Strange Town #3

1) Christmas Fever

Prescott is known as "Arizona's Christmas City," and boy do they shove it down your throat. I recently attended the Christmas Parade with a bored 15-year-old (turns out I have NO IDEA what teenagers like to do). The cheese factor was high and incredibly delightful. There was even a winner of the Christmas Parade - because Christmas cheer in Prescott is a COMPETITION.

2) The Boot Drop

Prescott doesn't do New Year's Eve like just anywhere. We are in the Southwest, people. Instead of a boring old Ball Drop, Prescott holds an annual "Boot Drop", in which a neon cowboy boot descends slowly from a Firetruck in historic Whiskey Row. There's a website. What more could I ask for?

3) Critter Update

I saw a Road Runner behind our apartment complex a few weeks ago. And before you ask, no it did not go"meep meep." Gosh.



They actually look like this:



I know that the fauna of Arizona will continue to bewilder me.

4) High School Drools

I recently spent some time with my co-worker's teenage daughter, who is also from the Northeast. She enlightened me about the High School fashion in Prescott. Here's the gist:

"Everything's so Western. Like seriously."

Nobody wears Uggs, she bemoaned. It's cowboy hats, boots, and tucked-in shirts all around.

Start 'em young.

P.S.

This is what greeted me upon leaving work the other day:

Arizona skies are MAGNIFICENT. Also, Arizona clouds are hungry fire-breathing dinosaurs.

Until next time,

Anna

Strange Town #2

Why not continue our "Strange Town" background tunes series with the Black Keys' "Strange Times"?

1) Liquor

Liquor is available everywhere. The most startling experience I had was walking into a CVS and being confronted with THREE ENTIRE AISLES of beer, wine, and liquor. I soon discovered that the same goes for other pharmacies. There is also an out of business "Drive-through Liquor Store" in town. DRIVE-THROUGH LIQUOR STORE. How is that even a thing?

2) Daylight Savings

They don't have it in Arizona.

3) Granite Dells

The landscape here is utterly, gloriously different from New York. Instead of being lined by pathetic "vanity strips," the roadways traverse wide stretches of desert terrain capped by granite dells, which are giant orange mountain things. Reference the background of this blog for an example (Watson Lake).

4) Gold Diggers

Okay, not gold exactly. Arizona used to be home to a bustling copper mining business. Though the mine shafts are  abandoned now, residents continue to profit from them. The closest to Prescott is the town of Jerome, which housed a bustling mine in the late 19th century. Today Jerome is a swanky destination town filled with wineries, cafes, and local art vendors. There is also an awesomely kitschy "ghost town" where you can walk amongst junk from the '40s and '50s (soOoOo authentic) and see the entrance of the abandoned mine, which is littered with PBR cans and warning signs. 

P.S.

Bug update: The other day I was informed that Tarantulas, which are common around here, have their mouths on their STOMACHS.

P.P.S.

Some views of the Thumb Butte from our living room:

Sunsets are always hot pink.

Night view (street light to the right, not glare).

When it does rain (rare) the fog is incredible. The sky is so big here.

Love from Arizona,

Anna

Strange Town #1

This is the first installment of a series of short lists titled "Strange Town" that focus on the specifics that make East Coasters go "What?" in Arizona. They are best perused while listening to The Jam's "Strange Town":

1) Javelinas


The first week I was in Prescott, I was casually informed of the existence of these tiny demon pigs. They roam the suburbs in packs and are known to attack. Additionally, they smell like skunks and are "most active at night."
Your nightmares will thank me.

2) Bugs

Not only do genuinely dangerous creepy-crawlies like black widows and scorpions abound, but they are all way bigger than they should be. There is also a particular kind of shiny black beetle that I've never seen before. Locals call them "Rain Bugs" because they die easily and cover the streets after it rains (read: "monsoons"). They are the most pathetic insects I have ever been confronted with.

3) Wildfires

Controlled burns on the Thumb Butte have left the air super smokey. This guy is everywhere, serving as a consistent reminder that we're not in soggy New York anymore.

4) Driving

Arizona only provides its residents with one license plate (which I have a problem with), and some people get pretty creative when it comes to filling the extra space. The other day I saw a car that had a wooden fish screwed into where the back license plate should be. 

In a single day, my New York license plate may solicit a variety of responses:


To the person who drowned out my electro-pop with "Rhapsody in Blue"; thank you for a much needed dose of New York romanticism.

To the woman who honked at me for a mile and then yelled "NEW YOAAAAAAHHHRK" into my window as you passed by; thank you for a much needed reality check re: New York.

More thoughts to come,

Anna

The Halloween Oreo Saga

Yesterday I went to the market to get milk and cookies. But not just any cookies: Halloween Oreos. I got my milk and proceeded to the cookie section. Plenty of weird new Oreo flavors, but alas:

No Halloween Oreos.

No problem- they must be in the Holiday section of the store, I thought. Everybody carries Halloween Oreos around Halloween, I thought.

When I saw no special display, I went as far as to ask the store clerk whether they carried Halloween Oreos. He informed me that no, they did not, and I bought my milk and left the store cookie-less.

Hours later, I decided not to give up on the cause. I strapped on my helmet and road down the street to a different grocery store, that not only carried Halloween Oreos, but also had them on special. Needless to say, my grocery store loyalties have shifted.

Triumphant, I huffed and puffed back up the hill to my apartment, where I settled into the couch and savored each magnificent bite of orange-colored creme filling.

I thought that the best way to honor the only cookie that I would go through so much trouble for was with a blog post: it's the little things.

Much love and orange-colored creme filling,

Anna

Transitions

Prescott, Arizona. In August, Cara, myself, and minimal belongings left New York to impart on a grand adventure in the world of non-profitry. Wide-eyed and sun-burned, we surfed into town on a wave of bad news: Yarnell, AZ had recently suffered a massive wildfire that deeply scarred residents and surrounding towns.

Wild fires? What were we getting ourselves into?

Fast forward to October, and we're starting to develop a feel for the Prescott culture. It’s a community of two-steppers, beer-drinkers, and do-gooders. Both the weather and the people are saturated in South Western warmth, a welcoming (if startling) change from the New York affectation.

A lot is different here, and we hope to catalog Arizona's (wonderful) peculiarities within this blog. 

Now that the nights are cold and the zombie nerds are in full force, Cara and I are plotting Halloween shenanigans. I'm currently deciding whether or not I want to use temporary hair dye to portray Shelley Duvall ala The Shining, and Cara is brushing off her shoulder-pad-rocking skills for an epic rendering of Agent Scully. We are both fighting urges to buy ALL THE WIGS in the thrift stores around here. Seriously, there are boxes on boxes of wigs to be had.

Fall, here we come!

Love always,

Anna