Tucson: New ideas

Unlike our neighbors to the north, we keep it real. We have the Tucson Originals, a group of indie restaurateurs who banded together to fight against the onslaught of fast-food chains. We have Native Seeds/SEARCH, the first-of-its-kind seed bank that preserves Native American crops and inspired similar banks around the nation. And is there anything more real than our Sonoran hot dog? A Coney Island finger food cloaked in bacon and doused with pinto beans, salsa verde, and other south-of-the-border condiments. It’s called folk food, and it’s kind of a big deal down here.

Score: 8