Tag Archives: Tucson

8 Things To Do When It’s So Hot You Want to Punch Yourself in the Face Just So You Have Something Else To Think About

01 Monday Jul 2013

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I am a desert rat.

There’s nothing like the sun setting over the saguaros, or the smell of rain when the monsoons downpour onto our dehydrated gravel landscaping. We regularly eat Thanksgiving outside and I’ve never in my life had a Halloween when I had to consider weather when planning a costume. I’ve heard some poor saps who live in colder climes have to wear winter jackets over theirs. To a Tucson child, that sounded like an urban legend, and proof only existed in television and cinema.

This is an unedited photo of a sunset in Tucson.

This is an unedited photo of a sunset in Tucson.

Admittedly, there are a few downsides to living in Arizona other than our state legislature, the primary of which is the absurd, ridiculous summer heat.

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The Magic of Monsoons

18 Monday Jun 2012

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One of the (many) treasures living in Tucson, Arizona is the weather. For 9 months of the year, it is perfect: warm, sunny, little need for sweaters. Scarves are more a fashion accessory than a temperature-related necessity, and to be honest, most of the time I like it that way. But the summer is HOT. Yes, it is true, it’s a dry heat. I learned when we went to New Orleans that there is a huge difference, although I’m still trying to figure out whether my body prefers arid or humid.

BUT. But. During the summer, usually in July, come the monsoons. You read it right–monsoons. True, we’re in a desert, but due to the shifting wind flow in the summer months, the high daytime temperatures, and something about subtropical high pressure cells all combine to give us some blessings during the summer heat: monsoon thunderstorms. 


These thunderstorms are not only awesome (in every sense of the word) because they give us a refreshing afternoon rain. They’re also awesome because they make the desert air smell brilliant. During storms, a local plant called creosote emits a unique odor.* It is one of my all-time favorite smells. Whenever I’m in a new city, I always keep tabs on how it smells during and after a rain–so far, nowhere else in the world smells as neat as Tucson.

Anyway, we had our first monsoon the other day. Officially, monsoon season started last week, which actually seems a little earlier than normal, but whatever, I’ll take it. My favorite image during a monsoon is of the dark clouds contrasting sharply with the terra cotta and pinks of the stucco on buildings. I spent the afternoon cleaning and organizing my stuff (only 2.5 weeks until big departure!), and making sure our anxiety-ridden dog didn’t freak out. Here she is relaxing before the thunder claps got too close:

And sometimes, this is what happens after the storm:

Double rainbow! Insert every quote from that crazy double rainbow video here.

*This is, ya know, desert-y stuff you learn from growing up in a place like this. I thought knowing all the different varieties of cacti and desert animals was totally normal until cousins from Jersey visited when I was a kid. For the record, it’s pronounced “heel-ah” monster…

Ever experienced a monsoon? What’s your favorite part? And what does your town smell like in the rain?

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

08 Friday Jun 2012

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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.

Tucson Yum: Allegro Gelato!

17 Thursday May 2012

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Italy has been on my mind a lot this week, for reasons more saddening than anything else. Two friends passed away; one only beginning his adult life, the other guiding young adults like me to become good people like her. I had begun writing this post about Allegro before the news arrived, and I actually think it’s fitting that I finish it sooner rather than later. Gelato is, after all, an Italian dessert with which I associate many happy memories, some of which I shared with those who are no longer with us. I’m going to ride that wave….

When I studied abroad in Orvieto from September to December of 2007, my friends and I all frequented Gelateria Pasqualetti almost every day. Two gelaterie were available to us, both on the way to or near school: one was across from the clock tower, the other next to the duomo. Despite cooling weather as fall arrived in Umbria, we rarely missed our daily dose of gelato. This was good gelato, too. The texture was just the right level of creaminess, and although the flavors themselves weren’t necessarily crazy or creative, they were consistently perfect-tasting. We felt pretty okay about the fact that we were eating it like mad because gelato is arguably less fattening than American ice cream. 
Gelato from a place in Rome with some friends in 2007. Pretty good, but no Pasqualetti.
Cold and tasty snacks have been around for centuries, and many cultures probably cooled off with treats using mountain snow and some sort of flavoring from fruit or even flowers. Italian gelato as we know it, though, was developed in Florence by Bernardo Buontalenti in the 16thcentury, who served it in the Medici court. Gelato traveled with Caterina dei Medici to France, where they were blown away. That says a lot, if the French palates condoned it. Another big player in the gelato game was Procopio Coltelli, a Sicilian who opened one of the first cafes that served his delectable gelato in the 1660’s. His cafe later went on to become a favorite haunt of many Paris literati.

