Cover Story
One of Those Little Barefooted Mexican Kids
Raúl Castro clutched at the railing on his back porch and stared across the valley to Mexico. His balcony looked down the final 70-yard stretch on the American gridiron of Nogales, Ariz. Once ambos, or conjoined—now divided by rusted iron bars. “They just don’t understand the border or our history,” Castro said. At the age…
Writer’s Block: Steven Eggleton
Tucsonan Steven Eggleton is the author of Dry Heat, published this spring by ElHuevoPublishing (144 pages, $11.95). Book summary: Dry Heat is the debut novel by indie author Steven Eggleton. A dirty, angry, and often painfully funny read, Dry Heat explores the angst and confusion people in their early twenties frequently feel. Written in Eggleton’s…
A 5k Run With Beer Stations?
We receive a fair amount of news releases about 5k runs in the area, but this one caught my eye. On Saturday, Oct. 27, the “Dirty Beach Mud Run” will take place at the Thunder on the Beach Raceway in Rocky Point. Participants of the run will have to complete an obstacle course, with some…
Air War: NRCC Will Spend a Quarter-Million Bucks To Boost McSally Against Barber
We noted yesterday that the House Majority PAC was spending money in Congressional District 2 to help Congressman Ron Barber ward off a challenge from Republican Martha McSally. The big question in recent weeks had been whether polling showed a race that was close enough that Republican committees would start spending money in support of…
Gilberto Gil: The Brazilian Legend Comes to Tucson for the First Time on 10/28
I was looking through Fox Tucson Theatre’s event calendar and saw that music legend Gilberto Gil is coming to town on Sunday, Oct. 28. Growing up in Latin America, I heard Gilberto Gil’s music everywhere: from the humblest streets to the fanciest dinner parties. Gil’s music is very dynamic. He started out as a bossa…
New Poll: Carmona Leads Flake By 2 Percentage Points
Public Policy Polling’s latest survey shows Democrat Richard Carmona has taken a lead over Republican Jeff Flake. The Democrat-leaning polling firm notes that Carmona is winning the independent vote and grabbing some GOP crossover. But the pollsters also note that “this race could shift back in Flake’s favor.” This is the first attributed poll to…
Talking Comics: Ghost #0
Cynthia and Matt take the reigns this week and deliver up a review with an extra helping of spooky sauce, just in time for October! Thrill to the sweet sound of Matt’s nervous laughter! Gasp at Cynthia’s description of a dude gettin’ his freakin’ heart ripped out of his chest! Experience sheer terror as a…
Liv Cafe and Bistro Is Adding Evening Hours and Drinks!
Liv Café and Bistro at 4340 N. Campbell Ave., in St. Philip’s Plaza, will soon offer evening meal service and a nice selection of beer, wine and cocktails. Currently the café offers breakfast and lunch until 3 p.m., with coffee, smoothies and pastries available until 9 p.m. But with the recent approval of its liquor…
About the Name ‘We Got Cactus’
Bloodspasm Spring without flowers is just as remorseful / As an autumn denied the colored leaves fall / Long is the winter when there’s no snow / And summer is painful when the wind won’t blow / Welcome to my home, no fear of pneumonia / This is paradise, in Tucson, Arizona. Bloodspasm tore up…
Canadian Golfers Dig Tucson’s Courses
I realize that might be one of the most obvious thoughts I’ve ever fired off, but as someone who would practically have to be bribed to play 18 holes, I just can’t fathom why someone would travel across the continent to pay to play a game. this piece from the Calgary Sun is an interesting…
Check Out the Tucson Food Day Website
The Tucson Food Day website, which I just ran across this morning, boasts quite a selection of local-food events. There’s eveything from GMO-free dinners to seed swaps, with movie screenings, festivals and other events sprinkled liberally throughout. The events all take place later this month. If it sounds like something you might be interested, check…
Howard Salmon: ‘My Doctors Say I’ll be a Goner by Year’s End’
Former Phantom Limbs drummer and Tucson artist Howie Salmon popped up on Facebook after dropping out of the social-media time-suck for a while—something most of us can fully relate to and understand. Salmon’s recent post, for those who love art, music and Tucson, came as a sad shock—but comments back were all about love and…
Is It OK for a Song to Promote Drug Use?
On one hand, I am a journalist, which means I pretty much have to believe in free speech, no exceptions, period. On the other hand … I know certain drugs can really mess people up, and I am not a fan. Therefore, I am conflicted about this. This song, by Cedric Gervais, recently popped into…
Governor Brewer Offers Her Condolences, Unnecessary Political Statement
Like many of Arizona’s elected officials, Governor Jan Brewer has offered her condolences to the family of slain Border Patrol Agent Nicolas Ivie, who was killed this morning while on patrol. Unlike many of Arizona’s elected officials, Brewer decided to give her statement a political bent, wagging her finger (mournfully!) at the federal government for…
‘Hedwig’ Is Returning!
The best concert I’ve seen in Tucson wasn’t at a theater like the Rialto. It wasn’t in a club like Plush, nor was it in a large venue like AVA or the Tucson Convention Center Arena. No, it was in Live Theatre Workshop’s tiny black-box room, in January 2009, as Christopher Johnson held court as…
Border Patrol Agent Killed This Morning Has Been Identified; Authorities and Officials Respond
Nicolas Ivie Customs and Border Protection Officials have identified Nicolas Ivie, 30, as the Border Patrol agent who was killed this morning while on patrol. In response, federal and state authorities have come out in force in a search for the suspected shooters. From USA Today: Dozens of investigators in helicopters and on horseback were…
House Majority PAC Takes Aim at Republican McSally in New TV Ad
The House Majority PAC is flexing a little muscle in Congressional District 2 with a new TV ad blasting Republican Martha McSally. UPDATE: McSally has issued a statement regarding the TV ad: The ad being run by Ron Barber’s Washington funders is untrue and smacks of sexism. First Ron Barber says Republicans are “a bunch…
More on Sentinel Peak Brewing Co.
I came across the new Sentinel Peak Brewing Co.’s Facebook page this weekend and spent a significant amount of time lurking around, checking out what we’re in store for when the place opens. Take a look for yourself over here. Considering that the place is going in at the old slaughter house at 1102 W.…
Your Tuesday Afternoon Club Crawl Preview: The Hood Internet
Club Crawl is coming, folks — This Saturday, Oct. 6, you’ll be able to catch more than 50 performers at more than 20 venues and stages stretching from Downtown to Fourth Avenue. If you’re so inclined (and why wouldn’t you be, really?) you can pick up wristbands at both Zia locations, as well as at…
Sheriffs Get Their (Upgraded) Tase On
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has some new firepower equipment out on the streets, having recently upgraded its Tasers to the new X2 model. This bad boy, according to a press release, “allows for more accuracy, dual shot and warning arc capabilities, and is more rugged and durable in its design.” It also looks like…
Goodbye, Safehouse — Hello Black Crown Coffee Company
Those of you still mourning the loss of the midtown coffee-and-cigarettes emporium The Safehouse can breathe a bit easier (if your lungs allow it) — the Safehouse is being reborn as Black Crown Coffee Company. We’ve put out a few messages to the folks behind the new shop, but what we’ve gathered thus far is…
A Gratuitous Use of Prickly Pears
It’s prickly-pear season and Ken Harvey, the executive chef at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort at 7000 N. Resort Drive is making the best of it. He’s using the vibrantly colored fruit in a variety of interesting ways, according to a few e-mails I’ve gotten from the resort’s public relations people in recent weeks: Thanks for…
New DCCC Poll Shows Barber Leading McSally By 14 Percentage Points, but NRCC Calls Survey “Completely Bogus”
It’s hardly an unbiased source, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee today released the results of a survey that showed Congressman Ron Barber leading his Republican challenger, Martha McSally, by 14 percentage points in the race for Congressional District 2. The survey of 400 likely voters, conducted Sept. 27-30 by Grove Insight, showed that 54…
Fun Fact, Dallas Fans: Cowboys.com Is A Gay Dating Site
No, really — I’m not just making that up as a Cardinals fan, bitter at years of Dallas fans stealing my home team’s glory. Check it out. Redundancy alert: The site title reads “The #1 Dating Portal For Gay Dating.” According to Yahoo! Sports, this is all the result of the Cowboys front office goofing…
Just A Reminder: Dr. Dog and Cotton Jones Are At Rialto Tonight; The Head and the Heart Tomorrow
In case you missed Eric Swedlund’s great preview of Dr. Dog’s show this evening at the Rialto, here’s a reminder: Check out Dr. Dog and Cotton Jones tonight! If you need a bit more convincing, below you can watch their ultra-catchy “That Old Black Hole,” from their new album, Be The Void. Tickets for tonight…
Tucson Fringe Festival Is Calling For Performers
Hey, playwrights, actors, and anyone else who loves the stage, or hell, just loves performing for others: the Tucson Fringe Festival wants you! From their website, tucsonfringe.org: Fringe doesn’t curate. Fringe is different. Fringe loves new work. Fringe restores the artist’s creative influence. Fringe doesn’t charge you an arm and a leg. Fringe doesn’t tell…
Casa Video One Doc At A Time: “Autism: The Musical”
No, this documentary has nothing to with a bunch of theater actors singing about austim. But when I read the title, the thought crossed my mind for a split second. “Autism: The Musical” follows Elaine Hall and her Los Angeles based, musical theater program for kids with autism, The Miracle Project. The main story is…
I Wonder If Talking Animals Will Be Involved: Seth MacFarlane To Host Oscars
In a move that makes a strange amount of sense, Family Guy creator, Ted film star and writer of dick jokes fine comedy Seth MacFarlane will host the upcoming 83rd Annual Academy Awards. MacFarlane has shown that he does have presence on TV — he MC’d Comedy Central’s Roast of Charlie Sheen last year, and…
There Are People Who Still Think Obama Is A Muslim
A volunteer for the Clay County, Florida Republican Party was recently caught leaving voicemails to Republican voters saying that Barack Obama is a Muslim who wants to end Medicare and turn the United States into a socialist country. Amazingly, the idea that Medicare is a form of socialism didn’t enter this person’s pretty little head.…
Writer’s Block: Stasia Minkowsky
Part-time Arizona resident Stasia Minkowsky is the author of Skinny White Woman, released earlier this year. (Mill City Press, 416 pages, $16.95, www.skinnywhitewoman.com) Book Summary: After being pronounced a lightworker by a psychic from Sedona, all Stasia Minkowsky wants to do is smoke a joint, get drunk and forget about it. The only problem? It’s…
Adventures in Aquaponics
If you want to grow veggies but hate kneeling for hours in a garden, you may want to try aquaponics. From the Tucson AquaPonics Project website (www.tucsonap.org), aquaponics is “the growing of fish and plants together in a closed recirculating system.” The organizer of the project, Casey Townsend, offers several events to educate and inspire…
Shameless Self-Promotion: ‘Tucson Weekly’ Wins General Excellence, 35 Other Awards in ANA Contest
For the third year in a row, the Tucson Weekly was honored with one of the Arizona Newspaper Association’s big awards in the annual Better Newspaper Contest. The Weekly earned the General Excellence prize for non-daily newspapers with a circulation of more than 10,000. The Weekly earned the same honor in 2010, and was the…
Political Roundtable: LD9 House Race Forum
On Arizona Public Media’s Political Roundtable this week: Republican Ethan Orr and Democrats Mohur Sarah Sidhwa and Victoria Steele talk about various state issues in the race for two seats in Arizona House of Representatives from Legislative District 9, which includes north-central Tucson, the Catalina Foothills and the Casas Adobes area. Key areas of disagreement…
Arizona Between Nosotros Returns Tonight (Saturday) at MOCA
Last year, Arizona Between Nosotros organized a series of performing-arts events, and took their work over the border to Nogales, Sonora. This year, they return with Indebted/Endeudado, tonight (Saturday, Sept. 29), from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), 265 S. Church Ave. The night’s theme is debt: Financial debt, emotional…
Tonight (Friday Night): Arizona Libre With Jeff Biggers and More
If you read this week’s Weekly, hopefully you read the excerpt from Jeff Biggers’ new book, State Out of the Union: Arizona and the Final Showdown Over the American Dream, and tonight at the Rialto, you’ll get a chance to hear Biggers read and perform. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show starts at…
Sky Bar/Dead Prez Show Dust-Up
Tomorrow night’s performance of Dead Prez at Sky Bar has drawn criticism that the bar and group probably never expected. The controversy goes back the summer of 2010, when No More Deaths started We Mean Business, getting almost 100 local businesses to post the red-on-white anti-SB 1070 sign that says “We Reject Racism.” Brooklyn Pizza…
The New Buffalo Wild Wings Location Is Open
Just in time for your weekend hot-wing satisfaction, the new location of Buffalo Wild Wings at 4329 N. Oracle Road is open. Not much else to say on this one. Dig in Tucson. There’s more on the chain restaurant here.
