If you read my site regularly then you know how much I love sports. I also love Universities and seeing different schools. So it seemed natural to head down to Tucson for the University of Arizona homecoming and football weekend. No I didn’t go to Arizona and in fact I don’t even like the state that much but I do love a good fiesta and a football game between the U of A and Washington State. This was my second consecutive week at a Pac 10 football game and the weather was just a little hotter than last weekend in Eugene, Oregon.

First, Tucson is a much better place than Phoenix which I can’t stand and am counting down the days until I can get out of here. It has mountains in very close proximity to the city and it lacks the neverending sprawl that in so prevalent in Phoenix. The city itself is very manageable and although it too is a strip mall type city, it seems less so than Phoenix and has some unique character.

The University of Arizona is the heart and soul of Tucson and is one of, if not the most beautiful school I have seen. I mean honestly, it is lined with palm trees everywhere you look, attractive buildings and gorgeous students. The athletic facilties seem to be very first rate, with the exception of the football stadium-but they aren’t know for football. The fans have a lot of school spirit and they have some cool cheers. The game itself was a blowout and was over after the first quarter as Arizona routed Washington State and moved into a first place tie with Oregon in the Pac 10 Conference.

Before and after the game was a great tailgaiting scene right on campus with tons of tents set up and people seeming to be having a blast. I love college football for the atmosphere and again, while Arizona is clearly not a football school, they a did a great job of creating some football atmosphere in the 90 degree heat.

As far as the town itself, there was a lot to offer as far as larger college towns go. There were a few streets lined with shops, restaurants and bars. My two buddies and I spent most of our time on University at a place called the Frog and Firkin and of course at the notorious college bar Dirtbags-yes that’s really the name of the place and it was packed with alumni reliving their college days. This was ideal because Dirtbags was right across the street from our hotel, the Four Points by Sheraton. It was very poor by Starwood standards but it is in the middle of a college town so what would you expect.

That’s pretty much it as far as Tucson goes. I had a great time with some good and really funny friends and we just laughed the whole time so I will have a very positive opinion about Tucson. Like most places out west, it’s a nice place to visit but I don’t think I could ever live there for good.

Also, I know some of these pictures are really big. My photo service changed on me and I am not sure how to get them smaller, trying to figure it out.

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