I'm in Tucson!

I'm here! Yay! I already did some fun shopping too! My mom is with me for another great Tucson gem show adventure. I'm sure I'll wear her down with all the venues I plan on visiting. We landed this afternoon and by the time we got our luggage, car and checked in at our hotel it was 5PM. I checked the show listings earlier and found that the Pueblo Gem and Mineral show at the Riverpark Inn was open until 7PM. It is also a show recommended by a fellow gem-aholic Robyn Hawk. She talked about it in her blog Tucson Gem Show - Live!. I just love reading about her daily experiences in Tucson. She showed pictures of some cabs at Magic Mountain gemstones so I had to go there. They have some gorgeous cabs! I have a tray set aside so I can finish looking tomorrow morning. Can you imagine they actually wanted to close up at 7PM tonight? LOL!

I also visited several of the opal vendors, including Hopkins Opals where we bought some gorgeous cabachons and Opal My World. We also stopped by Opalcolors/Outback Sunstone Mining Co. where we bought some gorgeous Oregon sunstone briolettes. We picked out sets with a prominent reddish-orange spot in the center of the brio. They look nice against a white background, but the color really pops against your skin!

Since everyone was closing up their booths we figured it must be time to leave and find some food. I actually planned ahead and did a google search for food places near this show. As I looked through various restaurants Caruso's popped up as a promising Italian restaurant. It had great reviews, has been around since the 1930's and seemed like a perfect spot to eat since I knew we wouldn't get lunch today and we would be hungry. I'm glad to say the reviews are spot on. We both had the only salad offered - Italian and it was perfect. For the main course I had the pasta special for the day and my mom got spaghetti. Both were delicious, as was the garlic bread they provide. We both love to eat the heels of bread and when we asked for just garlic bread heels our waiter gladly brought us some. The only thing they lack is a good selection of black teas. If you like the generic black teas (aka Lipton's, Farmer's) you'll be happy. However, if you like other types like Earl Grey or Darjeeling - bring your own tea. They will gladly provide you with hot water.

Tomorrow I'll try to take pictures to share. Goodnight and have sweet, sparkly dreams!