Exiting the pedestrian bridge, I see that the old fountain is filled with new, blue water...It is blue even in the dark of the early morning...At the entrance to Beverly Hills Club, a vato in a suit asks me for my ID..."How old do you think I am,?" I ask him..."21" he says...At this I point to the date on my card: 1965...

Downstairs a white-shirted mesero wants me to have a seat..."Where's Dulce?" I ask..."Not here" he says..."How about Maya,?" I ask..."Oh, she's here," he says..."She's probably in back right now-- changing"...On the stage a chica is writhing, stripped-down to her panties...She looks 19, and is a touch heavy...An older chica with frizzy hair approaches me...She smells of gin and marlboro reds..."Buy me a drink," she says, and grabs my arm...I pull away..."No gracias"..."Fucker," she says, and falls back to her seat...

One more look towards the DJ booth and I bolt up the stairs to Revo and walk swiftly up to 5th street, crossing in front of the Carls Jr.....A vato on the corner asks me what am I looking for..."Girls?"..."No"..."Guero, listen to me!"...

I keep walking...Past the Cine Latino, past the colectivo stand, past the closed pizzeria on the North side of 5th between Ninos Heroes and F. Martinez...and on up to the Christian bookstore that faces La Chuletas....La Chuleta's is cool and buzzing with silence in the dark...Is that the Ninos Heroes churchbells I am hearing?...Or am I imagining that?...

"Sylvia died here last week," I say to myself, and note that the city or someone has planked-up the gaping sewage hole in the middle of the sidewalk on the East side of F. Martinez between 5th and 6th...I glance at my watch: 3 am....I turn the key to the door of my apartment's hallway and note the building number: 1158...Just to the right I see another number, blue numbers setting in a backdrop of white in a small little sign on a nondescript wall in TJ's El Centro: 1166..."Yes, Sylvia died here last week..."

...And I think of my friend and his stories of Sylvia and the Hacienda del Rio and her expensive tastes in blusas and her crazy boyfriends and of that pic he sent me of Sylvia in his car with her sunglasses on and her hair pulled into a bun and how that pic turned gigantic Paseo de los Heroes into a cardboard prop to a life being lived on a citywide and even a worldwide scale and i remember how she used to stand in AB in those sexy brown slacks and how i thought my friend was so lucky...

Upstairs my girl is sleeping and the room is warm and I want to open a window and the television is droning Big Brother...I look at the black and white screen: everyone is asleep: El Pato, El Doctor, Rasta, Rocio...I give my girl a kiss on the cheek...She rolls over and smiles: "Te amo, papi..."...I brush her hair back..."Si, te amo, mi amor..."

YoungBrig

"Exiting the pedestrian bridge, I see that the old fountain is filled with new, blue water...It is blue even in the dark of the early morning..."

YoungBrig,

I too have become entranced by the atmosphere of Tijuana as you exit the pedestrian bridge - particularly at night. The eerie glow from the scattered street lights, the emptiness of the streets as if after a disaster that eliminated most people, the occasional lone figure that heightens my alertness, the conflict between the desire to make contact with other living humans and the wariness as to whether they are friends or foe. It always sends a slight tingle up my spine and reminds me that I'm alive. It feels like instincts from our prehistoric past have been awakened and heightened. And when I look up the Arch de Tijuana beckons me forward like an ancient landmark. All in all an amazing experience just a few minutes and a short distance from modern-day civilization.

Thanks for the mood piece which looks to me like the introduction to a much longer and more revealing account of your story along the streets of Tijuana.

Regards,
RickFeliz
"There are a million stories in the big city."

I on the otherhand drive in and out.

Lately, while stuck in traffic leaving TJ, I've been staring wistfully at that billboard of that lawyer with that look on his face that just screams "I should never have walked into Kinkle".

Yes, I know what you mean...

However, while waiting in line, I've secretly started to masterbate to that new billboard picture of the Real Estate Agent "Letty Brizuela Watt"... that skinny little bitch looks like she would be DYNAMITE in the sack... could someone take a picture of that billboard, and post it here, so I can jack-off at home too?

