One of the awesome and unexpectedly cool things about moving to the San Diego area has turned out to be a little town on the border called Tecate (yes, that's where the beer is from).  Wikipedia tells me it's a town of 65,000 folks, but it feels even smaller than that.  Of course, right next to San Diego is Tijuana.  I've been there and - while I had fun - it was definitely the "full border experience".  There were cabbies trying really hard to get your fare, customs agents in both directions, pressure to spend money: it was the full border town.

But Tecate is the way it used to be.  The way it can be, and should be.  With so much talk about the perils of immigration, Tecate reminds me of the way Canada was when I was a kid.  To get there, you leave San Diego heading East and drive about 45 minutes up into the hills, past some farm and ranching land and out to some dusty hiking trails.  There isn't much of anything on the U.S. side; the road that leads there only goes to Tecate, and there isn't much traffic to speak of.  You don't even see anything until you get close, and find a couple of paid parking lots.  Park your car for $5 for the day and you can walk right across the border.  On the way into Mexico there's no agents, no guard, no nothing; just a turnstile.  The first time I went through I thought I had done something wrong.  But, nope - just turn this gate and here it is, a wonderful, vibrant little town, with a delicious bakery, a town square you can walk to.  On the day we went the second time, they were having some kind of festival, and people were dancing and singing.  Food is cheap, beer is plentiful.  They even speak some English, but I was happy to try out my terrible Spanish.  The town - at least, the border part - is small enough to just walk around, and so we did.  I never felt unsafe.  On the way back in the U.S. agents are, of course, a bit more concerned - but not much.  "Why were you in Mexico?"  "To eat dinner."  "Anything to declare?"  "This donut is delicious."  "Welcome to the United States."

Driving home, I thought to myself: it *can* work this way.  It *should* work this way.  There is no reason for walls.  We are all one, and we all love delicious donuts.