This year was my first rodeo experience ever! I had always wanted to attend an event, but never made actually made it out; this year I am certainly glad I did. The entire experience was great. The drive from downtown to the rodeo grounds was quick and easy. Parking was simple and cheap; only $5!

As I walked through the gates at the rodeo grounds, there were all the great fair-like food concessions creating smells of delicious popcorn, hot dogs and my favorite, cimarronas, AKA "snow cones."  These mouthwatering delights mingled perfectly with the tell-tale aroma of dust and ranch animals to make even the smell of the place completely authentic.

All things considered, hands-down, the best part is the actual rodeo action. I loved the way all the fans cheered for on their favorite cowboys and cowgirls. They even cheered for ropers that missed or riders that fell off just to thank them for the effort. The crowd was really into it, clapping and whistling, which only made my experience that much more thrilling!

I had an amazing view of all the rough-stock riders coming out of the chutes. I was simply in awe of what I was witnessing, from the cowboys being bucked off, and the saliva hanging from the bulls' mouths. Wow! I was thinking "these men have to be the toughest athletes out there!"

The competition categories from bull riding, steer wrestling, bare back riding and barrel racing had me on my feet! The excitement from the crowd was contagious. I was able to gather some great photos for my scrapbook, as well as to share with friends and family. If you are one of the few who have never been to the Fiesta de Los Vaqueros Rodeo in Tucson, I would say this is an event worth the trip!

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Even though my fiancé and I live in Tucson, we decided to take a short break from our daily routine and stay the weekend at one of our local resorts. While there are many fantastic Tucson resorts to choose from, we finally decided on the Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa.

We arrived Saturday morning after requesting an early check-in, and were impressed by the atmosphere of the resort. Even though we are accustomed to Tucson's incredible scenery, it was obvious the Starr Pass Resort was designed to keep visitors entranced by the view. We immediately felt like we were truly on vacation! Our room was on the 4th floor and looked Northeast over the swimming pool, toward Tucson and the Catalina Mountains. For a while we just stood on our balcony and took in the view, but the day was gorgeous and the swimming pool beckoned.

Donning our bathing suits and towels, we meandered down to the huge pool and found a couple unoccupied lounge chairs to enjoy the day. We swam, basked in the sun, read our books and just enjoyed the day. As more guests appeared, we watched kids playing in the shallow upper pool as well as the "Dancing Springs" fountain. But from behind us, the laughter of children playing was even more intriguing and we followed the sound. What we found was the "Starr Pass River," a shallow, meandering, "river" of slowly moving water. Stacks of inflatable tubes were off to one side so we grabbed a two-person tube and joined in the fun.  The river pushed us along under jets of water, bridges, and even past a water slide. We spent the better part of the day just gazing at the mountains as we drifted lazily along.

But we couldn't stay too long, because I had booked us a couple's massage right at the Marriott's own Hashani Spa. We cleaned up and headed back downstairs to the quiet, relaxing ambiance of the spa. Before our massage, we were free to partake of the Spa pool (separate from the other swimming pool), but I just went into the men's area and enjoyed the hot tub, steam room and a huge, private shower. Bundled in a thick bathrobe and slippers, and relaxed from the steam room, I meandered into our designated massage room along with my fiancé. There, we both got incredible, hour-long massages. My fiancé opted for a lighter massage, while I chose (at times to my dismay) a deep-tissue massage. But even though the massage was a bit intense at times, I came away from it completely relaxed and rejuvenated.

After our spa and massage, we had to get ready for our dinner reservations at Primo. The Starr Pass Marriott actually has a few different restaurants from casual to fine dining, but we chose Primo because it specializes in using organic, locally grown ingredients. Well, that and we LOVE Italian food! Without a doubt, this was one of the best meals we've had in Tucson, and the service was unobtrusive, friendly, and prompt.  Our server was so aware of our needs we didn't have to ask for anything.

Full of wonderful food and good wine, we headed back upstairs to our room. We enjoyed the evening lights of Tucson and balmy night while enjoying some champagne. But the full day of relaxing and indulging had us wavering on the edge of sleep so we decided to call it a night.

Waking up late the next morning fully refreshed, we enjoyed a casual breakfast downstairs and lingered outside as much as we could. But soon enough we had to face reality, and headed back to our room to pack. We were checked out quickly by the friendly staff and soon enough, headed back across town to our own home, relishing the time well-spent in our weekend getaway.

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AARP has named Tucson the number one place to live for the "active adult" community, alias the "mature adult" community. Looking to a simple life, Tucson garnered top kudos over all other places in the nation.

And indeed, Tucson is a grand place to live. I willingly traded months of  grey, drizzly weather...and shoveling snow for a couple of months of "dry heat." Early mornings are perfect for a meandering walk and after dusk lends itself to upbeat outdoor concerts.

