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Turista Libre is a series of atypical day tours in Tijuana that are geared toward -- but certainly not limited to -- Americans, a caravan that trounces around the city in search of the overlooked and underrated. No narco warfare. No strolls down hooker row. No donkey shows. No gringo stereotypes.
Itineraries take their inspiration from various iconic TJ pastimes. Wasting pesos on dog races and slot machines at the Hippodrome. Screaming with the hooligans at a Xoloitzcuintles game, Tijuana's pro soccer team. Screaming with little old ladies at a lucha libre match. Parks. Record stores. Architecture oddities. Piñata factories.
Each excursion includes a food stop and a bar stop, both relevant to whatever the tour's theme happens to be. Soccer game, sports bar. Wrestling match, tackier sports bar.
We wind up experiencing pieces of TJ the average American rarely sees -- a bullfight, a back-alley swap meet or a locals-only dive bar buffet -- and everyone goes home wondering (border waits, the language barrier and secondhand fears aside) why they don't visit this city -- the second largest on the West Coast, outsized only by Los Angeles -- more often.
The original vision was to have different themed expeditions as if they were different packages. "Jock 'n' Balls" goes to major league athletic sporting events. "Daddy's Little Shopoholic" goes to the swap meet, markets and to boutiques and stores like HAHA, Naco, Retro and Data. "The Big Winner" goes to the casino/race track. "Smackdown in Stretchy Pants" goes to lucha libre matches. "Adventures in Babysquatting" goes to the bowling alley, Mundo Divertido (Tijuana's chintzy amusement park) and Parque Morelos, aka the closest Tijuana comes to having a zoo. "I Heart Mexi-Art" goes to CECUT, galleries, public art icons like La Mona (the giant naked lady statue), the finer of the city's countless murals and of course the infamous wax museum.
All of these are recreational activities that locals enjoy, the goal being to offer outsiders the chance to live for a day as a local in a city that was built for tourists. To get young Americans away from Revolucion at all costs whatsoever, to introduce them the side of the city their local counterparts live on a daily basis.
And, in the spirit of the journey being the destination, the car trip is the meat and potatoes of our fun. One day I'd love to see a 1990s Vanagon painted up like a taxi libre, but for now we're renting calafias, short buses, by the trip. I have yet to track down a megaphone. And start making 1990s Mexipop mixtapes.
This isn't necessarily be a complete throwback to the golden days of Tijuana, when it served as Hollywood's playground. Few know that Rita Hayworth got her start here by dancing when she was 13, but those days are long gone, and I'd be an idiot to even try to pretend that Revolucion's seediness doesn't play a major role in the city's overall personality. But it's obviously the most overrated.
In total, 12 turistas turned out for Chapter 1.1 in mid-October. We saw some sweet graffiti art in a convertible tour bus. We browsed cheese and piñatas at Mercado Hidalgo. We mastered the reigns of public transportation and traveled from point A to point B for 75 cents. We without a doubt set a record for largest group of gringos to invade Mariscos La Cacho. And we drowned our sorrows that the HAHA Store was not open (like it was supposed to be) with weird vegetable-flavored ice cream at Tepoznieves. To those who hung around long enough to find themselves on a hijacked short bus full of Mexihipsters armed with a communal bottle of warm Jägermeister, en route to some unsuspecting birthday party, you have Sergio aka Mr. Mezcalera to thank. Gracias, Serg.
Round 1.2 is set for Sunday, Nov. 22. We're bound for La Mona. Wanna come?
And now for the drill. Drumroll, please: Turista Libre on Facebook and Twitter.





























































































































