Downtown Tucsonan - May 2008 - (Page 26)

Downtown Pedestrian T r av e l o g u e : A r m o r y Pa r k By Thomas Whittingslow Armory Park strolling around the park can be an otherworldly experience. If Jacomé Plaza is tucson’s heart, then armory Park is its soul. You can tell by the number of mortuaries in the neighborhood and the casual visitors sunbathing or taking refuge in the park. Generally, it’s a quiet, dignified place: visible to the west are the austere Greek Revival scottish Rite cathedral, with its brick and marble fascia, and the imposing tucson children’s Museum. Visible to the north, a colorful restored mansion. I’ve always wondered what goes on inside a scottish Rite temple, with its Greek columns and Palladian architecture. this one is listed in the national Register of Historic Places but it’s not quite ready to share its secrets. the only clue is a small window on the third floor, painted with obscure stars, crosses and medieval religious symbols. I was trying to find the entrance to armory center, a bland 1960s-style building which dominates one end of the park. this is where I met chuck, a Vietnam Vet, sitting on the steps. I could tell he was a casual visitor by the Barbasol shaving cream sticking out of the side pocket of his backpack. “You can’t get in that way,” he said. I introduced myself as a former Marine. chuck said he was fed up with tucson and heading for Vegas. Everything was fine until I brought up the Va’s homeless program. He looked at me in rage: “I wouldn’t go out there, if they threatened to circumcise me with a chainsaw.” as I headed to the back of the building, I could hear him say, “semper Fi, bro.” across the street, on the corner of 6th avenue and 12th st, is the Pueblo Hotel and apartments building, the one with green canopies over the windows and a faded formerly-neon sign cut out in the shape of a woman diving into a pool, back when both swimming and neon were serious business. It is one of my favorite landmarks. not far away is the boarded-up santa Rita Ballroom. trying not to be noticed, I entered the back of the building, hoping to find the pool. alas, the hotel and apartments have been converted to legal offices of Piccarretta and davis. only the courtyard remains. It’s still a beautiful building. world operates. unfortunately, some jerk has touched up the eyeballs on one of the figures. It’s an important piece of art, so hopefully it will be restored. Inside the museum, you are transported to an equally wacky world. You must maneuver your way through herds of children, who seem to get high from just being there. tucson Electric has a wonderful interactive exhibit: Ben Franklin flying his famous kite morphs into “Electri-city Gallery,” an overgrown model of an electric light bulb. when you push a button, an ominous arc of electricity climbs up the metal rods inside while tiny voices shriek. First came dinosaur world, starring a life-sized Tyrannosaurus Rex. the room throbbed with kids; some could barely walk. their favorite seemed to be a yellow-and-black Kentrosaurus, which resembled an 8-foot Gila Monster. next was the Protoceratopus, one of the ugliest creatures I’ve ever seen, with a flanged head like little sonoran horny toads. they all had one thing in common: large bodies and small brains. Finally, in the Enchanted Rain Forest I met the only adult in the room, a tourist from Munich traveling with his family. In the middle of our conversation, he was hit on the head with a flying rubber toad. It came from a 12-ft conveyor belt mounted on the wall. Franka, his two-year-old, loaded fake frogs on a hook, cranked the belt to the top of the ceiling, and bingo! a trip device hurled the frog across the room. My last stop in armory Park was the Royal Elizabeth, on scott avenue, steps away from the temple of art and Music and, ironically, Bring’s Mortuary. important segment,” says Bressi, who is also President of the armory Park neighborhood association. “when they call to ask if there is a gay neighborhood or specific section where the gay clubs are located, we say no. then we explain that tucson is so comfortable with gay and lesbian lifestyles that businesses are scattered throughout the city. there is no need to ghettoize this group.” “discovering tucson is like peeling an onion,” says di Gregorior. “It slowly reveals itself in layers, but you have to take the initiative and unfold it for yourself. we have a number of world-class venues in tucson, for example canyon Ranch and Miraval. People even fly here just to taste the food at café Poca cosa.” and so, I decided to take the short walk up scott to taste it myself. Café Poca Cosa café Poca cosa is the type of restaurant usually enjoyed only in places like Mexico city or Paris, yet it’s uniquely sonoran. chef/owner suzana davila has created a restaurant which transcends regional boundaries. People from all over the world come to taste the original dishes she creates fresh each day, out of her heart and mind. davila’s recipe for mole is Pre-columbian, going to Montezuma’s time and before. Each plate looks like it was created by a designer schooled in feng shui. one gourmet magazine