Tucson has integrated culture which makes it a vibrant community, blending it's history as a part of Sonora Mexico prior to the Gadsden Purchase, with that of Native American culture, and Chinese culture. The white man found Tucson with the advent of the railroads and brought with them new ideas of architecture, lumber, and eastern accountrements.

Tucson is rimmed with mountain ranges; the Catalinas to the north-northeast, home of the nation's southermost ski area; the Rincons to the east; the Santa Ritas to the south, and the newest mountain range, the Tucson Mountains, to the west. The topography is different in all the areas, but all provide interesting and diverse hiking paths and birding areas, one of the criteria of the AARP study.

Combine that with exceptional cultural activities, it's own Symphony, a myriad of live theaters, the Center for Creative Photography which houses the Ansel Adams collection, the Tucson Museum of Art, DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, and excellent small galleries, Tucson is making it's name in the art and music world.  With one of the best Jazz Societies in the United States, a vibrant Blue Grass Society, Chamber Orchestras, Pops In the Park, citizens can toe tap to any rhythmn.

As someone enthusiastically once said to me, "the healthiest I've ever been is when I lived in Tucson."  There are various sports activities, Senior Olympics, city owned tennis courts, golf courses galore, an assortment of classes offered by Parks and Rec, and classes in all types of activities ranging from Pilates to Weight Training to Salsa dancing at Pima Community College.

Combined with the bragging rights of 360 days of sun, Tucson offers its inhabitants low cost activities, the beauty of the desert, affordable housing in comfortable communities, local produce at Farmer's Markets, a plethora of volunteer activities, and excceptional medical facilities.

AARP really nailed it correctly! Tucson is the place to live!

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Historic Hotel Congress in downtown Tucson is one of my favorite places. Built in 1919, the building features the quaint details of turn-of-the-century architecture with a Southwestern twist that makes it quintessentially Tucson. I love the setting, plus the hotel offers a variety of distinct areas to enjoy a drink and grab a bite to eat--the Cup Café, Lobby Bar, and Tap Room. You can even catch up-and-coming bands play almost every night inside Club Congress.

Recently, I had the opportunity to join my coworkers for a little celebration at the Cup Café. We were treated to Sangria and a sneak peak of some items that will soon be appearing on the menu. We sampled duck tacos, a carrot salad with cumin and citrus dressing, and pork with a delicious demi-glace. The carrot salad was my favorite, but I have to admit that cumin is one of my favorite spices, and the salad had a robust cumin flavor. We also sampled some old favorites: quesadilla with spicy black beans; "Thompson automatics," which are shredded chicken and gorgonzola wrapped in an egg roll with a little bit of something that tastes like hot wing sauce; and "the heartbreaker," which is baguette slices with roasted garlic, brie, artichoke hearts, and apple slices.

If you haven't had the opportunity to dine at the Cup Café and enjoy the ambience of Hotel Congress, I would highly recommend it. The hotel is truly a part of Tucson's history, and is the location where the notorious gangster John Dillinger hid out before his arrest in Tucson in 1934. The recent Johnny Depp movie Public Enemy tells the story of Dillinger's capture, but if you take a tour down the hall located just off the lobby and adjacent to the Cup Café, you can see artifacts from the real incident. There are news clippings from 1934 that tell the story of his arrest, as well as photos of Dillinger and his gang, and a copy of Dillinger's very long rap sheet.

Next time you are in downtown Tucson, immerse yourself in the sweet nostalgia of a bygone era and enjoy a break at the Hotel Congress. There's a good chance that I will be doing the same.

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Ah the holidays... Images of family, friends, food, and fun. What's not to love? Living in Tucson is like having the holidays all year round. Tucson is so friendly and festive because Tucsonans are giddy about the sheer beauty of the mountains, nature, and most importantly the weather.  It's not a secret, anytime you fly into Tucson, you can overhear a zealous native spewing what to do, what you can't miss, what restaurants to hit, etc. They can't help themselves, and their enthusiasm really is contagious!

I wonder if you changed the circumstance a bit, are they still as friendly? I am talking about the annual tradition of Black Friday--the day after Thanksgiving, the most extreme shopping day of the year.

With some coaxing from her, I decided to join my friend Gail, the ultimate shopper, on Black Friday this year. As I am not an early morning person, we negotiated a time to meet at 5:30am at Target (she originally wanted EARLIER- ugh!). I set my alarm in anticipation of all the deals, and headed out the door earlier than I ever thought was possible.  I get to the Target parking lot and WHOA! The entire city of Tucson must be there. It takes ten minutes to get into the parking lot and then another ten to find a spot.  I finally find a space by following some people already leaving the store with 3 and 4 shopping carts of stuff! They are starting to come out faster and I realize, yikes, I might have missed the boat! It almost looks like a bunch of looters heading out the door!

