Tag Archives: Things to do

The Town Too Tough to Die: An Afternoon in Tombstone

12 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by in Destinations

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

,

When people who have never been to Arizona think of it, I imagine they picture one of three things:

1: The Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon: photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

2: Our many, many headlines, especially in recent years, of Arizona’s conservative political landscape. There were too many image possibilities for this one, really, so I’ll let your imagination wander. 

3: Cowboys! 

Photo courtesy of Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, History and Archives Division, Phoenix, # 95-3496.



True story: when I was a kid, my best friend went to sleepaway camp in North Carolina. They asked her if we rode horses to school. 

After all, Arizona was part of the Wild West. Sometimes, I think that hasn’t changed much, but that’s for another post. Arizona was part of that new frontier, and although its territory is one of the oldest continuously settled in the US, it only became a state on Valentine’s Day of 1912. But before that–before the papers were signed, before borders were drawn up, the Arizona territory was a good place to mine, to have a shoot out and to make a new life. 

The state that had fewer than 7,000 people in it in 1860 now is home to more than 6 million people. There are a few places you can go, though, to experience what Arizona once was during its gunslinging days. By no means can these places truly recreate the Old West, but some of them surely try. 

One of these places is Tombstone, Arizona, known as the Town Too Tough To Die. Unlike other spots, like Old Tucson Studios, where classic westerns like Gunfight at the OK Corral and The Outlaw Josey Wales were filmed, Tombstone is an entire town whose economy seems entirely dependent on the stereotypes of the Old West. Famous for the shootout at the OK Corral, and home to some of the best shots in America, Tombstone was our destination on a recent breezy Saturday afternoon.


Sometimes the best trips are the ones unplanned. The first time I found this to be true was during college, when some friends from the dorm were planning on driving up to Phoenix for a Cake concert. Cake! One of my favorite bands ever. Gogol Bordello AND Tegan & Sara were opening for them! But when the idea to go (the night before we’d leave) was pitched to me, my first instinct was to be reluctant. We haven’t planned it out was the first thought that popped into my head. But I was persuaded, we went, it turned out to be still one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. The lesson I learned that weekend was this: it’s really rewarding to just go with the flow and see where it takes you sometimes!

So the other night, when a friend in town for the weekend mentioned he was going to Tombstone, my interest was piqued. Soon we found ourselves turning onto AZ 80 East off of I-10 and I couldn’t believe we were so close to Tucson but in such a different landscape.

First of all, the farther we went, the more green there was! Not just cacti, but trees! Farms started cropping up. Goats and horses peppered some of the passing land. We sang in the car, harmonizing until we hit Tombstone.

Just as you reach the city limits, on the left hand side is a huge sign for Boothill Graveyard, a burial plot laid out in 1878 and used until about 1884. Thanks to residents devoted to preserving Tombstone’s history, much research and restoration has been done to preserve the cemetery, where many famous (and infamous) folk were buried in the years of Tombstone’s mining boom days.

With a $3 donation, you can get a plot guide! Worth reading just for the descriptions…

Many people were laid to rest on that hill, like May Doody, who died of diptheria; George Johnson was hanged by mistake; 3-Fingered Jack Dunlap was shot by Jeff Milton; Chink Smiley, shot. Some of the more famous burials in this graveyard are Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury & Frank McLaury, the three men killed by the Earps and Doc Holliday in 1881 at the OK Corral.

The headstones of the three men killed at the shoot out at OK Corral

Weiners Anton, died 1882. 

Folks took their poker pretty seriously!
Not sure which is worse here. That his nickname was “Chink Smiley,” or that in the background it just says, “Two Chinese” on the headstone. 

The most memorable, though, was the following:

Here lies Lester Moore. Four slugs from a .44. No Les no more. 

Main lessons learned from our visit to the cemetery, though? People were called weird stuff back in the day, (although I suppose Apple and Blue Ivy would disagree that it is any different now) and people died pretty awful deaths in the Old West. Lots of skull crushing via wagon wheels and getting shot for dumb reasons and sometimes even accidental hangings.

Tombstone’s population today is around 1,500 and it seems like 60% of them are in the cowboy or saloon girl business. Walking down the main street over wooden planking and under old-timey awnings, we spotted dozens of cowpokes dressed up in 19th century Western wear. To advertise a gun fight, one took place in the street.

