Tijuana

Over the course of the 20th century, Tijuana grew from a ranch populated by a few hundred Mexicans into a Prohibition retreat for boozing and gambling—then it morphed yet again into an industrial giant infamous for its proliferation of maquiladoras (sweatshops). With a documented population of 1.2 million (informal estimates run as high as 2 million), Tijuana has surpassed Ciudad Juárez to become the country's sixth-largest city. Whether the legendary sleazefest is now primary or secondary to Tijuana's economy, the place certainly hasn't shaken its bawdy image; tell someone you're going to Tijuana, and you'll still elicit knowing chuckles all around.

Gone are the glamorous days when Hollywood stars would frequent hot spots like the Agua Caliente Racetrack & Casino, which opened in 1929. When Prohibition was repealed, Tijuana's fortunes began to decline, and, in 1967, when the toll highway to Ensenada was completed, Tijuana ceased to be such a necessary pit stop on the overland route to the rest of Baja. Even the Jai-Alai Palace—which survived into the new millennium as the city's last bastion of gambling—is just a museum now.

That's not to say that the knowing chuckles aren't still deserved, because Tijuana has more recently managed to redefine itself as a hot spot for young Californians in search of the sort of fun not allowed back home, like a lower drinking age, and perhaps some souvenirs, like duty-free tequila, overpriced trinkets, marked-down medicines, and Polaroid photos taken with donkeys painted as zebras (which, we kid you not, are readily available on Avenida Revolución). Even amid the high-profile hotels, casual dining chains, art museums, and Omni movies that have swooped into the city's swankier Zona Río in the last decade, much of Tijuana still represents border culture at its most bleakly opportunistic, from corrupt cops to pharmacies loudly advertising volume discounts on 100mg Viagra tablets (strong enough for a horse).

Meanwhile, as the population has mushroomed, driven largely by the maquiladoras, the government has struggled to keep up with the growth and demand for services; thousands live without electricity, running water, or adequate housing in villages along the border. And nowhere in Mexico are the realities of commercial sex laid out more starkly. Open prostitution is everywhere: in the Zona Norte, streetwalkers accost passersby as they sidestep pools of vomit; strip bars like Casa Adelita and Chicago Club also function as giant, multifloor brothels—every single dancer is for sale. Maybe that's why they sell the Viagra in such ludicrous doses.

Safety and Precautions

Before planning your trip to Mexican-American border towns, check http://www.state.gov/travel for updates on drug violence and safety.