...you're not in Phoenix.

Earlier this week I stumbled onto an online forum that asked: Where is the better place to live, Tucson or Phoenix?

Although a seemingly simple question, to residents of both cities the legend of this perplexity lies amongst the best of the great two-sided debates, somewhere above "Pepsi or Coke" and just below "to be or not to be."

As an ex-Phoenician turned Tucsonan, I have grown a strong opinion on this matter backed by over four years of deep, open-minded contemplation. While I'm not originally from Phoenix (a Faux-nician?), I've spent enough time in both cities to understand the differences.

If you're wondering which city fits you, your age is probably the determining factor. Here's an abbreviated overview of the two cities in those terms:

Kids
Kids go to school, kids play video games, kids ask too many question, and kids like to run around in the park. While both cities cover the first three characteristics of children equally, each has something different to offer in terms of city parks. Tucson Parks are numerous, 127 in total. That's a big number for a relatively small area.

Phoenix parks are much more spread out and crowded. The city boasts about 200 in a much larger area, and are more crowded and industrialized in comparison to Tucson's more secluded and shaded parks that are great for families and running/walking. (Most Phoenicians walk in air-conditioned malls, not parks.)

In a related category, kids are like pets, pets run in the park too, dogs are pets, and Men's Health Magazine named Tucson the 4th best city for dogs.

20-somethings
As a college student, I couldn't ask for a better place to learn. Since Tucson is not a metropolis area, its not as easy to get lost in the crowd. We are supported by a town that pours into campus and a campus that is deeply invested in the community. The result is a sense of belonging that comes with your education. Bear Down Fridays bring the campus and the surrounding community together to cheer on the University of Arizona football team.

The Arizona State campus in Tempe, Ariz. lies in the middle of fast-paced urban living, and the surrounding Phoenix area doesn't pay nearly enough attention. Not necessarily out of negligence, but because is busy with the hustle and bustle. The plus? An actual nightlife.

The bar scene includes areas-- like Tempe, Old Scottsdale, Downtown Phoenix, etc... The Tucson nightlife includes a street(Fourth Avenue), one or two good places downtown, and a few scattered venues throughout the city. In fact, Tucson is small enough that it's nearly impossible to run into an acquaintance while out-and-about on the weekends, and the three degrees of separation is the norm compared to the standard seven.

If you're a young professional--move to Phoenix. There's not much more to say about that. Tucson's First Magnus, the one reputable employer of the newly graduated, recently collapsed, filing for bankruptcy and laying off nearly all of its employees.

Families
Both Tucson and Phoenix have a relatively low cost of living and an affordable housing market, despite rapid growth. Phoenix statistics vs. Tucson statistics show that Tucson has consistently had a higher crime rate in both property and violent crime, although slight. And while all public schools in the state of Arizona have been struggling, Tucson is known for it's many charter schools (some very highly ranked). Phoenix, however offers more choices in the realm of private elementary and middle schools.

Retirees
The warm weather of Arizona brings the retired and snow birds from all around the county, and there are many retirement communities all around the state. Outside the gated "50+ only"housing developments, Tucson offers a slower-paced lifestyle and community orientated atmosphere--not to mention a really slow average speed limit. Although, both cities have an equal distribution of old folks; percentage-wise, both cities have a median age of about 31.

And whether it be Tucson or Rphoenix, you'll still be in Arizona. You're chapstick will still melt in the car, you'll drive with oven mitts, Christmas lights are for cacti, and you'll never have the need to save daylight like the 49 other states.

...feces is an art form.

A four foot concrete pipe sits perpendicular to the ground with large splashes of a hard, brown substance bursting from the pipe's mouth in an animated explosion. Close by, another pipe protrudes from the underground. Broken in the middle, the pipes brown-colored contents gush outward, spilling into the surrounding dirt.

Not a broken sewage pipe, and not the remnants of a vicious monsoon, it could only be one thing: a $140,000 piece of crap--uh, I mean--art.

The final product of artist Paul Edwards design, part of the Mountain Avenue expansion project of 1995, caused a huge uproar in in 2003 after its completion.

The two sculptures on Glenn and Fort Lowell, although resembling a broken sewage pipe, are actually symbolic of desert water flowing through a wash.

(picture1) (picture2)

After spending thousands of dollars on the project, the city spent much more taking neighborhood polls and conducting several city council meetings to decide the next course of action. Should the "water" be painted blue, should it be moved, should it be destroyed?

