if you have an alternative nature and are coming to the southwest, read on...
this is probably not the best starting place for you if you are looking
for cute little howling
coyotes or love "southwestern" pastels
links to sites of some of my favorite haunts
bookmans used
books music and software
a wireless hot spot and a great used bookstore
Antigone Books
an indy bookstore that, dare i say it, has feminist leanings.
support your local independent bookstore
biosphere II
okay, closed systems don't really exist,
but some cool things were learned in the experiment and when Columbia University ran the place
sabino
canyon
the blue willow restaurant
the restaurant your countercultural aunt always wanted to open.
friendly, artistic, eclectic and with darn good food - in both veggie and omnivore ilks
the grill
the definitive cool place for inexpensive gourmet food with a great beer selection
and they offer tater tots and captain crunch. what more needs be said?
cup cafe
great place for coffee, desert and simple food (and my favorite -- just hanging at an outside table on the teeny tiny sidewalk patio area, and sipping a cool drink while writing) in the stylized cool of the retro atmosphere of The Hotel Congress, the place John Dillinger was captured (before the Indiana cops screwed up and let him escape.... which houses one of the better established clubs in Tucson
more suggestions:
tucson has an incredible selection of independent or local restaurants, diners, cafes, and sandwich shops
-- there is no reason to ever eat at a chain in this town!!
Dish Bistro and Wine Bar
the best restaurant in tucson
very upscale, excellent food, fantastic wine list, dinner only, small place, must have reservations
impress someone and bring him or her here
beyond bread
best sandwiches in tucson (& coffee and desert)and free wi fi access
buy a loaf to take home or give as a gift... yum...
and if you want to have vegetarian food, tucson has a wonderful selection
see this review for two of my almost empty pocket faves, Maya Queztal and the Casbah