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On the Road Again: Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
- By
Lloyd Carroll |
Located 100 miles southeast of Phoenix is Arizona's second largest city, Tucson. Tucson has experienced a population growth spurt just as Phoenix has but it has done a better job of maintaining an old-time western feel. There are very few tall buildings and the city's downtown still has ample parking space and plenty of leafy recreation areas.
The best way to get started in downtown Tucson is to visit Old Town Artisans which contains numerous shops that sell Native American and Mexican artworks, pottery, jewelry and clothing all in the same building which has been restored to resemble a southern Arizona adobe circa 1850.
To truly get a feel of Tucson's history after visiting Old Town Artisans you should travel a few miles east on Highway 10 and visit the Mission San Xavier Del Bac, a still very active Franciscan church, which dates back to the 17the century. The mission's art collection contains numerous frescoes which date back to the church's inception.
If you are an animal lover then you will definitely enjoy Tucson. The Reid Park Zoo is a very walkable one and it has excellent big cat exhibits. The zoo's most popular attraction though are its polar bear couple, five year-old Boris and his new girlfriend, Kobe. These two are Tucson celebrities and zoo officials and Tucson residents are hoping that they will mate. Polar bear born in captivity is still a fairly rare occurrence.
Tucson's most popular attraction is the Sonora Desert Museum which is a bit of a misnomer since it is all outdoors and it's really a botanical garden and zoological park. Since it is located in the Saguaro National Park it is not surprising that the biggest cactus trees you will find anywhere in the world are located here. Pumas, coyotes and road runners are on display here, and no, they look nothing like their famous Warner Brothers cartoon counterparts.
Many of the greatest westerns such as "Rio Bravo," "Joe Kidd" and "The Magnificent Seven," as well as several episodes of the television classic "Bonanza" were filmed at Old Tucson Studios located a few miles down the road from the Sonora Desert Museum. Today Old Tucson Studios is a theme park and you can visit the many sets and props which were used in its filmmaking heyday. There is even an old-fashioned western gunfight at high noon outside the saloon on Main Street.
March is the busiest month in Tucson as spring training baseball gets underway. The Colorado Rockies make old Hi Corbett Stadium their home which located next door to the Reid Park Zoo while the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox divvy up beautiful Tucson Electric Park. In addition the University of Arizona Wildcats, traditionally a men's college basketball powerhouse, are getting ready for the NCAA "March Madness" Tournament. A Wildcats' home game at the McKale Center is always Tucson's toughest ticket.
Tucson is an hour's drive from the Mexican border town of Nogales. There are many parking lots on the American side of the Nogales border and my advice is to leave your car at one of them and walk across into Mexico. It is a literal bazaar there as almost every store is selling silver and turquoise jewelry, leather goods, and such famed south-of-the-border liquors as Kahlua and tequila. You have to know the quality of what you are thinking of purchasing and you also have to be a fierce negotiator since haggling over prices is at least half of the fun.
By all means when in Nogales you should enjoy a terrific lunch or dinner at the palatial La Roca Restaurant which offers sumptuous cuisine from the Sonora region of Mexico. If you want to enjoy Mexican food in downtown Tucson stop by Café Poca Cosa. There is no preprinted menu here since the dishes change daily. The day's selections are etched on a blackboard and your server will patiently explain many of the dishes with which you may not be familiar.
There are plenty of accommodations to fit nearly everyone's budget in Tucson. If you enjoyed the Billy Crystal film "City Slickers" then I recommend staying at the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch nestled in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. You can think of the Tanque Verde as "The Cowboy Catskills" because all of the horseback riding and three daily meals (and I am not talking cheap chuck wagon cuisine) are included in the rate. There are also top-notch tennis courts, swimming pools, and a spa on the premises as well.
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