I spent this past week in Tucson visiting with a few of my friends who go to University of Arizona. I had the best time seeing where they live, meeting all their friends, and learnings (as they say it) how to "bear down" (which is a UofA thing that is confusing because they are the wildcats not the bears but it doesn't matter). Special thanks to Emily & Jess for hosting and also to Alyssa and Mackenzie for letting us take over your apartment!
Monday: Emily, Phil and I headed to Oakland only to find a surprise visitor: Jack was going to be coming on the same flight! We got into Tucson mid afternoon and it was so nice out! I will say that I am a bit of an overpacker, but since everyone gives me so much crap for being an overpacker I decided to attempt to change my ways. After extensive research on weather and bugging emily about a thousand times about what I needed to bring I had a perfectly packed week of outfits, which I proceeded to wear none of because it was just way to hot for my sweaters. So basically I failed in the packing department but it was actually a win because the weather was beautiful!
On Monday we hung out at the apartment, walked around the streets surrounding the District where they live, then we went towards campus to a street they call University Ave. which is a bunch of cute shops and restaurants leading up to campus. We ate at this restaurant called Illegal Peet's which is basically like Chipotle but with really good, authentic Mexican food. That night we watched the Bachelor (of course) and relaxed after a long day of travel.
Tuesday: Today we started slow with a morning full of bacon & waffles. In the afternoon we walked around campus with our personal tour guide Emily to see the school and pick up her books and see her and Jessica's sorority house, Chi Omega.
This school is seriously gorgeous people!!! If you have a chance to check it out, do it! You will see tons of brick buildings scattered among palm trees and green grass, and everywhere you look there are attractive people in sunglasses just mulling about in their lululemon or something. Just looking around makes you feel like you need to go to the gym. And if you do go to the gym, you'll find a three-story glass-windowed architechual masterpiece spilling with more pretty people pumping iron or running like gazzels who are also more athletic than you, so maybe avoid that if that's not your thing ;)
Tuesday afternoon we went to the local animal shelter which Jessica will say was fun and not sad, but she is wrong, it was sad. But I was cheered up soon after with a gorgeous desert sunset that we watched from the roof. We finished the night with a trip to Sauce, a yummy Italian restaurant where we hung out with another Santa Rosa friend, Trysha!
Wednesday: Today was the first day of classes for all my little wildcats!! So we slept in while they all were jerked back into the reality that is school. Phil and I met Emily for lunch at Chi Omega which was both amazing (because I'm living my sratty dream of having a sorority house) and overwhelming because it was one room with about 300 excited, chatty girls eating lunch.
For the afternoon we wandered around looking at more attractive people and enjoying the sunshine. Then we walked around University Ave. for a while and then watched some more Bachelor. At night we went out with Jack to meet his Sophos friends!
Thursday: We slept in again and waited for our collegiate to come back from class. Then Jack, Em, Phil and I headed over to a high-rise apartment complex with a rooftop pool. I would just like to take a moment to point out that no one besides myself thought it was strange that this beautiful, bougey building was built for college students such as myself who can just take the elevator to the top floor and lay by the pool in the sun and look at their panoramic views over Tucson and the mountains. Yep, I was the only one who was dumbfounded by this (and still am) and if it weren't for the fact that I was sweating 85% of the time I was in Arizona, I would be seriously reconsidering my college choice.
After an afternoon of laying in the sun, during which I got a bee sting (!!!!!), ugh, we went back to Illegal Peet's because it's that good and we needed it twice in 3 days. Then we lounged around all night until Emily, Jess and Alyssa took me to Greek Row to have a college experience I have missed out on: fratting. It was lots of loud, dancy fun and as we collapsed into bed I sent a thank you to the universe that we don't really wear heels out or walk that much in SF (rip my feet).
Friday: This was our last morning, we all met at University Ave. for Trysha to show us the ropes at this cool tea bar. Being the tea-guru she is, she specialized each tea order to our preferences and they were so good!!! After some bittersweet goodbyes Phil and I headed back to California.
Thank you all for the best week!! I had such a great time living the Zonalife and I fully intend to spend the next few days recuperating on the couch. Bear down!!!
