Club Crawl – Go Downtown!

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Our sad small-town newspaper the Arizona Daily Star would have you believe that downtown Tucson has been frozen in time since 1970 (following the tragic Pioneer Hotel fire). Such cynical criticism is pretty hypocritical in light of the fact that the Arizona Daily Star abandoned downtown Tucson many years ago, leading the way for other businesses to follow suit.

I think this slanted reporting is aimed at people who do not go downtown for more than the occasional home show, or car show, or gun show.

I had my office in downtown Tucson during the 1990s when downtown was at its nadir. It often made me think of Detroit, a city in decay.

Since 2005 when the build out phase of Rio Nuevo started in earnest, there have been substantial improvements made to downtown Tucson. The Fox Theater I loved as a kid growing up in Tucson has reopened, there is new construction (did they somehow miss the cranes?), there are many fine restaurants and a thriving entertainment district. You wouldn't know unless you go.

The Tucson Weekly has the schedule for the Spring Club Crawl beginning tonight. Tucson Weekly – Spring 2011 Club Crawl® | Club Crawl. Go Downtown!

Here is the Killer Barbies cover of Petula Clark's classic Downtown (1964). I would love to see an aspiring filmmaker or videographer hook up with a local band and put your creative talents together to make a similar cover video for downtown Tucson. If you do, please send us a link to your YouTube post.