Insights from my First Two Weeks in Tucson

[Miss Liberty]

Tucson is pretty Liberal, mainly because of UofA, which is why it doesn't look or feel like you're in a Conservative state unfortunately. The Tucson Democrats are full of Chicago thug style politicians, and have pulled some pretty shady crap. South Tucson is a sanctuary for illegals, welfare abuse is rampant, and we have a lot of drug problems here that no one seems to care about. They've also tried to force some un-Constitutional gun control and gun buyback stuff but thankfully the state snuffed that out pretty quickly. If the Tucson democrats had the ability they would completely control, and flip Arizona and turn it into another California.

[Marcy1210]

Originally Posted by teddyearp

Well, then Marcy, your exaggerations seem to be based on the fact that you are 927 miles away from where you would rather be.

I've been to Houston in July and there is NO WAY to compare the humidity between the two. Houston is WAY more humid. the windows steam up on the outside. You cannot even dry off from a shower in the morning. No comparison.

As to your critter problem. Where do you live? Oro valley, or Oracle? Because the two are almost twenty miles apart. Might want to straighten up your facts a bit because your credibility is loosing.

Huh? What are you talking about? I didn't say I lived in Oracle. I said what most people in Oro Valley will say "I live east of Oracle" meaning east of Oracle Rd. No one uses the word Rd with it. I said I live east of Oracle in Oro Valley, up against the foothills, so if you're from around here, you should have figured out that it was Oracle Rd and not Oracle the town. Duh.

For 40 years, until 2008, I lived in Colorado -- 927 miles from Oro Valley. What's so hard to understand about that? My facts are perfectly straight and my credibility is fine. You're the one who's not getting it.

I have been to Houston, and all along the I-10/Rt. 98 corridor to Jacksonville, and when it gets humid here, it reminds me of the Gulf Coast. I can't stand humidity because Colorado doesn't have much humidity and I'm not used to it.

[gemstone1]

Roaches in the sewer a problem for you ? ... then take
proper precautions when away from home for extended (weeks/months) periods of time. This situation is not specific to any particular area, and can occur when water traps in a home's plumbing system dry out because of extended periods of non use....or neglect. So, bottom line....this problem is not specific to the Tucson area.

Regards
Gemstone1

[NewYorkiforniainHouston]

Originally Posted by ScaryTucson

Houston vs. Tucson in humidity, that is funny. OK I know what some are saying, but I lived in humid areas most of my life and traveled around.

I'm sure Tucson can get the occasionally rare night after a rain where the humidity lingers, but at least it goes away in a day or two once the sun dries everything back out. I've seen humidity in Houston last 3 months with maybe 3 days (1 day per month) that were bearable. And it never really stops being humid in the southeast, you get an occasional cold front in Sep or Oct and think (wow finally summer is over), then 3 days later it's back to just like it was in August, and then you might have to wait another 1-3 weeks for just another 2-3 day break on the humidity.

In middle of December in Houston, occasionally we get temps in upper 70's to mid 80's where humidity comes back like summer and it feels like summer night again (not hottest part of summer, but at night same thing)...

Dew point is what matters usually as far as how humid the air really feels, and if you come from the SE any dewpoints in the 60's are probably going to feel ok usually.

However, there is one OVERWHELMING difference, in Tucson you can escape the heat, it's not a far drive at all, for where many of us may live it should be 5-10 minutes down the road, some of you maybe 30 minutes.

In Houston, you have to drive to either far West Texas or New Mexico, which is a 700+ mile drive to escape the heat if you want to escape it and visit a major city (like ABQ or El paso). Otherwise, no escaping it in AR or OK most of the year either, except Western OK but then that is desolate and nothing out there.

Very true! From April until December (for the most part) the walk from my home to the car in the morning leaves me defeated, and the day hasn't even started yet.....the warmth and humidity feels like a huge wet wool blanket that engulfs you as soon as you open the front door. I look forward to my yearly week trip to Vegas in August....aaahhhh when I step out of McCarran and that hot, dry air.....I can finally breathe haha. It's very energizing and I don't mind walking around town during the day.

[smarino]

I would agree w/ the bus ridership. It seemed that every bus conversation we overheard (and they were often spoken at such a volume that you couldn't help from overhearing them) centered around someone's parole officer or court date. Some of this is route related, but in general it was prevalent on most of the buses. We also didn't care for the downtown bus terminal vibe, nor the heavy handed cop action there.

Actually, I thought the Tucson police were borderline nuts, and they had a very aggressive policy that made walking and biking spooky. We had a great condo on the outskirts of Tucson, but the ghetto bus rides and other annoyances made us move to another city in short order. It was unfortunate, as I loved the light for photography, but it just didn't work for us on most levels. South side bus riding was awful! Far too dicey, and some of the neighborhoods spooked me in broad daylight, and I have lived in Harlem, the S.F. Tenderloin and New Orleans. We're Zen, and there was a good Zen center when we lived there w/ a decent teacher, but being Zen we can fit into most Buddhist places to some extent.

We did like the 4th Ave ersatz hippie area as it was small and convenient to walk around in, and the monsoons were beautiful to watch move across the horizon. The Time Market was good for coffee, but $3 for a coffee is outrageous anywhere. As you mentioned, downtown walking was not fun. I would imagine that by now you are beginning to get a taste for the heat :] It's funny to hear people describe Tucson as liberal. Maybe if they're from Ohio or Wisconsin or something it's liberal. It's conservative, and the university is hardly liberal. Nothing like Albuquerque's UNM. Maybe they mean liberal compared to the rest of the state.