After all, it IS National Masturbation Awareness Month.

Tell me where the billboard is and I will take a picture for you.

I vividly remember the last night I was ever going to see Silvia again even though it was about 1 year ago.

After the session we cuddled and she fell asleep with me by her side.

She dozed off for about 15-20 minutes. When she was about to leave I sat on the bed indian style and she commented that was very funny in Spanish. During that time I got this stange feeling that it was the last time I wasn't going to see her again or if I did it wouldn't be for much longer. It just seemed that she was burned out and was ready to move on from her life as a working girl.

Horndogg:

What strikes me most poignantly about the entire situation is that for me, there has always been an underlying assumption that what is going on down there along La Coahuila is merely temporary and transitory and is-- despite the overtly business-esque aspects-- in many respects merely a game...

My assumption has always been that eventually the girls will get out of their vida loca and move-on to fulfilling lives with esposos and ninos, etc...If I thought that La Coahuila was the be-all and end-all for these girls, I think out of principle I wouldn't be able to get involved down there...

Sylvia, however, never made it out...You know that she desperately did not want La Coahuila to be the be-all and end-all for her, but in the end it was...

She never made it out...

YoungBrig

RickFeliz:

Thank you...

I like the feel of the street and walk everywhere in El Centro at all hours of the day and night...Since I keep an apartment with my novia in El Centro I never walk towards the arch anymore and instead turn south on Negrete to get up to Revo...

It is a street marked by family-owned businesses and colectivo stands and taco stands and contains nary a norteamericano...You expressed it very well: when I walk this street on my way in, I am indeed reminded that I am alive...all senses are put on highalert and the adrenalin surges and perhaps for just a bit I begin to "break down the gestalts" and thereby open "the doors of perception"-- to quote Sire Huxley...

I have no desire to see Tijuana thru a car window unless I am packed into a Colectivo...

YoungBrig

694me sed:
"Tell me where the billboard is and I will take a picture for you."

It is right before the arch-like building/Pedestrian bridge built over the traffic lanes, on the right hand side, above all those little businesses selling blankets, pottery, and other shit. There are now two of these RealEstate-lady billboards... Don't take a picture of the first Real Estate lady(I can't even remember her name), get a picture of Letty... she's OK... gives you something to look at while you're waiting in traffic.


Horndogg sed:
"It just seemed that she was burned out and was ready to move on from her life as a working girl."

Bullcrap. She was just coming down off of a crystal-bender.

Redongdo: What exactly, would you say the advantages are to driving-in to TJ?

If you were bringing a bunch of stuff, like say a big suitcase and gifts for your favorita or something like that, I could see it...Or if you were planning a specific trip somewhere with your girl...

Beyond that, I only see negatives: hassles with the police, dangerous drivers in the City, long lines to cross back into the U.S.; plus you can cheaply get just about anywhere you want to get in TJ thru the colectivo system...

I have never brought my car across...

YoungBrig

YoungBrig:

Probably the BIGGEST advantage is that you will have a safe place to go and "sleep it off"... with the added advantage that it only costs you $3 for the parking.

So, if you are one of those who always park in the USA, and take a Taxi, kind-of-guys... you can save at least $22 every time you go down there, by parking in TJ.

$7+ for US parking
$6+ for cab in
$6+ for cab out
$6 for bicycle

vs.

$3 for TJ parking


Another added bonus is that you can take your squeeze to an off-site hotel, if you are both so inclined.

Youngbrig: I thought Silvia made it out as a working girl? From my knowledge she hadn't been working for a long time(almost a year). Or was that just an extended vacation and she was planning to start working again?

Diego: I've heard Silvia uses drugs but I don't know what you saw but everytime I saw her she didn't seem to be coming off on any type of drugs. Maybe she just hid it well.

YB y Diego,

I haven't slept it off in my car down there yet but it's an option I suppose.

I like to drive in for a number of reasons. One of the main ones is I have a place to stash my stuff, a few changes of clothes, film, lollipops, my sunglasses etc. Also it gives me a place to go to count my cash w/o prying eyes around.

