Walking to Juarez

Since I was spending the weekend in El Paso, I decided to be a little daring and hop over into Juarez. Now in 2010, Juarez was the most dangerous city in the world with number 2 being Baghdad. The cartels were in an all-out war with each other and it was a complete bloodbath. I started asking some of my coworkers what they thought and their opinions actually changed from last year. Most of them are starting to cross on a regular basis again and I got the general consensus that if I stayed on the main road, kind of like Nuevo Progreso, I'd be safe.

I did my research and decided I wanted to go to Club Kentucky, which is a famous bar opened after prohibition in the United States. Many celebrities frequented that bar since it was only 2.5 blocks in. Since I was downtown and about a mile and a half away from the bar, I decided I'd get some exercise and walk to it.

I started the day with some breakfast.

Hotel breakfast plate with biscuits smothered in sausage gravy, crispy bacon strips, and scrambled eggs, with DairyPure milk cartons and salt and pepper shakers on the table

Realizing that it opened at noon and it was mountain time, I had some time to kill. I hung out in my room and worked a bit on this blog. I then proceeded to dress as poor looking as I could to make it look like I didn't have anything worth stealing or make me a target. I settled for my Lynyrd Skynyrd shirt with a bunch of holes in it.

Man taking mirror selfie in hotel bathroom wearing brown t-shirt and glasses

They had breakfast going until noon, so I decided to grab another plate for lunch before I walked out.

Hotel breakfast plate with biscuits and gravy, sausage patty, bacon, and scrambled eggs, accompanied by DairyPure milk cartons

I started walking and got some nice views of downtown.

Downtown El Paso street intersection with modern office buildings, parked vehicles, and clear blue sky Downtown El Paso streetscape showing contemporary glass and concrete buildings with orange construction barriers in foreground Spanish Colonial Revival style building with white stucco facade, ornate arched windows, decorative ironwork, and palm trees along the street Tall Chase bank tower with beige facade rising above downtown El Paso buildings under blue sky Downtown El Paso street view showing commercial buildings, storefronts with Bienvenidos signage, and mid-rise office towers Main Street in downtown El Paso with BBVA Compass bank building featuring arched architectural details and palm trees as street landscaping Tree-shaded downtown El Paso street with beige-colored building featuring Art Deco architectural elements

I then walked past the San Jacinto Plaza, and saw it during the day.

Downtown El Paso intersection with multi-story parking structure, office buildings, and decorative cowboy boot sculpture atop building Historical marker commemorating 1909 meeting between President William H. Taft and Mexican President Porfirio Díaz in San Jacinto Plaza Landscaped pedestrian walkway with brick paving leading through San Jacinto Plaza with downtown office buildings in background Desert landscaping with trees and native plants in urban plaza setting with buildings visible behind San Jacinto Plaza featuring mature trees, brick pathways, and distinctive circular First National Tower in background Elevated wooden deck overlook surrounded by trees and landscaping with historic building tower visible in distance Open plaza area with brick and tile paving patterns, maintained lawn, trees, and flagpoles with downtown buildings surrounding Covered plaza pavilion with columns and paved seating area featuring ornamental white balustrade and benches San Jacinto Plaza with tall monument column, brick paving, and people walking through the space with downtown buildings around Plaza landscaping featuring mature shade trees and wooden deck fencing with desert plants and downtown buildings in background Bronze alligator sculpture in fountain with ornate white balustrade under covered pavilion in San Jacinto Plaza, downtown buildings visible in background Bronze alligator sculpture centerpiece in fountain with decorative balustrade, surrounded by trees and downtown El Paso office buildings Bronze alligator fountain sculpture with blue mosaic tile water feature in San Jacinto Plaza Historical marker describing the Historic Sidewalk Clock of El Paso dating from 1911, with downtown buildings and parked vehicles in background Historic ornate green sidewalk clock with decorative top standing in San Jacinto Plaza, Wells Fargo building and other downtown structures visible behind Stone monument marker for El Camino Real (Chihuahua Highway) with carved Spanish coat of arms emblem Metal art installation featuring white silhouette of hand releasing bird cut into weathered rust-colored steel plate San Jacinto Plaza dimensional sign with raised metal letters on pink stone base

I started walking some more. The closer I got to the border, the more it looked like actual Mexico. Honestly, if you're ever too scared to venture into Mexico, just hang out on the US side of the border slightly north of the border and you'll get a lot of the experience there.

Downtown El Paso street view showing urban canyon with multi-story buildings and San Antonio street sign overhead Downtown El Paso street corner at Oregon Street with Beaux-Arts style buildings, pedestrians, and vintage architectural details Starr Theatre building with prominent vertical blade sign and Art Deco style facade in downtown El Paso Downtown El Paso commercial street with mix of parked cars, low-rise buildings, and pedestrians under blue sky Downtown El Paso sidewalk perspective showing storefronts, awnings, and commercial buildings stretching down the street Row of commercial storefronts including Muebles y Mas furniture store with Spanish language signage Commercial building with distinctive twin Art Deco towers featuring geometric tile patterns, street-level shops, and Sun Metro bus Crowded downtown sidewalk scene with pedestrians, ornate double lamp post, and retail shops under partly cloudy sky Busy downtown street with pedestrians walking along sidewalk, ornate street lamp, and mix of commercial buildings Street under active construction showing freshly poured concrete median, exposed dirt, and commercial storefronts on both sides

I finally made it to the PDN bridge, where I had worked the day before.

Group of people looking through tall vertical slats of border fence between United States and Mexico

I started walking across the bridge and realized the river was insanely low. There was also a lot of fencing.

Close-up artistic view through border fence showing eyes visible through narrow metal slats creating striking visual pattern Dedication plaques for Paso del Norte Bridge mounted on gray painted surface with chain-link fence above, commemorating Presidents Gustavo Diaz Ordaz and Lyndon B. Johnson Enclosed pedestrian walkway with arched mesh ceiling and railings on international bridge crossing, people walking through the tunnel-like structure

I finally made it into Mexico! The federal police presence is actually reassuring.

Blue Mexican Federal Police (Policía Federal Unidad Fronteriza) vehicle parked at border crossing facility with chain-link fencing overhead

They had really cleaned up this street from what I could see. It didn't even really feel like being in Mexico or close to what it looked like on Google Street view from a few years prior. Overall it felt very clean and safe.

Busy pedestrian street scene in Ciudad Juárez with storefronts, taquería, street vendors, and people walking under partly cloudy sky Pedestrians walking past money exchange businesses (Centro Cambia) with currency rate signs displayed, including people with stroller

I finally made it to my destination, Club Kentucky!

Historic Kentucky Club Bar in Ciudad Juárez featuring vintage signage, Art Deco architecture, outdoor seating area with brown awnings, and weathered facade

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