Via Oregon - September/October 2021 - 41

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top to bottom: The Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium on the
University of Arizona campus educates and entertains visitors of all ages;
Tucson Arts Brigade brought colorful murals, including " Agave Goddess, " to
downtown Tucson; Catalina State Park gives hikers access to the Santa
Catalina Mountains. opposite: The Thursday Night Market in Chico flaunts
Northern California's artistic and agricultural bounty.
garners deep respect for its repository of images and
thought-provoking shows on wide-ranging topics from
astronomy to activism. The Arizona State Museum enlightens
visitors about the region's 13,000-year human history
and enduring traditions. The Flandrau Science Center &
Planetarium focuses on family edutainment, with exhibits
on sharks, Mars, and more. In late October, the UA Museum
of Art plans to unveil an exhibition dedicated to food-and
how some of last century's leading creatives explored this
universal subject in various media. It's bound to include an
Andy Warhol banana or two.
Speaking of sustenance, the go-to lunch spot near campus
is Time Market, where Wildcats sink their teeth into
hand-tossed pizzas featuring house-made mozzarella. But
the biggest culinary draw in this town less than 70 miles
north of the border is Mexican food. Diners could linger all
day in the pleasant courtyard at Seis Kitchen, starting with
one of eight breakfast burritos and a cochata (cold-brew coffee
with horchata) and finishing with birria tacos (made
with red chili-braised, Arizona-raised beef) and a tamarind
margarita. Over at The Little One, the Davila family
lovingly serves Sonoran lunches such as green corn tamales
and chicken mole. Penca Restaurante provides a classy but
casual, brick-walled space where you can wash down fresh
and intense entrées like the veggie-stuffed chile relleno with
a tepache (fermented pineapple) cocktail. At plant-based
Tumerico and its flexitarian sister eatery La Chaiteria, jackfruit
meatlessly mimics the depth of green chile pork, and
the lattes are infused with mesquite and prickly pear.
To burn some calories, join diverse desert dwellers at
dawn for a hike up Tumamoc Hill, which has a 2,400-year
history of community gathering and is home to the university's
environmental laboratory. Or grab a bike with the Tugo
sharing program and pedal part of Tucson's 131-mile, car-free
Loop to see public art, shorebirds in El Rio Preserve, and
views of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Saunter the trails on
the western side of Saguaro National Park, where ancient
petroglyphs adorn the rocks, as the sunset turns the horizon
as amarillo as a prickly pear flower. ●
keridwen cornelius is a freelance travel and science
writer based in Phoenix.
AAA | VIA 41
Via Oregon - September/October 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Via Oregon - September/October 2021