I've only been hassled by a traffic cop once, for running a stop sign and I probably did do a rolling stop. He pulled me over, we chatted...he asked what I was doing in TJ, I told him I was there for the chicas. He laughed, asked how many..I said something like 20 and he cracked up. This is also the excuse I gave for not having any money, told him the girls got it all.

Finally he said "How about my lunch?" and I found a 50 peso note in my pocket and gave it to him. He told me to be more careful.

The fee for parking in TJ is about the same as parking on the U.S. side so that's a break even for me. I try to time when I leave so it's usually only about 30 minutes to get out. At least I have the radio and I'm sitting with a cold soda purchased from one of the folks running around the backed up line.

As for dangerous drives, shit I drive in L.A. everyday. Actually TJ drivers are nuts but they're pretty consistent. You can pretty much predict the guy in the lane to your left will probably make a right at the next corner..right in front of you! HAH!

Ever hear Herb Alpert and the TJ Brass song "Tijuana Taxi"? Just let that spin around your head while you're driving around and you'll do fine!

Tijuana Taxi tijuana_taxi.mp3 (2031 k)

Oh, and here's DP's favorite TJ brass song:

Donkey Pie's Favorite herb_alpert_-_spanish_flea.mp3 (2050 k)

"So, if you are one of those who always park in the USA, and take a Taxi, kind-of-guys... you can save at least $22 every time you go down there, by parking in TJ.

$7+ for US parking
$6+ for cab in
$6+ for cab out
$6 for bicycle"

That's not what I pay. How bout:

$6 for US parking (with coupon at the lot across from World)
Walk in (free, damned entertaining, and only takes 15 minutes)
$5 cab out to the taxi stand by the walk bridge
Return at night between 9 and 2 for no ped lines (free)

Total cost: $11 and a BIG time savings all the way around.

The Dog

Diego: Dog makes a point regarding the guys that walk-in, plus I argue that another $6 in savings could be pocketed by walking back to the Linea at the end of the night, too...

If the Monger-- excuse me, Hombre-- doesn't drink than the "sleeping it off" advantage becomes less of an issue as well...

And what about Mexican auto insurance?...I thought that was like 200 pesos a day or something like that...You live down there-- correct?-- so I assume you are operating under an insurance plan that is less expensive relative to the insurance purchased by the 1-day guys...

I will concede that driving is safer than walking-- which is an important consideration, tho this is mitigated somewhat by the fact that a Monger-- er, Hombre-- runs the risk of getting his car ripped-off...

I still remember that VdeZ fiasco...

YoungBrig

Horndogg:

Taken in the broader context, no I don't think Sylvia ever extracted herself from the web she found herself caught in...

Even during her hiatus, there were occasional reports of one-night sightings at AB and such...She was seen in Chicago Club with Jenny a couple of weeks before her death-- she was not working, but...she was still in the process of drowning in the Zona cesspool...

YoungBrig

Re: Driving vs. Walking In...I have driven in (rental) on my last dozen or so trips down. True, I've actually driven all the way from the Bay Area but even if I would have flown, I most likely would rent a car at the airport and drive through vs. taking a taxi or the trolley/bus system to the border and walking across. I tend to bring more clothes then I'll need and not having to pack it for economy-size status makes it worth it. NOW, I (up to now) refuse to drive around TJ so I just park the car at the Pueblo Amigo (a block from the border) and then drive it out when I leave. Entering Mexico, I have only been detained once...and that was walking in!

Re: Silvia...Again, we'll never know the whole or true story but the MORAL for us is to not take any relationship, no matter how casual or intense, with a grain of salt. The chica you visit at her own place or who you take to the movies could very well have a jealous amigo or novio who probably doesn't mind the "30 minutes" you spend with her but boils at the 2 hours you spend with her at the VIP!

I am NO T$, but my mind is certainly more on the gringos that were killed with her then with her death.

YoungBrig: What's the 411 on Gabriella @ Beverly Hills? I briefly saw her on one of my last trips and she was a cutie!

