Arizona Road Trip 2023 – A fun day in Tucson!

Hello everyone! Well, I left home ten days ago for a month-long camping and hiking trip in Arizona and yesterday afternoon I arrived in Tucson for my one planned “city day”. (I’ll be writing later of the early part of my road trip, as well as of Arizona adventures yet to come, but wifi and time are very limited so it might be a while!) Tucson is a historic city, central to the history and development of southern Arizona. Much smaller than Phoenix, it is quite easily navigated, and it has an abundance of historical sites, atmospheric neighbourhoods, and a very walkable downtown. This morning, after a quick breakfast of coffee and apple empanada at a bakery close to my Airbnb, I drove the several miles to downtown from where I am staying near Reid Park in the centre of the city. My first stop was at St. Augustine’s Cathedral which was begun in 1896 and is built in the Spanish Colonial style. The exterior was impressive, and its carved sandstone facade features carvings of yucca, saguaro, and the horned toad, symbols of the Sonoran Desert.

The inside was surprisingly simple and modestly decorated, with soft muted colours and a beautiful wooden ceiling.

I was the only one there and it was an oasis of peace and quiet.

The side aisles featured carved wooden alters with statuary of four (again, surprisingly) multicultural saints: Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Saint Katherine Drexel, Saint Juan Diego, and Saint Kateri Tekakwitha. (This is a reminder that you can click on any photo to see a larger image, if interested.)

After leaving the cathedral, I walked to the nearby Barrio Historic District which was Tucson’s business district in the late 19th century. The original adobe buildings are painted in bright or pastel colours, and many small birds were singing mightily in sunlit gardens that were adjacent to several of the homes.

I really enjoyed strolling around here and taking pictures in the quiet of the morning, just me and the cheerful birds.

Afterward, I headed to the Pima County Courthouse with its impressive tiled dome. Built in 1927, it replaced two previous courthouses, the first of which was a one-story adobe building dating from 1869. No longer a courthouse, the building now houses the University of Arizona’s Mineral and Gem Museum as well as the Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor’s Centre with its friendly and helpful guides and a small free museum.

Nearby was the Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Bloc, and the Presidio Historic District where the original Spanish presidio, San Agustin del Tucson, was built in 1775. Some of historic adobe buildings remain and now house shops, restaurants and offices. The Casa Cordova, below, is one of the oldest remaining structures in Tucson, with two west rooms believed to have been built before 1854, and the four front rooms added in 1879.

Here are several more photos from around the Presidio district. The last photo is of the “Plaza Militar” in front of the Tucson Museum of Art. Once an open space within the original Spanish presidio, it is thought to have been named in the Mexican years (1821-1854) when soldiers practised their drills here.

While I was at the Visitor’s Centre, a very helpful guide advised me to take the free streetcar which tours through downtown and out to the University Area. Clean, air conditioned, fun, and easy, I used the streetcar to visit two more neighbourhoods. The first was the Convento area where I alighted at the “Cushing Street/Convento” stop. Beside this stop was the “MSA Annex” – a very groovy complex of rusted-out box cars which have been grouped together to create a destination for shopping and dining.

From there, I explored the area for several blocks looking for the remains of an historic convent that I had been told was here. I did not find the convent, but I found a busy and popular area of restaurants and cafes, and then later a series of quiet lanes lined with homes which were either authentically old or built to look that way. In either case, they were beautiful!

I strolled back to my street car stop and then was drawn to walk towards the attractive bridge over the Santa Cruz River.

Though lined on both sides by walking and biking paths, the river was unfortunately littered with garbage. How disappointing in an otherwise clean and well-kept city! From the bridge I also had a view of the “A” on Sentinel Peak and Park. The “A” is made up of large white-washed rocks placed there in 1915 by students from the University of Arizona.

Back on the streetcar, I headed to 4th Avenue near the university district. Well known for its youthful, colourful and unique personality, this area was filled with bars, tattoo parlours, places to eat, and quirky shops. It was very fun to stroll here too!

While walking on 4th, I passed Baco Tacos which had been recommended to me by one of the guides at the Visitor Centre. The chef at Baco, Maria Mason, was a semifinalist for a James Beard “Best Chef of the Southwest” award in 2020. Luckily, the eatery was casual, affordable, and had a shaded outside courtyard dining area. My two tacos were delicious! (For the foodies out there, one taco was heaped with shredded pork ribs slow-roasted in a Chipotle BBQ sauce, and the other was heaped with chicken cooked in a traditional mole poblano sauce. The tacos were accompanied by pickled red onion, lime, and four different and interesting salsas. Yum!)

To finish up this post, here are several more photos that I can’t resist sharing with you, taken from around Tucson’s scenic, historic, and also modern downtown.

And, finally, here’s a photo of three Tucson natives who looked so cool that I just had to ask for their picture. I wish I had thought to ask their names! What a fun day in Tucson! Sunshine, friendly people, a little bit of history, and great walkable neighbourhoods. I’ve only just scratched the surface of this vibrant city and I hope to be able to visit again.

Thank you for reading! Tomorrow I head off for camping and hiking at Catalina State Park just to the northeast of the city, and after that three days of camping and hiking to the west of the city in Tucson Mountain Park and Saguaro National Park West. (Hmmm, while there, I just might be tempted to pop back down into Tucson for another visit!)