Let's go south of the border! Tijuana, that is; the destination for many Americanos who crave something different (and maybe even a little bit naughty). It shares a border with its sister city, San Diego, and it is one of the fastest-growing cities in Mexico.
Today's photos are from April, 1967. We'll start with this first one, looking west along Calle Benito Juarez (at the corner of Avenida Constitución). Say, it looks pretty cute! Restaurants, bars, and probably a few souvenir shops line the street. Love those classic cars, and even a classic scooter. In the distance, we can see the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe en Tijuana, which I supposed was ancient, but was in fact established in 1964. I guess that is ancient to some people.
Today's photos are from April, 1967. We'll start with this first one, looking west along Calle Benito Juarez (at the corner of Avenida Constitución). Say, it looks pretty cute! Restaurants, bars, and probably a few souvenir shops line the street. Love those classic cars, and even a classic scooter. In the distance, we can see the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe en Tijuana, which I supposed was ancient, but was in fact established in 1964. I guess that is ancient to some people.
Here's a screen grab via Google's "street view", which unfortunately was taken on a gray and gloomy day. Plus the cute cars are not there! Some of the same buildings are visible, though they have been repainted.
Meanwhile, at the nearby Avenida Revolución, you would find this classic spot for a humorous photo to send to your relatives. A poor burro (donkey?) has been painted to look like a zebra. Sombreros with a variety of funny phrases ("Just married", "Just divorced", "Cisco Kid", etc) can be worn in front of a glorious painted backdrop. In the days when I used to buy lots of boxes of random slides, I found more than a few photos from this same spot.
And what do you know, you can still have a wacky photo taken with a faux zebra! As you can see, this photo is from the future - 2019.
I hope you have enjoyed your visit to Tijuana.
Major-
ReplyDeleteOlé-! I can't quite make-out that left corner of the blue-gray car, but the front-end of the cream car next to it is a 1957 Plymouth. Just behind the señora-? wearing the black babushka is a white, 1959 Chevrolet. And just behind it is a partial view of a white 1948 or '49 Dodge truck. Just off to its right is a two-tone 1957 Ford, and half-way down the block, under the Coca-Cola sign is a 1960 Ford.
And just where can I procure a striped burro-?? What a party animal-!! I love that lady sporting the "Just-Divorced" sombrero, and her 'very sensible' pair of shoes. OH - and just to the left of our stripy burro is a 1957 Pontiac, and to the right of our "grand dame", would you believe a 1962 Chevrolet Corvair-!
Gracias, Major.
I remember back in the 1980's while in San Diego there were billboards that said "You're gonna wanna in Tijuana!". While I enjoyed that visit getting back into the U.S. was pretty bad. The sadistic border agent I encountered was a complete jerk that thought it was funny to detain me at the border and intimidate me while my friend oblivious to what was going on kept walking into the U.S. until he figured I wasn't with him and came back. The border agent was extreme and abusive and I could tell he got off on it.
ReplyDeleteA year later I went back to Tijuana and it was much better (no butthead border agent), however it rained so hard that day that the streets were flooded and became river like and I remember chickens and dogs swimming in the streets as merchants and shoppers were standing at the doorways of buildings watching it all happen. I actually enjoyed the flooded scene as it seemed kind of surreal watching chickens and dogs swim around in the streets and even some swam through doorways of buildings and flooded streets. No border agent gave me trouble that day like that jerk on the previous visit a year early.
So when I say photos bring back memories, sometimes they are good and sometimes they are bad. Thanks, Major.
Gee, I thought they're was going to be some fun reminiscing when I saw the opening title to today's page! Since my first trip to Tijuana was around 1967 and we well might have taken our 1962 Corvair to get there! Holy cow! Mom?
ReplyDeleteOh wait. It's not a white Corvair! Phew!
Tijuana always scared me a little bit. I'm sure part of it was we kids sneaking off to see if we could find some firecrackers and bottle rockets to buy without our parents seeing us. Thanks for the trip, Major.
I spy, with my little eye, something that rhymes with “Mamushka!”
ReplyDeleteI have shoes like the Just Divorced lady’s; I guess I need to get a painted sombrero to coordinate with them.
Now I feel totally cheated that there are no swimming chickens in either picture! If I ever get to Tijuana, I expect wall-to-wall swimming chickens!
OK, I've spent the last half hour watching YouTube videos of swimming chickens. (And hoping chlorine isn't bad for poultry.) Why didn't I know about this back when I had a chicken and a pond?!?
ReplyDeleteWhat? Melissa, you've never heard of "Chicken of the Sea"?
ReplyDeleteI went to my freshman year of college at the University of San Diego in 1984/85. With the drinking age of 18 in Tijuana, you can bet we made some trips there that year! Is it any wonder I had to transfer to Moorpark community college the next fall?
ReplyDelete@Steve - Where I grew up, it was the big thing to go over the border to Canada on your nineteenth birthday, for the same reason. Of course, that was back in the days when you didn't need a passport or enhanced ID to cross the border.
ReplyDelete@Patrick - HAAA!
Nanook, I had the feeling you were going to have a field day with those old cars! And you don’t need a striped burro, you just need a zonkey.
ReplyDeleteK. Martinez, there is nothing worse than somebody who abuses their tiny bit of authority. I’ll bet that guy loved his job! He probably considered himself a “nice guy” too. I’m sorry you had to deal with that jerk. Who knew that chickens could swim??
Patrick Devlin, I have never been to Tijuana, unfortunately; once I took a cruise with some friends, and went to Ensenada. It was OK, but I’m just not a cruise guy I guess. I felt trapped on that boat. Fireworks would definitely tempt me to go to TJ!
Melissa, I would love to know how that whole “fake donkey” thing came to be. “We’ll get a donkey, and we’ll paint him to look like a zebra”. “Brilliant!” “And then we’ll get a bunch of funny hats, and maybe you can get your sister to paint a mural on canvas for a backdrop”. “Amazing!”. I’ll bet they made a ton of dough.
Melissa II, I refuse to go down that YouTube vortex!
Patrick Devlin, whaaa-whaaaaaaaa (sad trombone)…
Steve DeGaetano, hey, I went to Moorpark College for two years!!
Melissa, I thought you were going to Canada to watch a hockey game.
Get ready for 2 weeks at the happiest place on Earth: Tijuana!
ReplyDeletehttps://frinkiac.com/video/S04E01/QE30BaVpzhFsD9PRJz2pbTkCwlM=.gif
Go Leafs! *hic*
ReplyDeleteI've been to Tijuana. Once was enough.
ReplyDeleteJG