I’m in a race against time…I have made it a point to visit all local merchants before they are replaced by huge corporate conglomerates who could care less if this is Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff or even Yuma. So far, the race has been somewhat disappointing, because after some visits, Ceci (my better half) and I have noticed that some of these places have closed or are on the verge of closing. Hmmm …I can see it now, all owners have placed posters of Ceci and myself as the dreaded Grim Reapers of local businesses. Anyways, it could be that we are just late in the game and some merchants got tired of waiting for us…I would like to believe the latter.
There are some restaurants that out of curiosity I would take Ceci to when we first started dating only because I was curious of the establishments. One was Gus and Andy’s on Oracle Road. When I was growing up, and we made the long trek to Tucson every weekend from Avra Valley, I often wondered about Gus and Andy’s and Ye Olde Lantern or even the Ports O’Call restaurant that lined Oracle Road near the Grant Road Intersection. So after visiting Gus and Andy’s back in 2004, a few months later we learned that it closed. We thought well at least we got to visit it before they closed down, our next spot was the Pack’em Inn on Drachman and as you can guess that spot closed down the following year, as did Ye Olde Lantern the next year after that. I never got a chance to visit the Ghost Ranch Lodge whose Georgia O’Keefe logo graced the Miracle Mile Strip in both good and bad times. All of these places were icons of my childhood and reminiscent of the midcentury Tucson when Miracle Mile was the entertainment hub of Tucson.
So in 2006 we visited friendly Saguaro Corners on the far east side, and we were able to put another feather in our hat, albeit a smoky and outdated feather. To this day it has not closed or at least to my knowledge it hasn’t closed, but the Tack Room went out of business as did other countless iconic restaurants. Now don’t get me wrong I enjoy the occasional In n Out burger, or to peruse the shelves of Barnes and Nobles and Borders, who also had to close many of their national franchises, but you can’t beat the charm of local businesses like Bookman’s and my new favorite, The Book Stop on Fourth Avenue. So now instead of feeling guilty about not making it to some of the ancient businesses in Tucson before their last gasp, I feel we need to support some of the new local businesses who have found a niche in our fair city.
For instance there is a spot called Martin’s Comida Chingona whose name alone warrants a visit and according to the reviews the food is great. A few weeks ago, we visited the Barrio Grill and I liked the warehouse feel, definitely will continue patronizing it over the busy BJ’s Brewhouse. Beyond the eateries and the bookdealers, I am very saddened by the lack of a Drive In Theater. We need one if only because as the father of a six year old and a two year old it was nice to go to the movies pull out the folding chairs and watch the movies under the stars without having to worry about whether or not your toddler was aggravating the other patrons. If you ever see the van I drive around town, you will notice my “Save the De Anza!” bumper sticker. Rumor is that some nostalgic folks like myself have saved a few of the screens and plan to open another drive in some time in the future. Only time will tell…
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