Dance Against Cancer Tomorrow
Linda Tarason is a fighter. She was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2005 and had 60 percent of her colon removed. In six months, she had 12 chemo treatments. Tarason was cancer-free for seven years until being diagnosed with lung cancer. She endured more surgery and a softball-size section of her left lung…
Phoenix-Area Man Shoots Self On Live Television
Fox News was following a high-speed car-chase from its Phoenix affiliate when the driver ditched the car, ran into a field, put a gun to his head, and apparently shot himself. From the Guardian: Fox News’s live coverage continued as [the suspect] stopped running, raised what appeared to be a gun to his head, and…
An Oktoberfest Wine and Beer Tasting Extravaganza
The Wine Depot at 3844 E. Grant Road is throwing a big ol’ beer-and-wine-tasting event for Oktoberfest. It takes place this coming Saturday, Sept. 29, and tickets are half-price ($15) if you RSVP by the end of the week! Check it out over here.
6th Annual Tucson Musicians Museum Celebration Of Music & Culture
It’s time for the 6th Annual Celebration of Music and Culture Charity Event, a multi-genre showcase that hosts a variety of professional musicians. It will be hosted at the TCC Leo Rich Theater on Sunday, September 30, 2012, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $40. The event’s proceeds will support the Tucson Musicians…
This Week In Tucson Bicycling
The photo above was left on a bike a the University of Arizona. It’s good advice if you want to see your bike when you come back from your class. For more tips on keeping your bike and finding if it is stolen, read this. Arizona is the newest state to get a high school…
KOLD Is Apparently Reporting On An Alternate-Dimension Version Of TUSD
Before we jump in, let’s give some praise to Valerie Cavazos at KGUN Channel 9 for her series on the Rose Hamway retaliation case and the Tucson Unified School District special education issues she’s unearthed in the process. So far, Cavazos at KGUN and Weekly World Central are the only Tucson media outlets to dig…
Come Support Homicide Survivors and Remember Lost Loved Ones
Homicide Survivors, a nonprofit organization operated in conjunction with the Pima County Attorney’s Office, is holding a safety fair and candlelight vigil Saturday in conjunction with the annual National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims. The event, which is free and open to the public, is being held at St. Augustine Cathedral, 192 S. Stone…
The $4 a Day Challenge, Day Four: Somebody Please Shoot Me
Beans and rice! It’s what’s for dinner (and lunch). What is freedom? Is it the right to think what you want, say what you want, sleep with who you want? Does it include eating what you want or participating in social activities? And how is any of this related to the fact that I am…
Don’t Forget: Davis-Monthan Operation Snowbird Public Comment Period
Here’s your cheerful Weekly World Central reminder: The U.S. Air Force extended the Operation Snowbird public comment period to Oct. 4. Last time Weekly World Central wrote up about the project — the draft environmental assessment for the National Air Guard training program bringing U.S. and foreign jets to Tucson, the public comment period first…
Critter of the Week: Meet Gordon!
Gordon – #731111 — 1.5 Years Old — Shar Pei Mix — Male Meet Mr. Cool! Gordon is a suave Shar Pei mix who is feeling at the top of his game now that he has a bright future ahead of him. Found as a hot and hungry stray, Gordon was rescued by a kind…
Critical Mass — Kid Style: Oct. 6
The folks at the Living Streets Alliance are doing Kidical Mass Tucson on Saturday, Oct. 6. It’s a kid and family friendly bike ride on the city streets that starts at 10 a.m. near the Himmel Park Library goes to the UA, loops Old Main and returns to Himmel Park for an ice cream social…
With Our Latest National Crisis Straightened Out, Dr. Ruth Says We Can Finally Take Care Of What Matters: Sex!
Well, “national crisis” in the sense that the NFL has made an agreement with its referees, folding them back into the games and showing the replacement refs the door. But with that said, it’s time to get back to what matters — and who better to remind us of what that is than Dr. Ruth…
Update: A New Bar and Two New Restaurants Are Opening Downtown
A bit more checking – and a tip from Tucson Weekly contributor Eric “Swede” Swedlund – has shed a bit more light on what’s going into several spaces in the vicinity of 300 E. Congress St., where those science exhibits have been held for the past year or two. Liquor license applications have now been…
Hamway Case: Documents Part I
For the past month, Weekly World Central has followed and covered the Rose Hamway case, reporting on the former Tucson Unified School District school psychologist and whistleblower who filed a retaliation complaint against TUSD. Last month, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights released it’s findings that sided with Hamway and TUSD agreed…
Phoenix Mayor: ‘I’m Tired, and it’s Hard to Focus’
Turns out our beautiful Noshing dude Adam Borowitz isn’t the only person trying to figure out how to live on $4 fucking-bucks a day. (Hunky) Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton (sorry Mayor “I’m a believer in pedestrian areas” Rothschild) is finding himself having the same troubles as Mr. Borowitz: When local activist groups challenged Phoenix Mayor…
Best Clothing Store
There are plenty of places to buy clothes for your kids, but Lil’ Traders is probably Tucson’s most-pleasant place to do so, partially because the choices available are high-quality and fashionable (as much as anyone can be concerned about a 3-year-old’s fashion sense), but also because the gently used options carried by the store make…
Best Outdoor Venue
Let’s face it: Tucson doesn’t get a lot of the biggest, best entertainment acts out there. But when they do, and the performers want something bigger than (Rialto) and better than (Tucson Convention Center) downtown’s offerings, many end up at this classic open-air concert spot. With about 1,800 seats under cover from the occasional elements,…
Best Empanadas
Take a quick glance at Mamma Llama’s owners Kris Masalsky and Vicki Sims, and you might think the fair-skinned blonde women would create pastries from a Nordic country. Not so. Instead, they make creative and delicious gourmet empanadas, a common meal in Latin American countries. Kris and Vicki use the finest meats—spicy beef, succulent pork…
Best Use of Brown Paper Bags
A long, hard day of work calls for a nice, tall, cold one. Heck, any day does. And what better way to enjoy it than ensconced within a brown paper bag folded over at the edges? May’s Counter has capitalized on the hobo trend of hiding what you drink, albeit in a restaurant setting rather…
Best Japanese
The kitschy nature of Yoshimatsu can be a little off-putting at times in an am-I-laughing-with-or-at-the-signs-featuring-choppy-English sort of way, but there’s no denying that the Campbell Avenue mainstay is a fun, comfortable place to eat delicious food with the comfort of knowing that both Japanese-food aficionados and people unwilling to step outside of the realm of…
Best Pet Supplies Store
It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got a slobbery pooch or a prim-and-proper pussy cat: PetSmart has what it takes to keep it all groomed, fed and outfitted in the latest fashions. Need a tiny bomber jacket for that Chihuahua? No problem. How about a rhinestone-encrusted leash and matching collar? PetSmart has you covered. It’s not…
Best Gym
With the end of civilization at hand, you’re going to want your body in peak form, either to ensure that you’ll be making it out of the Thunderdome (formerly known as the Tucson Convention Center), or to attract the right mate to help repopulate the Old Pueblo. In any case, LA Fitness is a great…
Best Upscale Bar Ambiance
Many congress Street businesses have suffered this year, and are struggling to draw Tucsonans as the modern streetcar marches toward completion. Yet Playground has repelled a downtown apocalypse by making itself Tucson’s play place for adults. What separates Playground from the rest isn’t just its sharp, modern interior; it isn’t the DJs who blend classic…
Best Goth/Leather Shop
Little-known fact: Leather protects against green radioactive gamma rays from Mars! Hoof it downtown to Hydra, and get in the spirit of urban renewal. Stock up on body jewelry, fancy panties and bad-ass accoutrements that will showcase your sensational sensibilities. If you are lucky enough to capture an alien sex slave, you can dress him/her/it…
Best Ice Cream
Tucsonans, rejoice! It has been a few years since Austin’s died its dismal death, and in those years since, we’ve ventured down the gelato trails in search of quality locally made frozen desserts. While gelato is good—and there are some excellent gelato establishments here in town—it isn’t true ICE CREAM. But Hub has come to…
Best Bookstore for Used Books
If there were one place where book-lovers in Tucson would want to be if they survived the apocalypse, it would be Bookmans. The thought of looking for other survivors would easily disappear among the sea of paperbacks lining the walls, and the other books filling the shelves throughout the store. Bookmans is a safe haven…
Live
Ask Wilco fans about their favorite record, and they’ll often answer Being There (1996) or Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002). The first effectively buried lead singer Jeff Tweedy’s catalog of singable, 3-minute pop, and its bark in the recording studio. The second, for all the Internet innovations it launched, also helped reassure us that American music…
Top Ten in Books
1. The Fault in Our Stars John Green, Dutton ($17.99, autographed) 2. No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden Mark Owen with Kevin Maurer, Dutton ($26.95) 3. A Wanted Man: A Jack Reacher Novel Lee Child, Delacorte ($28) 4. Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine…
Best Sandwich
For those of you who love a giant, delicious sandwich, Beyond Bread gets the job done. The fresh bread, delectable meats and cheeses, and unique sauces are hard to resist. Each sandwich has a distinctive title, like “Avi’s Avo” or “Carmela’s Caprese.” Beyond Bread also has soups, salad, macaroni, chips and carrots, not to mention…
The End-of-Days Exit Interview: Nelda Ruiz
Tierra y Libertad community organizer Nelda Ruiz said the organization was created to respond to “the attack on our community resulting in social injustice, oppression and poverty.” Creating sustainable communities is part of their solution, and their work outdoors in Barrio Chicano (Wakefield) happens to be a big part of that solution. The organization is…
The End-of-the-World Exit Interview: David Slutes
David Slutes serves as the entertainment director for Hotel Congress, which means he has the heavy responsibility of bringing the fun at the centerpiece of downtown cool by booking bands and DJs in the hotel’s Club Congress, and on the outdoor patio at events like Labor Day’s HoCo Fest. Slutes catapulted to rock ’n’ roll…
Best Toy Store
Look around the room. Do you see anything amazing or hilarious? If not, then you are having a toy-store emergency, and Yikes is the cure. That’s right: Yikes is the place with the tiny plastic creatures sure to make anyone squeal with delight. You can buy beautiful books, wacky windup gadgets, puppets and extra-special wrapping…
Best Indoor Venue
There’s a scene in the 1981 post-apocalyptic film Escape From New York where the hero, Snake Plissken, enters a bombed-out theater, pausing slightly to watch a surreal performance troupe entertaining the disheveled audience. If he were to walk into the Rialto Theatre, he’d most likely forget about his mission and rock out a bit. Joe…
Best Huevos Rancheros
Topping the huevos rancheros category in a town this rich with Latino culture is no easy task. We submit that you could search the world from now until doomsday and not find any better huevos rancheros than Teresa’s deliciously simple dish. The assemblage of two eggs astride a fresh corn tortilla, with a dash of…
Best Use of Truly Local Ingredients
Sure, it’s cool to use locally grown vegetables, but Pasco Kitchen and Lounge takes the concept of being a locavore to a whole new level. The chefs incorporate other local business’ foodstuffs into the menu, like tortilla chips from Anita Street Market, and bread from the Small Planet Bakery. And then they take it to…
Best Italian
If you’re craving upscale dining in a quietly elegant setting, and if your yearnings include those magnificent blends of flavors from Italy, your GPS should direct you to Daniel Scordato’s Vivace, in St. Philip’s Plaza. This destination will guarantee not only terrific flavors, but excellent service. It’s a fine place to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or,…
Best Bathrooms That Make You Temporarily Forget the Impending Repair Bill
Anyone who’s had to make a pit stop while waiting for the Jiffy Lube guys to do their thing knows that auto-repair places don’t spend much effort on making their restrooms look great. Usually. But the potties at this locally based outfit sport a bevy of things never before seen in buildings that are better…
Best Local Activist/Advocacy Group
Issues of violence and bullying against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth have recently come to public attention, but Wingspan has been offering resources for this community since the 1970s, becoming an official “resource center” in the 1980s. The mission is to “promote the freedom, equality, safety and well-being of LGBT people,” and the people…
Best Organic Food Store
When the co-op was founded back in 1971, shopping there was akin to making a political statement. Now, after countless changes in management, the co-op has become a neighborhood institution, committed to providing the highest-quality food at the best prices. Granted, it’s often difficult to compete with the big-box natural-food stores, but how cool it…
Best Place to Hear Death Grips and Van Halen Back to Back
There’s a riot going on down at La Cocina one Friday per month. Nu Nu Fridays, a music night started up by DJs Ernesto “E_Rupt” Vega and Erin Wilbur (who sadly recently left us for Milwaukee), is the place to be to hear the new sounds of today. E_Rupt and rotating special-guest DJs play tracks…
Best Fresh-Baked Bread
For those of us who are serious devotees of the baked loaf, something called “Beyond Bread” causes us to furrow our brows and purse our lips. There simply couldn’t exist anything beyond bread, the penultimate in taste and texture, which satisfies the hunger of so many senses. But behold, some knowing Tucson entrepreneurs created a…
Soundbites
Got your Club Crawl® wristbands yet?; Tucson Musician Museum inductions; Rialto brings the rock this week; and more!
