Best of Tucson Querido

Andrew and I cast our vote for Best of Tucson and we wanted to make our love public, especially for places that probably won’t win. They should know they have a special place in our heart anyway.

Best Tourist Attraction: Mount Lemmon

Best Annual Festival: Tucson Eat
Yourself

Best Park: Reid. Let's face it. They have a duck/turtle pond, dog parks, concerts, an aquatic center, a zoo, marathons, celebrations, a golf course, etc. etc. etc.

Best Public Servant: Janet Napolitano. She rocks!

Best Local TV Newscast: KGUN. We haven’t actually watched any other, but we watch KGUN news every night because we love to make fun of them. We laugh a lot at their technical errors, ridiculous editorial comments and tactless transitions. (For example, Guy on the morning news: "Maybe someday I'll get up that early!") We also have nicks for the newscasters, like Guy Crotchly and Jennifer Waddle.

Best Radio Station for News: KUAZ. Duh.

Best Local Website: TUCSON QUERIDO!!!

Best Bowling Alley: Lucky Strike. Specifically during Cosmic Bowl. The characters there include that guy wearing the "Of course I love you - my dick is hard ain't it?" tee shirt and the pregnant blond wearing pink short shorts, smoking a cigarette.

Best Yoga Studio: Yoga Oasis

Best Auto Repair: Jimmy’s Broadway. Andrew trusts them and says they are good guys.

Best Art Museum: The Center for Creative Photography.

Best Public Art: The Glownut. See photo above.

Best Local Performing Artist: Devotchka

Best Movie Theater: The Loft and Century Park 16. (When you want mainstream, Century Park 16 spells awesome because of the early eighties decor. (We saw Grindhouse there - it was perfect.) Also, it's the only theater I know that got grandfathered in, escaping the no outside food or drink policy.

Best Sports Bar: No Anchovies

Best Gay/Lesbian Bar: I actually don't know and wanted help on this. Are there any Gay/Lesbian bars in Tucson to dance at? If not, could someone address the business need already??

Best Lowbrow Bar Ambiance: The Buffet

Best Cocktail Menu: Kon Tiki

Best Beer Selection on Tap: The Grill

Best Magarita: El Charro, but you have to order it with Patron.

Best Signature Cocktail: The Scorpion from Kon Tiki

Best Liquor Store: Plaza Liquors

Best Delicatessen: The Sausage Deli

Best Burger: The Sueño Burger from Cushing Street

Best sandwich: Anything from The Asian Sandwich Deli

Best Pizza: Andrew says Rocco’s. I say it's the Magpie from Magpie's.

Best Ice Cream: Frost

Best Burrito: El Checo (usually parked near Country Club and Valencia)

Best Sonoron Hot Dogs: El Perro Loco (the one at the Tanque Verde Swap Meet)

Best Diner: The Grill. Let's face it: it's the most convenient way to get a bite after a show, they have live music, they have a great beer selection, it's the most supremely grunge/trendy ambiance you could possibly muster, and celebs walk in when you least expect it. (We saw Bill Irwin there when he was in town to do Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf with Kathleen Turner.)

Best Indian: Sher-E-Punjab

Best Italian: Giacomo’s

Best Middle Eastern: Sinbad’s

Best Steakhouse: Flemming’s

Best Sushi: Sushi King

Best Outdoor Seating: Cushing Street

Best Late-Night Eats: The Grill

Best Vietnamese: Miss Saigon

Best Mexican Fast Food: The Taco Shop

Best Veggie Burger: Bentley’s. Get it with everything.

Best Café Hangout: Espresso Art.

Best Used Bookstore: Bookman’s. And I’m not just saying that because they publish me on their new website. They allow dogs.

Best Video Store: Casa Video. Owned by Iowans who moved to Tucson to make their video store dreams come true. Authentically indie.

Best Women’s Fashions: Toque de Pasión. It carries Latin American folk chic while honoring fair trade and it's the only store in the US that carries my favorite Paraguayan designer, Pombero. (Thanks to moi!)

Best Resale Clothing: Buffalo Exchange

Best Artesian Jewelry: Toque de Pasión

Best Bike Shop: Fairwheel Bikes. They are nice to me.