Tucson - Hick town

I'm standing between the host/hostess desk and the front door of Acadia,an upscale restaurant in this "sophosticated city" , home of the Tucson Gem and Chachka Show" holding up a sign that reads "Hilton East - Help" because I've been waiting for close to an hour for a cab back to my hotel; there's no cab in sight so I'm starting to hit up the exiting patrons for a ride. The host is sympathetic but nervous, he's handed me a complimentary glass of their best Cote de Rhone (mearly ok) because he's aleady called 4 cabs all of whom were supposed to be here 30 minutes ago, so I've been waiting now an hour in a city that has shit for public transportation. Merde. Nada. Exiting patrons are mildly alarmed, and nervously unhelpful - all going the wrong way. But finally l spy a cab disgourging passangers outside and commandeer it. It's $40 back to the hotel; $30 metered fare and $10 tip to the poor independent driver/dispatcher who's cell phone won't stp ringing.
En route home we pass the Bashful Bandit, a bar where grandpa George says his name is carved on a table back when it was Rio Rita's. That was before the name change, before the bikers took over, before someone drove a car in through the back and some one else used a forklift to tip it upagainst the wall, before the murder/shooting. I decide not to stop in and look for his signature....