Where to crash and where to shop
By Maria Ines Taracena
Once you and your friends drive through the Mule Pass Tunnel holding your breath—it’s Bisbee time.
Days before you got to that point, you should have booked a room at one of the many cozy, sleeping quarters that this Cochise County, oddball town has to offer.
I’ve stayed at a couple hotels on previous visits, all conveniently within a one minute stumble of the over 100-year-old St. Elmo Bar—Audrey’s Inn and the Silver King Hotel, the latter of which has its own bar. I still need to make my staying-at-the-Copper-Queen-and-having-an-encounter-with-the-paranormal dream come true.
This time, I am going to suggest you check into the Gym Club Suites.
It is the place to crash in Bisbee for many people. And let me tell ya, I am definitely going back.
First off, it is so affordable, it’s kind of ridiculous.
The room we occupied on the first level was equipped for at least seven people, but the limit was five. (About $150 during this stay, prices vary. But when you split it with a group of people, your story won’t cost more than $40 for one night.)
Upstairs or downstairs, you’ll still get a badass view of one of Bisbee’s pretty angles. The building itself is a gem for the eyes. It dates back to 1903, and its look follows the brick pattern that is so characteristic of the surrounding hills.
On our visit, we walked into the room in awe at the size of it. It was basically an apartment.
A huge kitchen with plates, wine glasses, silverwear, a coffee maker and a microwave greeted us. It also had a fridge that turned water into ice for our caipirinhas and that kept our club soda and tamarind Jarritos cool for the morning after. Two small staircases led to a king-sized bed and the bathroom. A flat screen TV, nicer than yours if you have one, and three couches that transformed into twin beds make up the living room.
Although, you’ll spend the majority of your time outside walking, sight-seeing, day-and-night drinking and thrift shopping, it’s nice to rest your head and feet at a nice, clean place.
After you check out at 11 a.m. and have gotten some good brunch to recover from the night before (if you’re a drinker)—or you just enjoy getting a late breakfast, head down to Main Street where most of Bisbee’s thrift stores and antique shops stand.
The notorious Miners and Merchants Antique Center, also known as Floyd’s store—in honor of the owner of more than 15 years, Floyd Lillard—is a three-story gem you’re going to want to tackle. Be warned, it’ll take at least a couple of hours to take it all in, but it’s worth it.
Start at ground level and find yourself some cheap (I mean the price, not the quality) turquoise-stoned jewelry (I found a chocker with a beautiful blue stone for $30), maybe a leather vest made in Mexico for $20, a hand-made, stone-embroidered purse for $12 or some legit cowboy boots for $70 (many of which are, originally, between $500 and $2,000).
Lillard has also gathered a pretty decent collection of books—Oscar Wilde, Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, Charlotte Bronte, and my personal favorite, Gabriel García Márquez, are among some of the authors.
“I started when I was 14 years old, I have been doing this for 50 years now, I usually go out and buy from people…sometimes it is estates, people who have passed on…people just give you stuff they don’t need, I also have vendors,” Lillard says.
His store was once the Miners and Merchants Bank. He purchased the building more than one decade ago and partially renovated it—mainly for safety. The basement, clearly, remains as it stood in the early 1900s. You can feel and smell the age (some will call that humidity). Not going to lie, it’s messy down there. Dig in if you’re searching for new plates, tea cups, glasses, a small table and chairs, and oh I don’t know, a chandelier?
Needless to mention that there is a room with hundreds upon hundreds of old vinyl records that you must take advantage of. Oh yes, 1960s and ’70s rock, old school hip and hop and even disco, if you’re into that. Now, sometimes you’ll get lucky finding a record in perfect condition and other times they are pretty badly scratched. Still, you can use those for decoration purposes (DIY—Do It Yourself—time).
Another favorite of mine, Cachet, is a couple of doors to the right of Miners and Merchants. It is significantly smaller, but filled with worthwhile recycled clothing, estate jewelry and other antiques. I found a few dresses for the ladies and dress shirts for dudes made in Mexico and even my hometown in Guatemala.
From there, just keep strolling up Main until you get to the end. It’s a nice, probably no more than 30-minute walk.
Do make time to gear off toward the corner of Subway and Shearer and into Agave Art. It is an art gallery and a clothing store that features some of Bisbee’s printmakers’ creations (on tank tops, T-shirts, even baby clothes) and paintings by local artists, such as Robin Bray. Also, in Copper Queen Plaza, go get lost in a sea of books, movies, musical instruments and vinyls at Bisbee Book and Music.
Come back to the Old Pueblo with gifts for your house or apartment, an antique carpet that really ties the room together, more books for when you get tired of the Netflix, or a nice blouse for mom. Get yourself a weird tie or dress to wear to work on Monday, too.