Mailbag
The Tucson Education Association explains its endorsements; A Detroit native remembers; a Sentinel Plaza resident loves his digs; and a reader misses the point.
Best Way of Disguising World Domination in the Form of Friendly Technology
Billed as cutting-edge technology meant to allow a local television station to better cover its market, KVOA Channel 4’s SKYNET camera system really is a sign of the apocalypse; anyone who’s seen the Terminator movies knows that. Just look at how the NBC affiliate describes its cadre of cameras set up around town as a…
Best Park
Little did Gene C. Reid know that one day, his name would be synonymous with jumping castles, dog parks and more than 100 different rose varieties. Reid Park is home to not only the Reid Park Zoo and the Edith Ball Adaptive Recreation Center; it boasts a magnificent outdoor stage, the DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center,…
Best Pizza
(Warning: The following is an example of extreme East Coast bias.) Any New Yorker will tell you truly good pizza is all about the sauce and the crust. They will also tell you the best way to judge is not with a pie adulterated by any number of extras, but through the simple no-frills slice…
The End-of-Days Exit Interview: Amanda Shauger
Every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon, Amanda Shauger is on the air at KXCI FM 91.3. She’s the host of The Music Mix, an eclectic blend of tunes—new, old, local and world. She is also the community engagement director at the station. Shauger says her job is a mixture of duties—sort of like her…
The End-of-the-World Exit Interview: Diana Teran
Diana Teran, co-owner of La Tauna Tortillas, said she and her husband, Francisco Moreno, work various hours in their home to make their vegan tortillas. They started selling them at the Santa Cruz Farmers’ Market, and now sell them at the Food Conspiracy Co-op and Sprouts. The La Tauna best-seller is the olive-oil tortilla, but…
Best Greek
Maybe the gods of ancient Greece can save us from the apocalypse predicted by the Mayans—but how do we get their attention? Let’s sacrifice a herd of sheep! No, too messy. The only other thing that comes to mind is to make Zeus, Hera and the rest of the gang an offering of their favorite…
Best Playground
What good is a playground if it ain’t cool? A day spent at this park is like giving your child a chill pill. Six months of the year, there’s the Splash Pad, where your wee ones can run through various sprays and enjoy geysers of the desert’s rarest resource—water. There are tables under a nearby…
Best Vegetarian Taco
Here’s a secret: Vegetarians aren’t always crazy about vegetables, and if we like Mexican food, after years or decades, we tire of bean burritos. Therefore, some vegetarians just give up on Mexican food (or vegetarianism, depending on one’s inclinations). But there’s a beautiful answer to the Mexican/vegetarian paradox: Maico’s tacos. Maico offers, as its specialty,…
Best Huevos Rancheros
Topping the huevos rancheros category in a town this rich with Latino culture is no easy task. We submit that you could search the world from now until doomsday and not find any better huevos rancheros than Teresa’s deliciously simple dish. The assemblage of two eggs astride a fresh corn tortilla, with a dash of…
Best Smorgasbord
“Lots of cool stuff” is all the menu description says about The Board. For $14, you get an adventure in the form of a wooden cutting board. On top of it could be any variety of cool things—a jar full of house-pickled vegetables. Varieties of cheeses. Flatbreads. Candied nuts. Slices of prosciutto. Fruit. Vortexes. Keys…
Best Indian
If you don’t live on the northwest-side, then listen up: Saffron is worth the drive. Nowhere else in Tucson can you find Indian food with this kind of freshness, flavor and balance. The food is cooked to perfection, given just enough time to make the flavors intense while still keep things intact. The cauliflower in…
Best Plant Nursery
Junkies come in all varieties, and if you’re a plant junkie, your dealer likely is Mesquite Valley Growers. Stretching before you on acres and acres are annuals and perennials, cacti and succulents, native and desert-adapted landscape plants, shade and fruit trees, herbs and veggies, and even exotic tropical plants and artistically crafted bonsai. If you…
Best Spectacle for Charity
Dogs are downright miraculous, especially in the realm of accessorizing our homes with generous gobs of fur (and maybe some other, um, “knickknacks”). So when the Humane Society of Southern Arizona holds a fundraiser called Puttin’ on the Dog, why wouldn’t hundreds gather to celebrate the creatures who sniff out bombs (and some cancers), lower…
Best Still-Cheap Thrift Store With Stylish Options
It used to be that “thrift store” meant thrift. As in: You don’t gotta spend much. Today, it’s hard to find a used store where you spend much less than you would at the damn mall. But there are still a few actual thrift stores in this town—Deseret Industries being one of them. You’ll gape…
Best Jewelry
While it may be a treat to see a rainbow in the sky, it’s a given that you will find beauty and color at Rainbow Jewelers. In business since 1986, Michael and Joanne Rainbow strive to run their business with “referrals, trust and integrity.” Their hard work has paid off, with Google reviewers rating the…
Best Margarita
These independently owned Mexican restaurants are famous for food (especially the tableside salsa), live music and—you guessed it—margaritas. They use an original recipe including limes, triple sec, sweet-and-sour and tequila. You can kick back and unwind with the classic house margarita (which is $3 during happy hour); be cool and sip on a “Diablo Azul”;…
Best Independent Bookstore
A cross between an institution and a dinosaur—it’s one of the very few independent bookstores to have survived in Tucson—Antigone has a unique identity and devoted patrons. Anchoring a block on Fourth Avenue—where else?—it is also a fabulously forward-thinking dinosaur: It’s now a 100 percent solar-powered establishment. And Antigone still offers what has made it…
Senate Musings
It would not surprise me if in the next six years—the term of a U.S. senator—the federal government were to tackle the issue of marijuana-law reform. The feds have been bitch-slapping the populace over the issue for decades now, on both the medical side and the recreational, and it seems to me that America is…
Illuminating Evenings
Light up the night with GLOW on Sept. 28 & 29.
Twisted Cinema
All hail sinister McConaughey. For 15 years now, Matthew McConaughey has been a frustrating (and perhaps frustrated) movie star. He has big charisma and all the physical gifts to make up for a talent that may not ultimately go that deep, but he was never the kind of draw someone could build a franchise around.…
Best Place to Hide Easter Eggs
My beloved children, I have left these directions so that you might survive: Fill the bed of the truck with backpacks and water, and head out on Old Spanish Trail seven miles until you turn left onto the washboarded X-9 Ranch Road. Go two miles until you spot the Arizona Trail crossing. The hike is…
Best Local TV Newscast
They’re not “on your side” or “late-breaking”; they’re just the best of the best. Tucson’s NBC affiliate outpaces the rest of the local TV-news field in the eyes of our readers, who put KVOA back up on top after giving the throne to another station the past two years. Though just as gimmicky—SKYNET is watching…
Best Farmers’ Market
The vendors at St. Philip’s Plaza’s two farmers’ markets continue to bring us great local produce each weekend, saving us the trip to the actual farm. You can fill up your shopping bag with delicious veggies, fruit, honey, eggs, meat and more, all while supporting local businesses. Besides edibles, there are soaps, lotions, oils and…
Best Chinese
It’s been suggested that when the zombie apocalypse comes, it could be slowed by a massive order of Chinese takeout: Given the over-the-top levels of MSG present at most Chinese restaurants, it’s conceivable we could put them all back to sleep. Don’t look for any help, however, from Guilin. With an MSG-free menu long before…
Best Way to be Entertained by Real-Life Adventures in an Off-Broadway Setting
In the late 1960s, you couldn’t get more hip in New York than being “off Broadway.” When that became too blasé, “off-off” allowed even the funkiest of dives to become cool. On the first Thursday of each month (except October), the Fluxx Studio and Gallery provides that kind of setting for this series of monologues…
Best Art Classes
How can we place any value judgment on something so subjective? What is art? You might just as well ask … what isn’t art? Everything is art, and nothing is art—and the good folks at the Drawing Studio are there to help you explore the everything and nothing of your own infinite possibilities. The people…
Best Fish Tacos
Rubio’s signature recipe of beer-battered Alaskan pollock, cabbage and sauce, all wrapped in a warm tortilla, comes out on top for the fourth year in a row. The recipe was crafted by Ralph Rubio, according to legend, after he sampled a fish taco in San Felipe, Mexico. He returned to San Diego to introduce his…
Best Playful Menu
Comfort food is king when it comes to the latest food trends, and the best restaurants are taking it to a new level. Jax Kitchen playfully twists your favorite comfort-food classics into modern, classy versions, like the crab Louie devil’d eggs, or “breakfast for lunch.” The crowning achievement just might be the classic Kobe burger…
Best French
If you aren’t able to jet off to Paris before the Tucson apocalypse, don’t worry; just take a ride to Ghini’s, and feast on a few French standbys: perhaps a café au lait and a croissant for breakfast, or salade niçoise and chicken Cordon Bleu for lunch. You can also stop by on Friday at…
Best Place to Bet on Dog-Racing in Between Frames
Studies have shown that there’s just enough time between turns in bowling to bet on, and watch, an entire greyhound race. There are seven places in the Tucson area where off-track betting is offered, but only one includes the opportunity to roll a few games while waiting for post time. Golden Pin’s bar area doubles…
Best Annual Festival
There is no better place to dive into the cultural wealth this city has to offer than the annual Tucson Meet Yourself Folklife Festival. Founded in 1974, the event beckons thousands downtown with music, dance and other performances that showcase the customs of the numerous cultures that make up our ethnic landscape. Then there’s the…
Best Lowbrow Bar Ambiance
In times of great peril, we all need company. Friends, relatives, loved ones—or just the comfort of strangers will do. That’s why there’s no place better to wait for the bombs to drop than that constant standby in the Iron Horse neighborhood, The Buffet. They have enough tanks of Coors and jumbo hot dogs simmering…
Best Drink Special to Help One Deal With Downtown Construction
The Police once sang, “When the world is running down, you make the best of what’s still around.” Thankfully, beyond the dust and haze of downtown’s streetcar-track construction, The District Tavern and its “$3 Special” is still around. The $3 Special consists of a single stinging shot of Old Crow whiskey, and a cold bottle…
Best Happy Hour
At Sky Bar, they buck the normal concepts of space and time with the expansion of the happy hour to include the entire day on Sunday. Toss back plenty of drinks that are not only cheap, but generous. Meanwhile, alcohol-absorbing pizza and calzones are on the menu for your end-of-the-world ennui. Open and airy, with…
Best Video Store
What better way to spend the end times than in this depository of life’s stories? Casa Video has been earning its reputation, one hard-to-find film at a time. Maybe you prefer to order films online. Well, mister, you can do that at the Casa website, either for in-store pickup, or to be mailed right to…
Finding Hope
