Tips for newbies and veterans. A summary of things I learned during my trips to TJ. Some stuff may be old news for most. Some may contradict what other sires wrote. But hey, this is my post and my 2 cents

1) Parking: I don’t park on the street. My car is well worth the $7. On weekend nights, the lot to the left of Mac Donald’s is $5 from 6 pm to 6 am. For a quick swing through TJ on a weekday, you don't have to cross the bridge after at the end of the night in TJ.

2) Traffic: Avoid walking back on Sat and Sun between 10.30 and 2, also Sundays between 4 and 8. I don’t drive, so I can’t advise on that. Walking into TJ is never a problem.

3) Bath room: The best feature of World Duty Free, just before you cross into TJ, is their clean bathroom. The shop and bathroom close at 9 pm. Especially if you drag a girl down, she will like the last clean bathroom with tissue. The stuff they sell in the shop is overprized and a rip off.

4) Bus: Arrive in TJ before 10, take the bus ($.50) to Constitution and 3rd, walk up Constitution towards the zona norte, Negrete and Revolution are less safe.

5) Group Taxi: Worth a try if you’re alone. Cost $.50. Difficult to figure out where they leave. Even a lot of locals get confused, but once you know the station you can save a lot of $$$.

6) Taxi (Taxi Special): At night always use cabs. The best are in front of Chicago, never pay more than $5 to and from the border, no tip! I also never pay more than $5 for a cab to Zona Rio, although the drivers back often will not drive for less than $7 into the ZN.

7) Verizon Cell Phone: Watch out, making a call from TJ within roaming. The one at the other end (wife, GF or boss) will know that the call comes from outside the US. Best way to call home is from the area around or inside Chicago Bar. The reception is very good, no roaming, the signal must come from San Ysidro.

8) Bars (update): 1) Adelitas: good selection 24/7, no worries. 2) TB and Miami had recently a serious talent drain, IMHO. 3) LC, never had much talent, you find a lot of hot chicas on Friday and Saturday night, but they often only drink and rarely go up. 4) Hong Kong: Newly reopened, has ongoing floorshow, but some dancers here turn putas in AB/CC on the weekend. One has to wait how things develop. 5) El Pollo: Never more than 1 or 2 decent looking girls, floor show not as good as Hong Kong. I don’t see a reason to go out of my way to check this place out. 6) La Valentina: Beer price went up! Now $1.50 (Que timo! J). No talent, I would pork, but a nice and clean stop between SG-sessions. 7) All other bars are not worth a visit, unless you come to TJ often and can experiment. They are hit or miss.

9) Safer Sex: always carry lube. The chances that a rubber breaks are highest when the lubrication lacks. Especially for anal it is very important to lube well, since breakage here has the highest chance of STD’s, especially Hepatitis and AIDS. Some smaller bar chicas will not use lube, which is great if they are moist, but chicas tend to dry up, especially after drinking a lot.

10)Cinema: Cinemax in the Zona Rio has Wednesday’s specials 2 for 1, that gets you and your special lady into the theatre for 40 Pesos (both). All other days it is 40 per person, which is, at night, less than the Cinema inside the Plaza Rio.

11)Food: Depends on how much you want to impress the person you are with, but I have been in general underwhelmed by the food in TJ. I can eat better and cheaper in SD, ever better and cheaper Mexican. One exception is Cien Anos, the best Restaurant in TJ IMHO. It is expensive for TJ, but compares well with the better places in SD, which would be more expensive. At the lower end (La Costa and El Taurino in Centro) are okay, but almost any place in SD has better food. Always make a reservation for Cien Anos, even on weekdays, since most people in TJ seem to know about its qualities, dress to impress, would not wear shorts etc. 0115266343039

12)Nightlife: The best discos to pick up mexicanas are Las Pulgas and Senior Frogs. The best disco to pick up US chicas is any place on Revolution. Go on Saturday between 1 and 3, follow the groups, prey on a smaller group of females. It is like being a lion chasing a group of gazelle in Seringeti. Be VERY careful, one can be prosecuted in the US for having sex with an underage girl even if the sex was in mx. The girl can accuse you of having raped her. She may have used drugs and use that as an excuse. The law in the US is very much in favor of the girl and you have to prove that you were honest. Image sitting in front of a jury in Christian-nazi San Diego, and explaining why you had sex with a 17-year-old student from SD in TJ. I had a very bad experience and since I like latinas better anyway, stopped chasing the US panochas around Revolution. The Mexicans could care less what you do with a gringa. In TJ the all actions between you and other gringos or gringas are off limits for them. The real danger is what happens once she returns to the US. I therefore never disclose my true ID. I have to stop here. I hope this part is not too creepy.

