American Apparel in Tijuana

La Mezcalera: It's so close to Dandy Del Sur, you can see the reflection of Dandy's neon sign in the window.

Revolucion, the main tourist thoroughfare in Tijuana, was pretty dead as usual last night. Tourism, see, is one of the victims of the city’s recent crime, too. Some reports say visits have dropped 90 percent since 2005, and if the ghostly appearance of the once poppin’ party street can be taken as empirical evidence, I’d say 90 percent is right — maybe even a tad low.

Last night, friends and I were going downtown to check out La Mezcalera, a new bar and restaurant on Sixth between Revolucion and Madero. On the way, we passed by a storefront on the corner of Fifth and Revolucion covered in thick plastic with the words “American Apparel pronto llegamos” scrolled on every window.

Wow. American Apparel in Tijuana. Really? Who would have thought?

At the Mezcalera, I talked to one of the owners of the new, decidedly hip hot-spot, and he pointed around to his nice freshly painted walls and clean restroom and said, “I don’t own this bar, the neighborhood owns this bar. I know that, before too long, this place will be a little dirtier and darker, just like the rest of Revolucion.”

I wonder if he’s right, or I wonder if more people like him and the decision-makers at American Apparel will start to see the possibilities of Revolucion and downtown Tijuana.

Not long after the owner of the Mezcalera made the comment about his place getting dirty and darker, he said he did hope new businesses came in and turned Revolucion into more of an outdoor urban mall-like area with places where entire families in Tijuana could come to shop and enjoy their weekends. The old stores filled with tourist-targeted things just aren’t working anymore, the owner of Mezcalera said, and he wished they’d just accept it and open stores targeting Tijuanenses instead.

Maybe the drop in tourism isn’t such a bad thing after all, I ended up thinking by the end of the night. Maybe the hoards of Mexicans who wait for hours in line to shop at stores in the United States won’t have to do that anymore. Maybe forward-thinkers like the people at American Apparel will see the market potential of Tijuana and finally build Tijuanenses the downtown they deserve.

La Mezcalera Tijuana

La Mezcalera opens tonight! The new bar and restaurant featuring 6 different types of Mezcal and 9 different types of crema de Mezcal is finally opening its doors to the Tijuana crowd, which will likely embrace it with the kind of love and devotion usually reserved for moms.

La Mezcalera is located on Sixth between Revolucion and Madero in downtown Tijuana just south of Dandy Del Sur. Mas informacion en espanol esta abajo:

Tijuana eventos @ La Casa de 9

"Alright!" by Kinsee Morlan

La Casa de 9 is celebrating their sixth anniversary.  If you’ve never been, it’s time to go. The punk-rock-minded cafe is a cultural hub in Tijuana. They often hold film and lit events and you’ll always see new and interesting art on the walls.  Their coffee isn’t bad either. The La Casa de 9 February and March schedule is below:

CECUT calendar: February/ CECUT calendario Febrero

"Tijuana taxi pendejos" by Kinsee Morlan

February looks like a good month for CECUT, Tijuana’s museum of art

CALENDARIO DE ACTIVIDADES
FEBRERO 2009

Taurus Do Brasil y John Milton
Espectáculo interactivo de hipnosis
Sala de Espectáculos
Lunes a miércoles 8:00 p.m.
Jueves a sábado 6:00 y 9:00 p.m.
Domingo 5:00 y 8:00 p.m.
$ 150.00 y $120.00 m.n.
50% en descuentos autorizados, sujetos a disponibilidad.

Martes 3
Medios Audiovisuales
Una Ventana al Universo
Conferencia: Parejas cósmicas
Imparte: Ing. Alberto Levy
Cine IMAX
7:00 p.m.
$20.00 m.n.
En colaboración con la Sociedad Astronómica de Baja California.

Saving Friendship Park

This just in from the activists working to save Friendship Park:

Hola amigos,

See John Fanestil’s email below about the great day this past Sunday at Friendship Park and details about this Sunday. I hope you can join us.

Metales y Derivados cleanup commemoration event

A home in Chilpancingo, a community of mainly maquiladora workers. Chilpancingo is located just below Metales Y Derivados and pollution from it and the other numerous foreign-owned factories on the hill above runs down to a river that cuts right through the shantytown.

I wrote about visiting the Metales Y Derivados site in 2006 for CityBeat. The old car-battery recycling maquila is the poster child for what’s wrong with NAFTA, but it’s also recently become a symbol of hope. The Enviornmental Health Coalition and Colectiveo Chilpancingo Pro Justicia Ambiental have taken the old owners and both the government of Mexico and the United States to task and effectively cleaned up what’s become one of the biggest toxic sites in Tijuana. At 11 a.m. this Friday, Jan. 23, the groups will celebrate the cleanup of the site.

More info, directions and contact info below.

