Recently, I had a scant few hours to show a colleague of mine "the heart" of Tucson. She's Canadian and had never been to Arizona, much less Tucson. We were her last stop before leaving the state. She had seen the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Scottsdale and everything in between. Now it was Tucson's turn. So, in just a few hours, we went to the Saguaro National Park West visitors center and watched the "Desert Speaks" video. We then drove a few minutes deeper into the park and took the quick but rewarding hike to the Signal Hill petroglyphs (10,000 year old rock drawings). From there we zoomed to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and caught a glimpse of the Javelina, Ocelots, Gila Monsters, and black bears (oh my!). We both ooh-ed and ahhh-ed as we drove over Gate's Pass and into Downtown Tucson for lunch. After lunch, we did something I've really always wanted to do. It was adventurous, it was risky to suggest, but Kathy was absolutely up for it. We took a Segway tour!

I know, I've done my share of giggling when a Segway tour group, all driving in a little line of the two-wheeled machines, donning their helmets and fully concentrating on the path ahead crosses my path. Ever since I convinced a security guard to let me give his Segway a spin, I've wanted to do a road test. Here was my opportunity. Kathy and I met Denise Russell, owner and tour guide at Roll With It! Segway Guided Tours on Fourth Avenue. After a brief but thorough instructional and safety session; helmets on and a headset to hear our wonderful guide, we were off like a herd of turtles. Denise has the Segways set so that they can't go too fast, all for our own safety of course. At first I was disappointed at this fact, thinking I was going to be Mario Andretti on two wheels. But, once we got out into the public byways, my tune changed a little. I was concentrating so hard on how my weight was distributed and how to keep the thing going straight, avoiding potholes, not swerving into traffic, not running into Kathy; Oh, and looking at all the really cool stuff around me. I forgot my need for speed! After about 10 minutes, I was really comfortable, though, and was having a blast. We went through the historic Pie Allen Neighborhood (which I'd never seen after living here for 12 years!) and over the iconic Rattlesnake Bridge (which rattles to welcome you when you pass under the tail). After stopping for a picture in the mouth of our beloved rattlesnake structure, we headed back to Fourth Avenue on yet another scenic route. We went right down the sidewalk of Fourth Avenue (something like Tucson's Height Ashbery district). I thought for sure we'd get some of the looks and giggle for our stylish helmets and duckling style formation. But nope! Everybody was asking questions about the Segways! Is that hard? Is it fun? Where can I get one? It was hilarious. Kathy and I both vowed to come back and do a longer tour another day. It really was super-fun and a truly great way to tour the wonderfully historic neighborhoods of downtown Tucson. It beats walking them - hands down! You cover more ground and are much less exhausted when you're done!

By the time it was said and done, Kathy and I had covered a lot of ground and seen a lot of things during her short visit to Tucson. One of the fondest memories that we both hold, is posing for a picture in the mouth of a giant rattlesnake on our newest two-wheeled rides! We highly recommend taking a Segway tour. Sign up for yours today!

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I took my 19 month-old son, 6 year-old niece and 10 year-old nephew to the Tucson Children's Museum this past Sunday. None of the kids had been to the museum yet. I was so excited to see how they would like it. The older kids were practically jumping out of their shoes at the description of the experience to come! My sister-in-law joined us so we could divide and conquer to keep track of everybody.

We grown-ups only expected to be there for a little over an hour. Our children's museum is wonderful, but it is a bit smaller than others I have seen. Well, in the end, we only left the museum after two and a half hours because they were closing it down! The kids could have easily stayed much longer!

My son, the youngest of the kids, loved the police motorcycle, fire truck, and the coloring center. He could have easily spent his time running between these three things. When I finally convinced him to move to wee world (a lovely, padded playground for the little guys) he spent a good amount of energy rearranging, climbing and jumping around there. That is, until he discovered the Mind Your Body area which provided him with a shopping cart that he could fill and empty, and most importantly, run around like a maniac with! It was hilarious. He had the best time playing with the "grocery store cash register" and loading up his grocery cart.