YB, I was waiting for you to ask about the insurance cost factor. As often as you visit TJ, it makes sense for you to obtain an annual liability policy for $100-150 from the various agencies around San Ysidro. You may not need full coverage - if your US policy covers you for collision and comprehensive, your company may very well cover you for damage and theft to your own vehicle that occurs while you're in Mexico. You only need to worry about having Mex liability coverage for damage or injury that YOU cause to another person or vehicle while in Mexico.

Personally I always drive in now for a few reasons including that I usually stay 2-3 days at a time and I've got a ton of stuff with me. Having my car at hand facilitates spontaneity so much better than the collectivos can. When the party is over I want to pile in my car and just get the hell out. If the cars are lined up, I'm sitting comfortably in a climate controlled environment with good tunes and sports talk, whereas if I encounter a major pedestrian line my thoughts sometime turn towards suicide.

My lucky streak continues and I've still never been hassled by the cops except when I actually did commit a violation...and in that instance I was let go free and clear without so much as a hint of mordida being suggested.

Redongdo has got it absolutely right when it comes to dealing with other drivers. It's a bit like driving in my old home town...NYC. Anarchy seems to rule, but you come to learn that it is a very predictable anarchy that won't stress you out after you've driven a couple of times. What DOES stress me out are some of the TJ taxistas and the condition of their vehicles. I'll leave the driving to ME!

It's hard to put your finger on other intangilbes as to why driving seems a better way to go...at least for overnight visitors, but at the bottom line it is simple - it is more convenient to drive to your actual destination and have your vehicle available to you, than to leave it a mile away across an international boundary.

Driving is not the big problem in TJ.
Its the parking.
In whiteyville its really not a problem but if you are going outside of centro - good luck.

If you go to a chicas house it most likely you will need to park on the street , if you do leave your keys in the ignition and your doors open.
So when it is stolen in the middle of the night it does not wake you up.

take care
Milky

Aardvark: I'm really not that well-connected in Beverly Hills...I do stop in there weekly, tho, since it is on the way to the apartment I am sharing with my girl...and also, admittedly, because I have been able to pick-up a couple of phone numbers in there...

That said, is Gabriella a very flaca and very tiny almost filipina-looking chica?...If so, she is currently working days and has some sort of Zona Norte history...Some vets down there swear by her, if this is in fact the same chica...

YoungBrig

YB,
thank you for a moving tribute to Silvia. No matter what anyone thought about her,she deserved a better end than that.Amazing that your post became a springboard for the the pros and cons of driving in TJ(!!!???).
So,is it true that if you have a pet name in Spanish for your penis,the chica will think you're
truly sincere? And when getting a haircut in TJ, is it better to take a taxi or the bus?
Where can I get some of the crank that Silvia was doing? I mean there's a guy that offers me "cocaine,my fren" whenever I walk by Cascadas,but I question the purity of his product.
I need answers to these and many other equally important questions so that my spritually enlightening trips to Tijuana may continue unabated.

Amamenena: The legend returns!!...Where have you been, man?...

Thank you and say, have you seen Texas Mike lately?...

YoungBrig

how did Sylvia go down ? that is terrible news.

Buick:

Sylvia was shot to death in her apartment by her "boyfriend"...Her apt. building shares a wall with the apt. building where my gf and I have our place...

Due to the configuration of the buildings, our apt. is veryvery close to where the killing occured...My gf distinctly heard all of the shots fired that evening-- said they sounded like they came from out in the hallway, which in a sense, they did...

And you are right, it was and remains a terrible and profoundly sad event...

YoungBrig

thanks for the response. i was hoping to hear it was a traffic accident or something like that (difficult to avoid, happens, etc...).

being shot by someone you know, does not fit into that category by any stretch of the imagination. i hope that guy stays behind bars for a long, long time and doesn't get out by passing some $$$ through the corrupt system.

It gets better. The boyfriend that killed her was a cop.

Buick - the newspaper accounts with the details of her murder have been achived into the TJ/-Chica Reports-/Sylvia thread.

Also: my understanding is that the "boyfriend/cop" is still at large...Is this correct?...

YoungBrig

And...at least one (if not two) gringos were killed with her. Two men were killed...the stories are just iffy whether they were both American.