While riding into Tijuana from the California border, I asked the taxi driver what church in Tijuana might make a nice photograph.
"You want the cathedral," he said, "down by Revolution Avenue."The two sailors in the back seat had other plans.
"And what about bars?" one asked.
"You want Revolution Avenue, too," the driver said.
Revolution Avenue runs through Tijuana like the Nile through Egypt. For years it was the only game in town. Today, new shops and restaurants on the river bed near the border vie with Revolution for the tourist dollar, but for pure charm and a sense of Mexico, "La Avenida" is the only street to travel.
Part wonderland, part shopping district, part road to ruin, Revolution is Bob Dylan's famous "Desolation Row," where "they're selling postcards of the hanging and painting the passports brown," where "the beauty parlor's filled with sailors and the circus is in town."
"Revolution Avenue represents all of Tijuana," says Jan Wood, a public relations officer who produces a television show on the town. "You can find anything you want on Revolution."
And today, a lot of tourists are looking there. According to Wood three million tourists a month visit Tijuana. Many visit the town looking for bargains on booze, leather and precious stones. Others drop down just to get a taste of "The Old Country."
The appeal - and danger - of border towns, of course, is the tremendous mix of people and cultures there. As in the movie "Casablanca," dozens of types and nationalities battle for dollars and control. There are good guys, bad guys and millions in between.
The atmosphere is charged and very challenging. Walking along Revolution Avenue, for instance, tourists find their senses and sensibilitiesassaulted - the smell of fresh roses gets stirred in with the smells of bad meat; next to the Cathedral a man sells the skins of rattlesnakes as a cure-all, a literal "snake oil" salesman. The hopelessly handicapped beg on corners or move among people in the finest finery.
"Mexico is very alive," says Wood. "It's not quite as structured as our country. You can always find a musician in some corner who's willing to play a song for you, always find horse races, bullfights, sports and great food."
Right now - truth be told - many Americans visit the town to bet on the sports book and gamble - activities that are legal there. But many others are out for fun, not profit. They find some good buys and good times south of the border. Furniture in Tijuana is nice, inexpensive and duty free, for example. Leather coats are popular, as is jewelry and any kind of handiwork. The duty-free limit for Americans is up to $400 now and with the Mexican economy on the skids again, the government is going out of its way to make tourists feel safe and welcome.
"The government tourism offices are really functioning as tourism offices now," says Wood, with a mixture of both surprise and pride.
Of course getting to know the Mexican people themselves can be a tough job - especially in a border town. There are so many masks, so much impersonal politeness, so many pitches and angles being played.
Those mules along Revolution, for instance, the ones saddled and painted like zebras? American tourists sit on them to have their pictures taken because they figure the things must be part of the folklore. Mexicans, of course, don't find them so quaint - or even so Mexican - but since American tourists do, the shell game of culture is played out. What is really Mexican? What is just our idea of Mexican? And what do Mexicans do just to cater to our lopsided ideas of what is Mexican?
"One thing American tourists need to keep in mind," cautions Wood, "is they can't go to Mexico and do a lot of things they would never do at home. Many people think they can go to Tijuana, drive too fast, drink too much, drink and drive and act disorderly. Then when they get into trouble with the police they wonder why they're not welcome there."
Tourists also need to pick and choose their spots. It's a good idea to steer clear of the bars and clubs in the "North Zone," unless they're looking for trouble. A good meal can be had at fine restaurants such as the Alcazar down on the river bed, Pedrins or - the most Mexican of Mexican restaurants - La Favorit on 3rd and Revolution where mariachi bands play and the atmosphere is all "fiesta."
But visitors are cautioned to use common sense when buying food, precious stones or other things. "Let the Buyer Beware" is the order of the day.
And one final thing, says Wood. If you plan to buy drugs in Mexico, make sure you have your American prescription with you. Without that, you might find yourself in a vat of hot sauce "muy, muy pronto."