When the Tucson Weekly first interviewed Rose Hamway about her retaliation complaint against the Tucson Unified School District (see “Preponderance of Evidence,” Sept. 13), the school psychologist recounted an incident that helped lead her to believe that something was wrong at Sahuaro High School—and perhaps with special-education services throughout the district. A special-ed staffer called…
Best Urban Landscaping
Enter campus from the northwest, near Park Avenue and Second Street, and you find yourself in an oasis—a palm-encircled pond hopping with slider turtles and fish, and watched over by the occasional heron. A few steps to the east, you’re in a grove of olive trees whose high branches are home to raptor nests. Cross…
Best Outdoor Recreation Store
Whether you’re stocking your cache of freeze-dried foods, looking for a high-power seven-day LED flashlight, or searching for one last favorite bush hat, Summit Hut is your best apocalypse-prep bet. The stores stock everything you need to survive any trek in comfort: hardy hiking boots; topo maps; comfortable yet rugged men’s and women’s clothing; down…
Best Wings
Whether you’re eating solo, going on a date or ordering for a Super Bowl party, Wingstop is the best place to satiate any craving for wings. There are a variety of ways this wing refuge can cater to your dining needs. You can spice up your dish by exploring the numerous flavors, ranging from the…
Best Radio Station for News
Given how broadcast journalism has gone the way of James L. Brooks’ brilliant movie Broadcast News, there’s no good reason to think any reporting of substance could be found on the radio. However, KUAZ (aka Arizona Public Media) delivers not only as a National Public Radio affiliate, but as a local outlet as well. Although…
Best Brunch
Some may balk at the price ($35) of this brunch, but when you consider that you get champagne and/or mimosas with your meal, that puts a whole new spin on things. Set in the lovely Grill, Hacienda del Sol’s brunch offers a carving station with prime rib, made-to-order waffles and omelets, and more. The salad…
Best Place to have Your Literary, Educational and Cultural IQ Raised by Osmosis
When local business titans Bill Viner and Bruce Beach first proposed this idea—an author-driven event modeled after the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books—not even they, in their wildest dreams, could have imagined how successful this event would be. Featuring hundreds of authors, the festival offers scores of workshops, panel discussions, readings and lectures with…
Best Movie Theater
The reason the Loft keeps winning this award is that everyone in town has a reason to vote for it. Cult monster epics? Got ’em. Obscure foreign-language dramas? Check. Year-round camp favorites? That, too. Sundance/Cannes/Telluride/SXSW winners? Count on it. Continuing education in essential classics, for free? What a public service! Shorts competitions, a kids’ film…
Best Sonoran Hot Dogs
Whoever came up with that “less is more” thing has obviously never had a Sonoran-style hot dog, particularly the bountiful beauties blessing our burg courtesy of El Guero Canelo. These dressed-up doggies include bacon, grilled onions, beans, mayo, mustard, tomatoes and jalepeño sauce resting in the softest, sweetest bun ever—and you won’t even be tempted…
Best Thin-Crust Pie in Midtown
Ooey-gooey strings of fresh, hot mozzarella stretch from pie to plate when the pizza is from Grimaldi’s Pizzeria. The ultra-thin, light, airy-crisp crust—with a hint of char from the authentic coal-fired oven—is the perfect accompaniment to the bold, saucy, cheesy toppings. Choose your saucing option (traditional red, white with garlic, or pesto), and then build…
The End-of-Days Exit Interview: Addam Buzzalini
As a teenager washing dishes at a restaurant, Addam Buzzalini watched the chefs working and loved the lingo, action and excitement in the kitchen. Wanting to be a part of a cooking staff, Buzzalini enrolled in the culinary arts program at Grand Rapids (Michigan) Community College. After graduation, he worked in Grand Rapids and later…
Best Car Wash
Tucson has some pretty unpredictable weather, but that shouldn’t stop you from taking your dustmobile to Metro. The place has a 48-hour re-wash guarantee, and is open seven days a week. Protect your dashboard from the ultra violence of the ultraviolet with Monkey Snot. Services range from $3.99 to $35. Got something funking up your…
Best Alternative Health Center
In ancient times in China, acupuncturists trained with a human form made of bronze that was filled with water and coated in wax. If they inserted needles in just the right place, they would puncture tiny wax-covered holes, and droplets of water would appear, confirming the practitioner’s precision. The acupuncturists at TCA may have trained…
Best Wine/Liquor Store
Have you seen the television show Doomsday Preppers? Families across the country are hoarding goods and preparing for the Big One. They have boxes of canned food, water bottles, vitamins and toilet paper neatly organized in family bomb shelters. But where’s the booze? Don’t be like that, Tucson. Go directly to Plaza Liquors, and stock…
Best Sports Bar
Sometimes, two-dozen televisions within eyeshot just isn’t enough. To tip the scales, a triple-digit-inch screen must exist, smack-dab in the middle of a complex with more than three-dozen beer choices in one direction, and a room full of unique video games in the other. Sometimes, the sports-bar experience cannot be complete without suddenly needing to…
Best Gay/Lesbian Bar
Leaving aside jokes about the comparative lack of Tucson competition in this category, IBT’s deserves recognition. The club offers dance music seven days a week, and the patio expands the bar’s dance space nicely. Drinks are cheap, particularly on “Cheap Ass Sundays,” when you can enjoy 2-for-1 beer and cocktails after 9 p.m.—which can help…
Best Retail Music Store
The world has already ended, sort of, for collectors of physical music media such as vinyl records and CDs, as these formats increasingly give way to digitized files. However, Zia continues to feed the habits of those who prefer higher-quality audio and like to actually hold artifacts as they listen. (Zia also offers music downloads…
Buke and Gase: Function Falls (Brassland)
This indie-rock duo from Brooklyn recently changed their name ever so slightly (from the original Buke and Gass) because casual listeners and fans alike were mispronouncing it. The name refers to their unique, customized instruments: Arone Dyer’s “buke,” a six-string baritone ukulele; and Aron Sanchez’s “gass,” a guitar-bass hybrid. As a stopgap between their 2010…
Best Public Garden
As global warming ushers in the end, the people at the Tucson Botanical Gardens are easing our decline with practical advice about pursuing our gardening pleasures while succumbing to the reality of drought. For taxonomy purposes, presumably, the entrance is through a landscape of useless, water-hogging traditions as oleanders, sour oranges and palms. But from…
Top Ten in Movies
1. Snow White and the Huntsman Universal 2. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 20th Century Fox 3. The Cabin in the Woods Lionsgate 4. The Five Year-Engagement Universal 5. Battleship Universal 6. What to Expect When You’re Expecting Lionsgate 7. Safe Lionsgate 8. The Lucky One Warner Bros. 9. The Woman in the Fifth New…
Best Place to Enjoy a Last Supper Outdoors
The Garden of Gethsemane is home to the art of Felix Lucero, a soldier in World War I who was dying on the battlefield when he promised to spend his life creating religious sculptures if the Virgin Mary saved him. Lucero survived and ended up living in a shack under an underpass, where he started…
Noshing Around
UmiStar opens; NoRTH goes rustic; MaFooCo and Wild Garlic Grill come; and Panda Buffet says goodbye.
Best Breakfast
If breakfast is the most-important meal of the day, imagine how important it will be on the last day. There’s no reason to face armageddon on an empty tummy, so start the day at any of The Good Egg’s four Tucson locations. As the name implies, there are dozens of different ways to enjoy fresh…
Best Inventive Modern Dance
Whoever imagined dancers taking the part of waves of water flowing down a river? NEW ART, that’s who. On Earth Day, April 22, a blazing Sunday, the troupe’s performers danced down the dry riverbed of the once-flowing Santa Cruz. Shod in sneakers, the dancers moved along the baked and cracked earth, re-enacting the time not…
Best Local Performing Artist
Here’s the thing: Calexico is the Best Local Performing Artist, because they’re actually a lot of artists. A live Calexico show is a group effort, easily a dozen strong, sometimes more. At one show, we counted 17 people onstage, with everyone in synch, creating music infused with flavors local and beyond. Joey Burns and John…
Best Burrito
Living in a city so close to the Mexico border has its perks—including the endless availability of burritos. Among the varied Mexican-food joints around the city, Nico’s takes the cake, or, rather, the burrito, in serving deliciousness wrapped in a flour tortilla. Whether you’re into a plain bean-and-cheese or something more adventurous, Nico’s offers something…
Best Late-Night Eats
Whether it’s the end of the day or the end of the world, we know where we want to have our final meal: in the bar at Kingfisher. For starters, there’s the late-night happy-hour deals on oysters, and those can’t-be-beat, grilled-and-chilled shrimp. There are some healthy options, too, like the grilled salmon or the great…
Best Urban Escape
A traditional Thai massage starts with a fragrant sauna, and then you lie fully clothed on a mat while a practitioner (most likely named Jason) stretches and bends and folds and unfolds you for an hour or two, or even longer. A warm ginger beverage concludes the treatment, after which you stumble out onto Fourth…
Best Casual Dining
Hub had a following before it even opened: Its very active Facebook presence led to great anticipation. And the restaurant, which bills itself as offering “lunch/dinner/ice cream,” does not disappoint: Whenever we visit, this joint is nearly packed. There are various reasons for that—attentive service, an utter lack of attitude, and limitless tastes of the…
The End-Of-Days Exit Interview: Erin Bradley
Old is the new new. With everyone turning “green,” and the economy requiring that we all, well, economize, our fashion aesthetic has gone retro-combo-chic. How else to explain why the highly astute, trend-conscious readers the of Tucson Weekly voted a secondhand clothing store, Buffalo Exchange, as their choice for Best Clothing Fashions? Perhaps new, trendy…
Best Antiques/Kitsch/Collectables
One could spend days at Copper Country Antiques—and you’d still feel like you hadn’t looked at everything of interest. With 32,000 square feet packed full of knickknacks, jewelry, books, clothing, artwork and everything in between, there’s a lot to explore. The mall feels like a very relaxed museum, where you can touch and browse instead…
Best Cocktail Menu
A couple of hours before Scott and Co.’s 6 p.m. opening time, the bartenders arrive at work to do two things: Set up their cocktail mise en place … and tinker. They mix and combine ingredients, ices and techniques—ever heard of a “pulled” cocktail?—to develop handcrafted drinks. And the results are amazing. We’re talking national-attention-getting…
Editor’s Note
Welcome to our biggest issue of the year: the Best of Tucson®. While I have a lot more about the issue to say in the official BOT intro, I wanted to use this space to again thank you, the Best of Tucson® voters, for understanding that valuing local businesses is important. The businesses you voted…
The Skinny
Is Barack Obama closing the gap with Mitt Romney in Arizona? … More campaign-finance complaints against Pima County Board of Supes candidate Ally Miller … A legislative debate you should watch this week … and more!