Further down the drag we passed the Bird Cage Theatre, which claims to be the most haunted building in America. How many buildings in the country claim that I don’t know, but you may have figured out
from this and this that I am kind of a fan of the macabre: ghost stories, in particular. Would that we could have stayed for a ghost tour!

The outside of the “most haunted building in America.”

The inside of the “most haunted building in America.”

We did stay for a re-enactment of the shootout at the OK Corral, though. Contrary to popular belief, the fight didn’t take place at the Corral, but a little west of it. My favorite part of the re-enactment was the costumes. Why don’t men wear dusters anymore? Can someone please bring this back? Overall, the re-enactment was a bit disappointing; the dialogue was pretty cheesy and dragged on a bit until the last 2 minutes, when the actual confrontation took place. The actor who portrayed Doc Holliday was my favorite, though. He seemed like he came right from the era.

The Earps searching for their targets. 
Doc Holliday giving his monologue.

The final confrontation.

On our way out, we asked the cashier where the best place for a sarsaparilla would be. (PS, who the heck knew it was spelled that way!?) We headed over to Crystal Palace Saloon, where I was sure to ask the bartender about any possible ghost stories. He assured us that he was not a believer “in that stuff” until he began working there; the giant roulette table would move on its own, he claimed, and another bartender met
a ghost in the men’s bathroom once.

I left Tombstone with two nagging questions:

  1. Did Arizonans have Southern accents back then? The actors in the shoot out all seemed to, but Arizonans actually don’t have a regionalized accent…
  2. What would Tombstone be like if it didn’t have to rely on tourism? Would it have survived?
Despite the cheesiness of the show, and the anachronistic dress of the inhabitants, I really enjoyed our jaunt. I wish I had time to go to a few places more before I leave long-term. Besides, we forgot to visit the world’s largest rose bush! In Tombstone, no less! They’ll be waiting for me on my list when I come back! 
Have you ever visited Tombstone? What was your favorite (or lease favorite) thing?

I Heart Tucson: Mercado San Agustin and a Chat with Evan Storey

08 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by in Destinations

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Mercado San Agustin

On a recent warm Thursday afternoon, my dear friend Regina and I headed west of I-10 to check out Mercado San Agustin. Thursdays are Santa Cruz River Farmer’s Market days from 4-7 p.m., and the parking slots were nearly full as we slowly inched into our spot along the sidewalk. Tables shaded by tents lined the path leading up to the mercado: the Food Bank, where you can swipe your credit card and receive tokens rather than use cash; a jam & jelly vendor; native flowers and other plants being sold; and farmers with their apricots, tomatoes, cilantro and potatoes.

The sidewalk outside the main entrance to the market. 

We wandered around chatting with farmers (all of whom Regina knew), and making small purchases. Regina got some scapes, I got some sprouts, an onion. We queried a farmer about how long fresh eggs stay good, we chatted with David the beekeeper, who makes delicious honey, which I had bought a few times before at the Tucson Village Farm. He also had some good tips for my travels I’m anticipating in Ireland!

Another tasty treat we sampled was with Gloria from Chilttepica Salsa. Gloria’s one of the folks who uses the community kitchen at Mercado San Agustin; event planners, caterers, food trucks, and individuals jump-starting their culinary careers can apply for access to use this fully-equipped commercial kitchen.

Remember La Estrella bakery? The one I drove so far to get to? Well, you can find it at Mercado, too! Buns, cookies, empanadas, the works. I bought a pack of fresh tortillas and couldn’t help but eat a couple for dinner. Man, I love tortillas. (Side note: as a kid, my absolute favorite snack was a tortilla smothered in butter and honey. If you’re feeling adventurous, add a little cinnamon. SO TASTAY!)

Reg and I got some wonderful handmade soap from Joyce at Dragnass Soap; all her soap is unique in its own little way, as it’s all hand-made. I bought some classic lavender for my mom, and we got a couple samples of watermelon soap. One bar that I didn’t purchase but was tempted to was the Dragnash, which is supposed to be wonderful to get grime out while keeping the moisture in! Joyce is an artist, and she discovered that that particular bar was super effective while cleaning art schmutz off her hands after a long day’s work. She also makes natural deodorant, lip balm and laundry bars!

