And now for more
funny/unusual/admirable things a person can find just sitting around
in the city of Tucson.
This giant Easter
Island head used to live at Magic Carpet Golf on Speedway Boulevard
until that place closed several years ago. Now it stands in front of
The Hut, a bar on 4th Avenue. It's nice that somebody found a use
for it beyond smashing it into gravel-sized chunks and tossing it in
a landfill. Also, for people with sentimental memories of that
particular miniature golf course, this huge head (which everyone
insists on calling a “tiki head” in spite of the fact that it
doesn't bear any resemblance to actual tiki designs) will serve as a
permanent reminder—provided The Hut doesn't close—of a bygone
time in Tucson, now serving as a landmark for a place where U of A
students can get tipsy on beer and cocktails while trying to get
laid. So really, not all that different from miniature golf.
All hail this weird
thing! I have no idea what this is or who put it there. It's quite
a thing, though. You can find this on 1st Avenue just a block or so
south of the Pima Library. Metal sculpture isn't uncommon in
Tucson—there's a place called the Sculpture Resource Center near
downtown where projects like this sometimes come into being. Maybe
that's where it's from. I don't know. I like it because it's a
jungle gym with metal flowers on it—how often do you see that? Not
every day, I can tell you that much.
Paul Bunyan. So what,
right? Lots of towns have a big Paul Bunyan standing outside of a
business, especially if it sells timber or pre-cut log cabins or
something. I have to admit I have a soft spot for this kind of
thing. Don't ask me why, but I like cheesy Americana. It's not like
I'm a big flag-waving, truck driving, red-blooded patriot in the Toby
Keith vein, but if I go into a mom-and-pop diner with antique farm
implements on the walls alongside varnished circular sections of logs
painted with airbrushed bald eagles and American flags, I'm
positively tickled. Again, I can't even begin to tell you why
that is. And big Paul Bunyan statues fit right in there. I think I
like the idea that they embody a piece of American folklore, a part
of our storytelling history that we've kept alive. I feel the same
way about chainsaw art of Bigfoot.
After somebody stole my
bike seat, I took off for BICAS to buy a new (used) one. For some
reason, I couldn't find it, even though I've been there several
times. While riding around the neighborhood seatless, I came across
this metal sculpture. Judging from the weathering, I assume it's
bronze. The dual fish were the first thing to catch my attention.
Then I changed angles and saw this:
There's a horned toad
hiding between the fish. I really like this piece, but I find it a
little confusing. I get that the horned toad represents the desert,
but what do the fish symbolize? The only place you'll find fish in
southern Arizona is at a sushi restaurant. Do they refer to the
now-deceased Santa Cruz and Rillito rivers, that maybe once had fish
in them before they turned into dry riverbeds? I suppose it's
possible. No matter what the sculpture is trying to communicate, I
like the design. Animal sculptures are the best.
So what's the best
animal sculpture in Tucson, after the Snake Bridge? Maybe it's this
Tyrannosaurus Rex next to a McDonald's on the corner of East Grant
and Tanque Verde. Up until recently, I thought this was another
remnant of the same miniature golf course our booze-purveying friend
from Easter Island came from. Not at all; the owner of the
McDonald's has a son who was a huge fan of Jurassic Park, like any
healthy child. So he commissioned a T. Rex from a company that had a
connection to the construction of the animatronic dinosaurs from the
movies, for $55,000. Some kids have very charmed lives. I like this
thing for two reasons: first, as I think everyone can agree,
dinosaurs are cool. And second, it's nice to see a McDonald's do
something to set itself apart, considering McDonald's restaurants
come in about two designs, the exact same ones you see all across the
United States. A dinosaur statue such as this one adds a personal
touch you rarely see at chain restaurants, or chain businesses in
general. So kudos to you, wealthy McDonald's owner who buys his kid
super-expensive presents. You've given us something we can all
enjoy, even if we go out of our way to avoid McDonald's greasy,
weird-tasting food.
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