Editor's Note

Pinball!

Last week, following up on a blogpost we ran responding to a list somewhere declaring that Tucson is an up-and-coming city for hipsters, someone from Arizona Public Media came by the Weekly's office to discuss Tucson's future as a hub for those with handlebar mustaches and skinny jeans. It's a little strange for me to be the person pontificating on that sort of thing, since I'm not especially cool most of the time. Sure, my wife and I go out and see live music, I like craft beer and grass-fed beef and watch a lot of English soccer, but I also have two kids and wear remarkably uncool clothes. I'm not really a trendsetter, as it goes.

Basically, the questions revolved around the idea of whether Tucson is a place that would appeal to hipsters looking for a new home or whether that's a good thing, and honestly, I don't know the answer to either question. Some of this goes back to the issues raised in the whole "Keep Tucson Shitty" debate from a few weeks ago, but I think it's a generally positive trend that people are opening restaurants and boutiques and places for Tucsonans who have some extra money to spend. Also, I don't think that it's terribly likely that the glitzier joints will ever totally overrun the more working-class places we all enjoy, whether that's the taco shops or places to grab a cheap cold mainstream American beer.

And, yes, it's probably a hipster place at its core, even if the people who own it work at Raytheon during the day, but for me, D&D Pinball at 331 E. Seventh St., is the best thing to happen to Tucson in ages.

I have no idea how this place to going to work as a profitable business (they have a soda machine, many, many pinball machines and that's it), but on Friday, I headed down after work, got some quarters and spent an enjoyable hour pressing flippers and trying to set high scores. If imaginative people keep opening places like this in town, I'll live with an influx of hipsters.