UPDATE: The event to mark the cleanup of the Metales y Derivados lead smelter in Tijuana will be on Wednesday, January 28, at 1 pm. The rescheduling was to allow the governor of Baja California, Lic. José Guadalupe Osuna Millán, and the Secretary of SEMARNAT (Mexico’s federal environmental agency), Juan Rafael Elvira Quezada, to attend this important event.
We apologize for the date change and hope you can join the community in celebrating this historic event!

Friendship Park closed to make room for the triple fence

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Dan Watman is one of many activists upset by the construction of the triple fence currently under construction along the San Diego/Tijuana border. Watman runs Border Meetup, a group that holds yoga, dance and other events at Friendship Park, a section of Border Field State Park in San Ysidro where families separated by the U.S.-Mexico border fence often go to meet up with one another.  The park was recently sealed off for construction, but Border Patrol and California State Park officials told Watman and others that the section of the park near what’s become known as “Friendship Monument”  could still be accessed through a pedestrian gate and walkway so families could continue to meet and even touch one another through the fence.

But at a meeting Tuesday, Jan. 6, (Sorry; I got the date wrong in the video and am working on fixing it) Watman says the activists in attendance were told by Border Patrol representatives that the access would no longer be allowed. Clay Phillips, the superintendent of Border Field State Park, was at the meeting and he says even he was surprised by the sudden change of heart.

“Previously,” said Phillips, “the plans included a pedestrian gate and walkway to the park and the monument. We had anticipated public access to the area.”

Jerry Conlin, a public affairs officer for the San Diego sector of the United States Border Patrol, said the decision was made because of security concerns.

“It’s been very difficult to monitor that area,” said Conlin. He said Border Patrol was having problems with people throwing things over the fence and passing across drugs.

Watman and others are busy protesting the decision. He says he hopes the change of administration will help to reverse the decision and reinstate access to Friendship Park, or even halt the construction of the triple fence altogether.

VIDEO TIP: Click play then pause and let the video load fully before you try to view it; otherwise, you’ll have issues. If you still have problems, try viewing it here. Also, I’m still working on checking on the dates in the text. It’s a rough cut, so bare with me here.  I have the date of the first fence being built in 1993, but Border Patrol is saying it was more like 1989.  Also, they said the material was from Vietnam-era landing pads.  Oh, and the secondary fence was built at different times in different places.  Does anybody out there have a link to a good resource in terms of the history of the border fence? I can’t seem to find anything with a good time-line!

Cosas que hacer en San Diego

Carol K. Brown

First published in San Diego CityBeat:

MUSIC

Repatriate

Elliott Murphy lives in Paris, France, but his music is 100-percent American. The folk-rock troubadour hasn’t embarked on a U.S. tour for eight years, but at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, Acoustic Music San Diego will bring Murphy stateside for an intimate performance at the acoustic-friendly church at 4650 Mansfield St. in Normal Heights. Murphy, son of two performers, has been playing guitar since he was 12, was praised in both Rolling Stone and The New Yorker and has been turning out albums since 1973. $15-$20 or $45 for a dinner seating. Singer / songwriter Jan Klose will open the show. www.acousticmusicsandiego.com.

ART

A home

Walking by homeless people makes most of us feel pretty uncomfortable. Some people get angry and mutter things like “Get a job” as they look the other way. Others feel the tug of liberal guilt as they smile and dig through their pockets for change. Artist Carol K. Brown, who has a solo show opening at Scott White Contemporary Art (939 West Kalmia St. in Little Italy), wants you to feel whatever it is you feel when you look at Passersby and Other Sidewalk Stories, her series of paintings and prints based on photographs of homeless people on the streets of New York and Miami. And with her newer series, Home Décor,  Brown juxtaposes her paintings of the homeless with photographs of rooms in her mother’s home as commentary on the consequences of the current economic crisis. Brown’s show opens in conjunction with Kettner Nights, a Little Italy gallery walk, from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9. www.scottwhiteart.com.

Best of the rest: After stopping by Carol K. Brown’s solo show at Scott White Contemporary Art (see blurb above), be sure to stop by the opening of Richard T. Reyes’ show, Into the Woods, at Perry L. Meyer Fine Art (2400 Kettner Blvd., Suite 104., Little Italy). Reyes’ graphite drawings are beautifully done, beautifully twisted retellings of stories like Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood. Also, don’t miss the United States of Color vs. Grand Theft Auto, the first show of 2009 at the always edgy and interesting Luis De Jesus Seminal Projects, 2040 India St. in Little Italy. Both shows will be open for Kettner Nights from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9. www.seminalprojects.com, www.plmeyerfineart.com.

