Dr. Arturo Chayet and his staff of 10 surgeons peform more than 700 eye operations a month at the Codet Aris Vision Institute, sometimes using procedures that are a year or more away from approval in the U.S. (photo/tomacinco.com)

Tijuana may be San Diego’s sister city, but many San Diegans still harbor negative stereotypes when it comes to our neighbor to the south. Words that some San Diegans use in describing Tijuana include “party town,” “corrupt,” “dusty” and “dangerous.”

History has a lot to do with this limited view. Not just the history of Tijuana itself, whose explosive growth ignited with Prohibition, but also the personal histories of many San Diegans who grew up here and traveled to Tijuana’s famous Avenida Revolución to partake in its seemingly unregulated playground of seedy nightclubs and kitschy shops. However, a peek into the lives of some of Tijuana’s burgeoning entrepreneurial and professional middle class proves that there are other aspects to Tijuana.

‘No Somos La revolución,’ says Ana Alicia of the image that Tijuana is primarily a party town with few rules. Alica, the co-owner of travel agency, event planning service and day spa, is opening a VIP club at Tijuana’s airport. (photo/tomacinco.com)

The negative stereotypes are certainly not represented by Ana Alicia Meneses and others in Tijuana’s rising middle class. Born in Mexicali, Meneses moved to Tijuana in 1984 to become sales manager for the Hotel Fiesta Americana. Eventually, she ventured out on her own.

Today, Ana Alicia and her husband Alejandro own a travel agency, event planning service and day spa. This month, they inaugurate their VIP Club inside the Tijuana Airport. A VIP Club for Kids is also in the works. “No Somos La Revolución” — she keeps repeating, referring to the street that so many San Diegans associate with Tijuana. Their daughter, Alejandra, works at their travel agency and eventually wants to start her own interior design firm. Over the last five years, this family has gained the confidence to expand and diversify its business interests.

Patricia Viale, director of public relations for the Palma Azul restaurant, notes women have a more privileged place in Tijuana than her native Mexico City. (photo/tomacinco.com)

A couple of blocks away on Salinas Boulevard, the Palma Azul restaurant is bustling with well-coifed Mexicans enjoying a fusion of Baja’s culinary delights. Like Tijuana itself, the menu is a cultural mosaic representing different regions of Mexico and the people that settled here. Patricia Viale, one of four owners, moved to Tijuana from Mexico City three years ago. “Women have a more privileged place here than in Mexico City,” says Viale. “Our work is respected. In Tijuana, women hold high positions in both government and business.”

Four miles north at the Honda dealership in the Zona Rio business district, Salvador Gutierrez is giving his troops a pep talk at their daily sales meeting. Salvador went to University High School in San Diego, then studied business management and finance at the University of Guadalajara. He worked at KPMG in Mexico City before moving to Tijuana to take over as general manager of the dealership. The growth of new car sales — up 36.5 percent this year — is a testament to Tijuana’s rising middle class. “When we opened in 1999, the interest rate was 36 percent a year (in pesos),” says Gutierrez. “Now it’s 13.5 percent.”

“Sales are up,” says Salvador Gutierrez, owner of a Honda dealership in the Zona Rio business district. (photo/tomacinco.com)

Luxury car dealerships now offer customers a wide selection of brands including Hummer, BMW, Volvo, Cadillac, Saab and cars you can’t buy in San Diego such as Peugeot and MG Rover.

The interior and exterior of the Codet Aris Vision Institute are designed to resemble the cornea. (photo/tomacinco.com)

Across the street from the dealership is the Codet Aris Vision Institute and its founder, Dr. Arturo Chayet. Chayet received his degree in cornea and refractive Surgery at UCSD. In 1994, he attracted worldwide attention as the first surgeon in western North America to perform corrective laser eye surgery. Today, he and his team of 10 eye surgeons perform more than 700 operations a month with patients flying in from as far as the United Arab Emirates. His specialists in retina, glaucoma, ocular plastics, pediatric ophthalmology, cornea and cataracts are fellows at the Shiley Eye Center at UCSD.

“Because of FDA regulations, we’re usually a couple of years ahead of the U.S.,” says Chayet. As one example, in September 2004, the FDA approved the Verisyse implantable lens. Its FDA approval was extolled as an exciting breakthrough — the first implantable corrective lens in the United States. The announcement and fanfare came as no surprise to Chayet. He has been implanting these lenses in patients since 1998.

The brains behind Sports World are Atlali Hernandez, Uzeth Estrada, Carlos Marquz and Enrique Murga. (photo/tomacinco.com)

Another Zona Rio building filled with activity is Sports World Tijuana. Inside, you feel as if you are inside a posh La Jolla sporting club. Carlos Márquez, general manager, was sent to Tijuana two years ago to open the chain’s first club outside Mexico City. Membership costs $500 to join and $100 a month, valet parking included. Sales have been strong. Since opening in the summer of 2003, Sports World now has more than 800 active members. “We should be at capacity by the end of 2005,” says Márquez.

The growth of Tijuana’s private schools is another indicator of the rising middle class. The Private Schools Association has 28 members with 15,000 K-12 students. Tuition costs $1,200 to $3,400 a year. There are also 20 private universities, most of which began local operations within the last 10 years.

Recent economic stability combined with bright, ambitious entrepreneurs and professionals are helping to create a Tijuana that is host to a diverse range of high-end products and services, many of which are now world-class. Now that’s the real Revolución.