Tucson is the Beginning

Posted on 11 November 2018
By Jeff
Posted in art, chocolate, decor, drink, event, food, fossil, gem, graffiti, jalapeño, mineral, murals, music, photography, rocks, showcase, street fair, tacos, tucson
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The 63rd annual Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase is where Igneous Theory began.

The 63rd annual Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase just ended last Sunday. It was an amazing, overwhelming, fun and inspiring event. We spoke with designers, photographers, paleontologists, mineralogists, collectors, hobbyists, restaurateurs, drivers and many other wonderful people. We stocked up on inventory, ate great food, walked almost everywhere, and got to see Tucson.

It was sunny and 80°F during the day, and 60°F in the evening. The streets are laid out in a somewhat of a grid, and we never had to go the wrong way to get where we wanted to go. We decided against renting a car, preferring to walk from the 5 Points neighborhood to the Tucson Convention Center, 22nd Street Show, JG&M, the GIGM shows, Fossil Alley, the Arizona Mineral and Fossil Show and Downton Tucson.

W 17th St and S Convent Ave

The restaurants we visited were delicious. Penca’s courteous and fun staff, Carnitas and Jamaica (pronounced hama’eeka) drink kept us coming back for more. Downtown Kitchen has, along with other great food, the amazing Dark Chocolate Jalapeno Ice Cream Sundae with chocolate ganache, candied pecans, whipped cream and just enough heat to keep the devouring at a slow pace.

Downtown Kitchen’s Dark Chocolate Jalapeno Ice Cream Sundae and a Pineapple Soda

Boca’s Chipotle BBQ Tacos are possibly otherworldly, which would explain why they ran out of ingredients when we tried to order them again that night. And yes, we went back for lunch a couple days later to get those tacos earlier in the day, before they ran out again. The 5 Points Market & Restaurant provided excellent brunch options. In particular, the Eggleston, a sandwich with eggs, white cheddar, marinated roma tomatoes, basil and bacon on a baguette. Yumm.

S Stone Ave and S 6th Ave, near 5 Points Market & Restaurant

We also happened to catch the 2nd Saturday Street Event in Downtown. Heard some soulful tunes from Miss Olivia and The Interlopers.

And then there’s the Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase. The Showcase consisted of 46 different shows, and, rumor has it, over 4000 vendors. None of the shows are as prestigious as the original, Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, but every show we went to (JOGS, 22nd Street, Kino, GIGM, JG&M, Fossil Alley, etc) had hours of things to look at.

Main room of the 2018 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show at the Tucson Convention Center

The 2018 Showcase is the symbolic beginning of Igneous Theory. It is where we picked up fantastic jewelry we want to show you, some fossils we can’t wait to display, some minerals that we think you’ll drool over as much as we did, and some art and decor pieces that are going to look great anywhere. It is where we met wonderful people who encouraged us to keep going with our passion for bringing Nature, Science and Art together.

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More photos of Tucson…

Beautiful Chrysocolla and Quartz examples on display at the 2018 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show