After a while, as the sun began to set, the vendors also began to pack up. More and more glasses began to clink in the attached Agustin Brasserie, and a jazz quartet began playing inside the restaurant. For more insight into what the Mercado means for Tucson and its community, we sat down with Evan Storey, Director of Operations.

Storey, who’s a native Arizonan born and raised in nearby Casa Grande, had some farming background before coming to work for Mercado San Agustin. He traveled extensively in Spain and Colombia, and his Spanish language skills are impressive; as we wandered through the market and later picked up our drinks, he easily conversed with vendors in both English and Spanish, a skill useful and indeed necessary for this type of endeavor.

Storey’s interest in agriculture really began with the social aspect of the sustainable food movement, and has grown from there. He got involved with the Mercado because he was “passionate about their vision.” When I asked him about that vision and how the Mercado was changing the fabric of downtown, this was his reply:

“Basically we’re taking the fabric of two worlds: downtown–and the trend of urban development, it’s a cool place to be now with the restaurants and the nightlife–and the west side. Tucson’s west side has a long history; it’s one of the longest running sites of agricultural production in the US. We want it to be a district, the Mercado District, with a mix of that downtown urban feel and the historical.

We want to respect and embrace the historical traditions of the neighborhoods. Here, we are developing a future historic district of Tucson.” 

Storey went on to tell us that the new district will be “mixed use.” They want to implement good building practices and create a neighborhood committed to community: the neighborhood construction will be all masonry, preferably LEED certified.  Mercado San Agustin itself is striving to set the example for the burgeoning community there; the Mercado is trying to achieve LEED gold certification by engaging in green practices like using rainwater harvesting and solar energy.

Not only are they making good on their goals of green living, they also are endeavoring to incorporate those historical traditions that Storey mentioned into the market’s events. On June 24, there will be a giant fiesta celebrating El Dia de San Juan, and little more than a week later there will be a 4th of July firework-watching extravaganza. Before both of those events, though, is one perhaps more exciting: the Mercado San Agustin celebrates its very first birthday on June 22. There will be festivities from 6-10 p.m.! Check it out, and don’t forget to do some shopping while you’re there!

If you go:


Mercado San Agustin
Hours for individual businesses vary, check their website.
Farmer’s market every Thursday, from 4-7p.m.

I Heart Tucson: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

10 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

,

Every visitor who we have to Tucson usually must do at least two things: a) eat some really exceptional Mexican food, because honestly, there’s no better place to do it in the States than here and b) go to the Desert Museum. 

The word “museum” usually brings to mind austerity, at least for me. Shushing and walking around looking at stuff on a wall usually go along with it. I, for one, am a big museum-goer, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. The Desert Museum is misleading in this way. Don’t picture it as an enclosed space where you go around looking at pictures of desert plants or taxidermied desert animals. Think of it more like a zoo, but specific to our Sonoran desert region. 

Having grown up in Tucson, I lost count of how many trips I’ve made there long ago. But I revisited last week, when my Italians were here. We took the scenic drive west through Gates Pass, along the winding road flanked by blooming palo verdes until we pulled into the parking lot. It was a weekday afternoon, so although we didn’t necessarily beat the early May heat, we beat the weekend crowds. 
The Desert Museum is a well oiled machine of an institution. Educational outreach, knowledgeable docents, an art institute, a digital library and more are all part of its programming. More than 100 mammals, 241 birds, 360 reptiles, 120 amphibians, 10,700 fish and 840 arthropods call the Desert Museum home, in addition to the 40,000 plants. Exhibits about Arizona’s geography, summer evening events, gems & minerals and more supplement the flora and fauna on display. To detail every aspect of the place itself would be folly, and one of the longest posts ever. You should just go check it out! Read more, though, for highlights of our outing there.
We started in the humming bird enclosure, where the babies had recently been born. THEY WERE SO TINY. They also needed to be fed a lot, since their metabolisms are so fast; the mama bird who was gathering food for her baby, we were told, would feed it again in another 20 minutes. 
Hummingbirds are kind of ridiculous. Here are a few fun facts about hummingbirds:

1. They are the only type of bird that can fly backwards (sweet!)
2. Depending on the species and whether they’re courting, a hummingbird can beat its wings from 25 to 100 beats PER SECOND. Per second, people! 
3. The Aztecs and other ancient civilizations believed hummingbirds to be symbols of potency and energy, and of course we can see why! 
She’s on the feeder! Do you see it? 
We wandered through along the paths to the aviary, which houses other types of birds. It was en route there where I took this photo. 
As we ambled along the dirt path, we learned and read about the plants surrounding us. 
Next stop: Bighorns! Bighorn sheep have big horns (duh) that can weigh up to 30 lbs! They also have an interesting relationship with Arizona. By the year 1900, the desert big horn sheep population had plummeted, largely due to hunting and disease. Cue the Boy Scouts of Arizona in 1936! They worked for a few years to help set up areas of conservation for the desert big horn, essentially saving them from extinction. We saw them hanging out under the sun. 
It was like they were modeling just for us! 
Although the desert isn’t always associated with water–more like with the lack thereof–we still have it! And we have critters who like it, too! The beavers were putting on a show for us that afternoon, swimming and washing up. Here’s one of our watery friends:
Cat Canyon featured desert kitties, including a pair of sleepy mountain lions who had little interest in us. In fact, most of the animals were having their siesta by the time we got to them. The javalinas were napping under the bridges, a coyote slipped beneath a bush into its cooler underground burrow as we passed, and the black bear was barely (sorry! Couldn’t resist!) visible lounging by a rock wall. 
The prairie dogs were out en force, though! I love these little guys. They poke their heads out when there’s a disturbance. If they were in a horror film, they’d be the dumb guy who went looking for the killer when everyone knows he’s just around the corner.

Whenever I think of prairie dogs, I always think of this video:

By the time we got through most of the acreage at the ASDM, we were spent. Before heading home, I took a shot of the landscape I’ve been raised in, grateful to have been so. The desert will always be home for me, and I will always value the fact that I can identify cacti, and know how to pronounce gila monster (tip: the g sounds like an h). I value the time I’ve spent, and time I will spend, showing others all the beauty the desert offers. Driving back home through the saguaros and colorful blooms made the long journey feel a lot shorter. 

Saguaro, prickly pear, cholla, mountains in the distance. Ah, Tucson. 

(A little more than) 36 Hours in Tucson

06 Sunday May 2012

Posted by in Bumbling Bites, Destinations

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, ,

My Italians came to visit this week! Yes, the same ones whose lights I couldn’t turn off, who have carted me to their country house, who took me on my first moped ride, who have been the most generous and kind hosts I could ever ask for on every visit I’ve made to Italy since I was 16 and I stayed with them for 3 weeks one summer. Other destinations called, however, so they only could come to Tucson for a mere 48 hours, and I could only see them for about 36.  

Rome 2011: Dinner with Esa, Pompeo and Maddalena. Their son, Umberto, was at summer camp in the USA!

So what did we do with Italian tourists in Tucson for such a short time? I’ll tell you!

Tuesday 
6p.m.ish: Pick up Italians from airport. Try to take them to eat at Mi Nidito, one of Tucson’s most famous Mexican restaurants. President Bill Clinton ate there when he visited Tucson. They have since then named the platter he consumed the President’s Plate. Arrive at restaurant to find that it is closed, even though it is Tuesday. People, learn from this: Mi Nidito is closed Monday and Tuesday. Because they can be.

6:15p.m.ish: Call our back-up restaurant, Feast (another one of my absolute favorite Tucson eateries). Find out that they won’t have any openings for a few hours due to a crazy big reservation. Italians have spent 13 hours in flight, and it is about 3 a.m. their time. Need food sooner.

6:25p.m.ish: Take them to Downtown Kitchen instead!  This time, I got the orecchiette with mushrooms, asparagus, braised duck and noticed that they misspelled orecchiette on their online menu…We also devoured the desserts: warm apple & pear crumble, featuring ancho caramel, streusel & cinnamon ice cream and one of the tastiest chocolate cakes I may have ever eaten, Ibarra chocolate cake with Kahlua ice cream & almond candy. 