The older kids enjoyed the Electri-city exhibits but became enamored with the rope and mat gym exercise. They each connected their belts to every color of rope and climbed around each other to follow them to their other end. My nephew absolutely loved the dinosaur exhibit and corraled us all into the room when the show was to begin. He wanted to make sure we could all speak intelligently on the topic later. While tons of fun was had in the light room, the music room, the dinosaur room, and the aqua room; nothing really equaled the excitement of the health area. Immediately, my niece went into the new "veterinarian's office" area, put on a smock and cap and began treating her new patients. She was in there for the longest time. My nephew marveled at how he could hear his heartbeat translated by a little bass drum and how it got quicker after running around the room a few times. The older kids also got a huge kick out of the giant Operation game.

There were more fun, funny and exciting moments in those few hours at the Children's Museum than I could possibly recount all at once. The long and the short of it is this: GO! The Tucson Children's museum is a wonderful, safe place to take kids of almost any age to have a wonderful time filled with fun and discovery. I live here in Tucson and will absolutely be getting a membership so we can come back time and time again!

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I recently had the distinct pleasure of joining two travel writer friends of mine for dinner at one of Tucson's newest culinary hotspots, Harvest, located in Oro Valley. Let me preface the experience by saying that even before they opened the doors, Harvest was bound to be a success.  It's owned by the same gentlemen who own Hacienda del Sol and Zona 78. These guys know their food and wine, as does the co-owner, executive chef and other family members that oversee day to day operations. 

So, Harvest is a family affair. Love it! The restaurant's hook is that the menu features "carefully selected local, domestic and fresh ingredients." Love that too. So far so good! I couldn't wait to give it a go.

One of my dinner partners was a food critic and restaurant reviewer, and the other was a very well published travel writer/blogger. These girls know their food, and they're a tough audience to please.  But Harvest had us all pleased as punch and rubbing our bellies in delight and astonishment at how much we ate. We just couldn't stop, as everything was so good!  All that we ordered we ate family style so nobody would miss out on any flavorful experience.  So in the end, we three tasted:

• Handmade Gnocchi - harvest sausage, wild mushrooms, sunchokes, parmigiano-reggiano
• Harvest Empanadas - double check ranch organic beef, black mission fig, green olive and chimichurri sauce
• Classic Caesar salads - romaine hearts, oven dried tomatoes and white anchovy vinaigrette
• Cinnamon brined country pork ribs - roasted sweet potato, haricots verts, caramelized onions, grilled corn, cinnamon chili butter
• Lobster Mac'n Cheese - cellentani pasta, lobster fume, broccolini, tomato confit, leaf basil
• Harvest Brownie - coffee ice cream, cherry compote, caramel sauce

I told you we had a lot of food! I don't kid around when it comes to my culinary adventures. Even as a writer, I have a hard time putting this experience into words. It was amazing; a treat for the senses; and definitely a dinning experience I won't soon forget. Though we sampled just a few items, I'm absolutely positive everything else on the menu is just as delicious and fresh as what we tried.

I try not to pick favorites of anything. But, if I had to do so, I'd say that the handmade gnocchi was definitely my favorite item. In fact, I blush to admit that I've been back since this dinner with a friend, seeking specifically, that gnocchi!

If you're in Oro Valley, or heck, even if you're not, please make a point of heading to Harvest for lunch or dinner. They're open seven days a week.  Harvest absolutely hits the mark on every level: Food, atmosphere AND service. It's especially perfect for those of us who do everything we can to support local farmers, ranchers, and non-chain restaurants.

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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!

