A product of the 1950s Tiki culture“Special Tables for Spies, Espionage Agents to View the U.S. Fleet — Binoculars furnished to U.S. Citizens only,” said a 1950s advertisement for the restaurant. Dressed in one of …
November 5, 2023
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Stories by David Alton Dodd
What the Bali Hai meant for San Diego
Best Reader stories from 2014
Udo was gone Despite the occasional car and North County bus whizzing by, they rode in perfect harmony, each rider knowing when it was time to pick up the pace or leapfrog to the front. …
March 15, 2020
Border crossing rules have changed at San Ysidro
In fact, you will need some steenking papers to enter Mexico.
October 7, 2015
Mexicans honor America — Trump be damned!
On Saturday night, July 4th, a fireworks show erupted at approximately ten o'clock in the Zona Norte area of Tijuana. Fireworks displays in Mexico are usually reserved for occasions such as Mexican Independence Day on …
July 6, 2015
Another for the Tijuana morgue
The shrieking of bystanders followed gunfire in the Zona Norte section of Tijuana on Tuesday afternoon, May 12. An unidentified man lay writhing on the ground as onlookers awaited authorities to arrive on the scene. …
May 13, 2015
Nothing could touch her
Monica Serrano was the only rejoneadora (female bullfighter on horseback) at the bullfights in Tijuana on August 3. Long hair streaking down her face, she confronted three bulls, riding straight and broad. Nothing could touch …
August 5, 2014
Electrical fire in the Zona Norte
Breaking the otherwise wild and noisy routine in the sketchy Zona Norte section of Tijuana on Saturday afternoon, a fleet of vehicles from the Tijuana Bomberos (fire department) arrived with sirens blazing, accompanied by police …
May 4, 2014
Padres training camp in Arizona 2014
Thomas Anthony Medica stood in the clubhouse, belly full of breakfast, dressing out as he had done every morning since camp opened. In an hour, there would be a brief meeting as there always was …
April 30, 2014
Cox Communications to cut about 500 jobs
On the heels of Sony Electronics announcing job cuts of at least 400 employees in the San Diego area, Cox Communications is also drawing back in the region. Notices were sent to employees this week …
February 28, 2014
Man suffers fall on Chula Vista trolley platform
Shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon, January 17, paramedics and firefighters responded to a report of a man who had succumbed to a head injury after a fall. The incident occurred at the Palomar …
January 18, 2014
Tijuana taxistas chase hit-and-run driver
Friday the 13th didn’t work out so well for a certain taxi and its driver in the sketchy Zona Norte section of downtown Tijuana. Clientele of the local taco cart, wayward pedestrians, sidewalk prostitutes, and …
December 17, 2013
Masked man threatens suicide on Blue Line trolley
Wearing a Padres luchador mask on the evening of Saturday, September 14, a man on a southbound Blue Line trolley began a rant almost immediately after boarding: “All of these fucking people on the trolley,” …
September 15, 2013
Tijuana fútbol fans flip over victory
The Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles (or "Xolos”) made history on Sunday, December 2, by beating the favored Toluca Red Devils in Toluca, 2-0. The Xolos, only three seasons into the first division of Mexican soccer, became the …
December 4, 2012
Tijuana Fútbol Fans Pumped After Win
On Sunday, November 25, the Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles arrived in Tijuana to play in the national fútbol finals and make history by beating Club León 3-0 in Caliente Stadium before a sell-out crowd. In the streets, …
November 26, 2012
Mexico Celebrates 102 Years Since Revolution
At around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 2, traffic became snarled in Centro de Tijuana, with all incoming vehicles on Calle Tercera diverted onto Calle Madero. Mexico marked its 102nd year since the revolution of …
November 22, 2012
Tijuana Water Outage Planned for November 7
Beginning at six o'clock in the morning on November 7, approximately 95 percent of the greater Tijuana area will be without running water. The service is expected to resume normally 12 hours later, according to …
November 2, 2012
Tijuana’s Dandy del Sur Loses Manolo
Manuel Escobedo passed away last Tuesday, an event that might not have gone unnoticed except that the transition of Calle Sexta (or "La Sexta,” as it is now known) occurred while Don Manuel was living …
October 20, 2012
Rosarito Policeman to Be Prosecuted for Attempted Bribe
In Playas del Rosarito last week, a Municipal police officer was suspended and is under investigation for extortion, according to various sources, including Tijuana’s daily Frontera and El Vigia. Officer Julio Núñez Ulloa allegedly arranged …
October 7, 2012
Tijuana Cheers Mexico’s Olympic Soccer Team
Saturday morning, August 11, turned into a celebration in Baja and all over Mexico, as the Mexican national soccer team won the gold medal in the Olympics, defeating Brazil 2-1. The game began at seven …
August 14, 2012
Shell Game
Author: David Alton Dodd Neighborhood: Baja Age: 49 Occupation: Engineer Over a decade ago, I found myself stumbling around downtown Tijuana with a cup of coffee. It was in the early morning, before nine o’clock, …
January 18, 2011
Tijuana Mugging Thwarted By Local Woman
During the late afternoon of September 1, in an eastern residential section of Tijuana, a woman was assaulted on her way home from work while walking down an alley. The suspect, a dark-skinned Latino male …
September 2, 2010
The Ghost of Ma Joad
In attempting to define the normal childhood, whatever that might be, I think that perhaps we begin by examining our own and then try to use it in some meaningful way. I therefore insist that …
July 31, 2010
By the Gun
At approximately 2:45 in the afternoon on June 9, two men were assassinated in a vehicle in the La Mesa section of Tijuana, approximately 12 miles east of downtown. Witnesses testified that the victims were …
June 10, 2010
From 18 to 86
On Sunday — Valentine’s Day — what is believed to have been the largest mass wedding in Tijuana’s history took place at Parque Morelos, in the La Mesa delegation of Tijuana. At just before 11 …
February 16, 2010
Independence Day
Last Tuesday was to be an excursion with a purpose, although I immediately began to question my own good judgement before I arrived at my first stop, and I considered the years and years of …
September 22, 2009
¡Viva Mexico!
At dusk on Tuesday, September 15, Tijuana launched several celebrations to kick off Mexican independence day, which begins at midnight every September 16. The largest and most heavily attended of these celebrations was in front …
September 17, 2009
Palm Tree Down
A less-than-successful effort of a Tijuana resident to remove a palm tree resulted in the local fire department’s required assistance in a neighborhood approximately 12 miles east of central Tijuana on the afternoon of September …
September 2, 2009
Trapped in My Shining Heart
Author: David Alton Dodd Neighborhood: Tijuana Age: 47 Occupation: Engineer Mona was cute in an odd way that you couldn’t put your finger on. I was a freshman in a college near Los Angeles, or …
May 7, 2009
Climate of Fear
Tijuana police say that nearly 60 reports have been taken recently from residents who said they received telephone calls from purported commanders of Los Zeta, hit men known for working with the drug cartels throughout …
April 12, 2009
Merry Christmas, Ted
Christmas Eve was easy. Rocio’s parents opted for an early meal, breaking with their traditional midnight dinner, and they ate tostadas up the hill while I cooked up two large pots of clam chowder down …
December 27, 2008