8:30p.m.ish: Go home, settle in, drink tea, catch up.

10 p.m.ish: Sleep.

Wednesday 


I took the day off work, figuring if an event like this isn’t worth doing so, then few are.

9 a.m.ish: Go to Chez Button, where our guests are residing for their visit. Find that Maddalena is feeling a little out of sorts. Agree to run errands for dinner and sorting out international phone issues while naps occur.

9:30 a.m.ish: Pompeo and I embark on an epic and grueling trek to figure out how to make Maddalena’s Blackberry work in America. Lots of discussion is bandied about regarding GSM, SIM cards, internet settings and network configuration. Something about wifi. Go to 3 different stores. Give up.

10:15 a.m.ish: We continue on this journey to pick up buns for our cookout dinner tonight. My mother has reserved torta buns from La Estrella Bakery.  La Estrella provides some of the finest tortillas and baked goods in the area, but I’ve always ever seen them at stores rather than at the bakery. Unbeknownst to aforementioned mother, said bakery is located very far away, in South Tucson. Pompeo and I kept driving south and south and south, and finally we found it. So worth it. Apart from being a really authentic Mexican bakery, they have super prices. We got a dozen torta buns and I couldn’t resist a pineapple empanada, and it was like $5 for all of it.

11 a.m.ish: Drive all the way from South 12th Ave & Irvington to Prince & Campbell, where we picked up the evening’s dessert: fruit tart from La Baguette Bakery. If you’ve never been there, it’s a part of Ghini’s French Cafe, and was another worthwhile expenditure of gas (after these couple of days, I wouldn’t want to know what my carbon footprint was…).

A palo verde blooming. I had forgotten how vibrant their colors are, and juxtaposed against our clear blue Sonoran sky, they’re quite magnificent.

1p.m.ish: Take the Italians to arguably the most important place if your visitors are only here for a brief time: The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. That’ll get its own entry, as I have many photos and it certainly deserves a detailed heart post. Admire blooming palo verdes, napping mountain lions, and newborn hummingbirds.

4p.m.ish: Nap.

5:15p.mish: Start preparing dinner! Welcoming guests!

6p.m.ish: Take advantage of Tucson weather and grill buffalo burgers in the backyard. Eat them, some fresh, home-made gazpacho, and Mediterranean salad. Drink good wine and relish good company.

9:30p.m.ish: Relax once everyone has left. Figure out how to fix Blackberry with some handy googling! Download WhatsApp, an app that makes it easy–and free–to message internationally so I can keep in better touch with my friends.

10:30p.m.ish: Be sorry that the day is over, but happy that I will be back in Italy soon!

Note: Since our friends didn’t have a flight until the next afternoon, they also liked walking around at the University of Arizona, my alma mater (and also where my mother and Maddalena met 30+ years ago. Go, Wildcats!) and an elegant lunch at the Arizona Inn. 

Overall, it was a marvelous visit. Although Wednesday morning was spent riding around in my car to various bakeries, it was still an adventure during which I got to see more of my own city, and Pompeo got to see more of Tucson. Also, now I know where La Estrella is if I ever am craving the perfect tortilla!

Where would you take guests if they were here for only a couple days? Share in the comments!

I Heart Tucson: Yoga Oasis!

29 Sunday Apr 2012

Posted by in Travel Musings

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

Yoga Oasis holds a special place in my heart. Not only because Darren Rhodes, the studio’s founder, does this: 


Tanutara: Making of the Anusara Syllabus Poster from Ross Evans on Vimeo.

But also because Yoga Oasis was where I found a comfortable, positive, and affordable home to practice yoga regularly.

I’ve been doing yoga in a very informal way for a number of years, but mostly using videos at home. The occasional beginner’s class was useful, but often a little pricier than my undergrad pockets could afford. But in the winter of 2010, I decided to take advantage of my vacation–and my salary–to actually attend a yoga class daily. The first three days were brutal; I hadn’t been so sore in…well, maybe ever. But after I broke through the fourth or fifth class, I could already feel a difference.

My favorite class, the one that maybe confirmed my love for this new endeavor, was on Christmas Eve. Only a few classes were offered that day, so the one I went to was CROWDED. Crowded as in, people were pouring out of the studio; doors were open, both side and back, and luckily we were having a typical Tucson “winter,” so the weather permitted it.

