Six Bars Left

Tourist-tempting bars along TJ’s Avenida Revolucion have been shutting down, one by one, in rapid succession. This remarkable phenomena is due to warnings issued by the US State Department regarding the public safety aspects of a visit to Tijuana, according to Andres Mendez, coordinator for the merchants of the avenida.

The proverbial straw was the recent decision by the California State University system to pack it in, banning scholastic activities involving registered students and formal exchange programs with class attendance occurring in Tijuana. Mendez said that as soon as this edict was issued, just before Holy Spring Break Week, bad things began to happen to the local bar biz.

Right now, he says, only six bars remain “abierto” on “La Revu” out of a flourishing 24 taverns. Night life has been especially affected, added Mendez, but so has the bottom line of more placid watering holes like the 55-year-old Nelson Hotel and La Placita, both of whom offer fine dining.

A couple of large bars have opened off the thoroughfare on Calle Sexta claiming to feature exotic international beers, but they never seem to be open.