I make it into the store and I have never seen so many people shopping in my life! I immediately head to the Housewares section where a deluxe steam mop had my name on it, at 50% off, sadly at 5:30AM in the morning- the mop is GONE already. No rain checks Gail informs me, as a good friend she valiantly staked out the item I wanted - we are too late.  We find some other treasures and head into the line to check out that is now snaked around the entire store. It actually moves rather quickly and the chatty Tucsonans are having fun in line.  A smug looking Mom casually walks past me with her cart. She has the mop... sigh.  Jokingly, I tell Gail, "distract her and I will grab it out of her cart", she almost takes me seriously; I have to be careful... Once through the line, I am ready to go again. We decide to hit another store and then grab a bite to eat.

At breakfast, I realize that this adventure has been a lot of fun in a way that most people won't understand. We are nibbling on amazing coffee cake and espresso at The Village Bakery, sitting on the patio in the sunshine, trading our "war" stories of the morning. We have sunglasses on, and are people watching, as a lot of shopping is still happening. But we are done. Where else can you enjoy breakfast outside the day after Thanksgiving? I thought I would see an uglier side to Tucsonans, but they were just as friendly as ever, and I guess that I am not really surprised. There seemed to be a lot of camaraderie amongst those brave enough to be out shopping on Black Friday.

I get home before my husband has even left for work! I realize that getting up so early means you have the whole rest of the day to enjoy. I take the dogs to my favorite park, Catalina State Park, and we relish the sunshine and the bright blue skies.  I am not sure what others experience on Black Friday, but I would definitely do it again in Tucson! My only regret: not getting to Target EARLIER!

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My favorite thing to do in Tucson is definitely to go shopping! I really enjoy spending time with my friends when they come to visit, especially going to one of the shopping malls and having a nice dinner at a restaurant. Vivace is one of my favorites, which has a delicious crab-filled chicken breast. For me, shopping is a great way to relax and change my daily routine, but there is always something going on in Tucson: festivals, dance presentations, conferences, symposiums, and so much more. So, no matter if I want have fun, relax, or learn new things, Tucson offers me a wide variety of stuff to do.

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The fall weather in Tucson is so incredible that my fiancé and I are always looking for fun things to do outdoors. We were already close to Downtown, so we decided to head down to Jácome Plaza to see what the Tucson Meet Yourself Festival was all about.

I was surprised to learn the festival was celebrating it's 36th anniversary and was disappointed we didn't have more time to peruse all the booths and watch all the performances. The festival wasn't just about it's amazing cultural food selections, but also included so many demonstrations, performances, shows, and even a local farmer's market, that it could be an all-day event for the whole family.

After watching some great banjo players at the Courthouse Stage we walked across Church Street, passing the bouncing low riders as they set up for their car show, and settled in to watch the Columbian Folklore dancers on the Youth Stage.  When they were finished, we browsed some of the local club booths and the farmer's market located at the downtown library's plaza.

Our stomachs telling us it was time to eat, we headed back to the Ethnic food area with a plan.  Being one-quarter Danish myself, I was excited to see the Tucson Danish Club had a booth so they were my first stop. Remembering how my mom made aebleskivers (basically spherical pancakes stuffed with fruit) I wanted to see how the Danish booth's compared.  These didn't have fruit in the middle, but rather some rasberry jelly on the side.  Still, not only was I pleasantly surprised with them, but I also got to chat with some Danes and signed up for their club's newsletter. Next, we found the Thai booth and shared a plate of chicken curry with potatoes and onions on a bed of white rice, and it was scrumptuous. Our bellies expanding but not yet full, we shared a tasty chicken sandwich (gyro) from the Persian Club and for dessert, we sipped on a bubble tea from the Vietnamese Alliance of Tucson Booth.

We were stuffed beyond capacity but managed to waddle over to watch a performance on the Martial Arts Lawn before heading back to our car. With all there is to see and do at the Tucson Meet Yourself Festival, I can see why it is a two-day event.  And it's cheap! Next year, we're planning on going both Saturday and Sunday to sample more of the great food and watch more of the interesting cultural performances. Heck, maybe next year I'll be in the Danish booth handing out aebleskivers myself!

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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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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.

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The Tucson Will Surprise You crew was out in force again. This time we stopped by the Phoenix Zoo for Starry Safari. We set up our booth and handed out free t-shirts, Southern Arizona Attractions Passports (2-for-1 deals on things to see and do), Destination Guides, and VIP coupons good for an additional 10% off your stay in Tucson. Now that's what I call cool savings.
It was quite a crazy Friday with tons of kids running around (even some with Tucson Will Surprise You t-shirts on!), Radio Disney blasting Hannah Montana, water slide madness and jumping castles nearby. Some of the parents even shared their own Tucson experiences with us and kept talking about how they can't wait to come back and visit Tucson again! It was a lot of fun, but I was definitely looking forward to returning to Tucson where it was about 10 degrees cooler. Phew.

Watch out for us the next time you're in Tucson! We'll be giving out random surprises all summer at various hotels, attractions, etc. Increase your chances of being surprised by entering on our www.tucsonwillsurpriseyou.com landing page. 

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