Best Bike-Riding
The Rillito River Trail is a safe and scenic way to zip through a sizable stretch of the city without confronting the traffic and exhaust common to urban bicycle-riding. The path is 12 miles of pothole-free biking enjoyment that winds through groves of mesquite trees and under overpasses—and thanks to Tucson’s dedicated cycling community, it’s…
Best Bike Shop
When it comes to Tucson’s bicycling community, the apocalypse has already happened: With numerous potholes, seemingly endless construction and often-insufficient bike lanes, riding through Tucson often feels like riding through a battle zone. Thankfully, we have Ordinary Bike Shop, conveniently located just off of Fourth Avenue. If you take a tumble and bend your wheel…
Best Use of Previously Unused Outdoor Space
What does it take to make desert soil spring forth with flowers and food? To get started, it takes plenty of compost and water, but then you need someone who knows how to make those plants flourish under the relentless rays of the Tucson sun. That’s where Community Gardens of Tucson comes in. The nonprofit…
Best Country Music Station
Country music has gone from genre to lifestyle, with its own clothing, vehicles, beliefs and demographics. KIIM remains Tucson’s favorite country station—not that it has had much competition in decades. The station plays the best new country and mixes in a well-researched collection of classic songs about hurting, healing, cheating and loving, as well as…
The End-of-Days Exit Interview: Matt Cotten
Matt Cotten is the director of Puppets Amongus, a troupe that delivers both ancient fables and modern tales with a cosmopolitan flair by bringing unique hand-made characters to life. Their original tales can be as clever as Aesop’s; they’re also as meaningful for adults as for children. The troupe’s most-recent original work, El Sueño de…
Best Sublime Ballet Moment
The company’s new leading man, Stuart Lauer, plucked from the ranks after years of steadily improving his dancing, partnered his real-life wife, Elise Vitso, in a re-staging of a pas de deux from the Antony Tudor masterpiece “Leaves Are Fading,” in March 2012. The gorgeous work, danced by the local pro company for the first…
The End-of-Days Exit Interview: Joe Pagac
Painter Joe Pagac may be best known for his murals highlighting the bands playing at the Rialto Theatre, but his work has been popping up all over downtown walls these days. Pagac also does commercial work and fine art—you might have seen his work on display in the lobby of Hotel Congress—and earlier this year,…
The End-of-Days Exit Interview
Diana Teran, co-owner of La Tauna Tortillas, said she and her husband, Francisco Moreno, work various hours in their home to make their vegan tortillas. They started selling them at the Santa Cruz Farmers’ Market, and now sell them at the Food Conspiracy Co-op and Sprouts. The La Tauna best-seller is the olive-oil tortilla, but…
Best Outdoor Seating
What La Cocina has done with the Old Town Artisans’ courtyard is breathtaking. There are plants everywhere. The little pond is thriving, with cute little turtles peeking their heads out on occasion; birds sing in the trees. There’s a stage, where a variety of local musicians can be found performing at all hours of the…
Best Waitress
Waitress by day, dodge-ball player on the all-women’s Ball Busters team by night, Brittany Young is the kind of waitress who could double as your best friend at the end of the world. If you haven’t even been into Yamato’s for months (and the food is so good, you should never wait that long), Brittany…
Best Unofficial City Holiday
In late May, we’re enjoying the heat. The town’s quiet; the warm, still nights are lovely. Our swamp coolers kick much ass. A few weeks later, we might get cranky if we don’t have air conditioning. The bugs thunk against the windows, and one day, we decide that the cooler must be broken. Climbing the…
Best Place to Find Things You Didn’t Know You Needed
You never quite know what you’ll find at Casa de los Niños Thrift Shop. It’s a good place to go with an open mind; you could find anything from a new Oriental rug to a bag full of different-shaped animal cookie-cutters. This well-organized thrift store seems to go through merchandise fairly quickly, which makes it…
Best Eyeglass/Optical Retailer
Jeepers creepers! Why is it so expensive to get glasses for those peepers? News flash: It doesn’t have to cost you valuable limbs to correct that wacky vision of yours. (We’re referring to your eyes’ vision, not the metaphysical sort.) Lesco Optical offers the greatest deals in Tucson. A progressive (no lines), UV-treated, tri-focal pair…
Best UA-Area Bar and Restaurant Where the Kids Are OK
Some people who don’t go to the UA might be disinclined to hang at Frog and Firkin because of the … well … you know … college students. But some students are worth hanging with, as you’ll see if you come here. This place not only has fabulous food, from many varieties of fries (like…
Best Billiards
Can you ever get a pool table at your favorite bar—which has, like, maybe two? Probably not, unless you’re a billiards bully. Clicks has freakin’ 20 pool tables, mostly your standard (but quality) 8-foot-long models, but there are also three famous 9-footers—and no warped cues. If you want entertainment variety, you’ve got it—foosball, dartboards, TVs,…
Best Comics/Games Shop
Heroes and Villains, nestled in a Broadway Boulevard strip mall, is a clean, accessible and easy-to-peruse store. Comic-lovers will find themselves immersed in a world of Technicolor super-fights. Each shelf is labeled by genre, making it easy to find whatever you’re searching for. And even if you don’t know what you’re after, Heroes and Villains…
Doomed Adobe
“A pitiful eyesore,” said one self-appointed sage. “Not worth saving,” argued another. “Look to the future,” chanted the wrecking-ball chorus. “A waste of taxpayer money. Tear it down, and sooner rather than later.” Marist College? Nope. Thirty years ago, the preservation point of contention was downtown’s circa-1927 Temple of Music and Art. The venerable Scott…
Best Recreation Area in Southern Arizona
A perennial winner in this category, Sabino Canyon offers a taste of what our local ecosystem is all about. Tall trees, desert brush, a whole slew of birds, and varied animals can be found here. Palo verde trees, prickly pear, saguaros, cholla, hawks, road runners, spiders, snakes and maybe even a family of javelina can…
See It for the Acting
I appreciate what writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master has to offer. The movie looks terrific and features two of the year’s best performances, from Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Yet The Master is not one of the year’s best films. I surprise myself as I type this, because I count Anderson’s Magnolia and…
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: Hey, mojado , since when do you think it’s OK to fuck up the facts of your wretched culture and concentrate on the few who have done something with their lives? For the most part, Mexicans are perverted, short, dark, little disgusting animals. You fit into that category. They shit out litters to…
Best Pop Music Station
Wouldn’t you love to hear a Justin Bieber tune as the world is exploding? If you raised your hand for “yes,” then you probably already tune in to KRQQ FM 93.7. This Clear Channel property nabbed Best Pop Music Station honors, and its pulsating, often-peppy tunes aren’t the only things listeners dig. Morning DJs Johnjay…
Police Dispatch
A woman acts ‘hard’; an apartment complex gets ‘Menace’-d
Best Space to Reconnect With Your Kid and Listen Over a Milkshake
We all have bad days, but for some kiddos, a bad day can seem like the end of the world, and that’s when it’s time to make them feel special while having that kid-parent discussion that you hope explains one truth—that life never stays the same. One of the best places to have that discussion…
Best Photographer
These two superb photographers each tried something new and wonderful in their exhibitions at Etherton Gallery this season. Breakey is best known for her brightly painted photos of dead birds and lizards, magnified to monumental size. This time, in Slow Light, she exhibited small, quiet black-and-white landscapes, each pierced by shafts of light, with sun…
Best New Cocktail Bar
Ask any truly fine bartender around town which Tucson bars are making the top drinks these days, and you’ll hear a variety of responses. Some will say the sister properties of Hotel Congress and Maynards Market and Kitchen. Others will point southwest toward Casino del Sol. Of course, many will cite our Best Cocktail Menu…
Best Tortillas
Mayan legend has it that tortillas were invented by an ancient peasant to please his king. Like the Mayan calendar, the tortillas at Anita Street Market are time-sensitive; in fact, they are best eaten warm, right out of the bag. The simple recipe is clearly labeled, but the secret ingredient is love—warm, soft blankety love,…
Best Upscale Cuisine
If the world is going to end, there’s no point in worrying about credit-card debt, and the most-delightful way to max out is on very fine dining experiences at The Grill at Hacienda del Sol. Tucked discreetly in an idyllic setting with expansive views of Tucson, The Grill specializes in exquisitely prepared meals with an…
Best Chicken Parmesan Sandwich
There’s something sinfully fabulous about a hot chicken parmesan sandwich—a moist chicken breast slathered in a beautiful San Marzano tomato marinara sauce, smothered in cheesy provolone and parmesan goodness, and served piping-hot on a nice Italian roll, maybe with a side salad or some lovely olives. Roma Imports is as Italian as it gets in…
Best Shopping for Your Yard
Billed as “your outstanding country experience for animals large and small,” Arizona Feeds is just plain fun, even if you’re only window-shopping. In addition to bales of hay and Western wear, you can get dog food, a neon Carhartt T-shirt, a dozen baby chicks, or a stock tank that is the perfect size for a…
Best Guilt-Free Shopping for Animal-Lovers
Who doesn’t love helping out homeless puppies and kitties? All proceeds from the Humane Society of Southern Arizona Thrift Store go directly toward helping homeless animals in Tucson. As if thrift-shopping wasn’t already a good thing, at the HSSA Thrift Store, it’s a double-whammy: Prices are reasonable, and you can find everything from clothing and…
Best Specialty Foods
When you’re stocking up in preparation to hunker down—in style—AJ’s is the grocer of choice. AJ’s may not be the only place in Tucson where you can find fresh lotus root, or annatto seeds, or truffle mousse, or frozen pheasant, or an array of gourmet cheeses, or a $100 turducken … but it’s probably the…
Best Home Furnishings
If the world is ending, you’ll want to go out in style—surrounded by timeless elegance and good taste. The home and office furnishings at Copenhagen are all about character and functionality. From the sleek low lines of the leather couches to the sturdy and distinctive bed frames, from the gracious traditional and contemporary dining sets…
Best-Tasting Local Brew
Nimbus Brewing Company’s monkey mascot is one busy simian. There he is, sitting cross-legged in deep alcohol-induced meditation on the Oatmeal Stout label, and there he is again, dressed like a hillbilly and strumming a banjo on a bottle of the Old Monkeyshine. Hell, he even plays the devil on the Red Ale bottle, where…
A Hobby Heightened
Many are the accounts of hobbyist musical savants who suddenly found their bedroom recordings released to international acclaim. None is more compelling than that of Washed Out, the chillwave project of Atlanta-based librarian Ernest Greene. Washed Out’s first official release, the 2009 EP Life of Leisure, consisted of six songs of irresistibly beautiful banks of…
The Mission Creeps: Halloween (Refractory)
All Hallows’ Eve lasts all year for Tucson horror-rock band the Mission Creeps. This excellent thematic album employs surf-rock, blues stomps, high-Gothic drama, sci-fi soundtrack music and rockabilly twang to help you get your spook on. Many tunes are simply scary fun, such as the catchy opener “Halloween (Theme).” But the band makes horror-theme tropes…
City Week
Get politically artsy; verbally tour Tucson’s cemeteries; go underground with blood suckers; and celebrate those on the road to sobriety.
Now Showing at Home
Stay in and watch a wild and crazy guy; hang with a 30-year-old homebody; and admire an archaeologist on Blu-ray.
Media Watch
Star‘s employee hemorrhage continues while its prices rise; the continuing mysteries of KWFM
Filling the ‘Void’
That long road from then ’til now brought plenty of adventures and changes, but Dr. Dog is still Dr. Dog. The Philadelphia band, now a sextet, has gone from dishwashing jobs and home recording to widespread acclaim as one of the most vibrant live bands playing today, with a summer full of huge shows—like Lollapalooza…
Best Place to Take Your Kid and Their BFF to Make Art
The Sonoran Glass School offers all sorts of glass-making classes for all ages, but if you have a budding Dale Chihuly on your hands with an equally precocious best friend, make an appointment to Blow Your Own. The kids are assisted with every step and have a few shapes from which to choose, like a…
Best Intellectually Colorful Play
A lot of us love to talk about art. Arizona Theatre Company gave us exactly what we crave with the stellar production of John Logan’s Red. Featuring terrific performances by Denis Arndt as famed artist Mark Rothko, and Connor Toms as his student assistant, it is a quiet play with loud ideas: art’s often curious…
Best Pan Dulce
The tortillas, doughnuts and cakes are all delicious at this Tucson institution, but these traditional Latin American pastries—also known as “pan de huevo” to some old-school Tucsonans—collectively constitute a slice of heaven. Food historians trace the creation of this treat to the French occupation of Mexico; the dough is sometimes similar to brioche. Many varieties…
Best Salsa
A necessary staple of any Tucsonan’s Apocalypse Preparedness Pack, salsa is relatively simple to make—it’s basically tomatoes, peppers, onion and a bit of love. But no matter how much time you spend perfecting your recipe while hiding from roaming hordes of bandits, you’d be hard-pressed to match the magic of Guadalajara Grill, the now-perennial Best…
Best Vegetarian/Vegan