Stephani, our instructor, took that full-to-the-brim class and ran with it. The yoga itself was intense, but what made the experience that much better was the shared energy in the room. No other word can describe it, but it was like you could feel a pulse of everyone around you, all working through the ridiculous crunch of the physical space to balance and breathe.

Not to mention that my fella and I went to yoga together there a lot before we started dating. If it weren’t for Yoga Oasis, maybe we wouldn’t have hung out in the first place!


Yoga Oasis was founded by Darren Rhodes, and he has expanded the YO space and staff to now house three different locations:

  • Central: 2631 N. Campbell Ave, just north of Grant & Campbell.
  • East: 7858 E. Wrightstown Rd, west of Pantano.
  • Downtown: 245 E. Congress St. #101 (I told you guys I’d be focusing on the downtown stuff!)
https://i0.wp.com/www.yogaoasis.com/uploads/pics/YoDwntwnMapREVOct2010.gif
Map courtesy of YogaOasis.com

All three studios boast a variety of levels and classes, so it’s easy to find one that fits your pace and preference. My favorite class is YogaHour. At only $5, they definitely cost less than an average yoga class in almost any city. YogaHour is a flow class, meaning that it can go from pose to pose quickly, so you can break a nice sweat! Also, there are certain Yoga Hours that are a set sequence, (formerly known as YoFlo), which is a great way to track your progress. I remember in the first class, I was appalled that anyone could do this :

Asta kravasana

After our instructor led the pose, I was one of the people who heaved and struggled and couldn’t even make it far enough to fall on my face. But after a regular weekly regimen of Melissa’s Wednesday night class, I can kinda do it!

The photo quality is not as pretty as the one above, nor is the pose as perfect, but it’s a lot better than where I started!

Another huge factor in Yoga Oasis’ greatness is its phenomenal staff.  Every instructor I’ve had at YO has created a welcoming, supportive space. Each one is unique; some like to play Rihanna during YogaHour, some prefer a more mellow playlist. Some move more quickly than others through the poses, but all are very purposeful in their pose sequence, and attentive to making adjustments. And as cheesy as it sounds, despite each of their unique styles, they all exude a warmth and openness to what yoga can bring to everyone. Yes, we are encouraged to push our limits, but never to do so in the danger of hurting ourselves.

They also prove their commitment to Tucson’s environment and local economy. If you walk, bike or bus to class 10 times, you earn a free class. (Don’t forget to get your card punched!) How’s that for encouragement to go green? Also, if you’re at YO Downtown,  Xoom Juice is nearby for a post-shavasana pick-me-up.

(Apparently Ari Shapiro and Darren Rhodes are both partially responsible for the other’s new downtown location.)

Have you ever had a great/weird/funny yoga experience? Itching to share recommendations for other yoga venues in Tucson? Share in the comments!  

I Heart Tucson: Support Local Businesses on the Construction Route!

27 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

Note: On a whim, I titled my posts for awesome things in Tucson “Awesomeness in Tucson.” As my astute mother pointed out, this is neither articulate nor original, so I’m changing it to “I Heart Tucson.” Because I do.

I’m planning to do a lot of posting about businesses and restaurants located downtown and in the 4th Avenue area because they need your help! Tucson is getting its own modern streetcar, which is great. Its route is going to look like this:

https://i0.wp.com/tucsonstreetcar.com/images/dest-connections-01.jpg
The street car will go from west of the freeway through the heart of downtown…

https://i0.wp.com/tucsonstreetcar.com/images/dest-connections-02.jpg
…to continue along onto 4th Avenue…

https://i0.wp.com/tucsonstreetcar.com/images/dest-connections-03.jpg
…to finish in the UA medical plaza area.

Although it’s a myth that most small businesses fail within their first year, studies by the U.S. Small Business Administration purport that 70% of new businesses make it through the first two years, but only 30% stay around for at least 10.

One of the best ways we can help Tucson’s downtown continue its growth is to support its local merchants, especially right now. Some of them have been around for a long time, and have made it past most of those two-year, five-year, ten-year benchmarks. Hotel Congress opened in 1919. But  some of the new venues along the street car route have only recently opened within the past year or so. I’d love to see them make it to 20.


