I am going down there early next month and need a few tips.

I'm in LA. But you should go to the Gas Lamp area, Dick's Last Resort, Petco (obviously), Balboa Park and Tijuana.

I lived there from 2002-2005, and spend at least a weekend a month there. What kind of tips are you looking for?

A group of us pick a city to watch a series each year. 11 of us are going this year, and everyone is in the 22-33 range. We want a good time with lots of drinks while keeping safe. Is Tijuana safe for a group like us? Any other suggestions other then Grey's?

Only ever drove through TJ, so I can't give any input on that.

I like The Field for pregame drinks (http://www.thefield.com/). It's a pretty straight up Irish/ sports bar, but they have a good Irish dinner menu and I've never had anything but a good time there. A more highbrow restaurant that I've enjoyed in the area is Gaslamp Strip Club, where they bring you the meat raw and you grill in yourself on grills shared by the whole restaurant.

I spent most of my drinking time outside of the downtown area, but not so far that a designated driver or two or some cabs were inconvenient or expensive. The following places are on the small side (not small enough to make 11 people an issue, however), and sort of indie rock/ hipster-ish, but I highly recommend them if those qualifiers haven't made you cringe:

Whistlestop- A bar in South Park, pool, great jukebox, sometimes live music, weekends often have good djs for San Diego.
Turf Club- In Golden HIll, which is near downtown- same general idea as Gaslamp Strip Club, but much cheaper. Also great music, sometimes live piano bar. (covers of bands like the smiths, other stuff that sounds hilarious covered by a piano bar guy). Depending on the day of the week, there could be a wait for a table for 11, but they mix some cheap strong drinks, so your time would not be spent in vain.
Hamiltons- South Park/ Golden Hill (not sure where the cutoff is)- similar to whistlestop, w/o djs or live music, as far as I know.
Casbah- just N of downtown, live music, sometimes djs. (www.casbahmusic.com)

Outside of drinking, Balboa Park is beautiful, if you're into things that display that trait.

Lastly, make sure your group can take an insult if you plan to go to Dick's Last Resort.

Your detailed overview is appreciated. We will try check out some of those for sure. We are a group of laid back Canadians that get most of our entertainment from mocking each other, so taking a joke is not a problem. That sounds like a great place for us. Again, thanks for the info. Are you down there next weekend by chance? I could get you a few cold ones for the help.

yeah, not next week, thanks for the offer though. enjoy america's finest city!

yes, tijuana is safe enough. just don't wander off the beaten path. you can go during the day to see more sights, shop, etc or at night for good nightlife. just head to san ysidro, walk across the border, then grab taxis to av revolucion. avoid strip clubs unless you're really into weird stuff and go into places where you can see if its crowded or not. you can get suckered into places with cheap drink offer, then walkup three flights of stairs to you and your buddies being alone in a sausagefest.

i haven't lived there in a LONG time, but you can also head to some of the more laidback beaches like ocean or pacific beach. with that many guys it might not be practical, but also cruising up and down the areas around la jolla is beautiful. also can drive over the bridge to coronado which is pretty.