It seems as though Lovin’ Spoonfuls owner Peggy Raisglid has created some sort of beautiful oasis, where carnivores, omnivores and herbivores can gather in harmony over a plate of tofu and a vanilla-mint soy milkshake. With extensive breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, Lovin’ Spoonfuls has some deliciously creative dishes. Something about the food there satisfies…
Best Papanacha
Carne asada? Yum. Bacon? Yum. Mushrooms? Yum. Baked potato? Yum. There isn’t a single thing not to like about papanachas—a steaming baked potato loaded with fresh, delicious, tasty ingredients. In fact, it might be the lunch to end all lunches—or at least an excellent choice for an end-of-the-world bite to eat. The folks at the…
Best Romantic Theater Seats
There’s no doubt the most-romantic seats in town happen to be in the balcony at the Tucson Fox Theatre. Sometimes a show demands that the damn armrest be ripped out from between you and your date. When Gillian Welch and David Rawlings get to singing, it’s arms you want, and someone to lean into. There’s…
Best Time of Year to Thrift Shop
Every May, a local charity—often the aforementioned St. Vincent de Paul, but it varies—puts bins in the UA dorms and Greek houses. By the final days of the semester, students who can’t fit everything into their suitcases or cars are more than happy to deposit their less-favored clothing into the boxes. A week or so…
Best Florist
Even though the Tucson apocalypse won’t make the list of typical flower-buying occasions like a birthday or an anniversary, we’re pretty sure Inglis Florists would come up with just the right floral arrangement for the end of times. After all, they have helped Tucsonans “say it with flowers” for more than 70 years. The business…
Best Place for Drinking, Live Music and Glass Art
It can be boring ordering drinks over a wooden bar at a place swarming with ordinary people—but at Mr. Head’s, the bar is glass, showcasing beautiful, swirly colored art for admiring while you order your drink. There are also plenty of extraordinary Fourth Avenue folks to stare at and chat with, and—on the weekends, at…
Best Beer Selection on Tap
With more than 45 imported craft beers and domestic microbrews on draught, this popular UA-area joint is a haven for beer-drinkers. The list of brews changes weekly—or daily, if a keg runs dry—and a recent week featured six selections from Arizona breweries. On recent visits, the Santa’s Little Helper (a Russian imperial stout; 10 percent…
Best Video Games Store
When wild dogs are roaming the Sonoran wasteland, you’ll be wishing that you had prepared yourself for the dangers looming before you. Since you still have time, you might as well train in video-game simulations such as the recent classic Fallout: New Vegas, or the just-released Borderlands 2. GameStop stocks the best in both new…
Cat Power: Sun (Matador)
Sun is a thoroughly modern and occasionally thrilling record, yet it’s one that also feels forced, as if someone handed Chan Marshall an assignment to make a synth-and-beat-heavy album. That she pulls it off, in her own charmingly peculiar way, is a testament to Marshall’s songwriting, but along the way, there remains a nagging sense…
T Q&A
Jennifer Yamnitz, Tucson chairwoman of the Arizona board of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, worked for the Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau before leaving last fall to work as a freelance designer and copywriter. In that capacity, Yamnitz has learned the value of networking and of singing the praises of Tucson’s “creative community.”…
Best Sporting Goods
If you want to be ready for the impending apocalypse, Big 5 Sporting Goods offers a lot of great survival gear: portable barbecues and stoves, air coolers, lanterns, flashlights, hydration packs and more. Even if the world doesn’t end, these goodies can all be used for a great camping trip. But let’s not forget all…
Best Bagels
If you’re looking for a great New York-style bagel in Tucson, Bruegger’s is the place to get it. Bruegger’s opened nearly 30 years ago, making fresh bagels daily in a stone-hearth oven; Bruegger’s has kept that delicious flavor going ever since. With more than 15 different types of cream cheese, you can’t go wrong. If…
Best Rock Music Station
Time was, the only station on which to really hear rock music in Tucson was KLPX. Then came KFMA in the mid ’90s, and ever since, the stations have been trading the Best Rock Music Station designation back and forth (except for in 2002, when, for some reason, KXCI won). Here’s why KFMA rocks this…
Best Place to Teach Your Kids the Art of Doing Nothing
The best access to the Cienega Creek Natural Preserve is now called the Gabe Zimmerman Davidson Canyon Trailhead. It’s just off Marsh Station Road. (Take Interstate 10, Exit 281.) You’re going to need a permit, but they’re free. (Call 877-6158.) Seems like a lot of work to teach your kid the art of doing nothing—but…
Best Consequence of a Cell Phone Ringing
Cell phones can be helpful, and they can be annoying—but did you know they can be the inspiration for great theater? That was proven indisputably in September 2011, when Chicken Lipps Productions and Studio Connections gave us Sarah Ruhl’s incisive and hilarious tale Dead Man’s Cell Phone, about what happens when a young woman answers…
Best Mural
If you need someone to paint a mural of the upcoming apocalypse, Joe Pagac is your man—as comic John Hodgman discovered during an appearance at the Rialto Theatre earlier this year. Hodgman, impressed by Pagac’s rotating murals on the side of the Rialto, invited the painter onstage to do a massive interpretation of Hodgman’s predicted…
Best Mexican Fast-Food/Drive-Thru
The beauty of drive-thru Mexican food is that it’s supposed to be greasy, salty and just tasty enough to make it into your stomach without causing a ruckus. It’s supposed to be served in crazy-big portions at all hours of the day and night, and shoveled into your maw with a plastic fork or spoon.…
Best Vietnamese
There Miss Saigon sits, all nonchalant, showing no external sign that the Vietnamese food served inside has swept the Best of Tucson® awards for many years running. What does it take to wow Tucson diners year after year? Delicious spring rolls with fresh vegetables peeking through their opaque wrappers. Big bowls of pho—noodle soup made…
Best Solar-Powered Treats
Solar is cool. Classic cars are cool. And ice cream—well, you get the idea. Isabella’s Ice Cream rolled onto the scene in 2010 in a restored, solar-powered Ford Model T. If you’re looking to swiftly satisfy your sweet tooth when out and about at events, you’re practically guaranteed to find Isabella’s. The fleet has expanded…
Best Concert Promoters
If you’ve been to a concert in Tucson in the past few years, there’s a good chance it was a Stateside Presents show. Since 1995, the folks at Stateside have brought hundreds of national acts to Tucson and continue to put on several concerts per week at some of Tucson’s best venues. Charlie Levy runs…
Best Caterer
Fans of Feast revel in the fact that you can get all of those great restaurant goodies served up at your next bash. The same care and professionalism you’ll find at the restaurant is found in the catering service. The team will take care of you from the beginning until the last napkin drops. Fruit…
Best Tattoo Parlor
Some may say that individuals with multiple tattoos and piercings—not to mention those indulging in the recent trends of branding, scarification and body implants—are ready and waiting for The Bomb. Need some fresh ink and a septum piercing to live out your Mad Max fantasies? Look no further than downtown’s Black Rose Tattooers. Servicing Tucson’s…
Best Resale/Vintage Clothing
You can pretty much find anything at Buffalo Exchange, from hats, shoes, scarves, pants and jackets, to unique items like those high-top purple combat boots you’ve been seeking. Buffalo’s buyers can be nitpicky when you are trying to get rid of clothes for some extra cash, but there is a reason for that: They carry…
The End-of-Days Exit Interview: Karl Goranowski
Karl Goranowski is a renowned bartender at Scott and Co. He helped open the bar’s adjoining restaurant, 47 Scott, and says he’s the last remaining original employee. A native of Columbia, Maryland, he came to Tucson to attend the UA; he graduated with a degree in history and political science. What would be his last…
Top Ten in Music
1. Kanye West G.O.O.D. Music: Cruel Summer (Island/Def Jam) 2. The Killers Battle Born (Island) 3. Bob Dylan Tempest (Columbia) 4. Ben Folds Five The Sound of the Life of the Mind (Sony) 5. The Avett Brothers The Carpenter (Universal Republic) 6. Grizzly Bear Shields (Warp) 7. P!nk The Truth About Love (RCA) 8. Brother…
Weekly Wide Web
It seems as if Korean pop-music sensation Psy and his song “Gangnam Style” exploded into popular consciousness within the last week, spurred by the legitimacy that comes from getting the most “likes” on YouTube. Makes sense, really—it might be the catchiest damn song of the last few years, despite the fact that the language is…
Best Hike
Sabino Canyon is not only a favorite of longtime Tucson hikers; it’s a great “gateway drug” for those just discovering the addictively healthy pleasure of Tucson hiking. A visitors’ center provides some excellent resources to start with. There is an entrance fee, but there’s ample parking and restrooms available. Sabino Canyon can be hiked, biked…
The Kimchi Chronicles
One of the most memorable meals I’ve ever had took place at a Korean restaurant in New York City. One day, we wandered into a restaurant next door to our hotel, which happened to be in the middle of Koreatown. Now, this was a Korean restaurant, with a Korean staff and mostly Korean customers, and…
Best Smoothie
Xoom Juice deserves every drop of this award. It’s one of the only places we know of where you can pay someone to make you a smoothie that’s better than you could make at home—with nothing weird in it, that’s completely healthy, and with an awesome variety of “xoomers,” or supplements. We know someone who…
Best Radio Personality
A highlight from the comment section from last year’s Best of Tucson® win for Jon Justice in this category: “How it must chap your collective liberal asses that he wins again.” Not really, “Eric,” because we’ll always have one glorious episode of Jon’s show, on June 13, when Justice had to spend hours wrestling with…
Best Place to Relive Your Youth for an Hour
Perhaps it’s hard to believe, but there were once multiple roller-skating venues in Tucson: Rollers on Alvernon Way, a place on 22nd Street which currently houses a medical-supply company, and two Skate Country locations. The regrettable era of the rollerblade stole all the fun from skating, but somehow, the 22nd Street location of Skate County…
Best Grocery-Store Surprise
Most grocery delis have the routine stuff: cold cuts, fried chicken, salads and so on. But for something really different, stop at your neighborhood Food City deli counter (presuming your neighborhood Food City has a deli counter) for some Mexican fare. While the offerings vary from day to day, there’s always the usual stuff (red…
Best Art Museum
TMA was the instigator for the rock ‘n’ roll art shows all around town last fall; the museum’s own entry, Who Shot Rock and Roll: A Photographic History, 1955 to the Present, was a rollicking collection of baby boomer treasures, from Keef beaming over his infant daughter, to a baby-faced Boss on the verge of…
Best Mexican
Unique, artistic and bold, Café Poca Cosa has consistently caught the attention of local and visiting foodies, and has helped put Tucson on the map for Mexican food. A far cry from the bland Tex-Mex that can be found across the Southwest, the food at Café Poca Cosa is fine Mexican with a modern twist,…
Best Thai
We’re certainly glad that Char’s Thai moved from its original Tempe digs down to the Old Pueblo in 1984. In fact, we are glad 10 times over: That’s the number of consecutive Best of Tucson® wins the restaurant has earned. The menu is huge—there are even 20 appetizers on the menu—and tastes run from hot,…
Best Local Eating Challenge
Not to discount the well-earned fame Lindy’s on Fourth received thanks to its OMFG burger’s appearance on Travel Channel’s Man vs. Food, but access to Tucson’s Chowhound Mount Olympus should take a bit more than three pounds of beef. Enter the Boca Challenge. As of this writing, Boca’s taco platter has bested every challenger that’s…
Best Hotel Pool to Crash
When the summer sun starts to feel apocalyptic, and global warming threatens to end us all, it’s time to crash a pool—preferably one with a great view and a nearby bar. That’s where JW Marriott Starr Pass comes in. Located just west of downtown Tucson, the fancy hotel boasts a double-decker mirage pool overlooking the…
Best Go-Wild Bargain Shopping
The first and third Saturdays of every month, St. Vincent’s offers all clothing for $1. Of course, “red tag” items are excluded, and it’s likely that half of what you desire will have a red tag. (Even still, a red-tagged suede jacket for $5? Let’s not complain, shall we?) Some of us buy things even…
Best Reason to Go Out on a Monday Night
Clocking in at a mere two hours (from 6 to 8 p.m.), it’s not much of a date night, but then it’s not really that kind of scene. Whether there are 23 people or four times that many, enthusiastic patrons understand: This is about the music. The atmosphere is more about playing than performing, which…
Best Clothing Fashions (Locally Owned)
A sure sign of the apocalypse: Nobody’s bothering to buy new clothes. Tucson’s most-stylin’ street wear looks just like the outfits that employees assemble from gently used apparel and spread throughout the walls and windows of Buffalo Exchange. The good news? We’re all going to depart this life in custom ensembles! It’s not like anything…
Best Bike-Powered Food Operation
Tucson got way more delicious when Gus Coliadis strapped a cooler to an orange cargo bike and hit the streets as the mighty mobile-food operation Cyclopsicle. The frozen-treat stand has since become a favorite at events around town, wowing customers with unique flavors not found elsewhere. Crazy flavor combinations like smoked-tea peaches and cream; Turkish…
Best News Anchor Who Was Shipped Off to Buffalo
Yes, we’re a little biased, since Lou Raguse hosted the “Spotlight” segment featuring various members of our staff during his time at KMSB Channel 11, but we miss the tall, absurdly handsome news anchor who also happened to own a replica of the Mystery Machine from Scooby-Doo. It probably worked out for the best for…
Are You Ready for What the Future Shall Bring?
