Have a safe and happy 4th of July weekend! 

photo via Flickr by willow&monk

Groupon is basically a group coupon.  Local businesses in Tucson offer incredible discounts on products and services – if enough people are willing to buy the coupon for it.  You can sign up at Groupon to have the offer emailed to you daily.  Some of the deals are pretty sweet.

But today’s groupon is for Urban Athletics, my favorite booty-kicking exercise!  $40 for 6 classes from Urban Athletics is a pretty awesome deal.  I’ve already paid for the next month, or else I’d be tempted to pick up a couple of those.

I’ve been taking their classes for about a year now and love it.  It really does work for all ages and fitness levels, and – at least the group I attend at Himmel park – is full of nice encouraging folks. 

So check it out – only 13 hours left before the deal goes away!

Cinema La Placita shows classic movies in the La Placita plaza downtown every Thursday night, May through October, starting at 7:30pm.  For a suggested donation of $3, you get a movie outside just as the city starts to cool off for the day and all the popcorn you can eat.

Plastic chairs are provided, but you can bring a lightweight lawn chair or blanket if you’d like.  The movies are screened in the La Placita plaza, at 110 S Church, which is the corner of Church and Broadway.  You can park in the garage over at Stone and Broadway, which is free after 6pm, barring any special events going on downtown.

Check the Cinema La Placita for the schedule – tonight they’re showing Sweet Bird of Youth (Paul Newman and Geraldine Page), but I’m more excited for next week’s showing of Indiscreet.  Woot Cary Grant!

Josias Joesler was an architect in the early 20th century in Tucson, and to find a “Joesler” home in original condition is considered a special thing here.

The University of Arizona Library is having a special collection in his honor, starting yesterday and running through August 21st.  The collection will be at 1510 E University Blvd on the U of A campus.  It will feature his original architectural drawings, conceptual plans, and photos of Joesler buildings.

The U of A Library announcement describes Joesler and his work thusly:

Swiss-born Joesler work blended many contemporary and revival styles, including Spanish Colonial and Pueblo Revival and also Swiss, Tudor, Greek, Italianate, Art Deco and Art Moderne.

His buildings were marked by wrought ironwork, decorative glazed and unglazed tiles, ceiling beams, wall niches, stained concrete floors, hand-carved wooden doors and his signature “wind flags,” which resembled weather vanes.

 

So go check it out.  Joesler is our Tucson-famous architect, and it should be quite interesting to see so much of his work in one place.

Oh – these homes listed for sale in Tucson say “Joesler” but I wouldn’t take that as a guarantee!

This Friday, March 5, 2010, they’re holding an Andy Warhol Pop Art event at the Tucson Museum of Art from 8pm to midnight.  And I’ll be there at 8pm on behalf of the Tucson Digital Arts Community building canned food sculptures.

Yes, sculptures of food cans.  In honor of Andy Warhol.

So come support me and team TDAC as we compete with 2 other teams in the canned food extravaganza, in support of the Community Food Bank.  We’ve got a sweet sculpture planned, but you gotta be there to see it for yourself!

But it’s not just fun with canned food.  There’s complimentary hors d’oeuvers, martini samples from Sullivans, a fondu fountain, two full bars, a DJ, dancing, and – of course – networking with other young(ish) professionals from Tucson.  Plus, your ticket includes admission to all galleries at the Tucson Museum of Art.  A deal that can’t be beat.

Admission is $10 before 8:30, when the price goes up to $20.  Bring 3 cans of food for $5 off.

And don’t forget stop by the team TDAC canned sculpture table and say hello!

There are workshops in two weeks for the public to discuss how businesses and neighborhoods will be accessed from the new Grant Road.  If you live anywhere along that corridor, or have interests in those businesses, it might be useful to attend.

If you do, you’ll learn about how drivers will enter/exit the roadway using shared driveways and new median openings.  You’ll also be able to provide input on the preliminary design, the streetscape, the landscape, and public art.

The Grant Road task force would appreciate an RSVP though, by emailing information@grantroad.info, or by calling (520) 624-4727.

To discuss Swan to Country Club area, the workshop is November 16th, 5:30-8:30pm at the Tucson Association of Realtors office, 2445 N Tucson Blvd.

To discuss Oracle to 1st Ave, the workshop is November 18th, 5:30-8:30pm at the Pima Downtown Campus Amethyst Room, Building CC, room 180 at 1225 N Stone.

