Monday, August 02, 2010

Notes From Tucson

I spent the past few days in Tucson, Arizona, so I thought I would share my thoughts about the trip.

- Everyone said that even though Tucson would be hot, it would be a dry heat. Well, there was actually some humidity since it is Monsoon season. There's also a southern Arizona city named Dragoon, so yes, there was a monsoon in Dragoon.

- Why do flight attendants feel the need to announce that flights are very full? Is there really a difference between a full flight and a very full flight? If every seat is taken, it is a full flight. In my opinion, the only way it would be a very full flight is if they seated passengers in the bathroom or the aisle.

- I visited Old Tucson Studios where countless Westerns such as The Outlaw Josey Wales, Gunfight at the OK Corral, Rio Bravo, McClintock!, Tombstone, and The Three Amigos were filmed. Nearly every Hollywood legend including Clint Eastwood, James Stewart, John Wayne, Dean Martin, Angie Dickinson and Kirk Douglas worked there.



However, the tour guide did not mention one very special project filmed at Old Tucson Studios. A two-part episode of Webster where "the Papadapolises visit Lizard Flatz, Arizona and encounter Dusty, a man with interesting stories, a ranch, and Moonhunter, a horse that seems to be a legend, but ends up a reality after saving Webster from a rattlesnake. Moonhunter gets caught by some greedy no-gooders, and Webster almost gets killed. George wants to live on the ranch, Webster wants to save Moonhunter and set him free, but after all the excitement, they decide to head back to Chicago." I don't remember this episode.

- According to a billboard on I-10, John McCain is "Fighting for a Secure Border." There was no footage of the Senator standing in Nogales actually fighting.

- There were several roads with separate speed limits for the day and the night. How is this enforced? Is night considered the exact sunset time, when there are three stars in the sky, or some other method?

- There is a giant "A" on a Tucson mountain for the University of Arizona. Which came first, Arizona's A or BYU's Y on a Provo mountain?

- Sadly, I did not eat at In-N-Out, Waffle House or Little Caesars, three restaurants that don't seem to be anywhere near Washington DC.

- I read and heard that there are between 900,000 and 1 million residents of Tucson. There are definitely 1 million cacti (cactuses?), but I have no idea where all of these people are. Maybe they're all away for the summer or are hiding in fear of fighting John McCain.

2 comments:

Amy said...

You were so close, you should have stopped by!

There is also an "A" mountain near ASU. I didn't know U of A had one too.

I can see the draw of In-N-Out and Waffle House, but didn't realize Little Caesars was a hot spot?

Sean said...

Amy - I was in Tucson for less than 72 hours for work with no car. There was no chance of heading north.

There aren't many Little Caesars around anymore. I miss their Crazy Bread!