BajaNomad

UPDATE On How to Find the US Consulate in TJ Coming From Rosarito

Gypsy Jan - 2-17-2011 at 06:29 PM

We have an appointment there tomorrow and the consulate has been less than helpful with map and directions.

Please, good Nomads, give us some counsel. We will be coming into the city on the free road, to the Cuahutemoc roundabout (major traffic circle) - where do we go from there?

[Edited on 2-18-2011 by Gypsy Jan]

longlegsinlapaz - 2-17-2011 at 07:25 PM

Go to Google Earth, click on Find Businesses, type in "U.S. Consulate, Tijuana" & hit enter, then zoom in to read street names. Print a copy of the map & take with you.

You'll be required to put cell, camera & I forget what else, into a locker (purse??) & take in only passport & ID inside the office area. Grit your teeth, because as you found trying to get directions, they are not the most agreeable or pleasant folks to deal with! :no: Be on time, if not early, because they lack a sense of humor & forgiveness! :(

Hope that helps you.

Edit: Afterthought

[Edited on 2-18-2011 by longlegsinlapaz]

Thank You LLinLa...

Gypsy Jan - 2-17-2011 at 07:33 PM

Oh well, I give up. Just "Thank you."

bajaguy - 2-17-2011 at 07:34 PM

Stop at a 7-11/PEMEX and pick up a TJ city street map

SoCal-Bob - 2-17-2011 at 10:58 PM

According to the website, this is the address:
American Citizen Services
Ave. Tapachula # 96
Colonia Hipodromo,
22420 Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Telephone:
(664) 622-7400

but when I plug that into google, it puts it in the middle of a residential area and does not look correct.

this appears to be the right address:
Diego Rivera 2, Centro, 22000 Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

Woooosh - 2-18-2011 at 12:26 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Gypsy Jan
We have an appointment there tomorrow and the consulate has been less than helpful with map and directions.

Please, good Nomads, give us some counsel. We will be coming into the city on the free road, to the Cuahutemoc roundabout (major traffic circle) - where do we go from there?

Take the free road from Rosarito into TJ. Bang a right onto Agua Caliente and take it all the way up the slight hill to the Agua Caliente Racetrack/Casino and bear to the right. Go the two blocks until the roads traffic turns left and becomes Hipodromo to go behind the racetrack. Look for parking, it's right there above that intersection (look for the flag).

[Edited on 2-18-2011 by Woooosh]

BajaGringo - 2-18-2011 at 07:39 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Woooosh
Quote:
Originally posted by Gypsy Jan
We have an appointment there tomorrow and the consulate has been less than helpful with map and directions.

Please, good Nomads, give us some counsel. We will be coming into the city on the free road, to the Cuahutemoc roundabout (major traffic circle) - where do we go from there?

Take the free road from Rosarito into TJ. Bang a right onto Agua Caliente and take it all the way up the slight hill to the Agua Caliente Racetrack/Casino and bear to the right. Go the two blocks until the roads traffic turns left and becomes Hipodromo to go behind the racetrack. Look for parking, it's right there above that intersection (look for the flag).

[Edited on 2-18-2011 by Woooosh]


Woooosh is right on the money. If you are still not quite sure just park somewhere that you know like inside at Plaza Rio where there is secure parking and take a 5 dollar (max) taxi ride to the consulate. That is not a bad idea anyway as there is almost no secure parking around the consulate to be found.

We Are Back!

Gypsy Jan - 2-18-2011 at 03:01 PM

Woosh, thank you so much for your directions - they got us there.

BUT - we didn't see the racetrack and there were NO flags flying that I could spot; the only flags we saw were inside the consulate.

There is a clearly marked street sign that clued us in and we turned into a street that was completly blocked to through traffic by a zigzag arrangement of concrete barriers (K-reails?) and patrolled by black-clad security (including their berets and jackboots). Before we turned on Tapachula, we passed by a black-SWAT like armored van parked on Aguacaliente.

The convenience/liquor store on the corner of Tapachula and Aguacaliente said we could park in their space for $3.00 US, but they were very happy to accept $30 MN, do, when in Mexico, try always to use the moneda nacional :yes:

Polite, efficient and very-carefully-trained consulate employees ran us through the metal detector and searched my purse. I had to take my dangerous items (nail clipper, tweezers and hand sanitizer bottle) back out to the car and when I returned, I was searched and scanned again.

Our appointment was at 9:30 am and we were out of there before 11:00 am and we will return in about five days to pick up our passport cards (they will notify us by email).

All in all, a nice, friendly experience - not the ordeal I was dreading.

We hadn't eaten breakfast and we were starving! I asked our friendly parking attendant and he recommended that we go to the "Sombrero" close by.

I will write a separate restaurant review on that wonderful place.

[Edited on 2-18-2011 by Gypsy Jan]

longlegsinlapaz - 2-18-2011 at 08:46 PM

Gypsy Jan, I'm relieved that you had a more pleasant encounter than I experienced!

Granted it was 7-8 years ago & you may have had to go to a different area of the building than I did, but I was led through a guard office, through a room of lockers, had to lock my dangerous purse, cell & camera up & was given the key to retrieve my possessions on the way out.

I'd driven two days from La Paz with friends....a married couple who are Mexican nationals (he used to live in the states & she'd never been north of Constitucion) & who were subsequently denied visas to enter the US....on the premise that no bank account implied they had no intentions of returning to Mexico. I wasn't about to simply take no for an answer & turn around & drive back to La Paz. I asked to speak to the Consul....I was allowed to enter the building, my friends were not. I groveled unbelievably (politely & respectfully!) & swore on the US flag that I wasn't a coyote & they'd be in my custody the entire 3 weeks we were going to be visiting his sister & brother-in-law who'd lived in Long Beach for 18 years & if they wanted me to stop on the way back south to prove that I'd really brought then back SOB I'd be happy to!

It took me over 2 hours, but they were finally nice enough to grant them visas not only for that Thanksgiving holiday, but through December of that year so we could make one more trip for Christmas.

Despite the eventual happy outcome, I'd never dealt with ruder, more arrogant bureaucrats, and they were fellow Americans!:(