I♥Tucson Reason #5 – Concrete is Amazing

The Tucsonianite is not the only one who is on the lookout for the everyday, mundane things that make this town just simply awesome. It turns out that there are others who also appreciate the small things of beauty in Tucson - like the utterly fascinating Wilmot/Wilmont conundrum (to be covered in a future post). We are proud to present I♥Tucson Reason #5 by our dear friend Shahrazad1973.


You are probably under the impression that concrete is only for sidewalks and buildings, but you would be wrong, my friend. Yes, Tucson has many sidewalks and buildings made of the stuff, but they are not amazing. The Tucsonan sees the sidewalk and scoffs. She says, I see your sidewalk, and I walk in the street! Yes, Tucsonans are a creative lot, and let me tell you, if anyone can find a more amazing way to use concrete than the Tucsonan, I will eat a concrete monkey paw.

There are many ways the Tusconan thinks outside of the concrete box. For instance, did you realize that concrete can also be used for improving the majesty of your Tucson home? I bet you didn’t. I won’t hold it against you, because this blog is meant to educate and you are only now learning that concrete is amazing, which it is. And yes, it can improve your home. By now, you are probably all familiar with the charms of our most common types of desert landscaping – drought resistant plants; stones of various color, size and texture; mesquite and Palo Verde trees – these are all well and good, but they lack that certain je ne sais pas the real Tucsonan craves. They make me yawn when compared to the amazingness that is concrete landscaping.

Let’s say you’re Susie from Florida and you really miss your lawn, because in Tucson, you can’t really have one, what with the heat and the lack of water and stuff. But this does not stop you from acquiring a yard of green goodness. Oh no, you are a Tucsonan now, and you see that sidewalk and you think, if I painted it green, that could be my grass! And behold it is and it is amazing.

OMG! Why didn’t I think of this? This freaking lawn is green all year round!

And see how close it is to the real thing?! But a concrete lawn does not need to be watered. Amazing.

But there is no need to stop at the lawn. If you are a Tucsonan, you will think of other amazing ways to improve your home with concrete. Did you know that you can encase all your gorgeous drought resistant plants inside a concrete paradise? Well, you can. Throw a few stones in the stuff and smooth it around the plants you want to be the most amazing, and you have yourself a concrete potter extraordinaire!

This drought resistant plant never needs to be watered, and the light color of the concrete really brings out the beauty of the fake pink flowers.

Or, if you want to be artsy-fartsy, you can create a concrete sculpture in your front lawn that is amazing and will surely be admired by all passers-by. Or maybe you miss your mountain home and just want to have a nice, realistic representation of life in the higher elevations. Why not make a small concrete mountain in your yard? Either way, that would be amazing. And it is.

This amazing mountain-like sculpture may actually be a shrine to elves or gnomes or princesses. I am not sure because I am not amazing enough to tell, as I have only been a Tucsonan since college, 9 years ago.

See? You can definitely make your home more amazing by using concrete in the right ways. Usually only a true Tucsonan would understand that, but now, thanks to I Heart Tucson, you can too.

For more evidence that Tucson’s Concrete is Amazing, see our first post ever, where we explore the amazing awesomeness that is Magic Carpet Golf. Also, stay tuned for our coverage of Justin’s Water World, where concrete and desert have a love affair with children.

IHeartTucson is a little embarrassed to admit that we were not aware of Tucson's rich and detailed concrete heritage until now. We were of the assumption that Phoenix was the only place with a historic concrete culture. Thank you Shahrazad1973 for this insightful look into how concrete has made our our lives in Tucson that much more awesome.