Honestly, you don’t even have to buy anything (I mean, it’s really hard not to)—the mere act of being nestled in Bisbee is all you need to clear the mind and the heart after that five-day routine known as work.
Where to eat and drink
By Heather Hoch
Rolling into Bisbee, you’re greeted by a picturesque little town a mile high and an hour and a half southeast of Tucson. If you’re going for a day trip after work on Friday, chances are you’ll be settled into your hotel right around dinnertime.
Dinner
If you’re a no reservations kind of person, you should go for the low fuss noodle house Thuy’s (9 Naco Road) located right off Interstate 80 once you stumble into the town proper. There you’ll find authentic Saigon-style fare in a bright, modern and simple atmosphere. The menu is pretty simple, consisting of only a handful of dish options. Bowls of beef or vegan pho run $8 with specials rotating on and off the chalkboard menu.
However, for those looking to start off their Bisbee trip on a more upscale note, Café Roka (35 Main St.) is a staple for re-imagined Italian fare. The restaurant does tend to book up, so you’ll want to make a reservation before you leave by calling 432-5153. Inside, you’ll find a quaint little restaurant that admittedly looks a little old school with its dark wood furnishings and maroon and beige color scheme.
The menu is a blend of meat-centric and pasta entrees with Mediterranean influence, all served as four course meals with soup, salad, a palate-cleansing sorbet and your chosen entrée all included in the price of the main course. Prices range from the $17 to $30 dollar range, with the specials being a little more expensive.
Although it isn’t included in the price, you won’t want to pass up Café Roka’s cocktail list comprised of little twists on classics, executed properly. Sazeracs served with an accompanying snit of absinthe left from the cocktail’s rinse, Mt. Gay mojitos and a smoky take on an Old Fashioned with Whiskey del Bac’s mesquite smoked and aged whiskey are all great ways to start unwinding for the weekend.
For appetizers, stuffed Medjool dates with bacon and Gorgonzola, piquillo pepper with goat cheese and prosciutto-wrapped artichoke hearts are light tapas-inspired offerings to get you ready for dinner. The steamed blue shell mussels were a little too on the briney-oceany side themselves, but they mellowed out nicely with the accompanying white wine and herbed butter sauce.
Although entrees change regularly, you can expect flavorful sauces and bright flavors painted on a hearty canvas. With vegetarian and seafood options, like the grilled asparagus, gruyere and kale tart, you’ll be able to satisfy most diners’ preferences. On the meaty side of things, juicy seared lamb meatballs with a chimichurri and penne with herbs, roasted tomatoes and spicy Italian sausage are delicious, sharable main courses.
One of the most curious menu choices came in the form of the garnish. Each dish, no matter what it was, had a few kernels of corn on top. It would’ve made more sense in the late summer, early fall when corn is in season and everywhere, but in the spring, much less so. The plating on most of the dishes was definitely on the, let’s call it, rustic side, which was unexpected for the price point. It didn’t detract much from the meal, though, which was overall a nice little epicurean affair with friendly, casual service to match.
Drinks
Chances are after dinner, imbibers will end up at the allegedly haunted Copper Queen Hotel (11 Howell Ave.) for a nightcap. After that nightcap, you might stumble up the street for a beer at Old Bisbee Brewing Co., aptly located in the Brewery Gulch, where their Father Kino Sonoran Wheat beer uses heritage grain and lime for a light, bright and hyper-local brew.
If you’ve still got some steam, St. Elmo (36 Brewery Ave.) is Bisbee’s classic dive. Opened in 1902, you won’t find anything fancy here, but you will find pocket pornography in a coin-op machine in the bathroom, a jukebox and maybe, if you’re lucky, a Journey cover band. It seems no matter where you stumble, you’re likely to happen upon a new weird little watering hole—after all, most Bisbee businesses appear to either be hotels or bars or both.
Breakfast
Although Bisbee Breakfast Club (75A Erie St.), with its omelets, pancake sammys and chorizo rancheros, is pretty much synonymous with morning eats on a Bisbee stay, consider that Tucson now has its own iteration of the popular breakfast spot. That’s not to say you shouldn’t go there, but if you’re looking for something new and different, go to The Quarry (40 Brewery Ave.) for brunch.
The Quarry is a delightful little diner-style joint with modern, antler-covered décor. Since the spot is committed to non-GMO, local ingredients and a margarine-free menu, that really means one important thing for your brunch visit: there will be butter and there will be a lot of it.
The perfect instance of this is the biscuits and gravy, which are crispy and dark golden on the bottom, obviously seared in butter, and topped with a thick country sausage gravy. You can, and should, top this with a fried egg if you happened to follow the suggested drinking route all the way to St. Elmo the night before. For a little hair of the dog, The Quarry makes a delicious juicy and not too thick or chunky bloody mary.
