1 area code for San Diego, Tijuana? 5 better ideas
From The San Diego Union Tribune
By Matthew T. Hall
"If pro golfer Phil Mickelson of Rancho Santa Fe got a mulligan on a tax comment that a lot of people said was silly,
San Diego Mayor Bob Filner deserves one, too. Thing is, Filner doesn't want it.
His call for San Diego and Tijuana to share a common area code is as dumb as they come, but Filner isn't calling it that. He calls it progress, and
has since his days as a congressman when he pushed for the idea because he thinks calls are more important than walls and because the divisions
between our two cities would be, well, phony if long distance were eliminated.
"Technically, it's a trivial matter. You throw a few switches," Filner said last Monday. "Politically, it's more difficult."
His comments came during his first formal appearance south of the border since becoming mayor in December, at a meeting to promote regional ties.
I'm all for better ties, but Filner's area code idea, which others promoted in the 1990s, is not as simple or as smart as he suggests. San Diego
County has three area codes and the city has two. Which one would be used? What about Mexico's country code? And this is 2013: Cellphones make area
codes almost meaningless.
If Filner really wants such singularity, shouldn't he start lobbying telecommunication companies to let us make calls to Mexico for free?
That loud click you just heard was all those companies hanging up on our mayor.
Look, his idea will go nowhere. But here are others that will make it out of the door:
1) Attend a Xolos soccer match in Tijuana wearing Chargers or Padres gear. Or come to a Chargers or Padres game in Xolos gear.
Go tailgate in Tijuana and strike up a conversation with someone wearing a Xolos hat or scarf or jersey. (Don't dwell on it. The scarves are cool.)
Fans of that team just won a national title. I'm sure they'll be all too happy to tell you about it. They'll probably offer you a taco or a Tecate as
well. Nothing can lead to binational accord more than a tailgate party. And it's a blast. Can't beat the smell of carne asada on the grill and the
sounds of tens of thousands of fans cheering on a winner.
As for Xolos fans attending sporting events on this side of the border, my advice is don't just wear red and black clothing. We'll only mistake you
for San Diego State University Aztec fans (not that there's anything wrong with that). Whereas if you wear your Xolos gear, we'll sidle up to you,
congratulate you and carry on a winning sports conversation. Maybe we'll even buy you some of that famous San Diego microbrew.
2) Treat yourself to a Tijuana restaurant.
The foodie scene south of the border is fantastic. It's been a year since The New Yorker profiled Tijuana chef Javier Plascencia and shared a secret
many San Diegans already knew: He and other fine chefs have been working "to turn Tijuana into a site of gourmet pilgrimage." The high-profile story
laid it on the table: Tijuana, long known as a gateway for drugs, is becoming a gateway to a thriving foodie scene for all of Baja California. Yes,
the drug cartels and the crime, the kidnappings and murders have kept tourists away, but times and tastes change.
3) Take a tour of Tijuana with Turista Libre.
Full disclosure: Turista Libre is run by a friend of mine, Derrik Chinn. But I wouldn't steer you wrong, and he wouldn't either. In part, this is
because he doesn't drive the bus you'll ride for the tour. He leaves that to husband-and-wife chauffeurs Benjamin and Pilar. Chinn has collected
Americans near the San Ysidro trolley stop for his "atypical day tours" in Tijuana since 2009 and carted them to art and culture destinations,
sporting events, festivals, flea markets, historic sites and many a food spot.
Excursions can cost $40, as Friday's lucha libre (pro wrestling) trip did. The Chinese New Year trip on Feb. 9 will be $45, and the mid-February
"winery hop" of Baja California's vineyards will cost $100.
4) Visit Friendship Park along the border.
Think a full day in Tijuana sounds too overwhelming? Start with a park.
Friendship Park is as beautiful as a concrete plaza can be. It's more than that, of course. It's a spot by the U.S.-Mexico border fence where friends
and families in both countries have gathered for generations - to hold hands or pass everything from Sunday Communion wafers to drugs from one side to
the other.
The Department of Homeland Security closed it in 2009, but agreed to open the site to the public more regularly last year. It's now supposed to be
available Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Friendship Park, which sits inside Border Field State Park, is not without controversy. Critics see it as a way for unauthorized immigrants to visit
their families without having to return to Mexico. Others contend that it has politicized immigration instead of promoting friendship.
The site dates to 1971, when First Lady Pat Nixon said at the inauguration of Border Field State Park: "I hate to see a fence anywhere."
5) Urge San Diego to subsidize SENTRI passes.
The biggest impediment to cross-border travel remains congestion at the ports of entry. Return trips to the U.S. can last several hours, leaving
border-crossing updates as vital as surf reports to some San Diegans.
U.S. government SENTRI passes reduce the time by allowing users to drive in dedicated lanes, but tapping into the Secure Electronic Network for
Travelers Rapid Inspection costs money - about $120 per person and roughly $250 per family.
Since we began this column with Filner's long-distance long shot, here's an improbable idea of my own.
Once a year, the city could promote cross-border travel by subsidizing a portion of a person's SENTRI pass. First-timers only. Maybe pay a greater
share for families? The city could even cap the number of subsidies or do it by lottery to keep costs and headaches down.
Sure, it would require money, but it would be a drop in the city's budget and there are worse things for City Hall to subsidize, especially for
something so important to its top official.
What do you say, San Diego? It's your dime. You make the call."
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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