would give it 0 stars if i could. wow where do i start. I grew up here as a little kid and my mom…read moregot me out of here at 8y/o(now i understand why). I moved back here after a divorce because i have a daughter and thought family here would help. Im educated, friendly, outgoing, and this place has been so disappointing. There are no jobs. Im met with such hostility as a mexinan-american girl who doesnt speak spanish. so many mexi-cali residents take the jobs here from california residents even the low skill jobs or retail jobs. its so sad. People are so unfriendly. very toxic here. very small-town mentality of people dont want to know you if they didnt know you as a child.people dont want you to do better than them and you can feel the envy radiate off people. High obesity rate. the residents here are getting ripped off by the rising cost of living but tbh they deserve it.

Yes this place is ok it could be better and the mall is getting a bit lonely but I wish their were…read moremore new better businesses like fun ones that we used to have because el centro really has nothing fun's they don't have trampoline park how they used too or a water slide or fun places.

I had to reception to check in but thought this place was pretty cool. The rocks along this area…read moreare circular which definitely makes it look like a pumpkin patch. They info posts about how they form which is really cool to read. The ride over is pretty fun too and you gotta make sure your vehicle is equipped to get through. Great photo ops too! This is a must see when visiting Ocotillo Wells!

What a unique natural formation of rocks that look like pumpkins in a pumpkin patch at Halloween!…read more Great place to capture the night skies over the unique landscape. A harrowing experiences for me to get there...the roads are really rough. But such a worthy endeavor.

The Kinetoscope is a circular mural inside an abandoned water tank by Christina Angelina and Ease…read moreOne in Slab City, California.  The larger than life canvas was originally covered in grafitti and filled with trash. In order to properly prep the space, discarded, half broken shovels were employed and a makeshift pulley system of Home Depot buckets was instated to lift out the sand. The truck was repurposed as lodging for a week, the closest toilet was a 5-minute drive away, and all involved went without showers. This was well worth it for the final result.   Visitors must climb a staircase to the top of the tank (roughly 15 ft), where there is a ladder to take them back down, into the structure. Once inside, amplified sound reverberation accompanies two series of artistically rendered female faces.  Faces are captured in a variety of freeze frames and combined to create motion, inspired by the work of photographer Eadweard Muybridge.    Each individual face embodies a specific emotion tied to a meaningful moment when Angelina trusted her intuition, an inherent sense often ignored by society. The subtle interconnectedness of these moments creates a sense of "magic" in its movement as each form contributes to the natural flow of the piece. Her use of totem animals continues through the incorporation of raven and rattlesnake skulls.   Faces sit atop a ghostwritten blend of Eastern/Western writing styles by Ease One. These hidden words form the lyrics to Society by Jerry Hannan and Eddie Vedder.   It's a mystery to me We have a greed with which we have agreed You think you have to want more than you need Until you have it all you won't be free   Society, you're a crazy breed I hope you're not lonely without me   This piece uses a limited palette to subtly unify elements of figuration, lettering and graf futurism in a sophisticated, stylized manner. The background is of latex paint, the rest is of spray paint.

Republic of Slowjamastan: The Nation You Didn't Know You Needed!…read more Ever wanted to visit a country that's smaller than your average Costco but ten times more entertaining? Look no further than the Republic of Slowjamastan, a hidden gem off Highway 78 in the middle of literally nowhere. You'll know you've arrived when your GPS starts to laugh at you. The drive alone is an adventure, with nothing but open road and desert as far as the eye can see. Then BAM--out of the dust emerges a tiny "nation" with its own quirky flag, customs, and government (I'm pretty sure the sultan is just the most interesting man in the world). It's the kind of place that makes you question everything you know about borders and citizenship. Who knew sovereignty could be so much fun? This is the perfect spot to bring up at parties. You'll blow everyone's minds when you casually mention, "Oh yeah, I've been to Slowjamastan. No big deal. It's not on most maps yet." Instant conversation starter, and who doesn't love a little international travel brag? Is it ridiculous? Absolutely. But that's what makes it unforgettable. Pack a snack, bring a camera, and prepare to say, "Wait, what?" more times than you thought possible. 10/10 would recommend for anyone looking to spice up their road trip playlist and add "citizen of Slowjamastan" to their résumé.

