Hazel Rugg
Hazel Rugg owns Yikes! Toys and Picante Designs, 306 E. Congress St., which cater to those who seek the offbeat in toys and clothes. She's been active in the development of downtown as a district for arts and culture.
BEST PLACE IN THE NATION
I've traveled across the country and there's nowhere else in the whole United States I'd rather live than in Tucson. There are a million things I love about this area--the mountains, clouds, desert--it's all so beautiful.
BEST SEASON
I love summer the best, because all of the wimps leave and we have it to ourselves. With the clouds, sky, mountains, shadows, it's a constant show.
BEST AREA OF TUCSON
I love being part of the downtown community. I like to support my fellow downtowners. I grew up on a farm and always liked the idea of a city, that everything is all together, sort of a romantic idea of what a city should be. I used to come downtown when I was a child, from Casa Grande, and shop at Steinfelds and Levy's, and see the apartments with balconies upstairs on Congress Street, and I wanted to live there. I never did, but at least I work down here now. Downtown is kind of a low-rent area, and a lot of these people here take risks and have offbeat businesses. Plus so many of these small businesses are women-owned, and I like the community feeling of that. I love the camaraderie and spirit. It's empowering and encouraging to be in a community like this.
BEST CULTURAL HUB
Again, my vote goes to downtown, where a whole variety of people come together. Having the Hispanic cultural center and the Indian center down here makes it pretty exciting, because you get the chance to know different cultures. In general, there are a lot of people who look pretty scary down here, and you find they are really nice. You can never tell what a person is like by looking.
BEST CULTURAL THREADS
I like art and local and contemporary crafts, like you can find at the Obsidian Gallery (4340 N. Campbell Ave.). I like Mexican folk art and Guatemalan art. When I first started designing clothes, I used only Guatemalan fabrics. All the imagery is important. I don't have all the folk art here in my store because I'm goofing on it, but because it's important.
BEST NATURE ESCAPE
Hiking on Mount Lemmon and the Chiricauhuas is the most amazing thing. You can hike for an hour and be totally removed from city life. And the views are amazing. I'm a true desert rat, I love the desert. There is an incredible abundance of wildlife in the desert, even the bugs and things people don't notice. Just sit down for 10 minutes and look around.
