Aurora Sansone styles Kate King on ‘The Road to Tijuana, a funky, hippie-chic editorial shot by Tommy Ton for the March issue of Vogue Japan. Kate hits the road in saucy, Latin-influence summer dresses and cowboy boots from Michael Kors, Moschino, Roberto Cavalli and more./Makeup by Dawn Broussard; Hair by Michael Long.

Our initial response to this editorial was based on not being fully informed about the revival that is occurring in Tijuana after years of horrific violence. The San Francisco Chronicle’s recent article Reclaiming Tijuana from drug cartels’ violence makes it clear that Tijuana is no longer a ghost town after sunset.

“We’re reclaiming the city,” said acclaimed Tijuana chef Javier Plascencia at Caesar’s restaurant on Revolution Avenue, where nightclubs, once the playground of U.S. college students, stand shuttered and empty.

“We are going to attract a more adventurous, cultured tourist. Once the visitors come, we will win over. The problem is getting them to come the first time,” said Plascencia, who used to go to work with a bodyguard.

U.S. counter-narcotics officials say the relative stability owes a lot to drug cartel dynamics.

Separate US border patrol articles also confirm that adventuous souls like Cultural Creative readers are now encouraged to take ‘The Road to Tijuana’.