Gringo : Turinfo : Things to See La Revo -- Revolution Avenue By Michael and Danchar Thomas WARNING --- Seriously only BEGUN this CONSTRUCTION. 1. General Character of the Place. "La Revo" they call it, Avenida Revolución, Revolution Avenue. Often considered the heart of Tijuana, la Revo is a strange beast indeed, who seems sometimes to have nothing in common with the rest of the city. If Salvador Dali and Walt Disney were identical twins separated at birth who grew up in Tijuana, then la Revo would be the image of olde Mexico. And yet she "is" (..."that depends of what 'is' means" -- Wm.Clinton) the image which many California yankees have of Mexico. She is perhaps the best-known icon of this city and -- as far as many yankee Californians think -- the icon of Mexico. Mexico as a huge tourist souvenir arcade with prostitutes and cantinas if you want'em. We all know she is not really Mexico, but she does have certain Mexican realities and um... er... deviations...? A wide range of shops line the Avenue, from kitschy junk to swanky exclusive collector's items. A perpetually favorite activity of gringo shoppers is to wander into the seemingly endless arcades which open from the avenue into labyrinthine passages with hundreds of little shops hanging cheek by jowl. We tried counting these various arcades in the blocks between 1st and 10th, but gave up, as some of them lead into and out of each other. Eventually we hope to classify them by blocks, and describe their offerings here. If and When. *EFG* NOTE: Many of these daytime shoppers' arcades and passageways close when the sun goes down. Tis then that La Revo converts into a nighttime cruise, drink, party and paseo street par excelence. Strange and untrue though she may be, Tijuanans nevertheless love their weird little child, as much as San Franciscans love Alcatraz, New Yorkers love Times Square, or Los Angelenos love their freeways. For better and for worse, "la Revo" is a symbol of this border town, an icon of "the world's most visited city." Even her name, "Revolution," seems fortuitous, inviting rebellion and wild life -- yet that too, is a lie. There is no revolution on Avenida Revolucion.

Tijuana Links Baja California Links Other Turinfo Pages: Tijuana Maptext. Getting Around Busses / Taxis Walking Bicycling Disabled Leaving Town Things to See Revolution Avenue Eating Movies Museums/Galleries Markets/Swap Meets Shopping Malls SHOPPING! Drinking Buying Liquor Baja California Wine Cigarettes Customs/Border

After watching this street for almost two years, we think that everything is closely controlled and monitored by the rulers and residents of La Revo, from the taxi drivers who strictly keep to their own corners, to the prostitutes who must carefully operate with moderate discretion vis-a-vis the tourists and who between themselves maintain their own territories of walking. The yelling and screaming from the balcony bars is carefully programmed and permitted only on private property upstairs, where it can echo harmlessly down to the sidewalk, and attract other customers upstairs to party and spend money. The salespeople along the sidewalks all have their places and ambulatory vendor licenses. The "jaladores" -- pullers -- hucksters at the doors of nightclubs and bars -- may only go so far from their establishments, only be so obnoxious/polite and no more. Everyone in this constellated habitus has their script and knows it well.

The police cruise up and down in their squad cars and special forces pickups, ready to intervene at any sign of fighting or "real" disturbance, and throw the miscreants into the trucks or back seats. These police regularly shut certain blocks of the street to vehicular traffic on Friday and Saturday nights, and on holidays of special merit, even more force is displayed -- like last Halloween (2000) -- Michael and his girlfriend Maria saw army trucks of armed soldiers cruising up and down the avenue to forstall any outbreaks of "revolution." In a fit of creative madness, Michael said to a couple of decked out soldiers (complete uniform, combat helmet, automatic weapons) "Ay, your costume is really excellent!"

So, with all the bands and jukeboxes blasting on top of each other, Revolution Avenue may sometimes look and sound like a street of madness and out-of-control lunacy -- la calle de la locura -- especially in the blocks between Fourth and Seventh Streets. But don't believe it -- that appearance is a delightfully rowdy masquerade, a mask of wildness to attract the crowds and urge them be free with their purses and spend their money. Behind the revolutionary mask, everything, Everything, EVERYTHING is a Carefully Controlled Climate of -- B-U-S-I-N-E-S-S -- .... (and most prices are higher here than elsewhere in town -- except for Sanborns, which is the same throughout the known universe).

Yet, la Revo does not fail in her mission: she upholds (?) her reputation: she provides escape and entertainment in her shopping and her bars and restaurants, and her sidewalks make a truly unusual and entertaining place to promenade. Hundreds, sometimes thousands of locals and foreigners, Mexicans and Gringos, Japangos, Gabachos and Chicanos and Paisanos cienporcientos, all flock to Revolution Avenue for diversion and fun, to eat, and to drink, and most important: to walk up and down the street and talk, and see, and be seen. It is the ultimate postmodern paseo of the frontier. Definitely a place to walk and see. Definitely a paseo. A promenade.

2. The Nature of the Visiting Peoples/Clientele.

Depending on the hour, the tourist hordes come in two broad categories: the day crowd and the night crowd.

The day tourist is more family-oriented, more interested in shopping and eating. The night tourist is more singles-oriented (although often arriving in a dated couple) and more interested in partying.

Both types walk up and down the stretch of Revolution, from the corner of First at the Hotel Nelson and Plaza Santa Cecilia with its mariachi musicians, eight blocks up toward the Jai Alai palace, las Pulgas Mexican disco, and Sanborns' island of bourgeois chic. In between stretch seemingly endless doors into arcades, stores, bars, restaurants and hotels, punctuated by "zeburros" -- those famous Tijuana donkeys painted with black and white stripes.

The sidewalks are perfect for promenading -- almost broad enough to hold both the crowds and the vendors. On busy nights the police close portions of the avenue to vehicles, which makes for less-smoky walking as well as easier crowd control.

Many of the arcades -- those hallways of shops off the avenue -- close up at sunset, throwing the focus solidly back onto the sidewalks. The daytime tourists tend to buy more souvenirs. The nighttime tourists are looking more for drinking, dancing, and other forms of "entertainment."

A Simple Map for a Variety of Different Places.

Instead of a slow but beautiful graphic, we have decided to concatenate ("link together, form a series or chain") a table which may reflect the street and surrounding blocks with a minimum of memory hogging or download slowing. In months to come (2001-2002) we shall be adding more details, showing locations of pasajes/passages (shopping arcades) and particularly fine or curious shops, etc. Please bear with us.

Ninos Heroes	Constitucion	Revolucion	Madero
Coahuila
Art. 123 (1st)
Juarez (2nd)
Puerto Carillo (3rd)
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th

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Copyright 2001 Daniel Charles Thomas