I had an amazing time meeting up with friends and experiencing All Souls Processions. Some of us…read morecarried photos and items from lost loved ones and some didn't. Our group wasn't dressed up as we had been part of some community conversations from varying view points around the appropriate-ness of the event. However after meeting and speaking with a lovely Mexican American couple at our hotel we changed our opinion. They were very inviting to us and encouraged us to join in the festivities. They told us they annually travel to the event from Mexico to celebrate and dress up with their family. We thought it would at least be ok to attend and check it out for ourselves. The costumes and floats/props people made were beautiful. There was a large metal basket and ornately costumed "characters" collecting hand written remembrances and depositing them in the basket. When everyone began walking some music broke out from time to time, people began to sing, sometimes protest and resistance songs. Groups of dancers performed as we moved down the streets - the curbs lined were with onlookers. It was solemn, peaceful and reflective. At the end of our walk a huge crowd gathered around a barricaded stage backlight by a mega screen. We had VIP passes and were allowed into the barricade for a warm meal. There were a few large tables to eat at or rows of seating to watch the performance. Wow! Stage acts, live drumming, wacky jellyfish costumes, fire jugglers, live rock band, aerialists and fireworks. The big metal cage got lit on fire and hoisted up on a crane to let everything burn. It turned out to be a very epic evening. Lots of great local after parties, live bands and specials at neighboring bars.

This is a must see/participate in Tucson event. Look on Pinterest to see how you should dress/…read morepaint your face. The first time I went, I tried using the cheap Halloween face paint which looked awful. This year I bought the lightest coxed (porcelain) tinted moisturizer to make the light/whiteish background color for my face and it worked way better! There are also people who do professional face painting in the area (find on facebook). It gets cold at night so be sure to dress warm. I still haven't made it to the procession part yet but I want to next year. The walk ends in MSA Annex area and there are a bunch of performers and ALOT of food trucks. Then it's fun to go over to Mercado san Augustin courtyard. There is a live band and dancing here as well as food and drinks. If you want to go to Augustin Kitchen, you need a reservation.

If you're in exploration mode, add the Bike Church to your list! Bike Church is a "walk-in"…read moresculpture made entirely of recycled bike parts. It's lovely both day and night, but the at night it is illuminated. It's really cool! It's also interactive in that the public is welcome to play the musical chimes made from bike parts. The bike church not only references the bike culture of the Old Pueblo but it is also serves as shared community memorial for cyclists. It's a reminder to please share the road :) There's room for all of us! Bike Church is located in Barrio Anita, (downtown ) on the southwest corner of W. Davis Street and N. Main Ave.

The 22-foot-tall-sculpture is on North Granada Avenue and West Davis Street near Barrio Anita. It…read moreserves as a gateway to a six-mile bike path. A walk-in metal sculpture made of hundreds of bike frames, wheels and rims with stained-glass windows and musical chimes made from bike parts, that I have driven past many times with curiosity. It's a nondenominational celebration of bike culture featuring traditional religious architecture. The sculpture's stained-glass windows resemble those of church; the top is similar to those on Islamic temples; and there are two Stars of David on the sides and a mold of a Pascua Yaqui dancer, O'Connell said. Joe O'Connell is one of the sculptures along with Blessing Hancock of Creative Machines. It serves as a permanent memorial for cyclists killed on the streets, but it's also a place for celebration. They want you to play with the chimes! You can attach pictures and mementos to remember cyclists who have passed. Let's be honest, Tucson is very bike friendly, BUT it seems like every time you turn on the news, you hear of a bike accident. At night, solar lights light up the stained glass. It is a way-cool sight!

So many murals, and so little time. My girlfriend mapped out the walk-through downtown and into…read moresixth Avenue, stone, up to fourth Avenue where we could see murals. I didn't know that there are approximately 2000 in all of Tucson. But there is a high concentration down here and you can find the locations if you look at google for the "mural trail" for Tucson. it was so fun just to walk around downtown and all around the sixth Avenue to fourth Avenue area and discover murals of many to honor and respect all the cultures here in Tucson. What a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.

If you've read my Spruce Street Suspension Bridge review, you'd already know my partner is an urban…read moreplanner/transit advocate. Whenever we go somewhere new, we always check out that city's metro system or unique infrastructures. He wasn't with me on this trip so I decided to surprise him with a tale of my adventures to the Rattlesnake Bridge (this bridge has a rattlesnake tail...yes I sent him the picture to accompany the tale). I found this spot on Yelp and it was an adventure finding it in person. There is no parking next to it, so I had to park at Iron Horse park and walk around until I found an entrance to it. Note: If you're coming from that side, the ramp to the bridge is closer to the main street. I think my favorite part of the bridge was the rattlesnake tail at the end. It's fun to be able to say I've been inside a snake.