Last year, Christian radio magnate Harold Camping predicted that the apocalypse would begin with Christ’s return on May 21, 2011. Didn’t happen. He then clarified that the rapture would actually begin in earnest on Oct. 21, 2011. Didn’t happen. This year, the Mayan calendar (aka the Mesoamerican long-count calendar) and its alleged prediction/inference/whatever that the…
Musical With a Message
Entertaining. Sophisticated. Thoughtful and incisive. Emotionally rich. These qualities all characterize Arizona Theatre Company’s season opener, Next to Normal. But because the subject of mental illness is at the heart of the story—bipolar disorder, specifically—the musical earns another judgment: It’s amazing. Musicals that take on serious subjects are nothing new. But the originality of Next…
Best Close-by Sonoran Hiking Spot
Are you the type of person who likes to put on running shorts and jog around your neighborhood? Or would you rather don hiking boots and a backpack, and trek up a mountain? Tumamoc Hill is a place for both types, offering Sonoran Desert surroundings and a paved road to run or walk along. When…
Best Buffet
The key to a good buffet is variety. Anyone who sets out to enjoy one of these all-you-can-eat grubfests is looking for as many choices as possible. And, preferably, those choices should fluctuate so that the regulars—you know who you are—can keep their taste buds on their figurative toes. At Golden Corral, the choices are…
Best Radio Talk Show (Host)
Let’s get this out of the way: Until he leaves town, Jon Justice will probably be the Best of Tucson® Best Radio Talk Show (Host). Someone else might find a way to win this poll (we doubt it), but Justice is the best at what he does. A few shows might have better guests or…
Best Kids’ Store We Should Appreciate a Bit More
Mention “Mrs. Tiggy Winkles” to many parents around town, and you’ll hear a great deal of chagrin and sentimentality for the toy store which closed in June 2011. That chagrin and sentimentality is for good reason: Mrs. Tiggy Winkles had nearly everything you could possibly want, making it nearly impossible to take a kid into…
Best Alternative Packaging for a Compact Disc
Multi-instrumentalist Black—a player and composer of great note and the chargé d’affaires for the acclaimed ChamberLab project—has wearied of releasing CDs in tacky, easily broken jewel cases. For his recent collection of original compositions for voice, piano and percussion, Black worked with Spork Press to craft a beautiful, handmade wooden box with a cloth spine…
Best Place to Flash Your Well-Worn Hippie Card
One needs to go no further than the utopian mission statement to understand that the ideals that fueled the Woodstock Nation are alive and well. Aside from that, most hippie types (as the movie Woodstock showed us) do love to dance, and the Rhythm Industry Performance Factory provides an ideal environment for one to become…
Best Total Revamping of a Greasy Spoon
The new eye-popping paint job at Mother Hubbard’s Café has officially erased most signs that the restaurant spent decades as one of Tucson’s classic greasy spoons. But those freshly painted walls are only the most-recent upgrade that Kelzi Bartholomaei has made since she bought the eatery in 2010 and started writing a whole new chapter…
Best Sushi
If the question is, “How will I spend my last few hours on this Earth?” one possible answer is Sushi Garden. Where else can you drink a “zombie” while eating raw flesh? The tempura rolls are so ethereal, they seem to evaporate from your plate. The bar is bustling with sleek television screens to watch…
Best Affordable Dinner Spot for People-Watching
Got a blind date? A night out with a boring significant other? Dinner with relatives to whom you just can’t relate? Invite them to Delectables, and make sure you’re seated by the window. Here, the food is decent and reasonably priced; the atmosphere is relaxed; the drinks are good; and you can zone out on…
Best Auto Repair
Buck’s Automotive When your car breaks down, it can feel like the end of the world. But take it down to Buck’s Automotive, and you can rest assured that the work will be done right the first time, and you’ll be back on the road in no time. The shop has been around since 1978,…
Best Diner
A menu is a restaurant’s manifesto, and Little Anthony’s Diner’s manifesto offers a bit of flair. The BLT is called a “Pig in a Garden;” the club sandwich is known as the “Chubby Checker Triple Decker;” and all of the healthy items are clustered under the hilarious heading “Things Elvis Wouldn’t Eat.” Burgers? Oh, they’ve…
Best Wine Bar
There’s always something happening for wine-lovers at this La Encantada wine bar. On Mondays, everything on the menu is half-off. On Tuesdays, you can find wine-tastings. On Wednesdays, all bottles of wine are half-price. Need we say more? The wine list offers a great mix of whites, reds and bubbles. Armitage is one of the…
Best Place to Dance
If your plan is to make like Britney Spears and dance until the world ends, Club Congress would be the place to abandon your inhibitions and bust a move. What with admission being so close to free, and drinks being almost as inexpensive, there’s no question why people go there. Most importantly, every night of…
Best Breakfast Burrito
A breakfast burrito is easy to screw up. Some places don’t scramble the eggs before pouring them on the grill, a fatal flaw that creates beads of yolk and white instead of supple scrambled nuggets. Other places don’t cook the potatoes all the way through, or, in more-tragic cases, they toss in chopped French fries…
Best 2 1/2 Hours on KXCI FM 91.3
If you’re a Tucsonan who actually enjoys listening to the radio, your favorite radio station is probably KXCI—but even the most-devout music fan would find it challenging to like every show on 91.3’s schedule. Maybe you’re really into Al Perry’s Clambake, or perhaps Search and Rescue’s focus on psychedelic jams from the ’60s and ’70s…
Best Radio Station to Crank Up and Pretend Your Car Has Hydraulics
Have you ever entered your car feeling psyched—even if you’re embarking on unpleasant errands or commuting to a crappy job? Congratulations. Turn on the tunes, and drive happy. But if—horror of horrors—you hit a traffic jam, say goodbye to your good mood. In fact, you just might wish for the end of the world—that is,…
Best Backpacking Trail
You may have seen it on the faces of your children, co-workers and clients. Perhaps you have seen it reflected in the rearview mirror of your car during rush hour: It’s zombie-face, and it’s highly contagious. The trancelike state is caused by technology overstimulation and fluorescent lights. There is only one cure … NATURE! A…
Best Desert Road Segment to Feel Terror and Joy Simultaneously
Have you ever felt absolute fear for your life and total exhilaration at the same time? Maybe you have. But if you haven’t done it at the top of a pass between two enormous mountains, you’d better get to Gates Pass. When you go, don’t be the driver, so you can concentrate on the beautiful…
Best Food Truck
When the apocalypse finally weighs down on this world, let’s build a rocket and fly away to the Planet of the Crepes. There’s no trouble there, only homemade crepes and a nice woman named Jessica Kraus to serve them to us out of a cool little food trailer. We can let her do the cooking…
Best Bookstore for New Books
If the smell of brand-new books makes your toes curl in ecstasy, then Barnes and Noble is your store. The chain has two Tucson locations, both of which offer the hottest sellers, free Wi-Fi and even a cup of joe if you’re into Starbucks. In addition to being crammed with the latest books to hit…
Best Kids’ Concert You Probably Missed
The Arizona Centennial Celebration downtown was a strange weekend-long event, throwing a Ferris wheel in along with a panel discussion of civil rights in Arizona, food trucks and a lot of music. Also, one of the biggest stars in kids’ music (yes, there are stars beyond The Wiggles; the genre has come a long way…
Best Family-Based Art and Music Collective
Crazy talent runs in this clan. The husband-and-wife team of Daniel Martin Diaz and Paula Catherine Valencia (both Tucson natives) runs Sacred Machine Gallery and Curiosity Shop, located in the heart of downtown. Among the assortment of international visual artists shown there is Diaz, whose work adorns everything from parking garages to album covers. The…
Best Tortas
This southwest-side hole-in-the-wall may seem like a long drive to many, but no matter where you’re coming from, it’s worth the trip for a Mexican sandwich on a bolillo/birote bun. It’s not on the regular menu, but it has been offered as a daily special; in any case, if you request it, they’ll happily make…
Best Raspados Spot
There are many places to get raspados in this city, but Sonoran Delights stands apart. The little neighborhood restaurant is as much a gathering spot as it is a place to get something cold on a hot day, and the variety of classic Mexican street foods it sells is truly beyond compare. Sit back with…
Best Steakhouse
Readers Pick Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar 6360 N. Campbell Ave. 529-5017 So you think you can’t tell the difference between “choice” and “prime” steaks? Trust us: You can. Fleming’s serves only the prime stuff—and only the top 2 percent of the prime stuff available, at that. Hand-cut daily, Fleming’s prime rib, filet mignon…
Best Place to Eat Pizza With Barflies
Beer and pizza—necessarily together—are a staple for some people. And there’s a reason for that: They’re good together. That’s why people go to Empire, which specializes in both. Empire has a good selection of beer on tap, plus some of the best New York–style pizza in town, which you can buy whole or by the…
Best Sex-Toy Shop
In recent years, there has been a profusion, dare we say an explosion, in sex-toy technology and ergonomic design. Fascinations has an entire room devoted to an eye-opening variety of adult toys in every shape and size imaginable, plus some that, frankly, stretch the imagination. There are wands, rabbits, butterflies, dolphins, pseudo-orifices and bullets, as…
Best Place to Afford Your Rock ‘n’ Roll Lifestyle
Music nerds know: The best kind of a T-shirt is a band T-shirt, preferably one purchased at a show. But no one can see every band he/she loves, especially in Tucson, and sometimes, let’s face it: The concert T-shirts are ugly. Or $40. Seriously!? For a T-shirt? What’s a music fan to do? Tucson’s Dress…
Best Delicatessen
The name alone reeks of New Yawk City, in all its ethnic splendor—and nothing says NYC like a good-old-fashioned deli, but Shlomo and Vito’s offers a cushy Tucson touch that includes flat-screen TVs and patio dining. The menu is stocked with deli staples like corned beef, pastrami and knockwurst, as well as tasty street-vendor tastes…
Best Nightclub
It’s 11:45 p.m. The music at Club Congress is pulsing through you almost to the point of becoming a tangible object, able to be held in your palm. Instead, you’re holding a drink just purchased from one of the three well-stocked bars within yards of the dance floor. Soon, you’re in the middle of it—a…
Best Boba
We considered this for a Best of Tucson® staff pick last year, but journalistic integrity found that not enough research had been done to declare this frosty drink a clear winner. This year, after many samplings, we can say with confidence that the mocha boba drink at this Campbell Avenue spot is indeed tops. There’s…
Best (?) Radio Station Most Likely to Be Something Else When You Wake Up the Next Morning
Best (?) Radio Station Most Likely to Be Something Else When You Wake Up the Next Morning KWFM AM 1330 WKRP in Cincinnati wishes it was 1330 AM. The combination liberal talk/brokered local programming AM with a struggling signal is an indication that sometimes “locally owned” doesn’t necessarily translate to “smoothly run.” Formerly KJLL, aka…
Playing the Percentages
Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Barber and his Republican opponent, Martha McSally, have found an area of agreement: They both think that Mitt Romney’s now-infamous comment about the “47 percent” was the wrong thing to say. “I’m focused on my race right now, so I’m not going to get into the ins and outs of the…
Best Campground
When the hustle and bustle of city life gets to be too much, Mount Lemmon offers an escape, year-round, that’s easily accessible. Mount Lemmon offers a dazzling desert landscape at the base of the mountain that transitions into green forest at the top. You can sleep under the stars comfortably at almost any time of…
Best Barbecue
The Lone Star State may be hundreds of miles away, but tasty barbecue can be found right here in Tucson. Painted flames on the walls are one of the first things you’ll notice when you walk in to Brushfire BBQ, and you may feel a burn in your throat if you select one of the…
Best Local Coffee Roaster
There’s a reason why Raging Sage keeps coming back as Tucson’s Best Local Coffee Roaster: The folks there roast their beans four or five times a week, selling about 14 different varieties to many other coffeehouses in town, and shipping it all over the world. Even if you don’t take a bag of their coffee…
Best Fun for the Whole Family
Fun fact: Giraffes are the tallest land animals thanks to those lengthy necks, yet they only have seven neck bones, just like us! They also have black tongues, a color which scientists believe prevents sunburn. You learn these sorts of things when you hang out at the Reid Park Zoo, although it’s usually so much…
Best Shrimp Cocktail
If you’ve ever spent any time seaside in Mexico, you know that the food is fresh; the beer is cold; and the living is easy (for us tourists, at least). If only you could re-create that vibe closer to home. Well, we’re here to tell you that a visit to Restaurant Sinaloa is the next-best…
Best Menudo
Some think menudo is just soup made from cow stomach and corn—but it can be so much more than that. Sometimes, cooks throw in tendon, feet and other cow parts, too. We get it if you’re not into the stuff—but those who are into menudo know that Teresa’s Mosaic Café has the best in town.…
Best Use of Foie Gras
Say what you will about those wacky French-Canadians, but they sure know how to make their french fries stand out. Some call poutine the national dish of Canada, but we Americans should take note: Poutine puts American fries to shame. Usually, the fries are topped with beef or chicken gravy and cheese curds. Good enough,…
Best Seafood
Kingfisher has won the Best Seafood category for as long as we can remember, which should vouch for the restaurant’s quality and consistency. This local landmark offers full-bodied dinners with an outstanding oyster bar, and a lighter lunch menu. Regular items include clam chowder, grilled sea bass, ruby trout, Atlantic salmon, clams, mussels and more.…
Best Bulk Tea Selection
