Tucson, AZ

The people who work at Bentley’s are the best, the food and coffee are really good, there’s free Wi-fi, it’s pretty close to campus, and there’s usually good artwork on the walls. Another big draw is the (usually free) shows. Every Friday is an Open Mic night, from 7:45-10:45 p.m. and a “free acoustic open jam afterwards.” Come early (as early as 7:00 p.m. and as late as 7:30 p.m.) if you want to sign up. Check the website to find out about the “mini-showcaser,” with a spot from 9:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. each week.

The Oro Valley Farmer’s Market is a great excuse to check out local businesses and experience the cozy feel of a neighborhood market. It is held every Saturday from 8 am until 12 noon during the summer and 9 am until 1 pm during the winter at the Oro Valley Town Hall located at 11000 N. La Canada Drive. There are a variety of stands that sell items from handmade soap to fresh fruits, and vegetables to beef jerky.

There is not a more jovial season than Christmas time. I love the decorations, the lights, the general good cheer, and most of all Santa. The only thing missing from Christmas in Tucson is snow!!! No problem. The snow will come to us. On Saturday, November 22 at 10:00 a.m. Santa and Mrs. Claus were escorted by the Fire Department as part of “Santa’s Bringin’ the Snow” and made their grand entrance at the Foothills Mall. Upon arrival, 30 tons of manufactured snow was dumped into a cordoned off section of the parking lot and fun ensued. There were snowball fights, people building snowmen, children running through the snow, half of them wondering what this cold, white substance was. We are, afterall, in Arizona.

Dog shows have a culture unto themselves; normally the only glimpse most people get of them is in seeing the final competition of the day at the biggest shows on television, like Westminster or Eukanuba. But those shows are in New York and California, and traveling can be expensive these days…but luckily, we have a pretty big show right in our own back yard, the Coyote Classic!

Yesterday I went out to breakfast with a friend at Paraiso Café, located at 820 East University Boulevard. I had delicious Eggs Benedict, she a Breakfast Burrito, and while we dined on the front patio, we noticed a stage in the courtyard with a few different performing acts, and an audience of stationary bike riders.

Having a music degree myself, I was interested to hear what the University of Arizona had to offer in the way of concerts and performances. So, on Sunday November 8th, I headed over to Crowder Hall at 1017 N. Olive Road to check out what this cultural community had to offer.

Upon making my way to the music building through the cultural arts center, I was struck by the interesting sculptures and artwork. There were also fascinating people with innovative looks ambling in clusters from building to building. Then I felt an electric vibe that can only be created when sculptures, musicians, actors and the like come together to create. Ah…I was back in my element and felt like a student on the cutting edge of creativity.

For the third year in a row, my friends and I have dressed up, painted our faces, and paid our respects to the spirits of our loved-ones by participating in the All Souls Procession. This Tucson tradition has become my all-time favorite annual event, one I look forward to all year! This year, the procession didn’t take place on the true All Souls Day of November 2, but instead the following Sunday. This, however, didn’t diminish our celebration one bit.

Last night and the night before I helped a friend create a really beautiful art project. I can say that modestly because the concept was all hers. We worked at the U of A and then at the site: La Siesta Motor Lodge, located at 1602 N. Oracle Rd., near the Meet Rack. It’s part of the Tucson Pima Arts Council (or TPAC) Open Studio Tour, which I didn’t have time to check out, but it’s where a bunch of local artists open their studios to show the public what they’re up to. Exciting!

Last night I went to the Surly Wench after the La Siesta Motor Lodge art opening I wrote about earlier (it was rad). There were five of us ladies and our friend David, and one of us ladies had never been to the Surly Wench. Actually, she’d never been to Tucson, or anywhere in any part of the entire Southwest. It was pretty great to see a tourist delight in what I believe Tucson does best: conceptual art, folk art and community (she’d gone to a pre-All Souls Procession marionette painting party), and black-walled Rockabilly bars with a cheap cover and bands that play music you thought you would never hear again.

Turns out the Golden Pin Lanes, located at 1010 W. Miracle Mile, don’t do disco bowling; it was just a concept Bill had come up with for the night. It was a Wednesday (Ladies’ Night), so almost all of us got in for free (Bill had to pay $5.00, even if he was wearing a stretch denim pant-suit). A cherry Coke for my date was 50 cents, a 10-ounce Miller High Life for me was 50 cents, and neon-colored shoes were free with admission (which was free for me, like I said).