Just a few blocks west of the sanitized shopping scene on University Boulevard lies Fourth Avenue: Land of the local hipster, the aging hippie and the tattoo enthusiast. Aside from the eclectic crowd, Fourth Avenue offers a wide array of bars, restaurants, clothing stores and coffee shops. The best part is the local flavor. Most of these shops are locally owned and pride themselves on offering something personal and unique. So put on your hipster jeans, vintage Wayfarers and a plaid shirt, and visit Fourth Avenue before you graduate.
The winner’s Fourth Avenue checklist
(Start north and head south):
• People-watch while enjoying a Coffee Coffee Milkshake and an outrageously large dessert at Epic Café.
• Buy a non-black pair of sunglasses at Zoe, and maybe a floral romper if you’re in the mood.
• Sit outside Sky Bar with $2 espresso.
• Have a slice, some garlic knots and a beer at Brooklyn Pizza.
• Unleash your inner feminist with a rare book from Antigone.
• Indulge in an at-Aveda-only “”moment of wellness”” at the Elements in Balance Salon and Day Spa.
• Eat a tamale at Pancho Villa.
• Have a $1 can of PBR at Che’s.
• Listen to live music and ogle hot hipsters in skinny jeans in the back room of Plush.
• Moon over Jim Morrison posters at Hippie Gypsy but leave before the incense gives you a migraine.
• Try on vintage hats at the Tucson Thrift Shop.
• Buy a pair of Lucite (read: stripper) heels and some rockabilly-esque lingerie at Kanella’s.
• Drink a Red Stripe at the Hut and gawk at the oversized tiki-head, a remnant from the now defunct Magic Carpet Golf.
• Sit on the patio of The Shanty during happy hour and play with their resident bar cat, Agent Jack Bauer.
• Attempt to decipher the difference between Maloney’s and O’Malley’s.
— Claire Engelken
