the back street of Calle Coahuila. Calle Coahuila being the main street, the alley is the street directly behind it, HKs backdoor leads to it.

Definitely a good idea to avoid any sort of alley in Tijuana.

[Phordphan]

I've had a lot of experience the last few years in every bar on revolution st and many of the strip bar places. What I can say, is, if the bar has a staff member asking you to come in, it's much better than just walking in. Keep in mind, a lot of the bars aren't used to seeing gringos. The customers don't want it for whatever reason in some cases. Price inflation, foreigner invasion, music changes, etc. Now this is not to say anything negative towards anyone in mexico because, all people, in all countries are the same essentially from my experience. I see it in NYC bars when they complain of the customer base changing. Last week, when in a normal club on revolution st, as the only gringo in the place, the singer mouthed off insulting me in Spanish and saying stuff about my date that would cause a riot and arrest in the states. Just because he apparently didn't like gringos. We walked out in 2 seconds when my date explained what he was saying. So, you will not be loved everyplace in Tijuana. Playboy club won't have enough girls, gold palace is good, the guys will complain about the size of the woman in the club next to hotel nelson on rev street, IMO, there's no hidden gems for a group, due to not enough woman in the smaller clubs.

Please elaborate and tell us which bar and what was said. I'm curious.

[TJSteve]

I called Costco and asked about this. They confirmed it, but said that if I needed something delivered, it would have to be to an address in Mexico. Since I was buying a queen-sized mattress, I paid the extra to get the USA version.

My Mexico COSTCO costs 200 pesos because I am a "ghost" employee at some factory. My wife set it up years ago with some manager. Find a friend.

[BrotherMouzone]

I called Costco and asked about this. They confirmed it, but said that if I needed something delivered, it would have to be to an address in Mexico. Since I was buying a queen-sized mattress, I paid the extra to get the USA version.

Oh wow didn't know that. That's definitely something to consider thanks. I actually live within walking distance of a Costco (half mile or so) so a Mexican Costco card would probably still yield some value for me.

[BrotherMouzone]

Avoid early mornings, that's when Tijuana's finest are known to handle majority of the shakedowns.

They got me one time before, it was last year, and to be fair I did have a left over weed pen in my pocket. They got me for the last $45 in my wallet after waking up from a crazy night, it was probably around 7 am when this happened, and I was originally stopped for nothing at all, just walking down the alley. Definitely preferred to pay the $45 instead of the hassle it would have caused.

Been to Tijuana 15-20 times and have fortunately never had a bad experience with a cop (at least not yet LOL). Only interaction I've ever had with a cop down there was walking from HK to go to Adelita's. A cop standing in front of Adelita's warned me (in English) about carrying my cellphone the way I was carrying it because a pickpocket could easily sneak up behind and steal it from me. I thanked him and then walked into the bar. I keep a low profile, don't dress flashy, and try not to do anything stupid down there so I don't worry too much about it. While I'm familiar with that area, I'm not sure what's being referred to when folks on here say "alley" but my instincts would tell me to stay out of "alleys" in foreign countries, even if that's where a bunch of the street girls are available.

Definitely know better than to walk the streets with beer / alcohol, though I have walked from Adelita's to the adjacent hotel and from HK to Hotel Cascadas next door numerous with a small glass of liquor in my hand without incident. I might look to putting a stop to even doing that though.

[Goyo61]

Forgot about commitment on 11th. I need to be back over the border / SD by 3 pm so maybe another day is better if y'all go club hopping.

G.

The 11th could work. I did go to a few bars a few months back and all of them were good to visit but. We wandered into one bar and had a drink. They vibe of the place was Not good. Police came in and took a look around. Didn't know what the scoop was but we quickly drank up and got out of there. Just got to be careful as I do believe there are no-go bars. And how to identify them?

G.

[WombatEd2]

From what I understand Costco memberships in Mexico are only 500 pesos ($26-$27) which is less than half the cost of a Costco membership in the you. S ($60). My understanding is also that a Costco membership purchased in Mexico is good anywhere in the USA Will probably look into getting a Costco membership the next time I'm in Tijuana if this is the case LOL.

I called Costco and asked about this. They confirmed it, but said that if I needed something delivered, it would have to be to an address in Mexico. Since I was buying a queen-sized mattress, I paid the extra to get the USA version.

[OrganicAlo]

Another safety related thing: avoid the town cops. Heard that a lot of them are corrupt and will try to extort you for money. My buddy told me some stories about this. Don't walk around in public with an open beer can or alcoholic beverage either. That would probably get you in trouble.

I've heard stories but never had my own to share. Until now. I went down on Dec 13th /14th and was walking around the block in the early morning, probably around 6 AM. A police truck stopped and, almost immediately, two cops got up into my face asking me what I was drinking. It was just a cup of coffee from the Oxxo and I told them such but, for a few moments I thought I was going to be harassed and / or extorted. Fortunately, a call came through on the radio and they left as fast as they stopped. Still, my takeaway is not to even give them a reason to target you. It was early morning, the streets were mostly empty and I was walking around with a cup in my hand. Tenga cuidado!

Avoid early mornings, that's when Tijuana's finest are known to handle majority of the shakedowns.

They got me one time before, it was last year, and to be fair I did have a left over weed pen in my pocket. They got me for the last $45 in my wallet after waking up from a crazy night, it was probably around 7 am when this happened, and I was originally stopped for nothing at all, just walking down the alley. Definitely preferred to pay the $45 instead of the hassle it would have caused.