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Heading back
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 10:22 am
by EastCoastCat
It has been over 20 years since I've been back but heading back to Tucson tomorrow as my son has orientation on Monday (totally shocked me that he decided to go to the UofA - must have been all of football and basketball games we watched over the years
)
For you locals - I know schools out buy anything going on over the next few days in town we should check out?
Can't wait to get some real Mexican food again!
Re: Heading back
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 10:28 am
by Longhorned
Enjoy. I'm jealous of your trip, but I'd also like to live in Tucson permanently, were the world of possibilities configured differently.
Re: Heading back
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 10:42 am
by Merkin
Lucky!
My wife says she will never move back to Tucson, so I am stuck out here in Cali. Not a bad place to be of course, but Tucson is more my style and especially cost.
Re: Heading back
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 10:47 am
by Longhorned
Merkin wrote:Lucky!
My wife says she will never move back to Tucson, so I am stuck out here in Cali. Not a bad place to be of course, but Tucson is more my style and especially cost.
What doesn't she like about living in Tucson?
Re: Heading back
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 11:27 am
by Merkin
Longhorned wrote:Merkin wrote:Lucky!
My wife says she will never move back to Tucson, so I am stuck out here in Cali. Not a bad place to be of course, but Tucson is more my style and especially cost.
What doesn't she like about living in Tucson?
The heat. She is not quite as thin as she was when she was growing up there.
Re: Heading back
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 11:28 am
by CalStateTempe
I would love it if my daughter went to the UofA.
Re: Heading back
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 11:43 am
by Longhorned
Merkin wrote:Longhorned wrote:Merkin wrote:Lucky!
My wife says she will never move back to Tucson, so I am stuck out here in Cali. Not a bad place to be of course, but Tucson is more my style and especially cost.
What doesn't she like about living in Tucson?
The heat. She is not quite as thin as she was when she was growing up there.
I feel like I go from air conditioned house to air conditioned car to air conditioned office or air conditioned market. Whereas in coastal California or other places, it gets hot and I just wilt.
Re: Heading back
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 12:26 pm
by Merkin
Longhorned wrote:Merkin wrote:Longhorned wrote:Merkin wrote:Lucky!
My wife says she will never move back to Tucson, so I am stuck out here in Cali. Not a bad place to be of course, but Tucson is more my style and especially cost.
What doesn't she like about living in Tucson?
The heat. She is not quite as thin as she was when she was growing up there.
I feel like I go from air conditioned house to air conditioned car to air conditioned office or air conditioned market. Whereas in coastal California or other places, it gets hot and I just wilt.
74 at my house right now, and beautiful, but on those couple of weeks it gets really hot there is no escape. You really feel the global warming out here due to lack of cooling most places.
Re: Heading back
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 1:52 pm
by ASUHATER!
EastCoastCat wrote:It has been over 20 years since I've been back but heading back to Tucson tomorrow as my son has orientation on Monday (totally shocked me that he decided to go to the UofA - must have been all of football and basketball games we watched over the years
)
For you locals - I know schools out buy anything going on over the next few days in town we should check out?
Can't wait to get some real Mexican food again!
Well now that it's summer and schools out there is pretty much nothing going on in town but campus and a lot of Tucson especially downtown will look like nothing you remember. Downtown is actually a downtown with places to go and things to do with lots of restaurants and bars. since you've been at the U of A theres been about 15 to 20 new buildings and parking garages built. It will be hot but I would just walking around campus and exploring all the new places and going to University Boulevard and downtown and getting some nice food or stopping at one of the many new breweries in town.
Re: Heading back
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 4:02 pm
by Daryl Zero
Merkin wrote:Longhorned wrote:Merkin wrote:Lucky!
My wife says she will never move back to Tucson, so I am stuck out here in Cali. Not a bad place to be of course, but Tucson is more my style and especially cost.
What doesn't she like about living in Tucson?
The heat. She is not quite as thin as she was when she was growing up there.
The heat isn't exactly getting better.
Re: Heading back
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 4:17 pm
by ASUHATER!
Every year that goes by it seems to get warmer in Tucson
Re: Heading back
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 4:29 pm
by Merkin
Daryl Zero wrote:[
The heat isn't exactly getting better.
ASUHATER! wrote:Every year that goes by it seems to get warmer in Tucson
"They" say that Tucson now is like PHX was in 1965 with the concrete heat shield or whatever it is called. Eventually the monsoons will avoid Tucson like they do PHX now.
When I was living in Tucson in the early 80s going to school I didn't even have A/C in any of the cars I had, and I stayed throughout the summer. Can you imagine that now?
Re: Heading back
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2016 4:31 pm
by ASUHATER!
I've done two summers recently in Tucson without ac in my car. Not very fun.
Re: Heading back
Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2016 6:53 am
by EastCoastCat
ASUHATER! wrote:EastCoastCat wrote:It has been over 20 years since I've been back but heading back to Tucson tomorrow as my son has orientation on Monday (totally shocked me that he decided to go to the UofA - must have been all of football and basketball games we watched over the years
)
For you locals - I know schools out buy anything going on over the next few days in town we should check out?
Can't wait to get some real Mexican food again!
