Jerome, Arizona

Jerome is a fun town. After it's time as a mining town, Jerome was repopulated in the 60's and 70's and, in many ways, time has stood still since then. A quaint mixture of tie-dyed articles, brothel souveniers and eateries make it a fun place to visit--best summed up by the bumper sticker reading "We're all here because we're not all there, Jerome Arizona, population: strange".

One of the highlights is The House of Joy, which originally provided joy as a brothel in the 20's. Later it was purchased by John and Mary Dempsey who converted it into a restaurant. John had been a chef in San Francisco and his cullinary skills earned his new establishment a Conde Naste rating as one of the 10 best restaurants in the U.S. Several years later, John was injured in a bicycle accident and could no longer spend the time on his feet that the restaurant required so John and Mary closed the restaurant and converted it to it's current shop of Brothel novelties. Definitely worth a visit. Betty and I had a nice visit with Mary as she happily shared the history of their home/art studio/shop. Mary and John personally make many of the articles for sale in their establishment.

The alley next to their store is a mini muesum in the eclectic.

Lunch Time! A quick quick check with Yelp (iPhone app) led us to Quince restaurant. Excellent food and a great atmosphere. Another spot worth visiting when in town.

Spots of the old mining town still remain on the main street.

I love the local art and artists.