13)Hotel: If you can pick up a girl to bring to your hotel I would use Pueblo Amigo, Hotel America or Villa Zaragosa. If you need to convince a ZN chica to follow to your hotel, I used Hotel Nelson and Cesars. I like Nelson better. Others use the Hotels in the ZN. None of the hotels ever checked any of the girls Ids. Planning to pick up US chicas can be frustrating and I would only get a cheap place on Rev (Caesar or Nelson). Again, cuidado!

14)Keep your sanity: I write a diary, post a lot and write E-mail with some fellow mongers. I think it is an important therapy. Sometimes I sit on a Monday in my office, just hours after the last incredible experience in TJ and something in my head just wants to shout it out: "I WAS IN TJ, I FELL IN LOVE WITH ONE, HAD SEX WITH 3 MORE AND CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT A FORTH GIRL!" To avoid being laid off, dragged out of the workplace or hated by all castrated San Diegans plus women, you need to ventilate!

15) “Treat a whore like a lady, and a lady like a whore.”

My 2002, post 911, newbie update:

1) Restaurants:
My first 3 picks are: Cien Anos (http://www.cien-a.com/) , Villa Saverius (http://www.villasaverios.com/) and Tour de France (Phone 681-7542). No reservations needed at any Restaurant after the slowdown post 911, unless you bring a larger group.

2) Traffic:
I never drive into TJ. If you drive you pay for the convenience of having a car in TJ with an hour-long wait at the border on your way back. Walking into TJ is never a problem coming back is more difficult. Best times are between 10pm and 5 am on weekdays and between 6 pm and 1 am as well as between 5 am and 8 am on Saturdays and Sundays. My worst waiting times were on Sunday mornings at 4 am when the crowd is just too young, too drunk, and too obnoxious and the temperature too low to stand for 2 hours at the border. In general the wait is unpredictable and the lines can come to a halt at any time when the INS officers get stingy. CH has some helpful links for the border traffic which feature up to the minute reports on traffic by car, but not foot. Sometimes it helps to rent a bike at the border or to bring ones own since until very recently bicyclist could cut to the front of the car line, or had their own lane. However, the INS has recently changed this policy and one has to wait and see how this will turn out.

3) Group Tax (Collectivos)i:
FROM CENTRO
To Plaza Rio and Plaza Fiesta: beige and white cabs on 3rd btw Revo and Const.
To the border: green and white on Const btw 3rd and 4th.
To Playas: Purple and white on 3rd and F. Martinez.
To La Presa, downtown bullring: Red cabs on 4th, btw Const and Ninos Heroes.
To Plaza Minarete with Cinemark, Chans, and Villa Saverius: White and green cabs on 6th, btw Const and Ninos Heroes.
The price of a ride is usually 5 Pesos, a little more for longer rides to Playas. All services run 24 hours, but if you’re in a suburb after hours it can be a long wait until the first collectivo comes by.

4) Regular Taxis (Especiales):
After 911 the prices have gone down. You can now get a ride from the border to Centro for $4 and into the ZN for $5 without tip and without haggling. I still prefer the $.50 bus ride in the blue and white busses (see above post).

5) Safety:
You fight on two fronts: the muggers on the one side, the police on the other. Never walk to and from the border after 9 pm. If you see police activity, continue to walk and DO NOT take pictures. Never bribe a federal office (the ones who run around in military uniforms). Don’t bring credit cards; hide your ATM card for money exchange and your ID. If you get mugged and have no ID, you will have a hard time getting back into the US. Never flash money in public, never take out your wallet in public, keep a stack of singles in your pocket and pull out one by one to pay for things on the street.

6) Phone:
TJ has a new area code since November 2001: 664 instead of 66.
Example: OLD: 011-52-66-817-542 NEW: 011-52-664-681-7542.
It is different for cell phones:
OLD: 044-66-xxx-xxx NEW: 044-664-6-xxx-xxx
OR:
OLD: 044-64-xxx-xxx NEW: 044-664-4-xxx-xxx
If you call any cell phone from the US the receiving party has to pay! Many chicas will not take your call if it comes from outside the country. To dial cell phones from the US:
011-52-664-6-xxx-xxx or 011-52-664-4-xxx-xxx. Using the “044” area code which can only be dialed from inside MX assures that there is no charge for the receiving party.