Well now that it's summer and schools out there is pretty much nothing going on in town but campus and a lot of Tucson especially downtown will look like nothing you remember. Downtown is actually a downtown with places to go and things to do with lots of restaurants and bars. since you've been at the U of A theres been about 15 to 20 new buildings and parking garages built. It will be hot but I would just walking around campus and exploring all the new places and going to University Boulevard and downtown and getting some nice food or stopping at one of the many new breweries in town.
Thanks ASUH...I expect it will look totally different since the last time I was in town. When I went to school 4th Ave was a hippie/homeless hangout.
So for Mexican fare - I know El Charro and Casa Molina. Any others we should check out?
Also, need to stock up on UofA gear - I assume the student bookstore is the best place to go.
Re: Heading back
Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2016 7:47 am
by UAEebs86
EastCoastCat wrote:
So for Mexican fare - I know El Charro and Casa Molina. Any others we should check out?
Also, need to stock up on UofA gear - I assume the student bookstore is the best place to go.
Mi Nidito is awesome if you have time to wait. Almost everything on 4th is good. Poco & Mom's if you like New Mexican.
You have to have a Sonora dog while you are here, try El Guero Canelo, BK's, or one of the many food trucks.
Lots of UofA gear sold just outside the main gate on University and Park as well.
Re: Heading back
Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 7:59 am
by beames
UAEebs86 wrote:EastCoastCat wrote:
So for Mexican fare - I know El Charro and Casa Molina. Any others we should check out?
Also, need to stock up on UofA gear - I assume the student bookstore is the best place to go.
Mi Nidito is awesome if you have time to wait. Almost everything on 4th is good. Poco & Mom's if you like New Mexican.
You have to have a Sonora dog while you are here, try El Guero Canelo, BK's, or one of the many food trucks.
Lots of UofA gear sold just outside the main gate on University and Park as well.
I second both Mi Nidito and El Guero Canelo. Thankfully, EGC just put a location in Phoenix, but I have yet to find any great Sonoran food in Maricopa county, so take advantage of it while you can. Up here, the Mexican food is identical to the slop you can find in every city and town in the West. Translation: ingredients like goat cheese are basically not existent. Not sure why Tucson is so different, but places like Taco Stop and Nico's, or even drive thru joints like Los Betos, blow everything else away. Funny enough, I think a lot of people that try Tucson Sonoran for the first time actually don't like it because it's not the dark meat chicken, store bought taco seasoning ground beef, etc that they're used to.
Re: Heading back
Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 8:06 am
by Longhorned
beames wrote:UAEebs86 wrote:EastCoastCat wrote:
So for Mexican fare - I know El Charro and Casa Molina. Any others we should check out?
Also, need to stock up on UofA gear - I assume the student bookstore is the best place to go.
Mi Nidito is awesome if you have time to wait. Almost everything on 4th is good. Poco & Mom's if you like New Mexican.
You have to have a Sonora dog while you are here, try El Guero Canelo, BK's, or one of the many food trucks.
Lots of UofA gear sold just outside the main gate on University and Park as well.
I second both Mi Nidito and El Guero Canelo. Thankfully, EGC just put a location in Phoenix, but I have yet to find any great Sonoran food in Maricopa county, so take advantage of it while you can. Up here, the Mexican food is identical to the slop you can find in every city and town in the West. Translation: ingredients like goat cheese are basically not existent. Not sure why Tucson is so different, but places like Taco Stop and Nico's, or even drive thru joints like Los Betos, blow everything else away. Funny enough, I think a lot of people that try Tucson Sonoran for the first time actually don't like it because it's not the bland dark chicken, store bought taco seasoning ground beef, etc that they're used to.
Have you tried El Conquistador? The cook, Maria, is from Jalisco. Like a lot of great Mexican food it isn't cheap, which is a special challenge to expectations. It's one of my favorite restaurants. She has a standard antojitos section to appease expectations, but order from the specialties and the daily specials.
I think your characterization of Phoenix is exaggerated. Tucson is just a special food city. Also, the greater importance of Sonoran food in Tucson instead of Phoenix makes sense geographically.
Re: Heading back
Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 8:25 am
by beames
Oh, it's definitely exaggerated (should've prefaced that), but after a half dozen letdowns during the couple years I've been here I'm a tad jaded! I'm still open to suggestion though, because I realize at least a decent percentage of the hundreds of Mexican places here must be good. I will be glad to try El Conquistador when I get a chance.
P.S. Don't forget Poca Cosa for lunch!
Re: Heading back
Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 1:11 pm
by scumdevils86
I'd say go to MI Nidito, Poco and Mom's, Taqueria El Pueblito or Taqueria Pico de Gallo for mexican. The last two are more casual taco shops.
Casa Molina is crap now. As is Rosa's.
Re: Heading back
Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 3:17 pm
by wyo-cat
Pizzeria Bianco on Congress. Amazing.
Re: Heading back
Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 12:23 pm
by EastCoastCat
Went to Guadalajara and Il something on 4th...friggin amazing. So nice to come back but I hardly recognized anything but my son and I had a great time!
The highlight I must admit is walking by the Jefferson center (got a sneak peak because there was a closed practice) and who did I see outside working his cell phone but none other than CSM. Didn't want to bother him but we did exchange a fist pump. LOL.
Re: Heading back
Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 12:24 pm
by EastCoastCat
BTW, I overheard him say "we wish him nothing but the best" so assuming he was on the recruiting hunt. The Witch never stops!