Tijuana vs Ensenada: Day Trip (San Diego: rentals, condos, homes)

[NYSD1995]

Ensenada has more of a walkable, village feel. You can park your car and cruise around. TJ is a bigger city and has more variety but you have to drive everywhere. I was down there recently and it's safe to visit, but TJ is more like LA where it's a sprawling mess and sometimes the best restaurant is in a stripmall. TJ has the hipster culinary scene wehere Ensenada is still more of a touristy MX vibe. Both are cool places to check out.

[bloom]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

Ensenada has more of a walkable, village feel. You can park your car and cruise around. TJ is a bigger city and has more variety but you have to drive everywhere. I was down there recently and it's safe to visit, but TJ is more like LA where it's a sprawling mess and sometimes the best restaurant is in a stripmall. TJ has the hipster culinary scene wehere Ensenada is still more of a touristy MX vibe. Both are cool places to check out.

Are they interesting for kids in your opinion?

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by bloom

Are they interesting for kids in your opinion?

TJ, maybe for teenagers but not for little kids. You could go to LA and see the same thing. Ensenada would be ok for little kids but it's kind of a long way.

[bloom]

^ For teens, pre-teens, a convenient opportunity to visit a new country and broaden their life views

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by bloom

^ For teens, pre-teens, a convenient opportunity to visit a new country and broaden their life views

Fine, but TJ is really not very representative of Mexico in my opinion. It is the border town of a developing nation alongside a developed nation, with all that entails.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by Sassberto

TJ, maybe for teenagers but not for little kids. You could go to LA and see the same thing. Ensenada would be ok for little kids but it's kind of a long way.

I'd do a flyover to at least Cabo. In TJ with CA plates you are just going to be a target for the local Federales. The last time for me down there wasn't pleasant to say the least.

[bloom]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

Fine, but TJ is really not very representative of Mexico in my opinion. It is the border town of a developing nation alongside a developed nation, with all that entails.

TJ sure but convenient, definite feel of another country, some unique food eats, cultural center was new-ish & ok-good, and back home at end-of-day

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by bloom

^ For teens, pre-teens, a convenient opportunity to visit a new country and broaden their life views

Sure, just walk across, it's worth it. TJ is just really not culturally that different from the rest of southern CA, it's a border town.

[malcorub16]

I know we are sort of highjacking OP's original purpose for this thread, but on the subject of kids... these are places I can recall that my wife and I have taken my 7, 4 and 3 year old too over the course of the last couple of years. Some of these are not necessarily cultural or even tourist attractions or places So Cal residents would flock too, but nonetheless, as I am down there on some weekends visiting friends and the like, these are places my kids and have enjoyed.


Mundo Divertido-An arcade/bowling alley/amusement park theme park in Eastern TJ. The amusement is not big but it is bigger than Belmont Park in SD. The few times we have gone, my son's been riding those kiddie go karts on his own since he was 4 (now 7) something he could never do here in SD due to our culture of safety/safety/safety.
Mundo Divertido - 17 Photos - Amusement Parks - Río Tijuana 3era. Etapa - Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico - Reviews - Yelp


Museo El Trompo-An interactive four story children's museum in Eastern TJ that is has similar exhibits as the SD Downtown Children's Museum and Fleet Center also having other things unique to the museum. I remember enjoying playing a sort of Tijuana bingo with my son and 5 other players, nothing grand but I found it fun and unique.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-trompo-mu...activo-tijuana


Parque Morelos Zoo and Park- The park is quite big with lots of families having parties or just out for casual strolls/bike rides on the weekend. The zoo within the park is small but I remember it was free and had a bear, jaguar, tiger among other animals probably confiscated from a certain ex mayor that loved his exotic animals LOL. I also remember the park had paint ball range and go carts for older kids.


Mini City - This place is located in the Zona Rio mall, is quite big and is essentially a pretend city with bank, grocery stores, mini sports stadium, restaurants, police station, fire fighter station, gas station, etc etc etc all of which were interactive. I thought this place was quite unique as I don't know of anything like it anywhere else.

http://minicity.mx/

Oh Zone - A bowling alley/skating rink/arcade in the Galerias Hipodromo Mall. The mall is new and quite nice, not really a cultural experience but your still a nice place to visit as there is also restaurants and a move theatre in the mall.


Parque Guerrero Teniente - Located about 5 or 6 blocks west of Revo down 4th Street. Every Sunday there are clown shows at the parks gazebo or 'danzon' music dancing, chess tournaments, sculpture paintings for the kids, an old school playground with the metal slides, and lots of food vendors. Its a nice little "central plaza" looking city park right across from a big catholic church, very old school Mexico in my opinion.


Albercas El Vergel - This waterpark is in Eastern TJ, honestly the immediate drive there is quite depressing as there are true bonafide shanties made of plywood and boards which one has to drive past in order to get to the water park. The waterpark costs something like $4 dlls a person but has everything from large waterslides, wave pull, lazy river, kiddie pull with water slides and dump bucket and one even one of those toilet bowl plunge slides. I actually enjoy this place more than Acuatica in Chula Vista because they serve beer, the life guards are constantly blowing their whistle, the kids have a great time, there are live bands, and its so cheap.
http://www.albercaselvergel.com/_english/index.php

Lucha Libre fights at the municipal auditorium what seems like every other Friday night. There are so many families with kids (4-12 year olds) out for the fights. Its a fun time.


Even thinking for the older kids, fun things like riding quads or horses on the beach down in Rosarito is a novelty, no way would something like that be allowed in San Diego or maybe even one of the Circus Tents that pops up randomly around TJ.


Tijuana is a large city with lots of young families who have to be entertained somehow, these are just some of the places I can recall going to that you probably won't find in a visitors guide website.

[CNYC]

^ Great list not to mention a golf course right in the city in back of the Gran Hotel. Tijuana Country Club I believe is the name. I used to eat at a restaurant call La Lena which overlooks it.