Last Friday, some colleagues and I went to Tohono Chul Park for a breakfast and tour of the park. I had the eggs benedict, which was delicious, but everybody's orders looked equally enticing. Watching hummingbirds and butterflies flit around the butterfly garden while enjoying breakfast was a perfect way to start the day. After breakfast the group then headed off into the park, which was beautiful. The variety of flowers, trees, cacti, etc. was simply astounding. Tohono Chul is truly a desert oasis in the middle of the city (49 acres of oasis that most people don't even realize is there!)

 
This visit made a regular out of me. I'll be returning every time the seasons change so I can see what is happening out there. We took a break from walking through the park and sat down to learn about reptiles from "Snake Boy." (On Fridays there is a reptile presentation.) His presentation was enjoyable for an audience of all ages. "Snake Boy" and his crew pulled out a slew of snakes, a Gila monster, and a turtle for us to observe as they taught us about how they survive in the Sonoran desert. With our knowledge of our reptilian neighbors expanded, we then took a quick trip through the plant propagation area and saw everything they had to offer and a variety of different garden styles. I highly recommend that anyone thinking about a landscaping project spend some time at the park gathering inspiration. 

Whether looking for a fantastic breakfast, ideas for your desert garden, or just a quiet oasis to stroll and hang out in lush flora of the Sonoran Desert, Tohono Chul is a great choice.

Comments (0)  

My fiancée, Trish, and I are lovers of theater and dry, English humor so when we found out that Monty Python's Spamalot was coming to Tucson's Music Hall, we jumped at the chance to see it.

We both work downtown and thought it would be great to have drinks and dinner before the show.  We spent a good amount of time just trying to figure out where to eat downtown, as the ever-growing list of restaurants were all very tempting. We finally settled on Ascolese's Italian Restaurant, located next to La Placita and within a very short walking distance to the theater.  We hadn't made reservations, but the staff was friendly and accommodating and sat us in a quiet corner of the bar area.  The service was good, and the huge entrees came out surprisingly fast!  Trish enjoyed cheese tortellini in a vodka sauce and topped with sausage, while I went with penne pasta in marinara sauce, also topped with sausage.  We were so stuffed after our entrees that we couldn't even think of dessert, though the choices were mouth-watering.

After dinner and a cocktail, we still had some time before the show, so we meandered around and finally settled on benches by the large fountain in front of the Music Hall.  It was opening night of Spamalot so there was a large, enthusiastic crowd gathered, all enjoying the mild evening as well as drinks being served outside. 

After watching a gorgeous Tucson sunset, the doors opened and we got swept up in opening-night excitement, finding our seats quickly and waiting for the show to start.  Finally, the lights dimmed and the crowd quieted as the first actors stepped onstage.  There is something magical about theater, and we were immediately pulled away from our daily routines and tossed happily into another world.  In true Monty Python style, Spamalot was witty, funny, and even a bit raunchy.  As the lights came back on, the audience gave the talented actors a standing ovation, and I for one wished the show had not ended. 

Blinking back into reality, Trish and I filed out of the theater and walked back to our car, with our sides aching and smiles on our faces.  It was really a wonderful evening downtown, and we will certainly do it again!

Comments (0)  

Today I ate lunch on the fly and spent my "lunch hour" at the Tucson Museum of Art. I work downtown so it's just a short walk over historic surface street overpasses and through some city squares to TMA.

Once in the cool lobby, I flashed my Tucson Attractions passport and received half-off the admission price and paid only $4! You can get your very own passport here.

The latest exhibit at TMA is The Arizona Biennial ‘09.  I had been a periodic visitor to TMA until I saw the last exhibition, Trouble in Paradise. Well, actually, I went and saw it three times.  I really liked it and got into the permanent collection through these visits.

Now, I have vowed to return, at least, to see every new exhibition. The Biennial holds a particular spark of interest for me because a good friend of mine, Herb Stratford has a piece in it.

The description of the Arizona Biennial '09 is "Highlighting the trends of contemporary art in Arizona." Well, I'm not a big contemporary art fan, but I gave it a go.  The Juror, Tim Rodgers, Ph.D. Chief Curator at New Mexico Museum of Art makes an opening statement about the opposition featured in the show; dark/light, funny/serious, sensitive/ironic. 

The exhibition was really an adventure for me. I saw things I loved and things I didn't love so much.  Most importantly, I saw things that made me think, made me smile, and made me return for a second glance.  Pieces included depictions of "Famous Facial Hair" to "Cloned Cell Study".  Most surprising to me were my two favorites. A piece using only shade variations of scarlet red called "Full Scale Red" by a Tucson artist named Carrie Seid and a giant digital print of morning cereal called "Trix."  Seid's piece actually seems to have life. It's amazing how someone can lay down variations of one color that make the painting appear to follow you. Don't laugh at my second favorite. It was stunning! It made me feel young, hungry, and buoyant at the same time.

I'm not an art expert, but I know what I like and I enjoy the Tucson Museum of Art. The temporary exhibits are always interesting and the permanent collection is always great to visit over and over. In particular, I love the giant "Bridge to Nowhere" piece downstairs.  I learned that this painting was actually featured in a movie called Life Stories that was directed by Robert Di Nero! Hands down, though, I will return time and time again to the Louise Serpa photographs in the Art of the American West section in the Goodman Pavilion.

I never thought I'd be a regular to an art museum, but here I am, a convert. If you haven't had the chance to, please stop into the Tucson Museum of Art. There is plenty of parking and it's in a very cool area downtown. There are amazing restaurants all around it. The first Sunday of every month is FREE admission. AND, you'll become a fan; a passionate fan at that! I did!