Fourth Avenue is in the same boat, and their merchants’ association has developed a banner to remind us to shop local, especially now. 

https://i0.wp.com/www.fourthavenue.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/construction-banner-for-web.jpg


Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming posts about my favorite places to shop, eat and hang out in this fabulous streetcar stretch!


Do you have any favorite places along this construction corridor? Share them in the comments!

Awesomeness in Tucson: Tucson Village Farm! Interview Included!

20 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by in Destinations

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

I’ve been meaning to write about this Awesomeness for a while now. Better late than never, right?

Last weekend, my mom and I swung by the Tucson Village Farm’s Greenfest!, sponsored by Bookman’s. We pulled into the parking lot off Campbell just south of River on a hot Saturday, and were regaled by booths featuring green businesses, ways to decrease our carbon footprint, support local agriculture, and more! We bought some delicious lavender lemonade, perused the gardens, admired the baby chicks and rabbits (those don’t usually live at the farm, but they were so darn cute I think they should!), and bought some local honey. We didn’t linger for too long in the heat, but it was long enough to inspire me to want to post about this wonderful urban farm we have within our own Sonoran city limits!

Although there have been U of A agriculture extensions in the same area for many years, the Tucson Village Farm itself is quite young. To find out more about TVF and its mission,  I sat down with Amy, who is a current AmeriCorps volunteer for TVF. Here’s what she had to say about TVF’s sweet activities, her favorite things about working on a farm and how you can support Tucson Village Farm! (I figure it’s more interesting and in-depth than just linking you to their website, right? (-: )






So when was TVF born and what are the goals it hopes to achieve? 


TVF, a program of the Pima County Cooperative Extension and the University of Arizona, broke ground on MLK Day in 2010, and has transformed since then from a patch of dirt to a working urban farm. With TVF, program directors Leza Carter and Elizabeth Sparks have created an educational space for kids to reconnect to a healthy food system and learn to make healthy food choices while getting their hands dirty and actually helping grow food for other kids who visit the farm in the future. 

What kind of programming do they offer? 


Our main program is our Growing Forward K-5th grade field trip curriculum. Twice a week, we take kids through a series of stations that follows the USDA MyPlate nutritional curriculum and adds to it food growing, worm composting, and now even an ethnobotanical lesson. At the stations, they learn everything from the difference between whole and refined grains to organic composting, and they get to dig for worms in our big worm bin (always a big hit!). We also take them into the garden where they go on a fruit and veggie scavenger hunt and where we put them to work either planting, digging a bed, or harvesting. We also have a games station, and our newest addition is an archaeological investigation where they learn about native foods by searching for seeds at our simulation excavation site. We also have a curriculum for middle-high school kids called Digging Deeper, which goes into these concepts in more depth. Outside of our field trips, we sometimes host workshops on the weekends (for, example, we had a backyard chickens workshop in January), and family events like Greenfest a couple of weeks ago and our Harvest Festival in the fall. 

What’s a typical day like on the farm? 


I don’t think there is such a thing! We are always doing new things, which give us all opportunities to learn new skills, like constructing a storage fence, for example. For our latest project, we have begun building a raised bed in our garden that is wheelchair accessible. Most of our daily chores are done by the Americorps members who serve at the farm and by our volunteer groups that come in once a week or so. We till and amend beds, plant starts and seeds, and fight an endless battle against the critters that feast on our bountiful produce, which means covering beds and uncovering them. It feels like we’re always weeding too. 

How can community members support Tucson Village Farm? 


Come to our U-Pick Market on Tuesdays from 3-5. We have produce for sale (the type depends on the season), as well as local organic honey, hydroponic tomatoes and lettuce. You have the option of harvesting the produce yourself, and it’s a great time to bring your kids to the farm. To a kid, pulling a carrot of the ground is magical, especially our carrots which have been documented to be over 15 inches long at times! The proceeds from U-Pick are currently going to our Summer Farm Camp scholarship fund. People can also tell their kids’ teachers about us and suggest a field trip to the farm! Check out our website or “Like” us on Facebook to keep up with everything that’s going on! Donations are always welcome and can be made through our website. 