Border towns are all different. Whether you're entering Canada or Mexico. There are a number of…read moreentry points. No two alike. I'm originally from Chula Vista so when we would cross into Mexico usually it was one of couple ways or entries (San Ysidro, Otay, etc). You would enter Tijuana and enter the hustle , bustle and yet modern everyday of TJ living, for food, to get to other locations like Rosarito, or venture into the exciting yet mysterious TJ nightlife to see what was good w/out getting into too much trouble. That's it. That's all. For most anyway. My boyfriend's family is originally from El Centro. Last time I was in El Centro there was nothing here. So after a handful of times visiting the city of El Centro, he decided to show me a city where his other relatives were from. Ah, the city of Mexicali, opposite of Calexico. Crossing I would say is still easier than crossing from the main border in San Ysidro. You can still find a lot of places to shop and eat here. Mexicali is definitely rural. The streets and sidewalks with are all uneven and filled with holes. Vendors & night workers. For some the view might be sad. For others humbling. For them, this is life and this is there day to day. It's said Mexicali was built by the many Chinese immigrants that were brought over for labor or fled the anti-Chinese policy from the US. This is historically home to the largest Chinese community in Mexico. Also known as Chinesca. "I don't see a lot of Chinese walking about" I tell my boyfriend. "The only Chinese I see are in the Chinese restaurants." Side note: the Chinese food definitely has a different yet still delicious flavor here. Mind you Chinese food differs everywhere you go. My advice when eating in this city is have no expectations. Just immerse yourself. Apparently, the Chinese built underground for themselves. To escape many things including the heat. There is said to have been opium dens and even illegal gambling. I'm not saying there still down there, just don't see a lot of Asians. There is a lot of mystery, history and a long established way of living here. However with the recent efforts of the younger generation with both Chinese and Mexican bloodlines to re-establish the Chinese culture here I'm sure we'll see an increase in tourism one day. So why the 4/5 stars? Not comparing this city to anywhere else I've been in Mexico. I grew up by Tijuana, raised off of Mexican culture. Been as far as Yucatán, Jalisco, The city of Tequila so on and so forth. I wasn't raised to disrespect anyone in their own home. If you're treated hospitably, you be respectful. Mexicali is beautiful in its own way and right.

Our wait to get to the big parking lot was 1 hour. Multiple cars drove past us on the right side on…read morethe rocks to avoid the wait but it was some bumpy terrain. There was only one line and two lanes open. We walked across so it was faster. Once across, we explored Algodones aka Molar City for a few hours. After a few errands and lunch, we walked back towards the gate and across. There was a small wait to cross back but definitely much faster then with a car. The agents were friendly.

Its much faster to walk across the border then to drive over. There was a longggggg line to cross…read moreover and we waited an hour just to get to the parking lot. The parking lot is big. All the agents were friendly.

I've been here a few times already, but this visit was for my sister-in-law. She's always wanted to…read morevisit the sculptures. I mentioned that the weather will be very warm not quite as hot as it can be during the summer. It was a steady at 94° and reached up to 97°. We went during the month of May. So if you don't do well in the heat I suggest visiting in early spring or during the fall. This would be a great place to take someone who is visiting from out of town or from another country. The sculptures are pretty spectacular. We didn't get to visit all of the sculptures, but enjoy taking photos of the ones we were able to get to. With the sculptures being far apart from each other it's great for photos because you won't see the other ones in the background. I think it's a great place to visit and to get some fun pictures afterwards you can visit the town which has a few restaurants in shopping stops. There's also a museum in town that would be cool to check out. I will be out here in November camping. I went camping here last November and the weather was very windy and we had a beautiful storm for one day with rainbows shining everywhere last year. It was beautiful. I look forward to coming back to this area.

We went to BORREGO SPRINGS, with the sole intention of seeing the Galleta Meadows Sculptures…read more BOY, were we IMPRESSED!!! We had done a lot of planning ahead of to make sure that we saw as many as we could. It's a little difficult to find some of them, BUT WE ACCOMPLISHED QUITE A LOT!!! If we were to point out any in particular it would have to be the SCORPION and the SERPENT!!! We were surprised by the SOLDIERS AND WINE PICKERS.

I did a long weekend trip to Palm Desert with the goal of visiting the Salton Sea. Originally, I…read moreplanned to loop the entire shoreline, but after talking with a ranger at the visitor center, I stuck to the east side and doubled back, which was definitely the right call. Our turnaround point was Salvation Mountain, right next to Slab City. Before going, I had read about Leonard Knight and the story behind the mountain, which honestly made the visit more meaningful. The dedication and message behind it are almost as interesting as the site itself. It is kind of amazing that the structure still stands today and is in such solid condition. The drive out was mostly fine, though hot and dusty, especially on a Saturday afternoon. I would recommend going earlier in the day if possible. The mountain itself looked better maintained than I expected. The colors were bright, and it was clear that ongoing work is being done to preserve it. I left a small donation since it felt like a meaningful effort to support. That said, it did not fully resonate with me. While I can appreciate the effort and story, the style of art and the surrounding environment did not quite click. If you are into outsider art or off grid communities, you will probably get more out of it than I did. The biggest downside is the immediate setting. Being next to Slab City definitely impacts the experience. The vibe felt a bit uncomfortable at times, and we did not stay long or continue on to East Jesus. Overall, I am glad I visited. It is unique, and the story behind it adds depth, but it is more of a one time stop for me than a place I would go out of my way to revisit. 3 stars.

Quirky fun is all I can say. About 90 minutes from Palm Desert. Just a strange experience but fun…read more I didn't reel it was inspired. Just the work of an obsessed man. Glad us was free. Then up the road is Slab City. Nothing worth mentioning there. Just ramshackle campers, burned out campers and various types of encampments. It was interesting once.

I spent a lot of time in El Centro so I've definitely been to Calixco several times. Its about a 15…read moreminute drive from EC so it takes no time. I come to Calexico to visit family and then cross over to Mexicali to have some real fun. May not be the nicest or cleanest but it is what it is.

Just got back and guess what? It really hasn't improved any since 6 months ago. The people are…read morevery friendly-especially if you habla espanol. Fine dining=Applebee's. It's still quite windy and dusty. I go there for a reason and the city serves its purpose. I'm always happy to come home to San Diego