7) Hotel:
Cascadas, in the Zona Norte, now charges $29 for the night, plus $12 for each chica after the first one. Most Hotels are linked to in the Links section on CH. There are reports of mongers being scammed by security at Villa Zaragosa at night, who demand extra cash for the “visitor”. This never happened to me, but is alarming. I still think it is a reasonable choice for a first time visitor, although I now prefer Hotel Real del Rio where I have always gotten the best service. (http://www.tijuana-net.com/realrio/index.html) Other Hotels for newbies are Hotel America and Pueblo Amigo. PA has an 800 number for reservations from the US and gives a governmental and AAA discount. Cesars Hotel has been getting more and more run down and Hotel Nelson is in a neighborhood that is too dangerous at nighttime. The choice depends a little on the size of your wallet and activities planned. Always register for 2 and you should not have any problems receiving visitors.

8) Nightclubs and bars outside the red-light area:

PLAZA FIESTA is a strip-mall in the Zona Rio, on the corner of Ave Paseo del los Heroes and Independencia. Some cabbies will know it as Plaza Zapatos (shoes). Next door to the clubs is still an old mall with leather and shoe stores. This is THE place to hang with the regular professional crowd of TJ. The four main bars are:
Sotano Suizo: no cover, no dress code, busy after 6 every days, sports bar, Swiss themed, great food, 80ies rock music.
Monte Picacho: no cover, dress to impress, busy after 10 every day. Live bands tu-th after 10.30, crowd in late 20ies to early 30ies.
Café Cinque: no cover, dress to impress, busy after 11 or MN, hippest crowd in all of TJ. Don’t come here wearing less than Armani if you want to score. Chicas are top of the line, best nights are Wednesday and Thursday after MN.
AhJijo: no cover, behind Monte Picacho, busy after 10, mostly on weekends, no live music, crowd younger than MP.
There are about 4 or 5 more bars, all in this strip mall, but nothing else I can recommend. All these places are upscale and prices are similar to San Diego, or even a little higher.

PUEBLO AMIGO:
Close to the border, one can actually walk from the border in 5 minutes! Next door to the Hotel Pueblo Amigo, it has mainly 2 nightclubs:
Senior Frogs: Cover varies: $10-15, franchise bar, young US and MX crowd.
Zoo’ll: Cover $20, large hall with Techno, if you’ve ever been to a rave, this is the Mexican version of it. Music is so loud you wont be able to pick up any girls, but coming here with a chica and her friends can be fun. Check the website for specials: http://www.sdro.com/zooll/index.html.

PLAYAS:
I only know of one decent club in Playas: El Teatro. This place is located 3 blocks south of the Bullring, no cover, dress to impress. The crowd compares to Plaza Fiesta, but the music is not as loud and the patio overlooking the beach is especially nice. You have fresh air, and the music plays at a level where even the late 30ies male can converse with his female prey.

LAS PULGAS:
The largest nightclub of TJ, across from JaiAlai on Revolution btw 7th and 8th. Open 7 days a week, cover ranges from 20-50 Pesos, more on special occasions with live bands. Best nights are Th-Su after 9 pm dress code not enforced, but avoid shorts and T-shirts. On busy nights up to 5 rooms are open. One features latin rock and disco music, 1 large room with live music or banda, one smaller, barn-like room with banda and norteño and two upstairs rooms open only on busy nights, one has again banda, the other softer latin rock. As you enter the club, you will get searched and reach a large hallways, which has a coat check and hotdog stand to the left, the entrance to the banda room straight ahead, a staircase to the softer latin rock room to the right and the entrance to the disco room to the far right. Many girls come here in pairs or groups to party on weekends. Sunday night many Zona Norte chicas party here on their night off.
For more info ask Milkman, the undisputed expert on Las Pulgas.

JAI ALAI:
Nightclub inside the old Jai Alai building, entrance to the left of the main portal. Cover $3-5, no shorts, mostly leather jacket crowd, young, often live DJ, Nortec and else. Hip place to go on Friday and Saturday after 11.

9) Other fun stuff you can do on your date:

Watch porno:
Cinema Latina on the corner of 5th and Ninos Heroes has a backroom with porno. Officially porno, like prostitution, is illegal in Mexico that is why this place has a fake cinema with 2-year-old movies up front. A lot of Mexicanas have never seen porno and the experience to take your chica to lose her porno-virginity can be a riot.

Amusement Park:
Across from the Hotel Real del Rio is a small amusement park. For chicas who DO NOT have a visa and have seen the US version this can be fun and romantic.

