In the first few weeks after our move down here, I have already discovered quite a few quirks about this desert city. I am not sure if they are all bad, good, or just weird. I will rate each of them as good, bad, or weird, and then I will see what you guys think.
1. The average temperature at lunch time here is about 100 degrees…rating: seemingly good
-this causes greasy food to sound unappetizing causing better eating habits and increases the intake of water which is good all around. However, while traveling on the freeway the most common roadside debris is shredded tires caused from the road and tire friction in combination with the natural heat of the surrounding atmosphere. The heat also causes people to be in a perpetual state of sweat even when in the lowest state of activity which can have the effect of making you look like a hot mess no matter how much time you spend on hair and make-up.
2. The traffic commission plays a cruel trick on daily commuters because green left-turn arrows follow the green light…most of the time…rating: weird and dangerous.
-Let me explain this a little more clearly. In Minnesota and every other place I have been the green arrow comes first and then all the lights turn green causing drivers who had the green arrow to now yield to oncoming traffic from the other direction. In Tucson, drivers in the left turn lane must first yield to oncoming traffic and then when straight lanes receive the red light the green arrow appears. Initially, this seems like a genius idea…this way people waiting to turn left are not left stranded in the middle of an intersection when the light turns red. However, the danger becomes evident when one realizes that this is not true of every intersection in Tucson, and this is usually only realized through first-hand experience. The other dangerous element involved is that even though people coming in the opposite direction know that a red light is coming and that people will be turning left, the yellow light still reads as “speed up” and the first 3 seconds of red light are only optional. So when drivers receive the green arrow, it is never a guarantee that they won’t be t-boned in the middle of an intersection by a jack-ass going 60 miles per hour. Drive at your own risk.
3. I see people on a daily basis dressed in pants and long-sleeved shirts…rating: weird
-no explanation needed
4. The sun is completely down by 7 pm…rating: good
-relief from the heat and blazing sun…good time to go out and get things done. Only down side…makes you feel like going to bed at 9pm. This makes Tucson an ideal location for retirement communities.
5. In order to get your Arizona plates your car has to be inspected…rating: good
-they rate your car’s environmental impact which is awesome and all states should increase there laws regarding emissions and such.
6. Geckos can’t swim…rating: weird
-Owen and I discovered this on our own when we found one drowned in the pool. Poor little bugger. Its cruel to have to live in such a dry/hot environment and not be able to engage in fun activities like swimming.
7. Top four most dangerous animals in Tucson and surrounding area:
-brown recluse spider
-black widow
-gila monster…awesome
-diamondback
…I have yet to see any of these and I find this a bit troubling…rating: bad/good
8. I killed my first outdoor potted plant by overwatering…rating: wierd/bad and extremely pathetic on my part
9. Palm trees + cactii = awesomeness
10. Cops don’t patrol every road in Tucson…instead they have photo enforced zones…rating: good/bad/weird
weird: cops are lazy
good: that question “where’s a cop when you need one?” is used more sparingly
bad: the photo-enforced zones use a flash that leaves you temperarily blinded and makes you an even bigger danger to yourself and other drivers on the road…not that I know this from experience.
11. Tinted windows are not just used for looks or style down here…rating: good
- you can actually get sunburned while driving with the windows up for a short amount of time
12. rocks= grass…can’t wait to play in the yard!…rating: weird
13. house spiders are huge…rating: bad
14. For most of the year rivers= dried up beds scattered thoughout the city. However, during the rainy or monsoon season, the rain from the mountain floods down toward the city. Apparently, the city has given up trying to deal with drivers who forge the road that become inundated and now just post signs saying “don’t use when flooded”…rating: bad
-the bad thing about this is that you can’t tell the road is flooded until you drive on it.
15. All the bridges have icing warnings posted on them…rating: weird
16. Monsoon season…rating: good
-this is awesome
17. There are no Noodles and Co. here…rating: bad
18. There are Jack-in-the-Box and Waffle Houses…rating: weird
19. There are Wendy’s, Arby’s, Jamba Juice, Sonic, and Quiznos here… rating: fantastic
Thats it for now but I will prolly add more later!
