Long time bartender at Club Congress, Barb Trujillo takes the helm as master of the spout and jigger.

Last week saw the mercury’s first foray into mid 80s and countless “‘zonies” wearing their first pair of shorts in 2002. Soon the sweat season will hit the Valley. For the fortunate few that migrate elsewhere for summers, this is no cause for concern. For the rest of the Valley, this thought brings visions of sticky leather car seats, excruciatingly hot steering wheels, a stifling mood of frustration and an overwhelming urge to lash out violently on highways, malls and other public throughways.

Fortunately, relief may be no further than a drive to neighboring Tucson. Yes, Tucson. Granted, the temperature’s not much lower, the climate still dry and the state still Arizona, but given the right provisions, Tucson can be the oasis to deliver you from the summer blues.

Nestled in the heart of Tucson’s downtown, home to a smorgasbord of college coeds and local eccentrics, sits an excursion that can take you away from the heat… and the 21st century. Established in 1919, The Hotel Congress at 311 E. Congress St. remains relatively unchanged since its hey day. With a modest 39 guest rooms in its inventory, all on the second floor, the Congress feels like stepping into a time warp, an escape from the daily grind.

A relic of Tucson’s past, the Congress has kept all its original charm and glory. As one walks through the spacious lobby with high ceilings and a robust oak staircase leading up to the rooms, one can easily imagine the likes of John Dillinger and his gang of outlaws sitting at the rugged bar. Today the bar looks comfy and quaint; a far cry from its younger days as a stomping ground for Tucson’s gun-toting elite.

The Lobby

The grand entrance of the Congress leads down to the famous lobby. Photo Courtesy of the Hotel Congress

The walls once decorated with moose heads and wanted posters, now don artwork from local talent, each with a reasonable price tag for the impulse art shopper. In the same bar where a typical poker game might have broken into a bloody brawl, poets and songwriters now convene to share their crafts with eager patrons, surrounded by rustic lounge furniture and the marble and glass bar.

Bernabe Jude Acosta, Director of Sales and Catering at the Congress, says the hotel takes every opportunity to showcase local talent. “The hotel is in the center of Tucson’s arts district,” says Acosta. “We try to promote artists, no matter what their crafts.”

Club Congress

The name conjures up visions of a shady bar with stuffy suits, middle-aged prostitutes with bad hair and pestering lobbyists waiting to greet you at the urinals, but it is actually the famous nightclub inside the hotel. Voted one of the top 100 nightclub destinations in the U.S. by Playboy Magazine, Club Congress is host to many national acts and home to even more local DJ’s and musicians. The club’s revolving theme offers something different each day of the week, like 80s retro Mondays or Speakeasy Sundays.

The club has a multilevel dance floor with a huge movie screen playing cult classics such as Russ Myers’s Faster Pussycat Kill, Kill. Music is spun by Tucson's favorite DJs and there are two bars, each staffed with expert bartenders who not only appear to love what they do, but also where they do it.

Barb Trujillo, veteran bartender at Club Congress for over seven years, explains that each night offers up a different adventure for patrons and proprietors alike.

“The music is always great and the drinks are always stiff,” says Trujillo, “It’s the best club in the world, as far as I’m concerned.”

Apparently, the club has remained relatively unchanged as well, though most of the patrons have opted for shiny lounge shirts and cell phones over the old spurs and six shooters.

The clientele of Club Congress are an eclectic bunch. Aside from the hotel guests, Trujillo says, many of the local club patrons come back night after night.

“We get businessmen in suits, old men with hats and canes and even some real cowboys” says Trujillo. “It’s so weird how they all come together in the same place and all enjoy the same night.”

Last call is fast approaching and with it sad thoughts of sobriety. But wait, the helpful and friendly staff of Club Congress allows the guests to purchase and take pints and six packs of the club’s choice brew safely up to their rooms. No drives to the quickie mart and another DUI safely averted, the guests can eagerly retire to their sleeping quarters with peace of mind.

The Front of the Hotel Photo Courtesy of the Hotel Congress

For almost an hour after the club closes, patrons are still pouring into the lobby, nestling in the lobby couches, some too drunk to move, others hoping to find a modern Ma Baker to keep their bed warm at night. The slurred chattering can still be heard as you ascend up the staircase to the second floor and one step closer to your morning hangover.

The Room

It’s probable that back in the day, these rooms were the lap of luxury, but so was the stagecoach. Acknowledged, these rooms are not for the discerning five-star and five diamond guest. The theme here is “escape” and as you step into one of these rooms, your mind escapes to a time when luxury meant running water and vermin free mattresses. By that standard, the accommodations are far above par. However, for the generation used to mints on pillows and pay-per-view, the rooms at the Congress may leave much to be desired.

For our purposes, we shall assume that you are the guest more amused by period charm and detail. Everything from the plumbing, the telephone, the furniture and the old style heating system make you feel like a character in a Kenny Rogers vehicle.

Everything in the room is functional, if not practical; a typical occurrence is to wake up at three in the morning to loud banging noises. No, the ghost of John Dillinger hasn’t come back to haunt the law-abiding citizens of Tucson; but rather the hot water heater is desperately trying to keep from becoming obsolete.

In keeping with the bare necessities theme, the rooms have only a knob radio. If you simply MUST catch an episode of Survivor or check your stock portfolio on-line, there is a communal room warmly decorated with comfortable couches and tables. The room has an old television, a bookcase of lost and forgotten literature and a primitive PC. The true treasures in this room are the countless pictures and captions on the wall, chronicling the illustrious past of Tucson and the Congress.

The Continental it is not, but at only $69 per night during high season and only $35 during the summer months, the Congress Hotel is a bargain you don’t have to be a notorious bank robber to recognize.

The Cup Café

As the hazy events of the previous night come into focus, you wake up (or try to) and realize that if nothing else, a cup of coffee is mandatory before your drive back to the daily grind in the Valley. As promised, you need go no further than your hotel for all your excursion needs. Located at the North entrance of the hotel, the Cup Café is a restaurant whose quaint appearance is a clever guise for extravagantly tasting entrees, desserts, spirits and good old-fashioned, non-corporate coffee drinks.

“The Mexican Chocolate Torte is the most popular dessert” says Acost, “down home cooking never tasted so gourmet.” The newly expanded patio seating is an added option for the courageous summer guest.

As the rejuvenating overnight trip comes to a close and you step into your air conditioned car, en route to 6 a.m. alarms and 7:30 a.m. classes, make sure to stock up on as much good mood as you can. Somewhere 90 miles away, lurks a budding bout of road-, mall- and air-, etc.-rage brought on by frustrated Phoenicians and so called “dry heat.”

Last updated: March 28, 2002
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