I just realized that this February here in 2026 I have lived in Tucson for twenty years.
Wow.
It’s a long and sort of sordid tale of how I relocated here from the sunny/foggy shores of coastal California, and one that some have said is “legend” or “epic” or “you totally made that up you liar”, but here I am, and have been for two decades, and oh what a spin it has been.
Look, if you want to hang out, I can go into detail my time in San Francisco, the place where I lived for about twelve years and moved from, but I won’t bore you with the long-winded yarn of what went on with me in that time. Although I did write a whole book about my last few years there. Now, I’m not going to provide a link to that ramble seeing as I want to keep my readership on this blog strong as there were, uh, “things” that I did and got caught up in that might lose me some possible future sponsorship. Thank you for your understanding.
But I will say this, I met my now wife in December 2005. I was her and her friend’s bartender at this cavernous swill shambles on Fisherman’s Wharf, one that has mercifully shut down and hopefully imploded like that house at the end of ‘Poltergeist’. Two days later as their tour guide before they headed back to Arizona, I proposed to her that night. She said yes. We talked every day since and in January 2006, she visited me for a week to see if this thing was true and would work out. It was and it did.
After I put her on a plane, I immediately quit that muck of a bar gig, my semi regular DJ spots at a local radio station, bars and clubs along with all of the various music magazines and websites I contributed to.
Sometime in February 2006, I drove a rental car nearly 14 hours to move to a city I had trouble spelling to live with a girl I met less than two months prior with only a few clothes, fewer cash, a fog machine, Mr. T doll, a couple of CDs, a bike and the Castle Grayskull playset I’ve had since I was 11. You know, the essentials.
Best decision I have ever made.
I basically fell in love with this town almost immediately. It’s weird, it’s kind of dangerous, it’s diverse and, best of all, the food is incredible. Like said earlier, back in San Francisco I was a music journalist and wrote for a bunch of publications, but after eating a Sonoran hot dog my perspective on things, like things, changed almost immediately. On paper that item should not work: a bacon wrapped hot dog smothered in beans, cheese, mayo, tomatoes and salsa served in something called a “bolillo roll”. But it works, almost as well as elote…but that’s a different story.
So, I started a food blog, the Tucson Homeskillet, which got pretty popular and eventually landed me the food writing gig for the Tucson Weekly, among other platforms. Unfortunately, the Homeskilet got hacked and I had to move on although it still exists in this format.
Sherra and I remained engaged for several years until one day in 2016 we decided to finally go for it and get hitched at the courthouse. Our witnesses were two friends that had just got off from their professional jobs, so they looked nice. Sherra was dressed in jeans, t-shirt and flip flops where I was done up in shorts, a Ben Davis half zip shirt and Vans. The judge thought our friends were the ones getting married and we were the two slobs who were available that day. Oh, and our officiate was one of the first LGBTQ judges in southern Arizona so that was a bonus.
Sherra has always been dutifully employed, first as a manager for a popular corporate restaurant (that is until COVID hit) and is now the general manager for a popular long-standing restaurant. Me on the other hand? Yeeeah. My issues with mental health have led me down a path of oh so many endeavors, ranging from wedding DJ, Arizona travel writer, children’s science museum manager, cook, kitchen manager, library circulation clerk, kids’ art teacher, big box liquor store merchandiser, small business social media manager, bakery assistant and farmer’s market associate. At 55 I still struggle with real employment and if it wasn’t for my wife, I’d be living in a box down by the river. Yeah, can’t afford a van.
Our lives have become more and more very private through the years, and we love our little garden cabin just a stones throw from the restaurant she manages. Sure, we’ve gone through several pets, my parents’ deaths, friends coming and going, along with a few trips to the hospital but all in all the past 20 years have been a shining success. Mainly because this city has always been there for us. When things get too rough, just go hiking or visit the zoo. The library system here is fantastic, book and record stores abound, its extremely queer and native culture friendly and rich, there’s always some kind of festival going on, the dive bars are actually divey, there’s an actual video rental store and…did I mention the food? Yeah. It’s no wonder why Tucson was awarded the distinction of being the first US city to get the UNESCO nod back in 2015. That was also my first year with the Weekly, so things ramped up for me real quick as a food writer.
Little did I know, or ever think, that I would end up in Tucson AZ. But I’m sure glad I did. Heck, when I met my now wife on that cold and dreary night in 2005, I hadn’t even heard of Tucson and if I did it was probably in passing like it being mentioned in a movie or that lyric in the Beatles “Get Back”. Now that I am here and married to my best friend, I even have a suspicion that I might just die here. That may sound morbid but unless some form of financial benefit comes our way and we end up in some idyllic hamlet I am perfectly okay with that outcome. Plus, I doubt they’ll have as decent food trucks as we do here.
Note: do not be afraid of food trucks! They have to undergo stricter rules and regulations than actual restaurants. That whole “roach coach” moniker has to be eliminated. Trust me here, you want real street food from a truck parked on an actual street.
One thing that astonishes me is how big our university, the U of A, has developed through the decades. When I first got here, student housing existed, sure, even the fraternity used in “Revenge of the Nerds”, as was the whole campus, but now it has grown to be its own thrusting Vegas-like cityscape. It’s huge. And still growing. Same goes for downtown. How many boutique hotels and craft coffee shops does one dusty trail town need? A lot it seems. Thing is I actually like craft coffee shops so I can’t complain too much I suspect.
More music venues are opening up and we are finally getting some decent bands passing through. Not that I go out that much anymore because when a headlining band doesn’t hit the stage until close to midnight that’s not a fun prospect for a married 55-year-old shut in like me. Ten years of music journalism took care of that. I honestly cannot remember the last time I saw midnight. Oh wait, it was when I had to use the bathroom the other night. Yeah. Eh. There will be other midnights.
What I am saying here is – thank you Tucson. I had no idea you would be my home for all these years. For a kid growing up on the California coast I thought that would be my life and legacy. Nope. You’re my home now Old Pueblo and I couldn’t be happier about it. I don’t even mind the summers anymore. That just means the students and snowbirds are gone and shops, bars and restaurants normally run summer specials. Although when the students and snowbirds do return, that just means it’s time to bust out the holiday decorations and start enjoying some of the best weather on the planet. Monsoon sunsets are gorgeous, but have you seen a Tucson sunset around Halloween or Christmas? Oh man. You pair that with a fine Sonoran hot dog and a local beer, and my life 20 years ago seems like a distant, distant memory. Because that’s exactly what it is.
Here’s to 20 more years (hopefully more) of living and loving Tucson.
Cheers!
Mark Whittaker
July 2026
Yeah Write Mark 