Top 10- Tucson

I have lived in Denver for almost 4 years and though I adore where I live and my friends in Colorado…I still get homesick for Tucson. I haven’t been home for almost a year and Jolene now works with me so we are constantly talking about college and I seem to be thinking of T-town more often and missing it. I think I also miss its proximity to So. Cal...mostly San Clemente. But anyways, this post is dedicated to the Top Ten things I miss most about Tucson:

#10: Pools- I know it sounds silly but I miss swimming pools. Everyone I knew in Tucson had a pool. The house I grew up in had a pool. My neighborhood had a pool. When I go visit and stay with Parseghians or Mare-Packards, they have pools. NOBODY in Denver has a pool, and yes I get this is because of the winter but still…I miss them, tanning just isn’t the same.

#9: The Drive In- I adore Deanza. In high school I used to go with all my friends and smoke the pot weed…ohhhh the good ole days. In college I used to go with Bryan and we would smooch because nobody could be grossed out. Mostly I loved that I could see two movies for $5.00, cheap popcorn, and I could talk to the person I was with if I wanted to. (PS- my brother’s company is tearing it down…don’t get me started)

#8: Monsoons- I am sorry but there is no place that smells like Tucson after a rain storm. I don’t know if it’s because of all the dirt and creosote or what…. but it is the most amazing smell. I love how it gets so hot and then just pour, I remember driving and getting out of my car and just standing in it. I used to love swimming during a storm. I love how it sounds on the roofs of the 1 story houses. I love how the lightening looks over the desert and how the thunder rumbled through the valley.


#7: Star Watching- Yearly there is the Perseid meteor showers, my guy friends in Tucson used to draw straws on who would take me every year, because they knew if they didn’t go with me I’d go alone. Tucson is SO amazing for star gazing and you don’t even have to leave the city. Since the UofA has observatories and is so involved with NASA Tucson has light ordinances. This makes it so the city lights do not obscured the view of the night sky. In Denver, if I go on my stoop, I am lucky if I see 5-10 stars!

#6: Allison Sprinkles- Yes one women in Tucson gets her very own number. Why?? She is the girl that colors my hair of course. Allison is 29, has known me since I was 12, and is AMAZING. She was the first person who EVER colored my hair, the person I modeled for time and time again for Toni and Guy and the only person to color my hair for 5 years. When I moved to Denver, so many people jacked up my hair color…I started planning my trips back to Tucson so they would coincide with when my hair needed to get done. I have finally found someone out here I do not hate, but honestly NOBODY compares to Allison.

#5: Eats – best Mexican food EVER, can’t find it out here. Bison Witches/ Sausage Deli…best sammies and nachos EVER. Recently all I wanted was Tater-Tots from No Anchovies and sometimes I crave the spinach dip from Ben’s. To some this may surprise you, because really I don’t like food that much…I eat it cause I have to …but I do miss Tucson’s food…and drinks…Eegee’s…Bruised Pears from Frog n’ Firckin…mmmmm. I plan my trips home around food!

#4: People- When I left Tucson I left behind some people who mean the world to me. A lot of people have moved, I have about a handful of friends still there....but I still miss the idea of the people who used to be there. I think that’s why I still refer to Tucson as home, because when I left I still had people there…my friend are spread out all across this country, I like the memory of them all being together. But then again, when I left I had a boyfriend, and I do not miss him.

#3: Winter Weather- I don’t care who you are or what you say…. Tucson has the best weather from mid October – April. People keep telling me I should be acclimated to Denver’s winters by now...I am not. I lived in Tucson for a total of 16 year, so when I have lived here that long maybe I will be accustomed to the cold. Once in college Janet and I laid out during Christmas break…I mean that is AMAZING! I like wearing flip flops year around and that all you need in the winter is a hoodie…it also helps that I thinks spring/summer clothes are 800x cuter than winter clothes.

#2: Ben’s Bells- I miss this non-profit like I miss air. I believe in the power of kindness and what it can do for humanity so strongly, I wish there was one in Denver ( there is one in Portland now, correct?).I really miss my Friday nights with the Packards and talking with Jeannette. I miss telling the story of how Ben’s Bells got started and teaching people the proper way to make and paint beads. I miss getting up really early (though I hear they don’t do this anymore) and distributing bells twice a year. I miss the mission….

#1: UofA- I love my University, I love my degree, I love being a wildcat, I love the school's colors, I love the fight song, I love the area around campus, I love University BLVD, I love the College of Education, I love my memories, I love my dorm, I love walking on the mall, I love the bookstore, I love wildcat football, I love wildcat basketball, I love my friends I met there, and I love who the UofA made me.

However I do not miss: summer heat, the bugs, the drivers, snowbirds, the crappy malls, NO music scene, shitty cops (J-stubs remember the amazing No-Po fight?), ASU, knowing someone everywhere you go, and Phx.

I am going back to Tucson for the USC game in November…I can’t wait.