I read this article last week written by Jim Nintzel of the Tucson Weekly in the hight of the controversy.

The emphasis and resources spent on this project are indicative of Tucson's highly community oriented atmosphere, among other things, (many other things.)

The City of Tucson, for instance, sent of survey to residents of the surrounding neighborhoods that got a lot of responses from the community. Some of my favorite are:

The results at Glenn and Fort Lowell appear to be the effects of an enema introduced to the storm drain at Grant Road.

Please let my kids paint the stupid thing with color. Just buy me the paint at Ace Hardware and I'll do it for free on weekends.

Use money for street potholes

This is the most disturbing (so-called art) I have ever seen. It looks like (crap) coming out of a broken sewer line and a troll buried in the ground with its feet sticking up.

Not everyone responded negatively:

Keep it. I kinda like the barf art.

So, it's been a few years now--what happened to the beloved sculptures? In a classic re-gifting effort, the city decided to dish out some more money and move them to the South Side at the park on Kino Parkway and 22nd Street. South Tucson unwrapped the gift, (which still bore the another's name scribbled out in magic marker), smiled kindly, gave a sarcastic "thanks, always-think-you're-better-than-me-central-Tucson," and put it in the waaaay back corner of the park. One rests half-hidden under an overgrown weed, and I sometimes see teenage love birds kissing on top of the one with a big burst of poop.

Really though, only in Tucson.

...the desert scene includes an elephant, tiger, polar bear and a giraff.

The Tucson Zoological Society has been supporting Reid Park Zoo since 1976. Located near Tucson's city center, the Reid Park Zoo offers a quick escape from desert life.

While Reid Park Zoo is operated by the city, the TZS works to "enhance the value of Reid Park Zoo to the community" through financial support, education, and a focus on conservation and the protection of the natural environments of the animals.

Their efforts have created a neat little park with over 400 animals, an aquarium, and my favorite--a aviary packed with birds of many feathers.

See the slide show from my last trip below.




There are many other places in Tucson to visit and support nature, wildlife, and conservation.
Visit:
The International Wildlife Museum
Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum
Tohono Chul Park
Tucson Botanical Gardens
Sabino Canyon
Wildflowers of Tucson

...you have a city of a half-million people, twice as many vehicals, and only one main highway---aaand it's broken.

The City of Tucson is like an tall, gangly, awkward man who grew too tall, too fast during puberty and never really figured out how to move correctly.

Like many towns in the Southwest, Tucson was hit hard by a population explosion. It first boomed when air conditioning was invented and the desert became a bearable dominion. Again with the completion of the Central Arizona Project Aqueduct (CAP) created by the Colorado River Basin Project Act of 1968, which help bring plentiful(ish) water to many parts of the Southwest from the Colorado River. And most recently because of what I figure to be a newfound loathing for cold weather by retired Midwestern baby-boomers and various other winter-ditching Americans.

So, Tucson grew fast, and its roads were never able to keep up. Today, the I-10 on the west side of the city connects major city roads on that side of the city alone, but any cross-town journey is sentenced to about a 40-mile-per-hour speed limit and traffic lights, (mostly reds ones), at every intersection.

Map of Tucson. See the I-10 spanning the west side
and no highway running cross-town. The red mark indicates the city's center.

There have been many attempts throughout Tucson's history to build another freeway, but re-working the infrastructure of a poorly-planned city is not cheap, and this city has never had the money. In 2002 the city planned to turn Grant Road--a central, east-west running road--into a mini-highway, but things never panned out. Tucsonans have generally been adverse to major changes in an effort to keep the city "charming" and to stunt out-of-control growth--or mainly just because they hate Phoenix and want to do the opposite of whatever Phoenix does, like build highways for instance. When the city proposed an increase of sales taxes to fund the mini-highway and other transportation projects, many Tucsonans adamantly opposed. Read an archived Tucson Weekly article here.

To add to the mix, this year the Department of Transportation has decided to begin the I-10 Widening Project, which will close most of the highly trafficked exits of Tucson, forcing thousands of motorists to travel the frontage roads. Some exits will be closed completely for short spurts of time.

Worst of all, the project wont be completed for another three years. Looks like this old city will still be walking on new-born Bambi legs for a while longer.

