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