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My friend and colleague recently moved from Tucson to Denver (I know! There's no accounting for taste!). Like everybody else that knows her, I wanted to take her out to dinner one more time before she left and gave her a pick of any restaurant in town. Over the two years that I've known her, my friend and I have eaten at (literally) hundreds of Tucson restaurants. We have introduced each other to many new and exciting places that quickly became favorites. (After all, there are so many to choose from in Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, Green Valley, etc.)

It was no surprise to me that she chose El Charro for our little celebration. It was, however, a surprise that she chose the new location in Oro Valley, rather than the downtown location which we had deemed a mutual favorite.

Neither of us had been to the new location but were very interested in checking it out. We were both very impressed with the ambiance. It's huge and beautifully decorated! The service was absolutely outstanding and the food; ahhh, the food was just as fantastic as it is in the downtown location. Luckily we were relatively successful at not filling up on the salsa and chips (which is quite a chore as the salsa is absolutely addicting). For dinner, my soon-departing friend had the Topopo salad and I had the Flautas Famosas. My friend even ordered a special little concoction for a dressing, which was presented to her perfectly. I, as usual, ignored my fork and knife and dove into my guacamole-sauce covered chicken flautas with my fingers. After all, flautas are finger foods, right?

After the salsa and chips, an amazing dinner, a couple of beers and margaritas, we decided not go be too gluttonous and order desert. (Was it too late to not be labeled gluttons?) 

This was indeed, a bitter sweet dinner, but one my friend and I will both remember. I'll miss our dinners and lunches together, but am so glad that our little celebration/commiseration dinner was so perfect in every way. Great company, food, service and ambiance; who could ask for more?

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I had the good fortune of being invited to an off-site team meeting that was to be held at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Being the animal and nature lover that I am, I was thrilled. I had no idea what an amazing adventure I had coming! I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the amazing scenic drive through Gate's pass as you come from downtown Tucson into the Saguaro National Park. It's stunning; a wonderful prelude to what is in store at the Desert Museum. Before our meeting, our host invited our group to see the Running Wild; Fur, Feathers and Scales presentation in the cool Warden Oasis Theatre. The 20-minute program was aimed toward a younger audience, but enjoyed by all, for sure. Live critters were brought out and even presented for some of the audience members to touch. There was an educational multimedia slide show that also presented us with some trivia questions, which the presenter answered for us. Skunks, snakes, spiders and macaws were all part of the show (and the education process). It was so much fun to hear kids AND grown-ups, including my colleagues, shouting out answers and marveling at the beautiful creatures as they "ran wild" during the show.

As great as this all sounds, it's not even the best part of the day! After the Running Wild show, we headed to some amazing meeting rooms with gorgeous panoramic views of hillside after hillside covered in saguaros. We had a very nice lunch and productive meeting followed by our own private Raptor Free Flight program demonstration! WOW. It was so fantastic to see these amazing owls and hawks take flight right in front of me. Now here's the kicker! We got to call and release the female hawk ourselves! I got so excited when I heard this my eyes welled up with tears! Could it be? After years of watching these majestic birds float around the desert air, I was actually going to get to hold one in my hand? YES!

A keeper placed a little hawk treat (meat of some kind) on my glove, turned me around, and had me hold my hand up to call the beautiful, feathered creature. I was absolutely awe-struck to see her flying toward my hand. I felt like I was going to cry at the beauty of her as she swooped down and grabbed her treat. She was so light; no more than two pounds!  Next, I was to turn around with my arm extended, while she stood on my hand, and let her set off to another keeper calling her across the room. In an instant, with the slightest "swoosh" of feathers, she was gone. It was a brief encounter, but it will remain one of the most truly amazing things I've gotten to experience.

I know that not everybody will get to have this exact opportunity. But if you're an animal and nature lover too, the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum is a "must see" for you. Catch a Raptor Free Flight and the Running Wild programs between visits to lions, javelina and bears! I guarantee that anyone, no matter what your age, will learn something and be awestruck at some point during a visit to the Desert Museum. Check it out! www.desertmuseum.org.

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