Tucson resident or traveling through?
Here are some FAQ's from the project's Web site:

Frequently Asked Questions

Interstate 10: Prince Road to 29th Street

- Will traffic in neighborhoods around Interstate 10 increase during construction? Traffic that typically uses I-10 is directed to the frontage roads and major streets through a comprehensive sign program and public information campaign. The use of neighborhood streets as alternate routes is discouraged. “Local traffic only” barricades and signs are in place.

- Has the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) been working with the City of Tucson to prepare for this construction project? ADOT officials are coordinating with city officials to prepare for the construction’s impact on traffic and the Downtown Río Nuevo project.

- Will any streets be closed during the bridge replacement work? Traffic on major crossroads such as Grant Road, Speedway Boulevard, St. Mary’s Road, Congress Street and 22nd Street will be maintained during construction. However, motorists should anticipate weekend and nighttime closures during bridge demolition and construction. Turning movements at crossroads will be maintained. The Clark Street bridge is closed until further notice in order to move the bridge 100 feet to the north of the existing bridge at the request of the City of Tucson for the Rio Nuevo circulation plan. The 18th Street pedestrian bridge is closed during construction.

- Will the construction work occur 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Some work is occuring at night and during weekends.

- How will the construction affect the annual Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase? People visiting vendors and businesses along I-10 will have full access to the Tucson Convention Center and the frontage roads.

- What is the posted speed limit on the frontage roads during construction? The speed limit on the frontage roads remains at 45 mph and 40 mph.

- Will the stop signs and yield signs on the frontage roads be removed? The signs have been removed since they are not needed after the I-10 exit ramp closures. After the construction is completed and the exit ramps reopen, the signs will be reinstalled.

- Will the traffic signals along the frontage roads be timed? ADOT will make every effort to optimize traffic flow on the frontage roads.

- How will people be notified of the traffic impacts of construction? An aggressive public information campaign was implemented just prior to and during the ramp closures to inform the public about the traffic impacts.

...your night isn't complete without a stop at the neighborhood Nico's

With many open 24/7, this local shop is an oasis for the late-night eater. The portions are large enough to satisfy the insatiable hunger most often found at 3 a.m. when the bars close and patrons have drank away their inhibitions and self-control. Menu items range from loaded nachos, burritos, fish tacos, and the ever-popular bacon-potato-egg-and cheese breakfast burrito.
As seen above, the many flavors of Horchata, flavored rice drinks, complement the greasy comida perfectly. I've discovered that the flavors of the Horchata's differ greatly with each location. Fort Lowell/Campbell has the best, 22nd/Kino the worst.

I consider Nico's the ultimate Tucson initiation. For the 20-something crowd, Tucson attractions pale in comparison to the nearby Phoenix area. What this city does have over the giant metropolis to the north is charm. It may not be the nightclubs of Scottsdale or Fashion Square Mall, but Nico's is part of this Tucson charm.

Last weekend at about 2:30 a.m. the Nico's on the Fort Lowell and Campbell location was buzzing with hungry customers. We waited in line ordered our food, and waited for the line cook to shout "onea-static-burro toco-mumble-ameta" over the 1800's-era intercom, indications that our food was ready. Then we chose between the two flavors of sauce, red and green, and sat down to eat.

There was a unique combination of many drunk kids, and a fewer number of sober drivers. The social spectrum was bright that night, and many customers came up to talk to me as if we were old friends. I met one dude with a tattoo on his forehead and about 5 piercings on his face that said he hates football and wished smoking was a sport (he wouldn't let me take a picture of him). There were also two scandalously dressed (or not dressed) women who apparently are strippers at a local club. I say apparently because they were shouting "You all wish you were strippers!" at anyone who would listen.
We went because my friends sister was in town from Portland. It was her last night and before she left and we "Oh My God HAVE to go to Nico's!" Once you get past the strange smell of fish tacos and that orange scented cleaner, the often strange and eclectic mix of people, and the questionably-sound building, you start to see how great this place really is. I have memories dating back years of the good times at Nico's where and anything-goes ambiance and lively conversation always makes for a great bookend to the night. Once I practiced my Spanish-speaking skills with the kitchen staff, and asked if I could run the drive through for a while. Me and two other friends had fun delivering burritos to about 4 cars before we got bored.


But my favorite story about Nico's was when we were driving South on Campbell Road on the morning of May 6th and saw that an entire corner of the Nico's building was missing. I looked over concerned, and then laughed and said, "You know you're in Tucson when Nico's gets hit by a car on Cinco de Mayo."