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Getting Away
SEE IT
Courtin’ Diversity
The Pima
County Courthouse has been a Tucson landmark for
eight decades, but it took a while for the community
to accept it because of a lingering controversy over
the colors and style. Now the Spanish Colonial Revival
structure, designed by Roy W. Place and built by
contractor Herbert Brown, is a city icon. The first
courthouse to occupy the site was built in 1867 for
$15,650. A brick building replaced the original in
1881 and served until 1928, when the current courthouse
was erected at a cost of $350,000. The main building
was constructed of brick covered with stucco; the
dome is concrete covered with ceramic tile, so the
architecture combines Spanish and Moroccan styles.
- Sam Lowe
Photo by Sam Lowe
If you go
Pima County Courthouse
115 N. Church Ave., Tucson
(downtown)
“Moo”ve Over
Four and five diamond restaurants get cowed
A number of AAA-rated restaurants got the axe, recently,
as redesign has stealthily crept among Arizona resorts.
Five AAA four and five diamond resort eateries have
closed shop as a result of hotel renovations. Red
meat reigns supreme in the latest trend to sweep
resort dining; three out of the five defunct restaurants
have shut down in favor of upscale steakhouses, featuring
high-profile, buzz-worthy chefs.
Executive Chef Laurent Tourondel will bring his
successful BLT Steak franchise to the Camelback Inn
(replacing Chaparral Room), while Michael Mina’s
Bourbon Steak has opened where once stood Marquesa
at the Fairmont Scottsdale. G&J Steakhouse will
supplant five diamond-rated Mary Elaine’s at the
Phoenician.
Among the others, the Hyatt Scottsdale has not yet
decided how to leverage the space vacated by Vu,
while the multi-million dollar enhancement that saw
the demise of Acacia at the Four Seasons resulted
in the January debut of the Onyx Bar and Lounge paired
with Talavera restaurant.
Girlfriends’ Runaway Hit
Though thousands of gal pals are planning to go away,
the getaway gimmick spurring their mass exodus
is here to stay. Perhaps the fastest growing gender-driven
trend since chick-lit, one survey found that 24
percent of American women have taken a girlfriend
getaway in the past 3 years, while 39 percent more
plan on taking one in the next 3 years.
Packages catering to women have become so ubiquitous,
they’ve spawned their own website. Check out details
about the top girlfriend packages around the country.
givetoyourself.com
La Fresh and Easy
From make-up and nail polish remover to insect repellent
and shoe shine, La Fresh travel wipes packs all those
jostling bottles of liquids and lotions into single-use
biodegradable towelettes. Space savers, time savers,
mess savers (think of the havoc erratic cabin pressures
wreak on a tube of sunscreen), the TSA-friendly One-Day-Stay
travel packets ($4.99) strike a harmony of economy
and convenience on short trips and overnights. The
women’s packet contains two distinct make-up removers,
lotion, deodorant, a minty mitt dental mitt and an
anti-bacterial wipe.
However, it loses a bit of its perfect pitch on
longer trips. One-Day-Stay, 14 nights away — maybe
I’ll pack in the jumbo astringent after all. Luckily
La Fresh offers similar samplings in larger packs
(30 count, $19) to keep it a bit more economical.
And even if you you’re not leaving town, La Fresh
towelettes are the perfect purse stuffers for hygiene
in a pinch. LaFreshGroup.com
Where art thou, RoamEO?
Pet owners need never utter this plaintive cry, for the new RoamEO GPS device
($499.99) can always be located wrapped around their favorite wooly pet (not
to be confused for that Capulet). Using a portable hand-held receiver, the
RoamEO displays information through a GPS enabled pet collar, pinpointing the
location of prodigal pets everywhere (or at least those within one mile of
the device). Great for travel, it can help curb your four-legged companion’s
wanderlust even as you indulge your own. The RoamEO also includes a feature
that can be set to deliver an audible warning if your pooch roams outside of
a preset perimeter. roameoforpets.com, 651-636-5695
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