First there was tohono chul park.
Then there was the the Desert Museum.
And now, ladies and gentlement, the new coolest thing in Tucson...
Many of you probably know that I am a total cinema addict. While we lived in Paris, Samy and I had the unlimited movie pass from UGC (think big movie chain like AMD or Loews). In the three years that we lived in Paris, I saw just under 300 movies--sometimes 2 or 3 in a day. (Remember that for 2+ years, I did not work...)
Anyway, starting at 4 and 5 months into my pregnancy, I started being careful which movies I saw, on the notion that I had no business watching things that were too violent or loud. And when I got to the US in the beginning of July (6 months pregnant), I decided that my movie-going career was over, as ANY movie seemed "too loud" to me. I saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with my family, and then I called it quits. (Incidentally, I adore Johnny Depp....but in my opinion, the "new" version didn't hold a candle to the old.)
Fast forward four LONG CINEMA-less months, and Samy and I got our chance to re-kindle our movie addiction.
Inspired by Pat and Kate, who took Simon to an actual movie, I started dreaming of actual theatre-attendence, rather than DVR'ed HBO movies and video on-demand.
Last Sunday, we got our chance.
A friend (Wendy) from our "mom's group" mentioned off-handedly that she'd seen the new Harry Potter movie, as well as Rent. Since her daughter is about the same age as Claire, I was in awe that she was able to leave her with a sitter so early on. She told me about this magical place called the De Anza 4 Drive-In, and it was about the most thrilling news I'd gotten since "she's at 7cm".
So we headed out last Sunday to see Harry Potter. We paid our $5 each, parked the car, tuned our radio to the movie soundtrack and settled in for the movie. Claire was well-swaddled and sleeping soundly in my arms, and Samy and I were thrilled to enjoy our first real "night out" as a couple since she's been here. The experience on a whole was fabulous, but there will be a nice steep learning curve on the movie-going.
First of all, as you may or may not realize, it is as cold as blue blazes in the desert in winter. Yes, our days are still 75 or 80, but at night it's below freezing. The movie was at 8:30, so needless to say that although Claire was fine in her pajamas and thermal receiving blankets, Samy and I nearly froze. Next time, blankets will be taken. (And of course, this place will be heavenly in the spring and summer during the cool desert evenings).
Also, it was 8:30 at night...and we failed to take note of the fact that we haven't really gone to bed past about 10pm since Claire's birth. So we both snoozed during portions of the movie, and I don't think it was a reflection on the movie itself--we were just tired.
So, all in all, a great experience...and most definitely a SUPER find! Have I mentioned that I love this city?
Posted by amy at December 11, 2005 04:34 AM