says that her cuisine is “Like water for chocolate” food. Poca cosa’s interior is hot yet serene, an understated version of Mexican Modern in the style of Luis Barrigán: Burnished red almagré walls and jade-green polished concrete; a large semicircular bar running lengthwise, down the back of the restaurant, with large flower arrangements; and a few artifacts—three rusted iron crosses, a wall of carved masks, and a large portrait from the spanish Vice Regal period of a crowned girl posing for her last vanity picture before entering a convent. Poca cosa isn’t particularly noisy, but there’s a lot of laughter. I was met by an imposing hostess, dressed in black with a discreet strand of pearls and understated makeup. she threw her head back when she laughed as she guided me to a small, buttery leather banquet. a perfect la Señora and I reminded myself to ask the owner where she found such a striking employee. after my walk around the armory Park area, I was ready to dive in. Instead of the daily special, I ordered “Plato Poca cosa”, which is the “sampler”—three items, chosen each day by the chef. My first plate arrived looking like an eruption of color: saffron yellow, melanzane purple, and manicky green lettuce with fire-engine, red bell-pepper garnish. It included an indescribable portion of tamale pie, topped with a mildly sweetened red-beet sauce. next came carne asada in roasted tomatillo sauce and boned chicken breast americana, served with a side dish of rice, beans and small handmade corn tortillas. I didn’t want it to end. the waitress asked if I was ready to meet the owner, suzana davila. to my surprise, she was the imposing hostess who had met me at the door. she had been watching all the time and we both had a good laugh. davila creates daily fresh one-of-a-kind experiences based on the best that is available at the produce market. a woman of boundless energy and talent, davila says that her food comes from the heart; it is her passion. and I believe her. Splendor on Scott Avenue the exterior of the Royal Elizabeth Bed and Breakfast is beautiful, but gives no clue to the elaborateness of this historic mansion’s interior. Furnished in period antiques, it also boasts state-of-the-art electronic amenities like wireless internet and home-theatre lounge. the spacious central hall, typical of the sonoran zaguan, is flanked by tall fir columns and topped by a leaded glass skylight. It is one of the most handsome rooms I’ve ever seen. “the Liz” is not just an ordinary B&B. It has been named one the top 10 inns in america and attracts visitors from around the world. Incidentally, this is how Glenn Lyons, the new chief executive officer of the downtown tucson Partnership, discovered tucson — by walking the Presidio trail with the inn’s owners, Jeff di Gregorio and chuck Bressi. “It was rather serendipitous that Lyons had had a 30-year track record of revitalizing downtown calgary. “Lyons and his fiancée, Marilyn, fell in love with tucson (and the Liz) and came back again and again,” said di Gregorio, a former urban planner from washington, d.c. Jeff diGregorio’s partner is chuck Bressi, who comes from a software systems’ corporate background in washington, d.c. Both are well-traveled and they shared the dream of operating a B&B. they bought the mansion, sight unseen, from an ad on the internet. they fell in love with tucson and armory Park and play an important role in the city’s downtown revitalization. sitting on the sofa with Lucy, their faithful cocker spaniel, they offered some thoughts about downtown. the Rainbow Flag, universal symbol of gay-friendly, flies outside the Royal Elizabeth. “while the gay market represents less than 25 percent of our business, we feel it’s an Tucson Children’s Museum crossing the street, I had to stop for a teacher, who was leading a line of little boys and girls by a long red ribbon tied to their wrists; another teacher held the bitter end. they all wore matching red t-shirts, and they couldn’t be more happy than if they were going to disney world. after seeing the inside of the museum, I can understand why such restraint was called for. From the outside, the museum (formerly the tucson Public Library) looks like a Fine arts palace. completed in 1901, the building was financed by andrew carnegie. the first thing one sees is the Pioneer Memorial and Bufano Bench, the oldest piece of public art in tucson. It was designed in 1920 by world-famous california architect Bernard Maybeck. the bas-relief of reclining figures was created by sculptor Benjamine Bufano. the semicircular floor inset, with circles and squares of pink and grey marble, is a subtle example of “sacred architecture,” or semiotics, based on the principle that symmetry underlies every aspect of nature and symbolizes hidden truths on how the 26 downtown tucsonan.may.08

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Downtown Tucsonan - May 2008 Contents From the Editor Downtown Lowdown Vital Signs Downtown Live Arts Galleries Performances Vital Signs Continued Events Film Museums Billboard Classifieds

Downtown Tucsonan - May 2008

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