Mexicali is a gritty border town, colorful in places but intimidating in others due to its frontier with Calexico.
That said, you can enjoy 'bandas' rehearsing in the Plaza Constitución (nickname Plaza del Mariachi) and there are a few churches to wander around.
Many of the Chinese laborers who helped build the irrigation system stayed on in Mexicali after its completion, locating in an area known as Chinesca (Chinatown), historically located at the intersection of Avenida Madero and Calle Melgar streets. The city continues to have the largest per capita Chinese population, and more Chinese restaurant per capita then any other city in Mexico.
Mexicali is a gritty border town, colorful in places but intimidating in others due to its frontier with Calexico.