What’s your favorite thing about working there?


I love being outside and always moving. But ask me again in a couple months when the sun has fried me to a crisp. Right up with that aspect is the people I work with. I’m surrounded by creative, positive, and downright amazing people. Seriously, who gets to have this much fun at work?

Do you have a favorite crop to work on? 


Not really. They’re all fairly similar as far as care goes: plant, water, weed, etc. More than a favorite crop, I’d say my favorite type of work involves construction projects. For me, developing skills with power tools has been empowering, and creating something out of a pile of materials and a sketch is incredibly satisfying!



You’ve probably learned a lot about organic veggies from working on the farm! What’s the most interesting–or surprising–thing you’ve learned?


Corn pollination is pretty mind-blowing. For a full cob of corn to develop, at least 500 silks from one ear must be individually pollinated, and this is not done by bees or any other pollinators, but by wind. Amazing!

Last but not least! I bet you do a lot of tasty organic cooking. Can you share with us any favorite recipes you’ve made using ingredients from the farm? 


One of our big hits is Glorious Greens, which involves sauteing chopped up kale, collards and swiss chard in veggie broth for a few minutes and adding fresh garlic and lemon juice. People who claim to be completely averse to eating green things have come back for second helpings when we have demoed this recipe at outreach events!


Awesomeness in Tucson: Meet Me at Maynard’s

23 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in Destinations

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

Almost every Monday around 5:20 p.m. I find myself strolling south on Fourth Avenue, below the underpass and emerging at the intersection of Toole & Congress. In the courtyard of Hotel Congress dozens of people mill around wearing a variety of athletic clothes. Some people bring their pooches. A band plays (usually our old friends, The Determined Luddites) and there are tables lining the fence, manned by volunteers with MMM gear.

Meet Me at Maynards, which originally did meet at Maynards Kitchen across the way on Toole, was begun by Jannie Cox and Dave Syverson in 2009 after they took a trip to Colorado and saw how a pub had accomplished two goals: 1.) To bring business to the area and more importantly, 2.) To encourage people to exercise with their community! Thus, Meet Me at Maynards was born.

Downtown Tucson has seen a lot of changes over the years, and it was only a short time ago when businesses down there were really struggling. Some still are. But with the completion of the 4th Avenue Underpass and a plethora of local business owners and community members collaborating for an event like MMM, things have gotten progressively better. Dare I say it? Downtown Tucson is getting cool.

The newfound coolness of downtown Tucson needs be relegated to another post. But MMM is part of why it has started to be revived. From 5-7 p.m. every Monday, walkers, runners, families, dog-owners, lifetime athletes or folks just starting their journey off the couch can all convene and choose to walk or run a 2, 3, or 4 mile route around downtown Tucson. By getting a MMM hand stamp, you can get discounts from 20 different local businesses, most of them restaurants. It’s great incentive to patronize businesses downtown, as well as to check out Tucson’s thriving culinary scene. We favor the discount ($5 off an entree of $9.95+) at El Charro, but there are lots to choose from!

The benefits to our local economy are obvious, but what is even cooler is the sense of community MMM reinforces for exercise. In a town like Tucson that feels so small, it is made even smaller by the smiling faces of the runners you might see on a weekly basis. MMM does raffles, dinner call-outs, sell MMM merchandise. It’s so popular that there’s now a Meet Me in Marana and, starting April 1, Meet Me at La Encantada, for our Foothills folks. Oh, and did I mention that if you don’t want to run, you can still get MMM credit by doing the 5:30 YogaHour with Stephani Lindsey (one of my absolute favorite yoga instructors!) for only $4. OR, if you’re feeling ambitious, you could also try the spinning class at O2 Modern Fitness. We like to wave at the stationary cyclists as we jog by. Some of them wave back. All of them seem to be getting an excellent workout.

In the few months I’ve been regularly attending MMM, I’ve gone from someone who could barely run a mile to doing 5ks. That may not seem like a big accomplishment, but for me it has been something I am proud of. So, if you’re ever bored on a Monday evening, or want an excuse to procrastinate from work, or a reason to check out some great restaurants downtown with a discount, meet us at Maynards!* 🙂

*And by Maynards, I really mean Hotel Congress, where MMM has moved.