Movies:
The VIP cinema at Plaza Rio has comfortable seating that allows lifting the armrest. This enables you and your sweaty to get very close during the movie.

Doing something classy:
Check out a show at CECUT, and take her to a classical concert. Depending on the chica this can be very nice; afterwards one can stroll over to dance at any of the Plaza Fiesta clubs. (http://www.cecut.org.mx/calendario.html)

Live guitar music:
An artsy café with live guitar music for a romantic outing is El lugar de Nopal. The café is located on Cinqo de mayo, just south of 6th Street. It can be difficult to find earlier in the night, before the crowds arrive and lead you there. The entrance is all the way to the end of a dead end of Cinqo de mayo street. Check for their schedule and a map: http://el-lugar-del-nopal.arts.xs2.net/

10) One of the most frequently asked questions by a newcomer is: “How can I arrange for a TLN (spend the whole night with a chica, or la noche entera)?”
There is no magic recipe to this and the answer depends on many factors. It is important to consider how much money you are willing to spend and if you just want her to fuck you all night, or rather look for an escort-like date with sex after the social part of the night or evening.
For a newcomer I would focus on Adelitas Bar and Chicago Club to find your first mate. All the girls there are prostitutes, but not all agree to see customers outside their own club and adjacent hotel. If you are seriously interest in a certain lady, sit down with her for a few drinks and get to know her. You can approach the subject of going to your own hotel, or just ask if she is willing to see you outside for a date.
Most chicas will be very reluctant to do this with a customer they don’t know, or who is not referred to them by one of her friends. BTW, I do not think that using a waiter or any of the “professional” Gringos in the ZN, like Franco, helps you much.
The most successful strategy is to first do her once in her own hotel, for 30 minutes and afterwards ask if she wants to see you again outside her own club, or even take her out the same night.
This way she gains trust in you, and you can check out hr body and sexual abilities. Nothing is worse than spending $$$ and a whole night on a frigid chica.

11) Another frequently asked question is: “Where can I find regular Mexican girls, and how easy it is to pick them up?
Any of the places I mentioned under point “8” is a good choice. It depends very much on your Spanish and inter-personal skills. Other factors are your age, wallet size, social status and expectations. In general you have to remember that all bets are off once you leave the pay-for-sex bars. The girls in Tijuana do not line up to suck gringos off for free! However, I find that it is easier to talk to girls in most of the bars in TJ than in the US. There is more communication and party atmosphere than in most US nightclub. Another plus for TJ is that the Latin culture seems more receptive for older guys dating young and very young women. In most American nightclubs a 40-year-old would be frowned upon if he tried to buy a 22-year-old a drink.
If you plan to visit TJ’s regular nightlife and pick up girls, it is very important to dress up, be clean shaved. Leather jacket, closed leather shoes, dress pants and a nice shirt with collar for most of the clubs. For Las Pulgas: nice and clean jeans, boots and your belt with the biggest buckle. I prefer to pay with Pesos in the bars outside the Zona Norte, but Dollars are generally accepted, although the waiter may take some time to figure out the exchange rate.
You need to learn at least some basic Spanish to succeed in these bars. Although most girls speak some English they will expect you to initiate the conversation in Spanish, even if your Spanish is worse than their English.
The best way to be introduced to this part of Tijuana is by going with a Mexican co-worker or friend.

And finally: “Treat a whore like a lady, and a lady like a whore.”

Very informative RX. So you really recommend L.P.? Going with my amiga so availablility of girls isn't important. Thanks again.

Harry

L.P. is a great place if your GF likes banda or norteno. If you are ever without a GF and are looking for one, this is the easiest place to hook up. I was first focussed on Zona Rio, but most bars are louder and smaller. I feel like everybody is watching me, the big gringo when I am talking to a hottie at Cafe Cinque, while LP on a busy Saturday is so vast that nobody notice these details.
Feel free to E-mail me at robertbrantz@hotmail.com if you need more up-to-date information.

I want to thank Robertx and Milkman for the information and inspiration on venture outside the red light district. Since I am very interested in finding a latina wife, I went to explore Plaza Fiesta.

To begin with, I decided to get myself acquainted with the location. The illustration in TJ’s tourist map makes it look like Plaza Fiesta is quite a large area. In fact, this place is not well-known. Even bus drivers and taxi drivers gave me wrong information. It was a senorita in the collectivo pointed it out to me. Too bad she’s not a hottie.

