Mexico: Ensenada

After five long sea days, the Ruby Princess [see: Ruby Princess] arrived in Ensenada, Mexico. My expectations could not have been lower. Most people to whom I spoke only reported bad things about the place and apparently there were some security issues. After being on the ship for so many days, I just wanted to walk around outside on terra firma. Additionally, I was in desperate need of a shave.

I found a recommended barber online and arrived just as he was opening the shop near the port. He asked if I was ship's crew (many go to him because of price and location). I told him I was a passenger. The guy grew up in LA and moved back to Mexico due to marriage years earlier. I got a decent shave and overall cleanup for $10 - it was $75 on the ship. The day was off to a great start. Afterward he pointed me in the right direction for my walkabout (which was good because I intended to walk in exactly the wrong direction!).

Although the attached gift shop was open, Hussong's Cantina was closed (it wasn't even 11:00am). I was a little sorry to have missed it. I love historic places like that.

Johan Hussong, a European immigrant, began serving nickel beer and dime whiskey in the sleepy little fishing village of Ensenada, Mexico where he settled. Originally called “John Hussong’s Agency and Diligence,” Johan would regularly welcome the Sutherland Stage Company, which fed and watered customers and horses alike. Horseshoeing was done out back as Hussong’s became a popular stop for people on their way and passing by. By 1974, “John” was removed from the façade and the name was officially changed to “Hussong’s Cantina.” Hussong’s is renowned as “The Bar that Built a Town.” The name evokes images of gunfights and back-room poker, political maneuvering, and even revolutions. Through the years, Hussong’s has been host to tourists, outlaws, politicians, the Baja 1000 and Hollywood’s elite. However, Hussong’s was forever immortalized one evening in 1941 when bartender Don Carlos Orozco concocted a drink for the daughter of a foreign ambassador to Mexico. He mixed some tequila, Damiana, sugar and some lemon juice together, shook it up and poured it into a short glass. The guest was so excited with the drink that Don Carlos named it after her, Margarita. From that point on, the margarita became a world-wide hit.

https://www.hussongscantina.com/about/history/

Parts of Ensenada reminded me of San Diego or LA.

Our cruise ship posed in the right spot. In fact, there are several "Ensenada" signs across the city.

Inside one tourist market, I found this statue. I have no idea....

Down on the Malecon (the waterfront walkway) is a cluster of statues on a boat. They are very well executed.

Above the boat figures stands a sculpture of a woman and her daughter looking out into "All Saints Bay" (and the cruise piers).

Hotel Riviera del Pacífico (originally Hotel Playa Ensenada)

The best find in Ensenada for me was its venerable hotel/casino from the days (especially during prohibition) when US high-rollers and gangsters travelled just south of the border to gamble and drink. Currently it is the city's cultural center (very well-maintained). I honestly think with Ensenada's appeal to Norteamericanos, it could function as a hotel once again and be successful. I loved wandering its old corridors.

Prohibition sent North Americans south of their border in search of entertainment and alcohol, developing first Tijuana, then Rosarito, and finally Ensenada as tourist destinations. The Ensenada Beach Club, S.A. was formed with the goal to build a resort in Ensenada. After the Club dissolved in 1926, a number of its members joined a new company, Club Internationale, S.A., to continue the project, initially called the Hotel Playa de Ensenada (Ensenada Beach Hotel). Architect Gordon F. Mayer was hired to design the hotel; Alfredo Ramos Martínez was hired to do its murals. The Playa Ensenada Hotel and Casino opened on October 31, 1930 with spectacular festivities, including the Xavier Cugat band, under the de facto management of boxer Jack Dempsey.

(Wikipedia)

February 2026.

My expectations for Ensenada were admittedly extremely low. I thought it would be unpleasant at best. In fact, its waterfront walk (Malecon) and main shopping street are amazingly vibrant. Granted, the area I walked through is completely given over to tourism; nonetheless, it is clean and well-cared-for. Although I don't think I would like to stay in the city for an extended period, I could see a weekend there of eating and drinking.

Ensenada was a pleasant surprise after five days on the Pacific.