I recently read an article in the AZ Daily Star “East side has so much to offer” by regional editor Tiffany Kjos.

So I started pondering about what I liked about central/midtown Tucson, where we have lived (two apartments, one home) for over 25 years. So here’s my informal list of 10 things I like about Midtown. Click on the blue hyperlinks if you are new to Tucson and need more information.

1. Himmel Park (south of Speedway, between Tucson Blvd. & Treat Avenue), has tennis courts recently resurfaced, an open air pool now open again for the summer, lots of grass, playing fields, an outdoor grass amphitheater for plays/concerts. A Shakespeare in the park performance of “The Taming of the Shrew” is performing there opening tonight, for three weekends at 7 p.m. $5 suggested donation, to benefit El Rio Theatre Project.

2. Himmel Park Branch Library, oldest branch library of Pima County (built in 1961), children’s storytime, teen activities, Senior Games (including mahjong), films & lectures, lots more, even books to borrow.

3. Reid Park at NE corner of E. 22nd St. and N. Country Club, much larger park with an outdoor performance center & stage, ramadas, playground equipment & stone turtles for children, a rose garden, dog run, a duck pond & gurgling streams, artistic sculptures, etc.

4. The Reid Park Zoo for the children and out of town guests: elephants, tigers, bears, (oh my!), even unusual anteaters and a capybara.

5. The Loft Theater, 3233 E. Speedway, independent and creative movie showings, plus a promised expansion and often freebies during special events

6. Casa Video, 2905 E. Speedway, terrific collection of recent and old DVDs and videos, plus free popcorn whenever you drop in (open daily 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.)

7. Yoshimatsu/Sushimatsu at 2660 N. Campbell – authentic Japanese food in two unique restaurants, plus a very cute gift shop of Japanese items, toys

8. Bookman’s on Grant (SE corner of Campbell): a used book store and much more – gift items, art paraphernalia, current magazines, musical instruments, electronic stuff, even jewelry. And a new Bookman’s is coming to E. Speedway near Camino Miramonte.

9. The University of AZ, between Speedway & E. 6th Street, between Euclid Ave. and Campbell, not only an undergraduate & graduate university, but a resource for the community with art displays, outdoor sculptures, lectures, musical & dance performances, festivals & workshops, intellectual stimulation for all ages. Starting tomorrow an 8-day Chinese Culture Festival, event schedule at www.confucius.arizona.edu.

10. Bicycle path on E. 3rd St. runs from Wilmot Road westward through midtown past lovely, small Miramonte Neighborhood Park (NW corner of Richey Blvd.), one block south of Himmel Park aforementioned (Treat Ave. and Tucson Blvd.), right through the University of Az (on University Blvd.) through to 4th Avenue and Stone Avenue, with several bicyle-friendly “hawk” crossings to help bicyclists cross the major intersections. For more info on bicycling and bike maps in Tucson, go to Tucson Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee website (click here).

These are the 10 things that make my life more enjoyable and fun in midtown Tucson. What are yours?

The Urban Assault Ride™ is the biggest Bicycle Obstacle Event series in the nation! Here’s how it works: You and your teammate will set out on a city-wide quest for ‘checkpoints’ on your favorite two-wheeled steeds. At each checkpoint, you’ll drop your bikes and complete a funky/adventurous obstacle course, then remount your bikes and hit the streets for more.

The goal is to complete all the checkpoints in the shortest amount of time. You choose your own route and checkpoint order. This means that the most clever are often the victors. Of course, it may also help if you can pull a mean big-wheel powerslide and fly across an inflatable slip-n-slide.

After your pedal-powered adventure, your team will cross the finish line and enter a massive celebration of New Belgium Brewing Co’s whimsical ways, bikes, and big wheels. The after party is just as much fun as the ride itself, thanks to the craziest raffle prize contest you’ll ever experience.

Pick a partner and we’ll see you there!!

Tucson AZ – February 26th, 2012 Benefitting: SDMB: “Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists”

Kicking off the season in the Old Pueblo once again.

