Keeling Desert Park(let)

If you aren't looking north as you drive along this part of Glenn (just east of Stone), you probably won't notice this beautiful new pocket park:

There are a few picnic tables, though they aren't shaded — mid-days, at least:

There are some shady patches under the trees — and, in the afternoons, under these rooflets (try bringing a folding chair to sit here):

The small play area has a nice padded covering on the ground that should help kids from being hurt if they fall.

Some fun public art and sculpture are scattered around:

The City of Tucson's Keeling Desert Park webpage was mostly empty when I wrote this mid-June, but it may be ready by the time you see this.

There's no water fountain, so bring your own H₂O.

Location: 1½ blocks east of Stone on Glenn

Hours: No gate, but no lights either. (There are neighbors close by on three sides, so quiet is appreciated.)

Parking: If you're in a car, park along Incas Place, across Glenn from the parklet.

Shady and artistic spot in Dunbar/Spring

How about exploring for some fun and funky art this Fourth of July? One of the best places in Tucson to find impromptu art is the Dunbar/Spring neighborhood. It runs north and west from the corner of 6th Street and Stone Avenue. You'll find traffic circles with whimsical direction posts, several murals (especially the longgg mural on 9th Avenue, as seen on the Tucson Murals Project blog), a bicycle on the roof of a home, some sculpture scattered around, and more.

We have two other articles about the neighborhood on this blog: Dunbar/Spring playground on Playable Parks blog and Sit on a Gila Monster, share a book.

Anyway, while you're in the neighborhood, a shady spot to sit is under the spreading trees in front of a dragon mural:

The photo is from David Aber. (Thank you!) I'd been at the corner back in 2010, after neighbors painted the dragon over graffiti. (You can see the scene back then on the Tucson Murals Project blog entry Topping taggers.)

The table and seats were added sometime before August, 2016. (They suddenly appear on a Google Street View timeline of the corner taken during that month.)

Location: southeast corner of 10th Avenue and University Boulevard

Hours: There's a dim street light next to the spot. (Neighbors will especially appreciate quiet in the evening and early morning!)

Parking: Street parking.

Pitch a horseshoe in this pocket park

In a way, Reid Park is a collecton of Pocket Parks connected by lawns and trees. Here's one: Tucson Horseshoe Pitchers' Club:

Their website has a lot of events and more.

Location: Reid Park north of McDonald's. See the map on their website for more information.

Parking: Reid Park lots nearby.

Hours: Competition hours (see website), but probably other practice times. Talk with members (click on "Contact" on the website).

PVNA's Pocket Park being developed

The Palo Verde Neighborhood Association (from Speedway to Grant and Country Club to Alvernon) has a pocket park next to a Tucson Water well. There seems to have been a burst of enthusiasm around 2014 and 2015, then — from the looks of the bulletin board (see the photo below), website/blog, and Facebook page — things aren't as active right now.

The park is in a quiet spot, though, and it has a bench near two big mesquite trees:

The address is on Fairmount Street… there's a photo of that side below. But you can also come in from Willard Street — on the south side of the parklet.

I haven't asked anyone in the Neighborhood Association about the pocket park's status. I did find a webpage on Conserve2Enhance.org with information about the park's watershed enhancement goals.

Here's a sign with more information. I've saved it extra-large so, I hope, you can read it by clicking on it:

There's also a bulletin board with listings for events in 2015:

Location: Center of Palo Verde Neighborhood

Hours: 7 am to 7 pm

Parking: Street parking

San Antonio Park

More or less centered between Aviation Highway to the south and west, Kino Parkway to the east, and Broadway to the north, is this little gem. David Aber found it on January 28th and sent these photos. He wrote:

It’s a pocket park of about 3/4 acre. It is designed for families. For the parents, it has shaded seating and tables, a charcoal grill, and a message board. For the children, It has a sandy play area with lots of toys and activities. [There's also] some shade and a water fountain.

Now for five photos:

Location: The easiest way to get here, by bike or car, is to head south on Highland from Broadway. After the bend, turn right (west) on 14th and go one block. (Or click the address below for a Google Map.)

Hours: Daytime hours. No streetlights.

Parking: Street parking.

Take a break on Marvelous Meyer

Just south of the Convention Center — where the Barrio Viejo starts — after you walk past the historic Teatro Carmen, Meyer Avenue looks uninviting. There's some dilapidated fencing, a block-long vacant lot, and lots of Tucson-strength sun. Keep walking.

Another block or two south are some fun residences. You'll pass a private museum with a dreamy mural on the south side.

A bit farther south is another mural showing the history of the Barrio.

Halfway between 17th and 18th Streets, on the shady west side of the street, is a perfect place to rest and take in the neighborhood — which, by now, has changed from looking like old Tucson to looking like modern-emulating-old Tucson. The architecture is modern. Look up and you'll see a mural/sign ”La Frontera”. (Click there to see photos of the mural being made, and a close-up taken from the height of the mural, on the Tucson Murals Project blog.)

Underneath is a mosaic-topped bench:

(I used my favorite free Photoshop-like editor, GIMP, to darken the sunny spot at the bottom between the left and middle edges.)

Location: Between doors to 630 and 648 South Meyer (I couldn't find an address for the building it's on, though I told Google Maps my guess of 640).

Hours: Daylight hours, I guess, though it might be interesting on a warm summer night. (The street is quiet. Please respect neighbors by being quiet yourself; thanks.)

Parking: Street parking (If you drive, you can park near this spot. If you walk from the north, there's no free parking near the Convention Center.)

Shady benches and Little Free Library

In the El Monte Neighborhood is this spot. It's shaded from the hot western sun. A Little Free Library is stocked with books; if you'd like to share, bring one along.

Location: A block west of Alvernon between Calle de Soto and Calle Ensenada

Parking: Parking along El Camino Del Norte is a tight squeeze. There's some parking in front of the homes on side streets.

Hours: Daylight hours