In some ways, walking into Seven Cups is like walking into an apothecary, like the kind where you’d see witches and wizards shopping for potion ingredients. Really, though, it’s a tea shop that sells some of the finest Chinese teas available. The kind staff will be more than happy to teach you about each of…
Best Bowling Alley
Lucky Strike is the kind of bowling alley that the The Big Lebowski crew would spend their time at, and that’s exactly why it is Tucson’s best bowling alley. It has the colorful carpet, the pool tables, the classic (and possibly smelly) shoes, the hodgepodge of people—all the things you want when you grab your…
Best Place to Find Used Furniture
Looking for a bookcase for your copies of the Mayan calendar and the Book of Revelation? Need a new kitchen table to plot your escape path should zombies show up? Do you only have a few spare dollars tucked away? You want to head to one of HomeStyle Galleries’ two locations. They do consignment, see,…
Best Place to Drink on Your 21st Birthday
Your 21st birthday—the moment you’ve been waiting for. The Auld Dubliner, conveniently located near campus, can make all your wildest 21st-birthday dreams come true. If your special day happens to fall on a Monday, you have the lucky opportunity to belt “Don’t Stop Believing” on karaoke night. But be sure to work your way up…
Best Custom Cakes
Obviously, any end-of-the-world party will require a very special cake. Whatever the occasion—wedding, birthday, anniversary, retirement, apocalypse—Nadine’s can create a scrumptious dessert to your exacting specifications. Looking for an Italian rum custard cake in the shape of a Rubik’s Cube? A cowboy hat shape in German chocolate? No problem. They can even do photo images…
Best Appetizer
These pretzels are so amazing that you should definitely include them as part of your final meal before the apocalypse. They’re big, soft, fat and sprinkled with just the right amount of smoked sea salt. Because they come to the table hot out of the oven, the outside is still shiny and slightly crisp. The…
Danehy
The other day, I was in the studio during the radio show I co-host with Republican/Libertarian curmudgeon Emil Franzi. Our guests were Arizona National Republican Committeeman Bruce Ash, and state Sen. (for a while, anyway) Frank Antenori. Bruce was going on about how the Democratic Party was targeting certain Republican lawmakers for removal from office…
Beyond the Blaze
The sunrise was a lot brighter as seen from the Lost Barrio warehouse district on Monday, Aug. 13. The steadily increasing glow over the Rincon Mountains was accentuated by flames pouring from a warehouse at 5 a.m. The fire destroyed half of the building and left the other side teetering on the brink of collapse,…
It’s Not Debatable
The shadow of Glee—that ubiquitous television series about misfit teenagers in a glee club—must inevitably fall on Winding Road Theater Ensemble’s newest production, Stephen Karam’s Speech and Debate. Even though Speech and Debate was a surprise off-Broadway success back in 2007 (before Glee arrived on small screens in 2009), the parallels are inescapable. In the…
Best Easy Desert Hike That Didn’t Get Eaten Away by Developers
Oh, Oro Valley, land of the suburban strip mall and luxury developments—thank goodness you can’t blade it all away, because then we wouldn’t have Honey Bee Canyon and the beautiful ancient petroglyphs that still stand along the Honey Bee Wash. You can see the petroglyphs and enjoy this easy desert hike despite the occasional housing-development…
Best House Blend
If post-apocalyptic films and novels have taught us anything, it’s this: When civilization goes, we’ll be missing small, morale-boosting things just as much (if not more) than our major necessities. With that in mind, you’d be wise to get yourself to one of Caffe Luce’s two locations, to taste some of Tucson’s finest locally roasted,…
Best Catered-to-Kids Restaurant
If the end of the world were indeed on its way, one of the coolest places to experience it would be Peter Piper Pizza. The entertaining eatery keeps the toddlers, tots and even pre-teens and teens occupied with its colorful array of games, goodies, prizes, pizza and Wi-Fi. The kids will be having such a…
Best Mexican Food at a Non-Mexican Restaurant
We love beer, and in general, we love beer snacks. But there comes a time when pretzels, nachos and other forms of bread and cheese take a toll on a person—especially when drinking beer. Which is, after all, sort of a bread. So we were pleasantly surprised when we took a risk and ordered the…
Best Tamales
When you buy homemade tamales from someone going door-to-door, or from a vendor outside of a supermarket, you know the goods are probably … well, good. But you can never be sure. Besides, those tamales don’t come with salsa, sour cream or whatever else you might like with them. At the Tucson Tamale Company, however,…
Best Vichyssoise
The simplicity of this soup is what makes it so spectacular. Vichyssoise is one of those iconic French foods, so what better dish to have on the menu at this chic, Downtown brasserie? It’s snow-white and chilled and creamy and aromatic from the leeks (the ingredient that elevates this potato soup above all others). The…
Best Modern Cuisine
If this category confuses you, dear reader, then get thee over to Feast for a clear demonstration of what “modern” food is all about. Chef Doug Levy prepares familiar dishes in unique and tasty ways, and he uses unusual ingredients. For example, in the Feast grilled cheese, the cheese—in this case, halloumi—is seared, and grilled…
Best Tea Service
So far from home, missing their families and stuck with unfamiliar cuisine, alien invaders have a challenging life. Perhaps we can slow them down with a soothing brew in Seven Cups’ warm, calming, aromatic and delicate atmosphere. The charming service is expert. If asked, staff can knowledgeably discuss dozens of teas and their provenance. Aliens…
Best Yoga Studio
Three locations are only the beginning of what makes Yoga Oasis so convenient and so beloved by Tucson yogis. The studio’s signature class is “Yoga Hour”—at $4, far cheaper than the average yoga offering. You get what the name implies—an intensive hour of yoga, one that gets the heart rate going, but is guided by…
Best Revitalization Effort on Miracle Mile
Ah, Miracle Mile. Once the scenic entrance into Tucson, it’s been known for the past few decades as the seedy underbelly of Tucson. So when we started hearing about this hip new shopping district that featured local artisans and a café, we thought, well, it’s finally happened: Fat ladies are flying; pigs are singing; and…
Best Hair Salon
Anyone with a speck of dignity wants to look his or her best for the end of time. Maybe you’ll decide on a new hairstyle or new color—puce, anyone?—or perhaps you want that one last mani/pedi. In any case, Gadabout is the place to go. Of course, if the Mayans are wrong, that doesn’t mean…
Best Martini
The Shelter Where else would you really go to get a martini other than The Shelter? Nearly every bar can make one, sure, but the classic cocktail is certain to taste better in a bar where nearly everything recalls the 1960s, from the bar’s concrete-block faux-bomb-shelter construction to the pre-digital pinball machines. The Shelter offers…
Nine Questions
Rebecca Safford has lived in Tucson for 10 years and is currently working to open Tap and Bottle, a beer-and-wine shop and tasting room at Sixth Avenue and Seventh Street. Her favorite days are Sundays, when she can be found crafting with friends at local establishments as part of the “I Want to Make It…
Best News Show With Important Local News
Do you care about congressional elections, local endangered species, or the latest budget-slaughtered elementary schools—in other words, local issues that matter? Or would you rather hear about various arsons, burglaries and murders? If it’s the latter, watch the mainstream news. If it’s the former, watch Arizona Illustrated. This show not only covers important, mind-engaging local…
Passion for Life
Choreographer Nanette Robinson has been a Frida Kahlo fan for years, ever since the 1980s, when an artist friend introduced her to the work of the then-little-known Mexican painter. (Even as late as 1990, if you looked up Kahlo in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists, you’d find just her name and the…
Best Burger
You have to hand it to Sam Fox: His Zinburger joints do burgers right. Whether you like it plain and simple, or you like it with bacon and an egg on top, Zinburger will give you what you want. There are a mess of toppings to choose from, and if the beef isn’t where it’s…
Best Café Hangout
From its perfect corner perch, Epic looks down University Boulevard and Fourth Avenue. Here, you can sit back and play mute witness from the outdoor tables or through the giant glass windows as the moon turns blood-red, and the four horsemen take a tumble on the newly upgraded light rails. This is a place for…
Best Birthday Party Place
You really haven’t lived unless you have fond memories of either going to someone’s party, or having your own party at Peter Piper Pizza. With pizza and soda; a big cup full of tokens; fun games; and cool prizes, you have the recipe for an afternoon of entertainment for a band of 20 to 30…
Best Musical Instrument Store
Browsing inside the downtown Chicago Music Store can sometimes feel like a rousing game of hide-and-seek, even if you’re not quite sure what it is you’re looking for. Throughout the 90-plus years that the store’s been open, plenty of people have been united with their beloved instruments here. Though stepping inside sometimes feels like walking…
Best Guacamole
Guadalajara’s guacamole is a perfect appetizer. Heck, it could even be a perfect meal—it is that good. This simple guac has a great texture that can be addicting and hard to resist. It is the perfect thing on a hot Arizona day, especially when paired with crunchy chips and some spicy, tableside-prepared salsa. One reason…
Best Food to Fill Up on Before Emptying Your Pockets
Casino del Sol’s dining options run the gamut from walk-up Mexican food to a stuff-yourself-buffet to a high-end steakhouse. But few food items both soak up booze and satisfy the palate before a night of gambling like sushi, of which An del Sol has plenty of. Though both a Chinese and Japanese restaurant, An del…
Best Middle Eastern/African
The Ethiopian food at Zemam’s comes served like paint on a palette, which is all part of the fun. Gomen alicha, spicy zigni and other traditional stews come served on one giant piece of spongy injera bread, which is used to scoop up a bite-sized portion without the need for a fork or a spoon.…
The End-Of-Days Exit Interview
David Slutes serves as the entertainment director for Hotel Congress, which means he has the heavy responsibility of bringing the fun at the centerpiece of downtown cool by booking bands and DJs in the hotel’s Club Congress, and on the outdoor patio at events like Labor Day’s HoCo Fest. Slutes catapulted to rock ‘n’ roll…
Best Public Servant
Life as a public servant is not an easy path, yet taking that path can make a difference in so many lives. Gabrielle Giffords, the former Arizona 8th Congressional District representative, did her job with grace, style and tireless dedication. She navigated a diverse district by listening to all of her constituents, acknowledging complexity, finding…
Best Place to Get Stylish Vintage Digs That’s Not on Fourth
Staff Pick Razzle Dazzle 3402 E. Grant Road 323-4544; Razzle Dazzle Fourth Avenue is famous for its fashionable vintage-clothing stores. Similarly, parts of Grant Road are renowned for stores selling vintage merchandise—that is, they sell antiques. Razzle Dazzle is on Grant, not Fourth—but most of its vintage wares are wearable, from its “Godfather” men’s hat…
Best Fine Art Gallery
Perennial winner Etherton puts together such excellent, elegantly curated shows that it just may nab the Best Fine Art Gallery award until the end of time. This past season, Rockin’ the Desert was a star-studded extravaganza of early rock ‘n’ roll classics by photogs Baron Wolman and Lynn Goldsmith. Kate Breakey’s Slow Light photos captured…
Best Desserts
The Food Network’s ultra-famous star Rachael Ray shoveled down a piece of the B Line’s berry pie when she stopped in Tucson. Atta girl. Endorsements of that caliber are nice, but anybody who’s eaten at the B Line can tell you the house-made sweets at the hip Fourth Avenue eatery are a force to be…
Serraglio
If you’ve ventured into the downtown moonscape lately (do it—it’s not that bad), you may have noticed rails being laid for the streetcar. Or maybe you monitor the cheerleading updates that trumpet this progress. Regardless, it’s happening, and it won’t be long before Congress Street opens again. That has some folks wondering what’ll happen—and what…
Best Place to Keep Nosy People From Knowing the Movie You’re Renting
Captain America or New Year’s Eve? The Artist or Ishtar? Saw IV or Saw VI? These are tough decisions that face any red-blooded American looking to rent a video for the evening. But should such a choice have to be made with others providing judgment from the periphery? If your answer is “Hell no!” then…
Bad Dad
John Nichols’ 12th novel, On Top of Spoon Mountain, is a raucous, fast-paced and comical consideration of nature, aging and family—and how one can fail at all three. In Jonathan Kepler, Nichols creates an often-hilarious caricature of an aging radical/artist who forsakes his children for the lure of semi-fame, booze and fast women, only to…
Best Veggie Burger
At Lovin’ Spoonfuls, the entire menu is 100 percent vegan. If you go for the veggie burger, you get to choose one of four different varieties. The adzuki burger is homemade and full of hearty, soy-free goodness (if you hold the mayo). The soy burger has three styles: the Route 66 bacon cheese, the Southwest,…
The End-of-Days Exit Interview: Michael Luria
Michael Luria is a name familiar to many Tucson foodies … and many Tucson parents. His family owned the late, lamented Terra Cotta, a spot that helped define “Southwestern cuisine” before closing in 2009. Today, Luria, 43, is the executive director of the Children’s Museum Tucson, a post he’s held for about four years. While…
CD 1 Air War: NRCC and House Majority PAC Get Festive
With a little over two weeks until early ballots are mailed out, the political ads for Congressional District 1 have taken an almost festive tone. One ad features a fluorescent color palatte and the other celebratory toasting. However, the messages are serious. The House Majority PAC started airing “Neon” today. The ad uses the familiar…
Vintage Appliance Mecca
Two of the quirkiest businesses I’ve found in Tucson reside on East Colombia Street. First, there’s Creative Machines, a Willy Wonka-esque factory that churns out interactive public art and museum exhibits. Then, there’s Vintage Appliances. I passed by and couldn’t help, but pause, park, and take an Instagram photo of what I thought was some…