Price: Only $30 -60/person! (Sign up early for the best prices) You’ll get a 100% cotton t-shirt, a couple of free beers at the after party, some great swag from our sponsors, and entered into some contests to win even more great prizes!

Online Registration closes Friday, February 24th, at 4pm.

Packet Pick Up: (Saturday 2/25 11am-2pm) (LAST CHANCE TO SIGN UP!!!)
Location: Skybar 536 N. 4th Ave, Tucson

VIP Package: $10/person
Includes:

100% Cotton Urban Assault Ride T-Shirt
Custom Urban Assault Ride waterbottle
Surly Junk Strap
Super Quick Check-In on SUNDAY morning (you DO NOT need to come to packet pickup on Saturday with the VIP Package)

Start/Finish: Sunday 2/26 9am Reid Park, Tucson AZ

After Party Food and Drink: A special thanks to some great local food and drink vendors joining is for the Urban Assault Ride after party. Bring some cash and your appetite:

Mr K’s BBQ
Renee’s Organic Oven
Peddler on the Path Coffee
Isabella’s Ice Cream

Off-Limit Streets: These streets can be crossed but not ridden. Bike lanes on these streets ARE permitted.

210/Aviation Parkway (you CAN ride the bike path, but stay off the highway)
5th/6th St from Wilmot to Davis
Santa Cruz and Rillito River Bike Paths*

*Due to the high speed and high volume of the Urban Assault Ride, please avoid using these bike paths so as to not disrupt normal Sunday morning traffic.

Obstacle Checkpoints: (checkpoints can be reached in any order)

Sunflower Market (4625 E. Speedway Bl)
Tahoe Park (2000 E. Edison St.)
Himmel Park (1000 N. Tucson Blvd., SOUTHWEST CORNER)
Tucson Children’s Museum (200 South 6th Avenue)
Ordinary Bike Shop (311 E. 7th St.)

Mystery Checkpoints: There will be 2 ‘mystery checkpoints’ which all teams will have to locate – in addition to the obstacle checkpoints above. The 1st clue will be available the Thursday before the race. The 2nd mystery checkpoint clue will be revealed when you reach the 1st mystery checkpoint.

Bonus Quiz: Take the OPTIONAL bonus quiz before the UAR to gain valuable time. The best scores on the quiz start the UAR 1st.

You have from Wednesday until Friday at 4pm to complete your team’s quiz.

Online registration ends today at 4 p.m. — don’t delay! http://www.urbanassaultride.com/tucson

I happened upon this “assault” of urban Tucson last Spring, 2010 at Tahoe Park and wrote up a quick blog, followed by exciting & funny photos later (links below):

http://tucsoncitizen.com/community/2011/03/20/urban-assault-ride-in-tucson-today/

http://tucsoncitizen.com/community/2011/03/27/urban-assault-ride-photos/

Good luck everyone who participates — hope you all have a lot of fun as you exercise your way throughout those urban bicycle pathways/routes.

Last week Sunday’s New Belgium Brewing Urban Assault Ride was an amazing feat of urban bicycling around Tucson — from downtown Maynard’s Market out to Risky Business (250 S. Craycroft) as well as up to the NW Sunflower Market (2582 N. 1st Ave.) — to do a “scavenger hunt” by collecting 8 beads at each checkpoint for the ultimate win, back at Maynard’s. There were also obstacles to complete at these checkpoints, as evidenced in the photo below from Tahoe Park (2000 E. Edison, southwest of Bookman’s on Grant).

I reported on this urban bicycling event last Sunday May 20, click here, witnessing it as bicycle teams arrived at Tahoe Park and at Himmel Park.

Photos of the event are here and online at Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists, courtesy of Zach MacDonald: http://www.facebook.com/SDMB.org. More great photos at Maynard’s by Christopher James Vincent are also online at that same facebook page.

Big Foot "assaulting" Hank Rowe

twin banana team arriving

2 person wheelbarrow obstacle at Tahoe Park

Batman & Robin team #163

pirate team # 101 at Tahoe Park

Urban Assault volunteers at Tahoe Park

Looking forward to next year’s Urban Assault Ride!