I would like to add and clarify Gloria's review as it seems that she is not very familiar with the…read moreCity. Disclaimer: I am a local born and raised here. I have also resided in San Diego in the past but call El Centro my home. This is a city of approximately 65,000 residents so it is not considered a small town. There are at least 10 in the City. The local Vons here is the same quality of what you find in the larger cities with an excellent selection of items. There is a Smart and Final, Costco, Aldi's, Target, Walmart, Petco, Petsmart, In and Out Burger, Buffalo Wild Wings, Lots of Starbucks (4) just to name a few. There is a big mall and several smaller strip malls all with large chain stores. There are activities for families, our schools in the Valley (which encompasses the cities of El Centro, Imperial, Brawley, Holtville, Calexico) is some of the best in the State and they are award winning. You can hike, bike, enjoy parks, theatre, the arts amongst activities. We have a California State Supreme Justice, an appellate judge and several Pro Football and Baseball players that were born and raised in our Valley. The Navy Blue Angels call El Centro home during their winter training months (December - March) so you get an airshow daily during their practices. This is a beautiful place to visit, summers are on par with Phoenix and Palm Springs. Winters are mild. Average rainfall. San Diego is a two hour drive west, Palm Springs two hour drive north and Phoenix is a three hour drive east of El Centro. The unemployment numbers are a bit skewed since it takes into consideration the agriculture, which is seasonal.

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.

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.

By now I've made dozens of trips from Phx into Algodones for dental and aesthetic purposes. I've…read morelearned some things from both walking and driving across the border. Algodones, MX is called Molar City for the fact that it has over 900 dentist offices. Choosing one can be the most difficult part. They range from general dentistry to cosmetic and restorative. Some of the offices are much more fancy than others; but don't let that fool you. If you're getting extensive work and require an overnight stay, consider Yuma which is a few exits away (8-10 min drive). There are also a few small hotels in Algodones that have a nice reputation for aftercare of dental patients. Several of the dental clinics I consulted with all offered shuttle pick up upon arrival so this is a really nice perk if you're walking across. Once you arrive, before you actually cross the border, you have the option of parking your car in a large lot on the U.S. side and then walking over. This lot costs $10 CASH. The lot and border close at 10pm nightly. The walk from the lot into MEX is about 5 minutes. You go through a small building in which there are bathrooms located at the end. Bring toilet paper because there is none! Also be aware that this is the area where dental offices will pick up their scheduled patients so there's lots of people lingering around. You will be offered rides, be cautious about that. People are correct to say that walking over is the fastest way. However the harsh reality is the waiting time to get BACK to your car. They have about 2 agents inside handing hundreds of people. Two more agents outside handling the cars. If you're in line by 1pm, the waiting is approximately 1.5 hours. Anytime after 2pm, you should expect to be in line for minimum a couple of hours. The earlier, the better! Three times I was in the walking line to go back to my car by or before 11am and all 3 times, my wait was less than 35 minutes. When you are with an agent, they ask if you're bringing anything back. They don't care about the trinkets you bought. They've never searched beyond a quick peak into my purse. Agents are no nonsense but friendly. Driving across, whole different experience. What I like about this is that the wait time to return is 40 mins max, all the time, no matter how long the car line is or what time of day. What some might find difficult is the parking situation in Algodones. It's crowded & hard to find parking spots. It's Mexico so wild drivers everywhere, on scooters, cars, trucks. My advice: if you're planning to return early, as in by noon... WALK ACROSS. Also, all of my trips were solo. By myself, I always felt safe. Whether I was just walking, shopping, dental visits, eating, exploring , I never felt in danger. Even a few times at night walking back to my car, the parking lot is well lit and there are always many people around. Safe travels!

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.

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.

This was a quick stop for me before heading to Bombay Beach. It's near Slab City, and as you drive…read morethrough the area and start seeing all the RVs around, you can immediately feel the energy shift a little :) After hearing about this place from the movie ases on a true story, Into the Wild and living in San Diego for so long, I finally decided to check it out. I was honestly impressed by how well maintained everything was. I technically arrived after hours around 6pm, but there was still a volunteer there who gave a short introduction about the history of the place, which I appreciated. As I walked up the mountain, I was surprised by how clean everything was and how bright and vibrant the paint still looked, so huge credit to the volunteers who keep it looking this way. I was even given a free postcard on my way out, which was a nice little touch. I probably wouldn't make a full trip out here just for this alone, but pairing it with a visit to the Salton Sea or Bombay Beach is definitely worth it. I also love that it's completely free so no tickets or entrance fee needed.

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.

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