UYE Tijuana

One of the best UYE’s weren’t hosted here in the EE.UU. but rather in Mexíco! Mad shout out to Diego and Danimal to getting this long awaited show on the road.
Despite what you heard on the TV or read in the newspaper, Tijuana is not a bad place to visit. In fact, if you do things right and travel in groups you will be fine.
We were able to visit numerous taco stands, bars and restaurants with the ease of organization. Don’t forget to mention how HK was fun too!
I’m been happy with the progress Unilocal Mexico has made with stellar CM Estefany B. I have to give a shout out to for CM Brad B. who had no problems crossing over. ( Unilocaler gringos take note!).
To more awareness and participation for future UYE’s in the motherland. Cheers or Salud to each and everyone of you that had fun and continue coming over here.
El Gordo: Take advantage of the American dollar getting stronger.
El Flaco: Always watch your surroundings!

20 stars!!!
A big enormous shoutout to my favorite «Dan the Man» in the entire planet for planning this awesome UYE!!!
I was extremely happy to share my beloved Tijuana with some of the coolest Unilocalers there are!
I loved every minute of it, from the trolley ride, to the martinis, the mariachi, the cab rides with my legs on top of the dashboard, visiting two of my all time favorite bars, looking for wifi for Yvonne’s sake, taking pictures at pharmacies, looking at big butts at Hong Kong, seeing Amber and Dan’s face light up, waiting at the border for everyone to come back, buying Churros before we came back to Sd and the next day looking at pictures that Unilocal nor FB should never EVER see!!!
If you ever decide to leave behind the stereotype that Tijuana is just donkey pictures, tacos, and jail… You will be surprised that it is waaay more than that. It has a lot more to offer.
Diego always my PIC, another memory that maybe we won’t share with our future kids lol. Dan, Tony, Ness, Missy, David, Yvonne, Pj, Amber, Alisa, Todd, Conrad, Ace and Juliana gracias y prepárense para la segunda parte!!! Besos :)

I heart my die hard Unilocalers that rolled to TJ! Great idea Dan! What else do you have in your lil bag of tricks?!? Anytime you plan something I’m down!
How can you go wrong with tacos, endless buckets of beer and mariachi’s! OH Sh@$! I almost forgot about the Tequila bottle! Ha ha Tx to Yvonne for busting out her trusty Unilocal bag I carried that Tequila bottle all around TJ like it was gold!
Yvonne: I’m in for round 2! Keep us posted!
Thanks to Jaz I am still craving a $ 2.00 Tamarindo martinis! yum!
Thanks to a Diego and Jaz for helping with «The Plan of Action» can’t wait for the next UYE!
P. S. No man left behind!

My anaconda don’t…my anaconda don’t…my anaconda don’t want none unless you have buns, Hun. For some reason that song is still in my head a day and half after returning from Tijuana.
Let’s just say I’m already planning a return trip to Mexico, possibly Rosarito Beach as an overnighter. Thanks so much Dan for putting this together and a shout-​out to Diego & Jaz for giving us the confidence that we were safe and getting us around with ease. Except for the time Dan lost his buddy, Conrad.
Anyone contemplating going to TJ should just do it, there is strength in numbers so I would definitely advise to go in at least a group of 4 and have a buddy system. Shout out to my buddy, Amber!
Protip: Most places that we went to have free Wi-​Fi which is awesome! I just put my iPhone in airplane mode on the whole time as not accrue any weird data fees. And take cash in small denominations.
Viva Mexico!

Where is Conrad!!! Haha! Our poor partner in crime unknowingly was left behind. But just for a moment. Thanks to Unilocal for keeping him occupied on his phone while the rest of us scrambled to find our dear Conrad.
Beer, beer, beer, a shot of tequila and more beer was the name of the game! Everyone participated at one point or another and it was a blast.
Thanks to Dan for the idea. Diego for being our tour guide and the rest of the UYE TJ crew for just being friggin cool people. Let me tell you this was a dedicated group of Unilocalers walking down revolution taking pics and checking in where possible. Dedicated to the craft of Unilocaling! On top of that everyone just went with the flow and willing to go anywhere (as long as there was Wi-​FI) No prima donnas, just good times!
Can’t wait for UYE Mexico part «Dos»

I went to TJ with hopes and dreams of a good time. I came back with a hazy memory of the night and a wicked case of the poops.