But what the heck is the difference between ice cream and gelato? A very valid question, indeed! Nutritionally, gelato is made with less fat and sugar, so a 3.5 oz serving of gelato has less fat (10% vs. 21%), less sugar (24% vs. 30%) and even fewer calories (230 vs. 325). And those are on the higher end. Sorbet is even more healthful, with 0% fat! Better taste, less guilt! Plus, it’s perfect for those hot summer days in Tucson where all you want to do is go to the movie theatre where they blast the AC so much that you need a sweater. 

Allegro: Il Gelato Naturale. The interior is modern and chic, with neato gelato spinners that are fancy and futuristic. 


Where does one procure such a delectable delight in Tucson? I’ll tell you! Allegro!


Allegro was opened only a couple years ago by Ivan Lucchina (co-owner and Master Gelatiere–yes, you even have to go to special gelato university to get certified!) and Marco Rapella. 

Here are Five Reasons why Allegro Gelato rocks

  1. Ingredients. Allegro gelato is only ever made from the freshest ingredients possible. Period. They don’t compromise in terms of quality on that one; they squeeze and chop and mince and whatever in the gelateria kitchen, rather than using powders or mixes. That may mean that your mint gelato is not green. But guess what–that’s because when mint is actually pressed, it’s not green! A lot of ice cream shops and gelaterie use dyes to make their products “look” the way people expect them to. Allegro doesn’t, and it tastes better for it!
  2. Creative flavors. There is a certain canon, so to speak, of gelato flavors. A traditional gelato shop almost always has flavors like straciatella (kind of like chocolate chip), nocciola (hazelnut), caffe (coffee), and seasonal fruit sorbets. But Ivan gets creative! Another favorite on their menu is saffron (IT IS AMAZING), and the Allegro flavor has a nougat-y/almond-y/tasty combo. Depending on what they feel like doing behind the scenes, there can be anything from lavender to basil & pineapple to balsamic avocado behind the glass. You read it right: BALSAMIC AVOCADO. Whoa! 
  3. Variety. You don’t just have to get gelato. Unlike many gelaterie, where you’re relegated to the standard array of tastes, at Allegro you also can get granite (slush drinks, originally from Sicily), coffee, or blend together your favorite gelato with some milk for a satisfying frappe. 
  4. Enthusiastic customer service. Whether Ivan himself is working the counter or one of the many employees they’ve had to hire in more recent months to keep up with business, you’ll always find that the person helping you seems genuinely excited about what they’re selling.
  5. Old World, traditionally crafted quality. The art of gelato making is just that: an art. Although most gelatieri take pride in their medium, with modern techniques come the temptation to expedite the age-old ways of making gelato. Allegro uses the traditional recipes and it shows in the authentic taste. Trust me on this, I’ve eaten approximately a jillion gelati. Maybe not that many, but I would confidently say I have high standards for gelato, having indulged in quite a lot of it. Not all the gelato I’ve eaten has been good, even in Italy, so to find a place like Allegro which just happened to be close to my house has been thrilling. Let’s just say I’m a big fan of their punch card rewards…
Yes, there are a few other places to get gelato in Tucson. I contend, though, that Allegro is the best, with the best prices, the best flavors, and the most authentic gelato experience. So now that we’re starting our regular triple digit temperatures, go cool down at Allegro! 
Yeah, so I was going to take a photo of this strawberry rhubarb…but I ate it.
If you go:
Open true Italian hours, Sunday-Thursday from 11:30-10:30 p.m.
Friday & Saturday, 11:30-11:30.

446 N. Campbell Ave #120, Tucson, AZ 85719



Have you been to Allegro? What’s your favorite flavor?

I Heart Tucson: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

10 Thursday May 2012

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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

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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!