Anyone know anything about Tucson, AZ?

63 responses total.

(other than that it's hotter than heck - I've got that one nailed)

Tucson, city, 1965 pop. 236,877, SE Ariz., SE of Phoenix; settled by
Spaniards in late 1600s. Father Eusebio Kino founded mission
nearby 1700. Presidio at Tubac moved here 1776. Became military
border post of New Spain, of Mexico, and, after Gadsen Purchase,
of US. Was territorial capital 1867-77. Longtime trade center for
mines, ranches, farms. Since 1880 an important rail center.
Sunny and dry, climate makes it year-round vacation and health
resort. Desert terrrain of nearby Saguara Natl. Monument
contrasts with cool Santa Catalina Mts. Seat of Univ of Arizona.
Davis-Monathan AFB is nearby.
 
courtesy of the Columbia Viking Desk Encyclopedia.
 
(So you're really going, eh?)

Wull, last time ah was in Tucson, ah moseyed intuh the saloon
down on Main St for a shot o' whiskey and a few hands o' poker.
It were a Saturday night and all thuh ranch hands from miles
around was there, drinkin' it up at the bar an' jes' in general
carryin' on.  I spied muh ol' friend Clem sittin' by hisself in
thuh corInterrupt!

Oh, that was funny.  You made me read it twice.

   Its an interesting city, and the home of the University of Arizona.
So in a lot of ways its like Ann Arbor.  But the politics of water is
going to make life increasingly differenet from what it was a few years
ago.  Too many easterners came there and thought they could live just
like they did before.  As a result, air borne irritants like pollens are
now actually worse than here in the midwest--and the water needed to create
this activity isn't available for that anymore.  It never really was, but
now we're starting to feel the effects.
   Some of the food there is incredible.  A lot of mexican and some
native american food is available.  That area of the US/Mexico is an
interesting mixture of indian/mexican, and is the birthplace of a unique
blend of foods.  The best known is the Chimmichanga, which was once
described to me as an "Appache eggroll".  While not really correct, it
does give an indication of the real thing.  What is called a Chimmighanga
here is NOT the real thing, or anything close to it.  Tuscon has what
many consider to be one of the finest places anywhere for them--El Minuto.
A small, ultra refrigerated Mexican hole-in-the-wall place that serves
very, very good food.  All I can say is that I have had dreams about
El Minuto Chimmichangas...

Yo, you're not goin' anywhere, kiddo, until you tune up all three of
our bikes for the commin' season.  Got that?

Steve associates towns with their food.   
 
  >>> Drift    Drift    Drift <<<

Steve, the town of Dorset, MN, has the highest restaurant / per capita ratio
in the world.  Six restaurants, population 20 people.

Every August 2 they throw a huge party and thousands of people come.  They
publish the "Dorset Daily Bugle" once a year, whether there is news or not.

  >>> End Drift     End Drift <<<

6 slipped in.

For many years, Tucson was represented in Congress by Morris Udall, one of
my favorite members of the U.S. House.

   Probably Guilty.  But it *is* a wonderful place to eat.  I forgot to
mention the scenery.  Thats incredible, too.  Makes me wish that Michigan
had some terrain, ya know?

Wait, wait, you can't go yet, I got a bike that needs some work too.

Well, you've got until the end of May, so don't worry.
And that's only if I *graduate*. :)

        Tucson is wholly surrounded by mountains; or, at least, you can see
them in all directions. Roads go up into the mountains, which make for
much more interesting bicycling than a trip to Dexter. The roads are also
smooth. All of them. There isn't a smooth road within 300 miles of here.
        I've been to Tucson twice, for a total of about two weeks. The second
time, my hair melted. 
        I'll have to hit that hole-in-the-wall...thanks, STeve...

   If you do go down there, it'll be another reason to get there again.
It really is a nice place.  But the water situation still bothers me.
I think its going to get a lot worse.

        The current plan is to hit the road at the end of May, and stay
in Tucson through the summer, and hopefully the next winter as well, working
some variety of low-level computer or other jobs. Staying through the 
winter would be sort of a payoff for staying through the summer - the
summer is going to be nasty.
        This is dependant on the scrub jobs not drying up, and no good 
job jumping in my face.
        I don't have any real desire to stay there long-term, mainly 
because of the utter lack of water that STeve mentioned. Desert just seems 
a little unstable.

[}iThis is now item 9 in the travel conference.]

Tucson is a great place.  There's skiing up in the hills to the North and the
backpacking is neat, because you start in pines and walk down to cactus.  I
don't know about mountains on all sides, there's the ones to the north and the
Rincon mountains in the East, but it's a long stretch to the erroded hills
south.!caht !chat

Arizona is a racist state.

   Why?  Or rather, is it any more racist than any other state?

Is it more racist than Detroit?

Detroit's not a state.  Well, a state of anarchy, but that's about all.

This response has been erased.

In Detroit they yell at you because you are not black.  That's racist enough.

   I think that if you dig a little, you can always find racist people.
There are people with small minds and hearts everywhere.  But there are
good people everywhere, too.
   Is the jug half empty, or half full?

In case of Detroit, 80 % empty.  Those 20 % seem to be moving to Southfield.
(20 % is plenty generous)

I guess if the level is at half, you can see it either way.  It may look
that way with Arizona too, seems to depend on where you look from.

I am sure a black person has not the same problems I have in Detroit, and
I don't seem to have a problem with Arizona as long as I am not there :)

Could we please curtail this? Take it to another item, or something?
The holiday choices of the state government are duly noted.

I remember playing Space Invaders at El Con (short for El Conquistador?) Mall
and seeing what could only be described as this desert rat guy.  Had a .45
and was walking around the mall.  Nobody looked twice.  This definite 
Gabby look-a-like wandering around armed and no one questioned it.  That's
Tucson.

Also, I almost hit both a cow and a coyote doing drivers ed in the foothills.

Let me wax poetic some other time about the beautiful Venus-Moon conjunction.

I take Brian doesn't mind one holiday less :)

My accountant says Arizona is the place to be.

The ten cent arcades are pretty cool.

RE #whatever
 
Yeah, I hate living and working in Detroit...  every day "they" are
yelling at me because I'm not black.   Bahahahahaha!
 

You should try reading New Times, a freebie paper put out in Phoenix. It's kind
of like the A2 Observer would be after being subverted by Hunter Thompson. It
digs up ALL the dirt in and on Arizona and is financed by ads from tanning
salons, liposuction clinics, drug rehab clinics and topless bars. I don't get
the impression that the urbanized portion of Arizona is a very pretty place.
And just wait until they run out of water for their imported kentucky bluegrass
lawns ...

Take a walk on Woodward...HaHa

There wasn't a whole lot of lawn going on in Tucson the last time I was there -
 There were a lot of front yards with cactii in 'em, which are way cooler, if
you ask me. 
        I mentioned the chimichangas (spelling may vary) to a friend of mine
in Tucson, and he agreed with STeve - they're great, they're huge, and they're
pretty cheap. I'm looking forward to them.

   Sigh.


                                                               I WANT ONE!

Have fun there!

Maybe I could mail you one, STeve...might get a bit messy, though...

When are you inviting me down there to do some riding and eating?

Not before I get there...Anytime after June 1, you're all welcome, though!

Tuscon's my hometown.

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