Things I Didn’t Know About the Southwest Before Moving Here

Three years ago I decided to drop everything and more or less move to Tucson, Arizona on a whim. After living in the Midwest and Southeast, I decided on checking out the desert for a little while, because why not, right? As someone who works at home, there were a few side projects I really wanted to finish, but distractions in varying forms continually knocked at my door, asking if I could come out and play.

So I did the only thing a sensible person would do: move 2,500 miles away from all known distractions. And here I am. But there are a number of things I didn’t know about the desert (or maybe just Tucson in general) prior to moving I’ve discovered over the years.

Would I have changed course in my mental compass had I known these ahead of time? Hard to tell. The magnet in my brain’s always screwing with that compass anyway. But maybe these bits of insights will change yours.

Mexican Food

I know, I know, you’re thinking, “No shit, Sherlock. You live an hour from the border. They’re going to have Mexican food.” But that’s not exactly what I mean. Everywhere else I’ve lived, if you wanted Mexican food, you’d go to joint nearby, or the one with the patio, or the margarita special. Here, not so much. Here, you pick the Mexican joint based on the kind of Mexican…