After having to put up with all the tourists when we lived in Bend, this day was payback. Derek and I took the bus into downtown Tucson to check out the cityscape, visit Borderlands Brewery, and enjoy dinner at Elvira’s. We spent a few hours wandering around looking at the different buildings and taking pictures of the original Adobe Barrio from the late 1800s. These colorfully painted little adobe abodes are so fun to look at.
The Teatro Carmen, opened in 1915, was a Spanish language theater, a movie theater, a boxing arena, a garage and then an Elks Lodge.
St. Augustine’s Cathedral is a magnificent Spanish Colonial Style church from the late 1800’s.
The Hotel Congress smelled wonderfully old. It became famous in 1934 when John Dillinger and his men stayed there. The hotel caught fire and the firemen carried the gangs heavy bags downstairs. The bags contained sub machine guns and bullet proof vests. The lobby is open to the general public and we went in and checked it out.
Borderlands Brewery
Nestled right up along the train tracks is Borderlands Brewery. One entire side of the building facade is a mural of oddities. So fun! We sat at the bar sipping some delicious beers. I really liked the German Chocolate Cake Stout and the Noche Dolce.
Elvira’s
For dinner we met my mom and Paul for dinner at Elvira’s. We all had one of their wonderfully flavorful mole dishes. Glass raindrop lights that change colors hang from the ceiling inside and are well worth ducking in at night to check out. I regretfully did not get a picture.
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