As I’ve mentioned in this space before, the best way to get to know a community is eyeball to eyeball. Sure, coffee shops, breweries and bike shops are a start. But here in Tucson, we have another outlet. The local farmers markets. There is a rhythm and tone to when and where they are held. […]
Embracing Tucson: the Farmer’s Markets Read More »
It’s only appropriate that I write and release this at Rodeo time. It’s not often that you run across books about someone you met years before. I was in a Tubac bookstore a while back and saw “Never Don’t Pay Attention.” I only started reading it because Rodeo time rolled around. It was time to
Embracing Tucson: Louise Serpa, Rodeo Photographer Read More »
Combine the state fair, a car show and concerts, throw in a food court and let in thousands of car junkies and you have the Barrett-Jackson car collector auction. It is massive and takes over takes over the West World venue in Scottsdale. It is such a disruption in day-to-day living in this part of
Embracing Arizona: Barrett-Jackson Car Collector Auction Read More »
The place has been a fixture of Tucson’s restaurant landscape for 60 years. It’s a classic diner with a counter and booths. And pies. Yup, pies. I thought I had left good pies behind in Dallas with Humble Pies. But I soon discovered that those 60 years of experrience amount to something when it comes
Embracing Tucson: Gus Balon’s Read More »
Recently I was a guest on a podcast and the topic turned to what made Arizona, well, Arizona. We are more than a melting pot. That would just be a collection of things, more of a recipe. A melting pot coalesces everything and just makes the “dish” kind of homogenous. With a mulligan stew, on
Embracing Arizona: A Mulligan Stew Read More »
El Tour de Tucson is a fixture on the calendar, particularly with the cycling community. With 10,000-plus riders on the three top distances (Century, Metric Century, Half Metric Century) plus the shorter rides and running events, this is an immersive event for the city and county. The 2025 edition of this event was a turning
El Tour de Tucson 2025 Read More »
The fall edition of this immersive community event was just as much fun or more fun that previous installments. This time around it was held on a bike boulevard with which I am not familiar- North 9th and 10th Avenues, and 15th Avenue. The bonus of this was that unfamiliar territory takes you to new
Cyclovia, Fall 2025 Read More »
Being the car nut that I am and have been most of my life, it was only natural to make my way to the collection. Really, in the car-culture crazy Phoenix Metro area, it was a great starting place. This is really owner and founder, Mel Martin’s, personal collection. It’s not just the 175 or
Embracing Arizona: Martin Auto Museum Read More »
This museum was recommended by my neighbor. They told me it was an immersive experience. And they were right. To just call it a museum would be falling short of it’s whole description. It truly is immersive. Filling two full floors of a massive structure in North Phoenix, the MIM as it is called, is
Embracing Arizona: Musical Instrument Museum Read More »
When I first saw that there was a USS Arizona Memorial Gardens in the Valley, I wasn’t surprised. Where it is located was a bit of a surprise–on the Salt River Reservation in Scottsdale. Built around the “boat house” from the wreckage of the battleship, the space is loaded with information. From the numerous panels
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