Moving from NYC to Tucson -- best guidebook?

January 19, 2021 12:37 PM

A friend will be moving from NYC to Tucson soon and I'd like to get him a nice going-away present. He's never been to Arizona before (neither have I for that matter) so I was thinking some kind of insider's guide or similar book. I'm looking for recommendations from Arizona MeFites!
posted by orrnyereg to Travel & Transportation around Tucson, AZ (6 answers total)

How about a gift subscription ($24) to Arizona Highways, to help him explore his new home state?

I'm not from Arizona, but I've been there which I guess puts me ahead of both you and your friend moving there.
posted by DrGail at 12:43 PM on January 19, 2021 [4 favorites]

I always like to know what dangerous things to look out for. A book like this might be helpful (and interesting).
posted by H21 at 1:12 PM on January 19, 2021

If you think your friend might be interested in the outdoors (there’s a lot of outdoors in AZ), former colleagues of mine literally wrote the book on the best car/tent camping in Arizona. It covers camp sites you can drive to ( not hike-in) down to the level of “ask for spot #6 because it has particularly good views; stay away from #12 because it’s right next to an RV pad and tends to be really noisy.”
posted by Alterscape at 2:53 PM on January 19, 2021

I grew up in Scottsdale in the 70s. I loved this book What Kind of Cactus Izzat by Reg Manning. He used to be the editorial cartoonist for the AZ Republic and he uses the same style to draw the cacti.
posted by CathyG at 10:46 PM on January 19, 2021 [2 favorites]

You could get him a membership at the Desert Museum. It is awesome and I would go there often when I lived in Tucson, both just to look around and to bring guests.
posted by kms at 12:43 AM on January 20, 2021 [3 favorites]

I just moved from Boston to Tucson last year. I love it here. I found this weekly newsletter really helpful: This is Tucson. It has everything a newcomer would want to know about activities, events, businesses, and the food scene. It doesn't cost much to become a member and you will support the folks who send the newsletter out each week. Also, I found this book a great resource for hikes in Tucson: 5-Star Trails: Tucson. I agree with the other recommendation about Arizona Highways, which will provide you with ideas about where to explore in Arizona.
posted by shw at 7:17 AM on January 23, 2021 [1 favorite]