a mother's day movie: a day all about vickdogg.

a mini movie recap of our mother's day celebration in tucson. 

because sometimes videos are more fun than photos.

song credit: "everywhere" by fleetwood mac

snapshots from mother's day.

the four of us spent all of saturday celebrating mother's day in downtown tucson. we were sans itinerary and had a really fun day together.

even since danny and i were just there in february (seen here), there were new bars, restaurants and shops! the growth spurt is remarkable. makes me want to go back again already - we've got a list of places we've still yet to try. 

cruising to t-town. mister h has to be in all the action. 

love & hugs for the dogg.

mister & misses

 

me and the dogg. 

sunset in downtown t-town. 

we ended up at a classic tucson mexican restaurant for dinner, el charro, est. 1922.
equal parts delicious and expected.

where we stayed (and ate) // hotel congress: tucson, az

before booking, here's what you should know about staying at the hotel congress in tucson, arizona.

: the rates are great.
: the biggest bed offered is a double.
: the rooms are tiny.
: the bathrooms are laughable small. envision having your legs under the sink while you pee.
: there's a rotary phone in your room. and a dial radio.
: no clock. no tv. a physical key.
: hotel congress is pet friendly.
: you are staying in a hotel built in 1919 and it has the thin windows and walls to prove it.
: the hotel is situated right by an active train track. chooo! chooo!
: hotel congress is one of tucson's hottest bars, restaurants and music venues meaning...

that's right... hotel congress is a noisy hotel. they tell you this when you're booking. they remind you when you check in. and just in case the earplugs on your pillow aren't enough, they hit you over the head with a full page note on your bedside table that screams: do not call us to complain about noise.

but! if you're one of the people who's going to be joining the fun at the congress bar, eating late night at the restaurant and dancing at the shows until the wee hours of the morning, it's probably the perfect spot for you. we absolutely loved it.

our room is the second window from the left. 

restaurant & bar patio that hosted late night live music both nights we were there.

you're welcome to check your key in and out from the front desk - ha! 

the classic tucson desert paint job that's currently uber hip.

the cozy hotel congress

view from our room's window. damn loitering hipsters.

so much historic charm.

in tucson, the hotel congress is the place to be for all ages and walks of life. 

more photos of the hotel congress here.

if you decide to go, here are some great spots within walking distance:

: hub restaurant & creamery (website) -- good for lunch, dinner or just drinks & apps at the bar (what we did)

: 47 scott (website) -- we had a fantastic dinner with erinn & john and hear they put on a delicious brunch

: cup cafe at the hotel congress (website) -- tasty any time of day, reservations for hotel guest's only

: sparkroot coffee & wine bar (website) -- two-story, open-aired hip little cornerside shop

: playground tucson (website) -- restaurant, bar and rooftop nightclub until the wee hours of the am

: thunder canyon brewery (website) -- the typical brewery vibe and menu

: maynard's market & kitchen (website) - an old railroad station turned market and french restaurant

that nostalgic booth at club congress.

danny and i met in that very booth.

it was a fateful night in august 2002.

neither of us have a stellar memory, but can both vividly remember that night. 

the group of boys sitting in the booth. me in a white mini skirt with colby who said hello to the boys. 

...

ten years later, it was pretty surreal to turn the corner in the taproom and see that booth. the weird thing,  (as you can see) it was the only spot that was open when we walked in. meant to be. 

gave me butterflies all over again.

the view to the left.

...and to the right.

we spent a lot of time reminiscing over the weekend. 

it's really cool that ten years later we absolutely love the place we met 

(which definitely wasn't a place anyone hung out at in college) and it suits us and our personalities so well. 

double header concert weekend in downtown tucson.

last weekend had all the ingredients for the making of a fantastic weekend. and that it was. 

downtown tucson + hotel congress (where we met) + two stellar bands + the rialto... amaze. 

a few months ago, i saw that both Ra Ra Riot and The xx (two of d's favorite bands that i've seen live, but he hasn't) were going to be playing back-to-back nights at Club Congress and The Rialto - i jumped on tickets and booked a room at the Hotel Congress, the place we met but have never stayed.

like all things you plan in advance, the weekend totally snuck up on us. we woke up saturday morning, threw some things in a bag and off we went. it's just an hour and a half south, but felt like such a mini vacation. i highly recommend you spend a weekend in downtown Tucson. stay at the Hotel Congress and you won't have to get in your car all weekend. all the great restaurants, bars, music venues and coffee shops are within walking distance. we were so impressed and felt like we were in a mini portland or something. it was nice to avoid the dreaded "sunday night" feeling of vacay by staying thru sunday night and just waking up early on monday, grabbing coffee and driving to work straight from there. here's a glimpse into our weekend in one of the desert's hippest downtowns. 

downtown t-town as seen from the highway.

soakin' up the february patio weather.

the bar and lobby at the hotel congress. 

first snack of the day. $5 happy hour eats.

i think this in-between brunette is going to stay longer than anticipated.

"the playgound" - a restaurant / club / bar in downtown tucson

inside "the playground" bar

the hotel congress.


the hip place to be in downtown tucson. lots of live music. cool people. tasty cocktails.

the band - ra ra riot - in the teeny club congress. the poor things looked exhausted. it was good, not great.

the first time i saw Ra Ra Riot here.

my concert view.

day #2: breakfast of champions

exploring downtown tucson

such a funky little desert town.

so close to the border... and it shows.

fantastic corner side coffee shop / wine bar called "Sparkroot" kitty corner from Hotel Congress.

our view from sparkroot's community table.

ting filming his first "Vine" video at Sparkroot. 

yup! we're now on vine - follow along.

what's Vine? it's a new app. like Instagram but for 6-second looping videos. 

get creative and follow along: @teribockting & @dancendan

so. much. construction. 

but so worth it -- downtown is definitely coming along.

pit stop // thunder canyon railroad brewery 

thunder canyon brews.

thanks to social media, erinn and john saw that we were also in tucson so the four of us connected for drinks at hotel congress and super fun (& tasty) dinner at 47 Scott before The xx show. 

the line for The xx outside of The Rialto as seen from our hotel room at the Hotel Congress.

super stoked for The xx.

erinn, a happy concert pal!

for The xx we opted for balcony seats and they did not disappoint. the xx is pretty dark and we were unsure how they'd translate to a concert. it. was. amazing. probably one of the better shows we've seen in a while. you could hear and feel each note they played - super crisp and clear - and the lights were perfectly choreographed to the music to give the show the drama it needed. fantastic. it was the very last stop on the band's tour and the tucson crowd was super into it. everyone, including the band members, were feeding off the energy. we didn't want it to end.

outside patio at the rialto.

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