We work with many talented photographers to create the 111 Places guide books. Lyudmila Zotova did the photography for one of our newest guides, 111 Places in Los Angeles That You Must Not Miss. She recently traveled to Tijuana, Mexico, where she took these beautiful photos of food, drinks, and the people who make them. We are happy to showcase her wonderful talents here. Lyudmila writes:
Something that has always fascinated me about Tijuana is how close it is to the U.S. It certainly feels like an international vacation that required a long flight, yet it was only a twenty-minute drive from my house. I’ve also always had an affinity for Mexico in general because of the many similarities I see between Mexican culture and that of my home country of Russia.
With these photos, I wanted to show the different types of eating and drinking that you could do in just one day. Tijuana has many things to offer, but for me its food culture stands out. My biggest challenge that day was finding room to eat all the delicious foods I came across.
This statue is the monument to Rodolfo Sánchez Taboada, who was a military and political leader and governor of Baja California from 1937 - 1944. I thought it was interesting to photograph it with the backdrop of the circus, which is a pretty big attraction in Tijuana when it comes to town.
This is cortado from Tijuana's newest and "hippest" coffee shops, Nativo Coffee Community.
I took this image at Mariscos Ruben, one of the most famous seafood trucks in Tijuana. The marlin tacos there are grilled on a little charcoal barbecue and the same people have worked there for more than a decade.
The sauce selection at Mariscos Ruben.
At Verde y Crema, one of Tijuana's most popular fine dining establishments, you can find this sotol (a spirit made from the cousin of asparagus) and mescal flight. Both spirits shown here are distilled by the restaurant's own brand, La Panca.
This is what Mariscos Ruben calls their version of a "seafood Rockefeller." It includes shrimp, squid, clam, and oyster with a cheese and tomato sauce.
This cute tortas trailer was just outside Verde y Crema, which I thought was a nice juxtaposition.
The Opa Tiradito is a version of salmon crudo from Verde y Crema. The blue corn tostada made for a really nice compliment to the extremely fresh fish.
This meat is pastor being carved for tacos at one of Tijuana's most popular shops, Tacos El Franc.
At Tacos El Franc, this gentleman informed me that they were out of lengua (tongue) and asked if I would have beef cheek instead. I nodded enthusiastically and he replied with a thumbs up.
A beer flight from Cerveceria Insurgente. Their witbier, which they call "Tiniebla," is my all-time favorite beer. They called themselves Insurgente because they were one of the first craft breweries in Tijuana, acting as an insurgent into the beer market there at the time.
I can't wait to go back to Tijuana and eat some more!