Other breakfast options include a customizable griddled breakfast wrap and eggs benedict with prices in the $7 to $10 range. The mac and cheese is a must-try though, with a creamy and very cheesy sauce with breadcrumbs on top for a bit of crunch.
Lunch
To cap off your Bisbee day, at least in terms of eats, you can try some bourbon and barbecue at the historic Stock Exchange (15 Brewery Ave.) or grab pizza at Screaming Banshee (200 Tombstone Canyon Road). However, chances are that if you went to The Quarry for brunch, you’ll be searching for something a little lighter to hold you over on the drive back to the Old Pueblo.
Enter Poco (15 Main St.)—the vegan Mexican hangout tucked between antique shops with $3 bottles of beer, $5 mimosas and dishes under $10. There you can pair mock queso covered nachos with a Pacifico while you sit on the patio and enjoy the last moments of your trip. However, when at the vegan restaurant, it’s best to do as the vegans do and order anything with the deliciously crispy fried Brussels sprouts or a quinoa bowl. Fresh mango mimosas are also a highlight of a Poco visit and a great way to toast this quirky, cool little artist town.
This article appears in Apr 30 – May 6, 2015.
While Old Bisbee and the remnants of Lowell certainly have a lot to offer tourists, there is much more to see and do in “Mayberry on Acid.” The writers evidently missed seeing Warren, the section of Bisbee with the nicest homes (think Armory Park, Sam Hughes and Snob Hollow in Tucson) and a true historic gem, Warren Ballpark. The Vista, a linear park in Warren, is lined by tree-shaded homes dating from the early 20th century. For those who enjoy farmers’ markets, Bisbee has a really good one, every Saturday morning on the Vista across from Warren Ballpark. Also in Warren, on Arizona Street (the main drag in Warren) is Mornings, the best place (in my opinion and that of many other locals) for breakfast in Bisbee. Warren Ballpark, which can be toured by appointment, is the oldest ballpark and multi-sport facility in America, dating back to 1909 and is still in regular use. For fine dining, try Rosa’s Little Italy on Bisbee Rd. And wait – there’s more! West of the traffic circle on Highway 92 is Jimmy’s Hot Dogs, a nationally known Chicago-style hot dog restaurant that will make you think you’re back in the Windy City. Further south down Naco Road, on the border, is the border community of Naco. Camp Naco, a World War I-era adobe fort used by the Buffalo Soldiers to protect the border in the turbulent days of the Mexican Revolution is just down the street from the Turquoise Valley Golf Course and Country Club. So visit Old Bisbee and enjoy, but don’t forget there’s much more to see and do while in the Warren Mining District.
A couple of pints at Old Bisbee Brewery are a must. This was the winner of Best Microbrewery in Arizona in 2013 and the beer and the people are outstanding! The Quarry is a must-do for breakfast. The Eggs Benedict are delicious and the Blood Mary’s are chock-full of house-pickled veggies that just put them over the top. If you take Mike Anderson’s advice and head toward Naco, Turquoise Valley Golf Club serves up some tasty food and drinks. Also, have a cold beer and shoot some pool at Gay 90’s a couple of blocks around the corner and right on the border.
I’m a vegan for 24 years and I don’t order quinoa bowls. Most vegans who go to places like Poco tend to order the fun food. So if you recommend doing as the vegans do, enjoy the nachos or a mock chicken burrito.
Heather, you missed a great opportunity in Bisbee. Hazel’s Table Ten is truly amazing! http://highroads.az.aaa.com/article/taste-…
And the other micro-brewery, which fewer visitors get to see because of its location, is Beast Brewing, on Highway 92 west of Naco Highway. It’s the first of its kind in Arizona, being formerly owned by Electric Dave. Jim and Amanda Gibson brew some mighty fine beer, its well worth the trip to the west side. Fact is, there’s a lot to see, do, eat and drink here in the majestic but mellow Mule Mountains.