This is what happens when true creativity, art and community improvement come together! The…read moreRattlesnake Bridge is a unique, functional piece of art that is as pleasing to look at as it is to use! There's a lot of road construction at his silver fanged head so we started at the back end and walked through, it's pretty cool to be in the belly of a snake!! It's not the best neighborhood area and there are folks that have decided to call the area home so be aware of your surroundings just like anywhere else nowadays! Perhaps the Tucson Art Academy could take an interest and clean it up, after all, it is an artists creation!

Looks like a giant donut!…read more This piece of public art is very simple, just an upright circle that lights up at night. It was was originally created for the Luminarias del Pueblo fundraising auction in April 2005. It is located in the median on West Alameda Street between El Presidio Park and the Tucson Museum of Art. I put in a location edit on Yelp back in Nov. 2022 since the location marker was incorrect. Hubby & I drove all over looking for it. Since then, it has been corrected. Be careful crossing the road to get to it! Desert O is a translucent ring that is 6 feet in diameter This object has a steel skeleton inside that can be seen both during the day and at night. It basically looks white and pretty unremarkable during the day. The ring displays a pattern of colored LED lights that circle slowly inside the sculpture. It is covered with frosted acrylic panels that make it glow brightly. This art is a solar-powered. There is one 'secret' touch-sensitive button that allows visitors to control the lighting. You have to find it from the hundreds of metal fasteners holding the sculpture together. It was nice to get out and take a look at this public art!

nothing really special here. when it was built I was in high school and we called it the glass…read moreDonut. sounds allot better than glass O . around the holidays they decorate it as a wreath, or art least I remember they used to.

This is one of my favorite local markets. I always go here to get unique gifts for the holidays…read more They also have amazing food trucks during the market. If you happen to be in the area please don't miss it!

So happy that I got to attend this food and craft festival on this gorgeous 80 degree December day…read morehere in Tucson. I love going to these types of events. All the food trucks and stalls are in a different area. Communal tables are set up as well. The lines are long but worth the wait. We got to try a Mexican hot dog with Frito chips on top, killer coffee and a Taiwanese fried chicken cutlet. This was the perfect place for me to buy some souvenirs to bring back. And of course I got some goodies for myself. My son got a small tub of homemade salsa. Tons of booths to explore. I highly recommend. Make sure to wear tons of sunscreen.

While we were staying in Tucson, we discovered that we were so close to Saguaro National Park…read more(particular the East side), so we decided to come by early in the morning when gates open at 8 am and did the Cactus Forest Drive for 8 hours. Worth it! Saw lots of cacti and got out of the car to take photos close up with the cacti too. While the cacti were more spread out in this location, it was definitely a sight to see! So random how we discovered this place on our roadtrip (as it wasn't even planned)! After completing the drive, the visitor center opened up and we were able to go inside for the gift shop and other learnings. So fun!

April is the perfect time of year to make the jaunt over to Saguaro National Park East for the…read moreCactus Forest Drive. The weather is not yet scorching and the blooming flora is beautiful. My family and I took the 8 mile drive on a Saturday afternoon over a span of about three hours, we stopped at many of the pullouts for a bit of exploring and photography. The entrance cost is $20 for a regular vehicle and an annual pass is $80, pricing varies for large groups and tours. I highly recommend a stop and short climb at Javelina Rock, although we didn't encounter any javelinas, the view was one of our favorites from the drive. The visitor center also has a fun gift shop you shouldn't miss! Can't wait to visit again when I have more time for hiking and exploration.

This is one of the coolest bridges in Tucson for countless reasons. Public art surrounds us all…read moreacross town and this particular bridge captures Tucson, literally...a history of impactful events is displayed via "solar art" in addition to other touches. This bridge was designed (locally!) with solar icons that were laser-cut into shade canopies above the sidewalks- 12 to be exact, so that when the sun hits at certain times, the images are projected....crazy right!? Each sidewalk image and accompanying quote/text depicts a specific and historical happening in Tucson and is meant to perfectly align with the sun on those specific dates. Images are also blasted onto the sidewalk below each canopy. Talk about major engineering and serious precision. But it doesn't end there! Other notable touches include handmade and hand-placed the 200 shards of replica Hohokam pottery along the stars and underneath the bridge you can find handmade bat sculptures. This bridge is beautiful day and night. It connects Menlo park to downtown Tucson. You can enjoy it on foot, bike, car or streetcar.

I helped design this bridge, which was built in 2014. I was one of two primary drafters, the 3D…read moremodeler, and along with Architect Dave Dobler, the solar alignment designer for the Solar Art. Dobler and project artist Brenda Semanick deserve much more credit than I do, for sure, but I was really happy to be able to contribute as much as I could to this collaborative effort. I am really proud of it!