Entries Tagged 'Tucson Attractions' ↓

Colossal Cave Mountain Park is just the place to go if you want to enjoy some of Southern Arizona’s natural beauty or if you want to spend quality time with your family! Abundant in wildlife, Colossal Cave Mountain Park is a natural sanctuary to hundreds of species of birds, reptiles, mammals and infinite butterflies, beetles, moths and numerous other invertebrates! Some of the mammals that can be spotted in the park include Pack Rats, Spotted Skunks, Ringtails, Foxes, Bobcats, Raccoons, and Mountain Lions and of course, bats…hundreds of bats!

One of the reasons Colossal Cave Mountain Park is so popular with everyone is because of its remarkable diversity in such a small area. The reason for such variety in flora-fauna and wildlife can be attributed to the Park’s location. Situated in the “Sonoran-Chihuahuan transition zone,” the park has a large number of desert species that can’t be found anywhere else in the entire Tucson valley.

Fortunately for us, the Park is riding high along a path that has been witness to transitions of time from ancient to contemporary with respect to plants and wildlife. Over the centuries, flora and fauna population have migrated in response to the multi-layered changes in the climate, further enriching the flora of the Park.

According to the official website of the Colossal Cave Mountain Park, today the park’s plant list accounts for almost one thousand species of wildflowers, trees, shrubs, cacti and the famous desert spring ‘blooms’!

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Technorati Tags: Colossal Cave Mountain Park, Colossal Cave, Sonoran-Chihuahuan transition zone, Tucson

This topic has been on my mind the past several months. When the housing market exploded a few years ago and homebuyers squeezed into homes with Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARMs) with seductive initial interest rates, I said to myself, “In 2 or 3 years when those ARMs come due, there are going to be a lot of unhappy people.”

The recent follies in the sub-prime mortgage market were an omen of trouble on the horizon and in a few more months that trouble will burst onto the mortgage scene with reckless abandon. According to this latest article from CNN.com more than 600,000 homeowners will be affected by the resetting mortgage rates.

“Delinquency rates will probably peak by the end of the year,” said Doug Duncan, chief economist for the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), “and foreclosures in 2008.”

Lenders approved many borrowers who had little chance of being able to afford the payments two and three years out. They approved applications without any proof of income or assets (”liar loans”) and others that barely could make the low teaser-rate payments. Some borrowers chose interest-only ARMs, which left the principal of the loan untouched.

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Technorati Tags: Adjustable Rate Mortgages, ARMs, sub-prime mortgage

For a neat piece of Tucson history and a nostalgic fieldtrip of the mind, stop by the Fox Tucson Theatre in downtown Tucson. Located on Congress Street just west of Stone Avenue (17 West Congress), the Fox Tucson Theatre sports a glittering “FOX” marquee that takes us back to the 1930s when it was the hoppin’ place in town. A brief excerpt from the Fox Tucson Theatre website:

“For 44 years the theatre showed films primarily, but also offered occasional live entertainment until it closed in 1974. The Fox Tucson Theatre is one of a dwindling number of historic theatres still in existence in the United States and is the finest example of its kind in Arizona. In light of this exceptional status, is has been designated as a Nationally significant building on the National Register of Historic Places.”

I remember driving back and forth past this place for several years wondering when (and if) they were ever going to finish the restoration project everyone kept chattering about. In June 2002 they mounted the current marquee (a replica of the original that was destroyed as it was being taken down in 1986, 12 years after the Theatre closed) and had a re-lighting ceremony that was pretty neat to signal the beginning of the restoration project. Work continued for the next 3 1/2 years until New Year’s Eve 2005 when the offical Grand Re-Opening took place.

Currently the theatre is used for a variety of performances including such as screening old Hollywood movies, ballet performances, and various musical performances.
A few recent events of note include:

• Bollywood at the Fox
• World Aid’s Today 2006
• Puro Mexicano Film Festival
• Stephen King’s Desperation World Premiere

I stopped by the Theatre last weekend to catch 7:30pm showing of “Casablanca“, the first time I had watched it, and the Theatre was stunning. Walking under the marquee and into the lobby the Southwestern Art Deco theme is immediately evident with the funky edged ceiling accents and polished steel chandeliers and sconces. The auditorium seats over eleven hundred people on two tiers and has a beautiful mosaic-like painting on it’s ceiling that I found fascinating to look at. After the movie was over and people were shuffling out I was definitely thankful I had decided to visit.

The Fox Tucson Theatre is a great piece of Tucson history and everyone should try to stop by for an event. Like I noted above, the Theatre is used in a multitude of ways and is also available for weddings and receptions! For more neat history, a performance schedule, and reservation inquiries, visit the Fox Tucson Theatre website.

Technorati Tags: Tucson history, Fox Tucson Theatre, Bollywood at the Fox, Puro Mexicano Film Festival, Stephen King, Casablanca, Southwestern Art Deco