Tucson: If They Asked Me, I Could Write a Book

“If they asked me, I could write a book. About the way you walk and whisper and look.” Rodgers and Hart

I could write a book about Tucson. But in the interest of time, I will provide short characterization from a trip in March 2016.

Photos by H. Darr Beiser

Morning walk/run on Tumamoc Hill

In March you can expect three things in Tucson: perfect weather, the flowering desert, and March Madness, featuring our very own Arizona Wildcats.  The weather was perfect and the cacti were abloom.  But instead of March Madness we got the lead-up to the Arizona presidential primary election. The University of Arizona was eliminated very early in the NCAA tournament. It was not supposed to come to an abrupt end. Nor was Trump to arrive in town the same day I did.

#1 Tucson has the best Mexican food in the world. Period

Rosa's - Chile Relleno and Chicken Flauta

We always go straight from the airport to Micha's a place whose food can transport you. It can even cure hangovers. Menudo is the best known hangover cure. As a friend explained, “it’s like getting a new stomach that you send down there and it absorbs all the booze.”

Tucson produces the best flour tortillas.  Do not confuse the material they use in a "wrap," with a tortilla.  We consider St. Mary's Tortilla Factory as numero uno; but friends encouraged us to try the new kid on the block, the 32-year-old Anita'sStreet Market.  The tortillas are made that morning and sold warm in the bag. Wafer thin. No...Thinner. You can see through the good ones.

At Rosa's Mexican Food hop on a magic carpet ride in the form of a cheese and green chile tostada. Get off and have a chicken flauta with guacamole and sour cream and some refried beans.  When you are in a hurry, let's say you just hiked in Sabino Canyon, and you don't want to drive all the way to South Tucson (epicenter of excellence), Nico's is an outstanding fast food alternative. Their chips were covered in a fresh salsa of chunky tomatoes and onions, and oodles of cilantro. Their chicken taco was stuffed so full, there was no room at either end of the shell. No dead air, gastronomically speaking.

But best of all, friends make Mexican food for you at home.

Using chiles they just grilled

To make a chicken enchilada casserole

#3 Tucson is friendly.

Ivy makes a toast. Yes, that's a Tucson tattoo.

They don't say "hi" when you walk into a store, they say “Hii-ii!” with two syllables. The cashier at Walgreens and I talked about high school and U of A, and why I left Tucson, and what kind of photographer my husband is, leading to his revelation about finding old family photos of Frida Kahlo and Leon Trotsky. I told him that Trotsky's granddaughter is the director of one of the institutes at National Institutes of Health.  And the big circle closes on the small world. People aren't just asking, they want to know how you are. They have time for that. Because they behave like human beings, and are nii-iice.

Oh Mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun...

#4 Life is lived outdoors

The air feels like velvet, so you can run or walk or bike or hike or play tennis effortlessly. No humidity. The natives were complaining about wind this week, but to us it was just a nice breeze. If you have Sabino Canyon at your disposal, why would you NOT go there every morning? On an average morning there, the active population ranges from seventeen to seventy-seven. In one of the most beautiful settings on earth. Or on the west side of town, walk up to Tumamoc Hill every day.  No seasons in the desert is another myth. Sunshine, warmth, dependable weather (outdoor plans are rarely cancelled) …these are not trivial values to be taken for granted. I did when I was in my teens and 20s. But no mas.

Sabino Canyon

Sunrise - Tumamoc Hill

5. Land, lots-o-land

Our friend Tim said he could never leave Tucson because he is “addicted to space.” The sight lines in the desert are very different from those in the East. Because of its excellent position in a valley, Tucson has mountain ranges on all sides, and you can see them from everywhere. You don’t have tree blockage. We have always said the state motto should be “Plenty of free parking.” Pay lots and garages are as rare as hen’s teeth or dentes del gallo. The strip malls are ugly, but by God you can park right next to the store.  The vistas are grand, you can walk up a hill and see the whole city, or teeter at the edge of Gates Pass and see the sunset with its own spectacular global horizon.

Cooling off at Anderson Dam, Sabino Canyon