Tucson, AZ

We recently spent some time in Tempe and got to see firsthand their new light rail system. It got me to thinking about how neat something like that would be in Tucson. I guess the closest thing we have by comparison is the Old Pueblo Trolley and truly that is not really a fair comparison. However, this past weekend my husband and I decided to take the kids downtown for a ride. Amazingly, in all the years I have lived in Tucson, it is something I have never done.

Having spent my childhood in Virginia, I didn’t learn very much about the history of other states. In fact, I don’t remember learning much of anything about Arizona history at all. So, I decided to check out the Arizona Historical Society Museum at 949 East Second Street here in Tucson to learn more about it.

After spending the last ten winters in the frozen tundra of upstate New York, I kind of miss the snow. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a big fan of sub-zero climates, but it’s kind of fun bundling up and heading out for a winter stroll when the weather isn’t so bad. Winter has its charm, so over the holidays my husband, son and I headed up to Summerhaven, Mt. Lemmon to enjoy snow and cooler weather.

I’m not sure how this community manages it, but from 5:30 p.m.- 10:30 p.m. each night from December 13th-27th, every single house is lit up, and each residence outdoes the other. There was one house that had an honest to goodness fountain show synchronized with Christmas carols, another that has a Christmas Story theme, and still another with a giant 20 foot Santa. And that’s just the tip of the ice berg.

I caught the tail end of the Annual Tucson Winter Street Fair a few days ago. The first part of the day was a little rained out, so I went when the sky cleared up and immediately bought a tiny African Violet plant from a woman who was closing up a pottery booth. She sold it to me for $1.00. Stores on 4th Avenue were having sales, staying open later, and welcoming traffic from the vendors that come from all over Arizona to sell art, crafts, jewelry, etc. Some stores, like High Tech Computers and Hardcore 101, had their own booth in front of their stores.

This historic facility also offers a variety of indoor and outdoor settings for various events, and for those who believe, the chance to view the house’s original owners as ghosts— if you’re lucky.

This historic facility also offers a variety of indoor and outdoor settings for various events, and for those who believe, the chance to view the house’s original owners as ghosts— if you’re lucky.

This historic facility also offers a variety of indoor and outdoor settings for various events, and for those who believe, the chance to view the house’s original owners as ghosts— if you’re lucky.

Every year, twice a year, the 4th Avenue Street Fair merchants set up their tents all along 4th Avenue between 9th Street and University Boulevard. It has become a Tucson staple and each year and we, along with 200,000 to 350,000 other people, trek downtown to see what’s new. Parking is a bit tricky as you often find yourself parking quite a ways from actual festivities or paying as much as ten dollars to park close.

Officially “A” mountain is called Sentinel Peak. It was only in 1915 that enthusiastic fans of the University of Arizona’s football team made there way to the peak of the mountain to party after a victory win. They celebrated by whitewashing a large “A” in red, white and blue at the top of the mountain, and the structure has been kept up ever since. And now, it’s considered almost a Tucson institution.

When we did make it to the end, the falls were beautiful and very much worth the trip. The seven falls trickled out into a sort of pool that several people seemed to be wading in and enjoying, as the water offered cool refreshment. But, since darkness was less than two hours away, we decided not to linger after taking several pictures, and turned back.

The big Halloween party I attended was about an hour straight northwest of Tucson, in Marana, on an empty lot. We drove along some dark and winding roads, down a hazardous dirt road, and into a packed, makeshift parking lot. A girl at the entrance let the driver of our packed car in for free (it was policy), but the rest of us had to pay $10 each, amounting to $60, which got us a wristband and free beer all night from the ten kegs there.