To discuss 1st Ave to Country Club, the workshop is November 19th, 5:30-8:30pm at the Tucson Association of Realtors office, 2445 N Tucson Blvd.

As always, you can find more info at the Grant Road project site – www.GrantRoad.info.

Naturally, I was terrified.  I am not exactly athletic.  But I consulted with my scale and figured it was worth a shot.

Turns out, bootcamp in the park is actually pretty enjoyable.  Well.  Maybe enjoyable is the wrong word.  It’s a tough workout, but it can be adapted to pretty much any level of fitness.  My heart rate monitor says I regularly burn between 550 and 700 calories during the hour of exercise. 

But it isn’t the various exercises that keep me coming back.  It’s the people.  There’s a community of folks there to struggle along with you, encourage and assist you when you need it – and I’m there to do the same for them.  Unlike going to the gym to hit the elliptical on my own for an hour – which I could never stay motivated to do for long – I go work out with a group of people, comprised of a wide variety of body sizes and ages, and we make it through together.  It’s like a built in motivation and accountability system.  And I’m a huge fan.

AND.  It is Urban Athletic’s 2 year anniversary, so they’re celebrating with a discount.

If you sign up during October for the next session (here’s the workout schedule – it varies by location), use the coupon code "anniversary" to get $100 off your registration.

From Paul Rose, one of the owners:

Urban Athletics started as a way to prove to ourselves that we could get an incredible workout, no matter where we were.  We started coming up with routines that would engage the whole body, which triggers a faster metabolism. What started as just a few friends working out in the park, has turned into a proven exercise method that works for anyone.

In our two years of training we have seen amazing results with out clients. Seeing people completely change their body type is the most gratifying part of the job – I think we help show that getting into great shape doesn’t mean changing your entire life, just a few small things.

The cookie filled holidays are approaching…  Work off your future cookies now.

Break out your lederhosen and tubas. It’s Oktobefest in Tucson!

The Optimist Club of Tucson puts on Oktobefest every year at Hi Corbett Field, complete with a polka band, strudel, sausages, and, of course, beer.  There’s other stuff to see and eat too – check out the whole line up of entertainment on the Tucson Oktobefest website.

U of A has Tuba Cats?  Apparently so.  This, I might need to see.

Tucson Oktobefest runs October 1 – 4th at Hi Corbett Field – that’s South of Broadway at Reid Park, 3400 E Camino Campestre.  Admission is $3 for adults, kids under 12 are free.

Hours:

• Friday October 2nd – open noon to 11pm
• Saturday October 3rd – open 10am to 11pm
• Sunday October 4th – open noon to 6pm. 

So go have fun at Oktoberfest – there are plenty of exhibitors and foods and fun to be had.  And all to benefit a good cause.

Every September brings the Greek Festival at the St. Demetrios Hellenic Center, over at 1145 E Ft. Lowell.  This year, from September 24th to the 27th, you can enjoy all that is Greek – the food, the beverages, the pastries, the music, the dancing.

As you may have guessed, my favorite is the food. 

Admission is $3, kids under 12 get in free, and active duty military get in free as well.  On Thursday and Sunday, if you bring a can of food for the Community Food Bank, you’ll get a $1 food line coupon – a bargain, to be sure.  Friday and Saturday, there is parking and shuttle service from the Salpointe High School stadium (off of Glenn and Mountain) – I recommend the shuttle, as parking can get crowded closer to the event.

Hours vary by day: Thursday is 5 – 10pm, Friday is 5 – 11 pm, Saturday is 4 – 11pm, and Sunday is noon to 6:30pm.

There’s more information over at www.stdemetriostucson.org.

Go check it out, have some tasty eats, and enjoy the cooler Tucson evenings.  Ought to be a lovely festival this year.

This is the second year for this event, and the first that it has come to Tucson I believe.  There’s about 30 local high-end restaurants who will offer a three course prix-fixe dinner for $29/person (or $58 for two) during the week of September 19th to the 26th. 

The goal of Arizona Restaurant week is to position Arizona as one of the top culinary destinations in the nation, but for those of us that aren’t ‘foodies,’ it seems like a week of very lovely meals at really nice places at a fabulous price.

The list of participating restaurants in Tucson is here, and includes such places as:

• Blanco
• Flemings
• Gold at Westward Look
• Lodge on the Desert
• Kingfisher
• Sullivans
• The Grill at Hacienda del Sol
• Zinburger

and lots more.  Hungry yet?  I am.