BOOKS

Helping the self

Sad but true: Self-help books sell like crazy. Just go to your favorite bookstore and compare the size of the self-help section to that of other genres. The books tend to range from corny to sorta-kinda useful. Local author Arielle Ford’s new self-help manual promising to prepare anyone and everyone for true love, The Soulmate Secret, may fall on either side of the self-help spectrum; it could be an inspirational read that actually does help people become a “magnet for love,” as it says it does, or it could be a collection of new-age affirmation-type stuff that works about as well as The Secret. Let Ford make a case at her reading and signing at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12, at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave. in La Jolla. www.warwicks.com or 858-454-0347.

SPORTS

The Dolls’ house

The San Diego Derby Dolls kick off their 2009 season at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at The Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. The gals-on-wheels will take on the Orange County Rollergirls in an all-out battle to be the queens of the rink. After the bout, some of the Dolls will head over to the Surf and Saddle (123 W. Plaza St. in Solana Beach), where 21-and-older fans can meet and greet the girls. And just so the kids don’t feel left out, the rest of the Dolls are holding a meet-and-greet for fans of all ages at Pizza Port, 135 N. Highway 101 in Solana Beach. $13-$15. www.derbydolls.com.

POLITICS

We’re melting

Are you struggling with what to make of the huge bailouts of the finance and auto industries. Do you have a hunch that there must be a better way to skin those cats? Activist San Diego, with the help of Shahrokh Shahrokhi, professor of economics at Grossmont College, will discuss the current economic meltdown, the multi-million-dollar bailout packages and alternatives that have yet to be discussed by those either getting or giving the money. The Teach-in on the Economic Meltdown will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 12, at the Joyce Beers Community Center, 1220 Cleveland St. in Hillcrest. www.activistsandiego.org or 619-944-9820.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Back and better

The annual San Diego Boat Show is back, and this year, organizers have added something they think may just attract our readers: the wakeboard stunt show. So, this time around, from Thursday, Jan. 8, through Sunday, Jan. 11, at the San Diego Convention Center and Marriott Marina (111 West Harbor Drive, Downtown), Boat Show-goers get to see professional wakeboarders and wake-skaters perform jumps and flips in a gigantic indoor pool with ramps and rails. And if that doesn’t pique your interest, they’ve also added an eco-friendly boating element because, as we all know, green is the new black. For full details on the huge showcase boating event, jet on over to www.sandiegoboatshow.com. $10, children under 12 are free. 858-274-9924.

COMEDY

Still laughing

Believe it or not, the Smothers Brothers are still at it. The comedy duo are currently touring the country with their blend of musical entertainment and political, slapstick and just straight-up silly comedic sketches. The living legends will perform at the California Center for the Arts (340 N. Escondido Blvd. in Escondido) at 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11. $40-$55. www.artcenter.org, 800-988-4253.

Cerveza Tijuana: Tijuana beer

I got a little Memorex video camera for Christmas. This is the first of many videos to come. We went to the TJ Brewery this weekend where they charge around $5 for five tasters. Good times, friends, good times.

Tijuana kidnappings

"Lonely Revolucion" by Kinsee Morlan

Yesterday, my fiance and I went down to Revolucion to buy engagement rings, cowboy boots and to pick up some antibiotics to treat a little non-serious illness of mine. The rings went from $130 to $35, the boots went from $750 to $120 and the medicine was just under $10. I know that bartering has always been a part of shopping on Revolucion, but the deals the shop owners were offering us were insane. They kept saying they needed the business; that this year’s been the worst ever and that no one — aside from the Asian tourists who still seem to be coming down in busloads — is coming to shop on Revolucion anymore.  Tourism is down: People are afraid to get shot or kidnapped.

It’s a sentiment I typically laugh at: You’re not going to get shot or kidnapped, I tell people when they ask me if it’s really safe to come down here.

I still feel this way, mostly, but after we got home from shopping yesterday, my fiance and I saw a stream of police cars racing down Aqua Caliente. Then we saw a Tijuana police helicopter circling above, just blocks away from our home.

Turns out, some people had been kidnapped from Zona Rio. The police were called, a chase ensued and ended in a bloody crash. The kidnappers were arrested and the victims saved, but it was a scary reminder that this stuff is real.  Thing is, though, the report we read didn’t mention the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping (UPDATE: El Mexicano reports that the kidnapped men are cartel members). Most victims are wealthy businessmen, not random targets, and I’m assuming this was the case in this instance. It doesn’t make it OK by any means, but it does help me decide how I’m going to continue patronizing Tijuana businesses.

Kidnapping is one way of funding the cartel’s drug war.  I probably won’t be going on any Tijuana urban hikes for awhile. I’ll keep my outdoor walking confined to the busy streets during the daytime and I’ll have a heightened awareness and be on the lookout for anything outside of the norm.

As a less depressing aside; We stopped by the Cerveza Tijuana brewery after shopping, tasted five of their beers and had an unhealthy but good lunch (check here for deatials on the beer). We were one of three tables in the entire place. Tijuana is more or less a ghost town these days.

Below is the beauty I continue to see despite Tijuana’s current predicament: