Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Then there is the section of 4th avenue that passes through the city of South Tucson. Once a dark 4 lane street that people used to speed down to avoid 6th avenue to the west with all it's traffic lights.
That all changed some years ago when a group of very bright people came up with a brilliant idea. They chopped the road down to two lanes that shake thru the neighborhood making speeding impossible.
They also came up with a beautification program called "weed and seed" meaning they cleared out the weeds and planted shrubs and bushes and trees.
At the same time they constructed a bunch of murals and walls and benches and such that are all decorated with colorful and textured tile as you can see.
Of course what that meant is that the Mexican restaurants on the street had to keep up and make improvements and as a result there was an incredible economic impact to the area as anglos who had stayed away flocked to the area in droves.
I can tell you that to this date, even though the murals are right on the sidewalk and you can walk up and touch each one, NONE of them has been vandalized. I think it's because that everybody knows a vandal would be skinned upon capture.
Mi Nidito (My Little Nest) is the most popular restaurant in the area and if you plan on going there bring a crowbar to get in the door because they don't accept reservations. Well, they did ONCE but his name was President Clinton.
The Crossroads (near the bottom) used to be my fave. It lost a lot of it's charm when they stopped their drive-in service. Back in the 70's you could get your meal and even your beer served to you in the comfort of your automobile. My father ate lunch there everyday for about 15 years. It was a mandatory stop with me and my friends before we went across the street to the dog track.
Enjoy the pics below.
That all changed some years ago when a group of very bright people came up with a brilliant idea. They chopped the road down to two lanes that shake thru the neighborhood making speeding impossible.
They also came up with a beautification program called "weed and seed" meaning they cleared out the weeds and planted shrubs and bushes and trees.
At the same time they constructed a bunch of murals and walls and benches and such that are all decorated with colorful and textured tile as you can see.
Of course what that meant is that the Mexican restaurants on the street had to keep up and make improvements and as a result there was an incredible economic impact to the area as anglos who had stayed away flocked to the area in droves.
I can tell you that to this date, even though the murals are right on the sidewalk and you can walk up and touch each one, NONE of them has been vandalized. I think it's because that everybody knows a vandal would be skinned upon capture.
Mi Nidito (My Little Nest) is the most popular restaurant in the area and if you plan on going there bring a crowbar to get in the door because they don't accept reservations. Well, they did ONCE but his name was President Clinton.
The Crossroads (near the bottom) used to be my fave. It lost a lot of it's charm when they stopped their drive-in service. Back in the 70's you could get your meal and even your beer served to you in the comfort of your automobile. My father ate lunch there everyday for about 15 years. It was a mandatory stop with me and my friends before we went across the street to the dog track.
Enjoy the pics below.
// posted by sinner @ 12:18 PM 
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