Here’s how I got there: During day time, I walked toward north of Constitucion until Juarez (3rd St). There’s a McDonald’s at the corner. Across the street tt looks like the place is a bus terminal. I took the white and blue bus. Be sure to take the one that says "Plaza Rio", since they go to several destinations. The cost was 4 1/2 pesos or about 50 cents. Don’t tip the bus driver because they are not allowed to accept tips. Get off the bus at Plaza Rio right after passing the "V" shape monument. You are at Plaza Fiesta, which is on the opposite side of Plaza Rio, separated by the avenue. To return to downtown, you can either cross the street to take the bus, or take any collectivos that says "Centro." The cost of collectivo was about 7 pesos.

Strictly speaking, Plaza Fiesta and Plaza del zapados are not the same. They are adjacent to each other. Plaza del zapados is a small two stories mall, with several shoe stores, saloons, and offices. Plaza Fiesta is a clusters of bars in a chess grid layout. Most of the bars were not open during the day.

I returned to AB to get rid off my hornyness. I showered and napped. Around midnight I took a taxi ($5) and dropped in to Plaza Fiesta (the taxi driver didn’t know where it was so I told him it’s opposite Plaza Rio). Café Cinque was closed for renovation, so I assumed the patrons would be in Monte Picacho, which is facing door to door. Before I was allowed entering Monte Picacho, a bouncer performed a body search with a metal detector. It was a Thursday night. The place was fairly crowded. The lighting was as dark as AB’s. Drink was about $2. There’s a live rock n roll band, and the music was deafening. There’s no way to engage in any conversation, Spanish or otherwise. But what disappointed me most was I did not see any "top of the line" chicas. Most of them were average looking heavy duty. A few better looking but nothing caught my eye. Most of the chicas were already with male companies. I spent 30’ and toured several bars before I left.

Incidentally, there’s a strip bar in the joint. Drinks $2.5 with peanuts and olives. Chica drinks $10. Didn’t see anyone better than AB.

So where else to find non pro chicas?

Antonio
Are you seriously looking for a latina wife? Then I am perplexed why you are looking for her in TJ?

Milky finds wife types all over TJ so there is hope for Antonio. Be thankfull he is not looking in ZR.

I occasionally use to hit the (normal) clubs in Tj, Sr Frogs and Plaza Fiesta included. Both these places attract a fairly upscale latin crowd and if you normally only visit the AB or CC, where your seemingly desired by all women, going to these clubs can be a VERY sobering experience.

Antonio
we should hook up some night.
Plaza Fiesta is not a place to look for a novia.
I am saying that for many reasons but I did meat my first girlfriend at one of the side bars there.

I meat many chicas mostly younger girls 18 or so.
The last few saturdays I have met many young girls looking for a novio or esposo , i brought some guys from the board with me and we had a great time and i met plenty of chicas.
Are you white or mexican ?
Being white can hamper your adventures since many chicas In TJ look at white guys and just think they are looking for putas and there is more but i will tell you in person.
I always have luck and would like to share my tips with you.
Not my ribtips but my thoughts
Email me at luvprgirls@aol.com

I will show you the works
Also I have my own little section called Milkmans - chicas beyond the zona , check it out for some other ideas

good luck
Milky the only guy on this board who hates the zona !

My apologies to all of you who replied to my earlier post. I had not login’ed to the site for a while. Anyway I went to Plaza Fiesta again. On this particular night the place was packed solid. Most people I saw there were punky looking teenagers. Some were indeed "top of the line."

Next I went to Las Pulgas. It was my first time there. Milkman was right. This place is great. If zona is the ugly side of life, than this place is the beautiful side of it. People here were professional looking and many chicas were in their twenties. This is a great place to relax and have fun, low costs, no hustle. No one comes to grab your butt and said "go to the rrroom." Even if you don’t have a date, it’s still nice to just watching others have fun.

A mexican guy struck a conversation with me. He’s good looking, about 5’8", athletic built, clean shaven. I asked him how do I tell which girls are hookers? The least thing I want is to chase hookers in a nonhooker bar. He said hookers usually wear expensive clothes. Then I asked him how to pickup girls. He said just grab their hands. I said ok, you try. So in five minutes he tried 5 girls, from ok looking to mucho gorda, and he was shot down every time. It was so funny.

I go to Las Pugas all the time, I come out with a beautiful girl over 50 percent of the time. I am 24, Good shape and I must be pretty good looking. I have met some of the most beautiful women and all they want to do is fuck. Sometimes I get a bad feeling in Las Pugas; sometimes I can tell I am not wanted there beacuse I am American.

wow, great write up.