Comments (0)  

Howdy! If you haven't been to Old Tucson Studios lately, it's time you paid them a visit. A friend and I recently spent a day there and enjoyed an exciting trip back in time to the Old West.  First, we saddled up and went on a trail ride. Our guide, Jason, was a real cowboy and gave us some good tips and information about riding along the desert trails. The views of the Tucson Mountains are so beautiful. We rode for close to one hour. The fresh air and exercise made us hungry, so we headed to Big Jakes Bar-B-Q at Old Tucson Studios where we had a great and hearty lunch. You have to try their hickory-smoked brisket. Wow! We got lots of laughs watching the Old West stunt show and a cowboy shoot-out in the street.  Both were very funny. Yahoo! Other stops we made at Old Tucson included the Court House and the Stage Coach ride. We had some frosty lemonade at the Grand Place Hotel & Saloon as we watched their can-can show, and, of course, we went window-shopping. The shops are filled with Western and American Indian jewelry, leather goods, clothing, and souvenirs like mugs, key chains, and cactus candies. If you're looking for a cowboy or cowgirl hat, Old Tucson has a big selection. A great day and adventure! Thank you, Old Tucson Studios.

Comments (1)  

I'm having a great time re-discovering Tucson while my dad is in town from Indiana this week!  We started out his visit at Tucson's beloved Pima Air & Space Museum (aka Arizona Aerospace Foundation). I hadn't been in a couple years and had never been on the tram tour. The tram tour was about an hour and one-half-and our docent was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable in providing cool facts and background on the planes. We then took a leisurely stroll through the huge air-conditioned hangars. The planes are now displayed so that visitors can walk right up underneath to peer into the bomb compartments-and of course the volunteers are eager to provide fast facts.

Since we were in the transportation mode, we popped downtown to the Historic Train Depot, checked out the locomotive on display and had a marvelous lunch right near the train tracks at the beautifully remodeled Maynard's Market-in the dining car-themed restaurant.

Next stop? Postal History Foundation . . . a little jewel of an organization tucked in a mid-town neighborhood at 920 N. 1st Ave. They were in the midst of conducting a summer camp for young stamp collectors-and we got to listen in on the history and background of the stamps the kids were using. The PHF is amazing in it's collections of stamps-even if that's not your hobby of choice-pick a subject-they'll have a stash of stamps to match! The building was a former church that the foundation moved to in 1978. A generous donor funded the addition of a lovely library along with her impressive collection of Civil War books. It's a working post office-so plan to stock up on postage stamps!

We enjoyed a memorable meal at the lovely Pastiche Modern Eatery in the Campbell Village Plaza at 3025 N. Campbell Ave. Tuesday night was steak night-and dad was thrilled with his 14 oz. certified Angus Beef bone-in rib eye with rosemary demi-glace, wild mushroom risotto and julienned carrots/zucchini medley. My 10-year old daughter (a self-proclaimed cheesecake expert-"taster"-not "baker") declared the chocolate chip cheesecake THE BEST she'd ever had-I've been around a bit longer (hee-hee) and I concurred! BTW-I wanted to mention that the service was "perfection." Our waiter was engaging, sincere and the timing was exquisite. 

And that was just day one!

Comments (0)  

Even though I've lived in Tucson my entire life, I had never been to the DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, but I've seen his famous paintings scattered throughout Tucson. My parents even have a few prints hanging in their living room.

I finally took a trip out there a few weeks ago, and it was nothing like I anticipated. I think I expected the typical (and somewhat boring) gallery where you hurriedly walk around looking at paintings hung on plain white walls, then quickly look through a gift shop, and head home. First, DeGrazia's gallery is unique because he built it by HAND with a few of his friends almost half a century ago. He literally made the adobe bricks with desert soil mixed with water that then baked in the hot Arizona sun. Second, rotating exhibitions display some of the 15,000 originals DeGrazia housed at the gallery. We even got to see one New York scene painting that had never before been seen by the public prior to this current exhibition, DeGrazia: 100 Years, 100 Works.

One neat thing about the building is that you enter the gallery through this huge, unique (and quite heavy) iron door, which DeGrazia built as a replica of the Territorial Yuma prison gate. As you begin walking through the gallery, you notice all of the little ways DeGrazia left his mark on the building - various hand prints in the walls, added art carved into the walls by both DeGrazia and his wife (New York sculptor Marion Sheret), and even the flooring itself is unique! DeGrazia used the skeletons of Arizona cacti to create the floor - that in and of itself was one of my favorite pieces of "art" from the entire tour.

The art on display is amazing. It's interesting to look at all of the different ways DeGrazia painted throughout his life. Not one typical piece of art hung in that gallery. Just when you think you've seen all that one man could have created in his life, you move on to another room, and another, and another ...

After seeing all of his great works inside the gallery, our guide took us out to DeGrazia's original home built on the property, which - you guessed it - he built by hand for him and his wife to live in. On the way to the house, you see DeGrazia's art on the outside of the building as well, in the form of sculptures, outdoor murals, and even flowers made out of beer cans! And, of course, we went into his Mission in the Sun, the adobe mission DeGrazia built in honor of Padre Kino and dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe. The paintings on the wall of this open-air building are incredible! Check out the pictures:
 
DeGrazia led such an interesting life, and it's portrayed in all of his beautiful art (which includes the building itself in my eyes!). His gallery is a definite must-see for all of you art lovers.

DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun
6300 N. Swan Road
(520) 299-9191
Admission: FREE!
http://degrazia.org  

Comments (1)