As a former resident of Bisbee here’s my two cents: Santiagos is infinitely miss-able. Over-priced, poor service and a real disappointment for anyone with a shred of taste for the good, authentic Mexican so ubiquitous in Tucson. It’s not even the best Mexican in Bisbee (try Neariah’s near Safeway, but make sure you’re not in a hurry). Santiago’s a safe, glossy tourist joint serving bland Californian versions of proper Mexican dishes. If a meatball sub is really what you’re craving (it could happen) Jimmy’s Hot Dogs is the real deal if you want a gut bomb. Cafe Roka is, again, the best Bisbee has to offer in its category because it is utterly uncontested, which shows. The wine list is great, but if you’ve eaten there once consider your Roka experience complete because the menu never changes with any appreciable boldness. Same appetizers, same side veg, same entrees with the same sauce for years. Save your money and splurge on a good bottle of wine at the High Desert Cafe. Old Bisbee Brewing is fine but a year or so back they decided to make fewer varieties of beer (sadly discontinuing a lovely wheat beer) to sell more volume of a few popular beers. Again, if you live there the same Copper Ale coming out of this magnificent facility gets monotonous, especially when Tucson is spoiled with so many creative brewers. Thankfully, breakfast is what Bisbee does well and all of the places mentioned are decent. But then, let’s be honest, this is the real problem. In Bisbee, you’re choices are limited to decent options that, in Tucson, would barely be worth a mention, which begs the question, aside from the quirk and 15 degree temperature shift, is Bisbee really worth visiting?
Bisbee is definitely worth visiting! You can’t compare Tucson to Bisbee. Tucson is a big, noisy, traffic-y freeway-of-a-city. Tucson is a place you want to drive TO for a show or to shop, then leave. Vacation there? Why would you? It’s hotter than hell there in the summer; people in Tucson go to Bisbee to “get away from it all” and to get to a better climate. In Bisbee, we like Thuy’s Vietnamese Pho when we’re in town, staying at the Toland Adobe, a Bisbee vacation rental (which we own). We prefer vacation rentals (and have stayed at a couple of other nice VRs in Bisbee– there are quite a few) over hotels. Some of them, like ours, have private yards, which is much nicer than being stuck inside (particularly if you are bringing kids or a dog or two but also if you want to chill out on a patio after a long day on your feet). You can also share the cost of a vacation rental as easily as a hotel room. I agree with other posters that one day in Bisbee isn’t enough. I always recommend that people get off of Main Street/Tombstone Canyon and wander around in the neighborhoods up the mountain. Take a drive over to the Warren and Lowell sections, too.
past bisbee – Apparently you haven’t been here for a while. Old Bisbee Brewery has seasonal beers that change approximately quarterly. Currently, they are featuring Holy Grail, made with indigenous hops hand picked in the Mule Mountains and Father Kino Wheat Beer, made with organic wheat, grown in Marana, that was a long-lost variety initially introduced to the area by Father Kino. They are the only microbrewery in Arizona malting this variety of wheat in house (although one or two Tucson microbreweries and a bakery are also utilizing the same wheat, OBB is taking it a step further). Their seasonal beer over the holidays was a stunning apricot vanilla brandy porter – the best beer I’ve ever tasted. They won best microbrewery in Arizona in 2013. They artfully produce so much more than Copper City Ale (a recipe that they resurrected that was first made in the Gulch in the 1800s). As for restaurant options, apparently you haven’t yet experienced several newcomers including Table Ten, Contessa’s Cantina, and the Quarry. I have not yet personally experienced Table Ten but have heard nothing but great things about it. Since you apparently dislike Santiago’s (you know what they say about opinions), Contessa’s, a short walk up Main Street, might be more to your taste as it is more home style Sonoran. And the Quarry has raised the bar on the Gulch and Old Bisbee in general with comfort food and well-executed cocktails serve from breakfast into the wee hours (to go along with their constant stream of local and out of town live musical offerings). Just bringing you up to speed as your commentary doesn’t appear to be based on the current conditions in Bisbee. It is totally worth the visit.
Fact is, Tucson is a great place to visit – my wife and I are former Tucsonans who moved to Bisbee 26 years ago and love it here but who go to Tucson for concerts and other events frequently. As someone who remembers Tucson when downtown had Steinfeld’s, Jacome’s, Myerson’s, the Pioneer Hotel, etc., it is very gratifying to see downtown jumping again. As someone who came from Tucson’s southwest side, I can only say that the mom and pop restaurants are still wonderful. the upscale restaurants downtown are superb ( Maynards, Agustin Kitchen, the Cup, etc.) Bisbee also has much to offer visitors and those seeking a smaller scale of life. It has – with one exception – nothing BUT mom and pop restaurants (there is a Burger King for the masochistic) and the choices are quite varied. Small town life will not appeal to all but it sure does to us. It is easy to make a good life here, where talented, educated, artistic, quirky people of all types and lifestyles abound. To know all your neighbors, to sit on the front porch (remember front porches?) and chat with people walking by is a very pleasant way to live. Alas, there ain’t much retail shopping, but the rest is all good. And we are very grateful for visitors, as are most who live here. And remember, there’s much more to Bisbee than downtown.
Gee, Becky Deloy McIntyre, could you be a little more snobbish? I don’t think you trashed Tucson quite hard enough.