I didn’t get dead! #win

UYE Tijuana
Tijuana Baja California, Mexico
October 18^th 2014.
Nothing really happened!!!
No Beans
No Mariachi
No pharmacy
No ER
No missing Unilocalers
No Strip Club
No tacos
No jail
No trolley Pole Dancing
No selfies
No Churros
No Tequila
No Margaritas
No Strippers
A true Gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell!
To bad for you.
Next time, make sure you attend UYE Tijuana part «DOS»
Jazmin, Dan, Ace, Tony, Venessa, Todd, Missy, David, Yvonne, Conrad, Juliana, Peijean, Alisa & Amber CHEERS, NOTHING REALLY HAPPENED!!!

Crossing the border and exploring the TJ nightlife with my fellow Unilocal Elites and pals… what an amazing concept! Yesterday’s trip turned out to be a great, safe way to visit Mexico and a LOT of fun.
Prior to the trip, UYE organizer Dan D graciously fielded all the last-​minute questions from nervous attendees like myself who hadn’t been to Mexico in years: do I need vaccination certificates? Should I bring bottled water? Should I bring my cell? Can I use a credit card? What does this mean on the waiver? How much cash should I bring — will I need some $ for bribes?
Once we set off things ran incredibly smoothly thanks to Dan and Spanish-​speaking, unofficial coordinators like Diego V., who regularly made sure our group was together and people weren’t missing and supervised those of us SSL (Spanish-​Second-​Language) people wanting to practice our high school/​college Spanish at the restaurants and bars we visited.
We met up at Mission Brewery and then took the blue line trolley from 12^th and Imperial, approximately a 30-​minute ride to the border, and then walked across where we then split into two cabs to take us into the main part of the city.
We hit up some gorgeous restaurants and bars that provided great service and room for a large group of tourists like us:
1) Sotano Suizo: A Swiss (!)-inspired Mexican pub with a wicked deal on buckets of beer (Dos Equis), as well as truly authentic Clamato (with huge chunks of real clams), in-​house made hefes, lagers, and other beer, and a tasty, half-​meter granddaddy of a hot dog that started as a dare to me and Juliana C to devour and yet was surprisingly delicious — truly the highlight (for me) of yesterday’s TJ trip. Also a great way to start our trip, as the lot of us (14 people) took shots of tequila reposado that was smooth and clean. LESSON: It was cheaper to buy the entire bottle (around $ 45) than to buy individual shots… so ALWAYS ASK! Also the very-​modern bathroom here was nicer than I’ve seen at fancy restaurants in San Diego! It was like Consortium Holdings went to TJ and designed a bathroom for this place!
2) Cantina de los remedios: drinks inside an insanely beautifully decorated Mexican restaurant, and a truly authentic 8-​person mariachi band. Their table side performance was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful as they crooned traditional songs and skillfully played guitars, violins, trumpet, etc.
3) Dandy del sur: a dive bar close to the 6^th and Revolucion downtown district with fresh spicy chicarones and saloon-​style bathroom stalls. The ladies enjoyed a 2-​for-​1 deal on tamarind martinis while the men were getting beverage hookups from a generous bartender who showed appreciation for their American tips. Also nicely decorated joint, including plenty of Halloween décor, a Spanish jukebox, and a clean, tourist-​friendly place.
4) La Placita: a pretty empty restaurant serving Mexican food and drinks. I tried the a combo platter with a ceviche tostada (perfectly thin and crispy but sturdy! not too sour, delicious!), spicy stuffed cheese jalapenos, fish taco (moist!) on housemade masa tortilla with fresh guac, rice and beans.
5) A fun nightclub. (Hey guys, remember when that tile fell off on the façade adjacent to the tile store? Ha, irony.)
6) On the way home, we grabbed impromptu street tacos (from Tacos El Triunfo) and churros from two different food carts. The adovada tacos ($ 1.20 each) were stellar, with meat freshly carved from a spit. For $ 1.50 we got a pouch of like six freshly made churros. It was the perfect way to end a long night!
7) Crossing back at San Ysidro after 11pm. Surprisingly there was little line, and we were probably waiting only about 30 minutes!
TIP: Most of the restaurants we visited had free wi-​fi! So YES, it’s OK to bring your phone to TJ, but be sure to turn off data, etc unless you have that set up. Also, call your phone company beforehand to make sure you will receive ANY service as you may not be able to make a call at all without requesting them to activate it for another country. Note though that in the downtown area (around 6^th and Revolucion), most places don’t have free wi-​fi and there are lots of Internet cafes.
A special shout out and thank you to everyone who went especially the de facto leaders who made sure we were always having fun, walking the right direction, not getting ripped off by cabbies, searching and going back for runaways (!), keeping us all together and enjoying our group, and staying safe!

It’s on like… drunk people. Sorry. We can’t help it. If you’re not here, you’re missing out. This is first of many annual events to come here in TJ

dear diary,
i am so happy to be alive. like Al A. said on YT SD, «What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but What happens in TJ never happened.»
xoxo
— me