Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with tucson and Arizona

Help Me Pick: Tucson or Portland, Oregon For Under $1000/Month

justcorbly — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:05:27 -0800

I'm thinking about relocating to two cities that are wildly different. One city is Portland, OR and the other is Tucson, AZ. Yes, I have visited Portand, and I've visited Tucson and spent considerable time living in Phoenix. I do not intend to buy. So here are questions: What can I rent for no more than $1000 per month? What neighborhoods should I consider? Avoid? Is it realistically possible to live in Portland without a car? By that I mean within a 5-minute walk of groceries and other needed shops, like a pharmacy. Yes, I know it rains a lot in Portland, and that Tucson gets hot and almost never sees rain. Getting rid of the car has been a long-term goal, so that's why Portland is on the list. Otherwise, Arizona holds much more appeal.

Extended Stay In Tucson, AZ

chrisalbon — Thu, 07 May 2009 21:10:49 -0800

Good Extended Stay Hotels / Suites in Tucson, AZ this summer? My wife and I are spending 23 days in Tucson, AZ. She will be taking a class at U of A and I will be working on my dissertation from "home".

Since I am going to be working out of wherever we stay, I wanted a furnished and quiet extended stay hotel room or suite. Sublets are a little cheaper, but kinda a crap-shoot in my opinion (plus, it is hard to find a sublet for less than a month).

Does anyone have recommendations for good and cheapish ($30-$40 per night) extended stay hotels or suites in Tucson, AZ for July?

Thanks in advance!

Where to collect plant & animal specimens?

unmake — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:23:13 -0800

Where can I - legally - collect plant and insect specimens, in the southwest? One of my classes in Tucson this semester involves creating a plant-press notebook and a pinned-insect collection; every park website, be it state or national, says removal of anything other than garbage and buffelgrass is illegal.

Is there a category of terrain that's not privately owned where I could look for specimens? Or is this the sort of activity where participants generally just ignore the rules and regulations? (This isn't killing hundred year old cacti).

Unique hotels in small to medium cities?

eileen — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:56:39 -0800

Does anyone know any hotels, in any city in the US, comparable to the Hotel Congress in Tucson, AZ? Basically, a hotel that "makes" the experience of visiting a city which you might not otherwise consider a vacation destination. The hotel is downtown within walking distance to a lot of stuff, driving distance to national parks, has a unique history and decor, and it has its own restaurant and bar and even nightclub. It's not fancy at all, in fact it is pretty cheap and feels like one step up from a hostel, but it is clean and has a great vibe. For my bf and I, staying in this hotel totally made our recent trip to Tucson. I was thinking that the trip would have felt very different and not nearly as special if we had stayed at some sort of chain hotel.

I would love to visit other small to medium cities off the beaten path if I knew where I could find a similar place to stay. And by similar I don't mean that it has to be exactly like the Hotel Congress, just similar in the fact that the hotel is itself a reason you might select the destination. I know it's hard to pinpont what exactly makes a hotel special in this way, so recommendations don't necessarily have to have all or even any of the amenities listed above. Day-trip closeness to national parks or other cool hiking is definitely a plus, though. Oh, and I am not a fan of shared bathroom situations, so a lot of B+Bs are probably not going to be my thing.

Thanks!! :)

Places to stay in Bisbee and Tucson?

intoxicate — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:52:50 -0800

Affordable places to stay in Bisbee and Tucson, AZ? I know everybody loves The Shady Dell in Bisbee, but we'd like to be downtown in walking distance of restaurants and shops. Also, bonus points for somewhere to stay in Tucson that has character and is locally owned. No kids or pets to worry about, but the budget is an issue.

Last Minute Travel Advice

youngergirl44 — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 21:17:48 -0800

LastMinuteVacationFilter: Denver/Phoenix/Scottsdale/Tucson We leave tomorrow night for Denver (staying downtown) and then from Denver on Tuesday for Arizona (staying in Scottsdale). I need recommendations on: pool halls or bars with pool tables, bars with steel tip dart boards, karaoke, public transportation, availability of taxis in downtown areas, good steak houses, good restaurants that are not mexican or tex-mex, and other things worth mentioning.

I have read other threads on Denver and, even though the food may not be good, we're going to Casa Bonita. That's where my 9th birthday party (last one while living in Denver) was. That, and my SO saw it in South Park. We also may be visiting Elway's in Denver.

Help us see the Southwest

josh — Mon, 01 May 2006 17:09:25 -0800

We're going to be in Tucson, AZ for a wedding the weekend of June 3rd. We'd really like to spend the week after the wedding seeing the Southwest (Mesa Verde, the Grand Canyon, and so on). Where should we go and how should we get there? I have in mind, say, driving from Tucson to the Grand Canyon, then from the Grand Canyon to the Four Corners, spending two nights, say, at the Canyon and at Mesa Verde. (We'll have about a week.) But the truth is that I haven't spent any time out there, have no idea how far one place is from another, and don't really know how to efficiently organize things. For example, we'll be flying into Tucson--but can we fly out from somewhere in the Four Corners area without driving all the way to Salt Lake City?

Anyone have any advice? We're on a budget, and figure that as long as we're paying to fly all the way out to Tucson from Boston, we'd like to see some amazing places.

Info on relocating to Tucson

bove — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 08:29:07 -0800

I will be relocating from Austin, TX to Tucson, AZ at the end of May. Please tell me everything about the city. I have taken a job at the University of Arizona. I will be moving with my wife and our two kids. Anything you can tell me about the city would be helpful. We will be flying out to look for housing in about a month and a half. Here is the relevant info you might want:

I will be working in the Business School.
My wife stays home with our kids who are 3.5 and 1.5.
We will be renting either a 3 bedroom apartment or a home.

We would love info on all of the following (and on anything else you can think of that would be useful to know):
Where to live (both general neighborhoods, but also specific places/apartments)
Great restaurants
Fun things to do for adults
Fun things to do for kids
Information on schools
Places to avoid
Best local services (ie. cable, internet, etc.)

Thanks in advance for all of your help.

Things to do in Arizona

andrew cooke — Thu, 21 Apr 2005 08:17:56 -0800

I'm going to be in Tucson from 24 Apr to 14 May. I'll be working during the week, won't have my own transport, and will be staying near the main interstate (just south of the centre). I'm thinking of getting on a Greyhound Fri 6 May and going to Phoenix for the weekend. Any other suggestions? I like wandering round cities, looking in shops (especially books + music, since these are not easy to find in Chile), and museums of art/design/craft. But I'll have my laptop, so if there's a cool place to just sit around in and program one weekend, that could be good. Live music might be an attraction too. Oh, and during the weekdays I'll be up in the university campus. Thanks!

What is there to do in Tucson?

elsar — Wed, 15 Dec 2004 09:40:23 -0800

I'm going to be in Tucson over Christmas. Anything that is just not to be missed? Any resources besides Citysearch and The Tucson Weekly ?

Traveling from Tuscon to Pasadena

andrew cooke — Tue, 10 Aug 2004 08:09:36 -0800

i have a meeting in tucson, az, until friday 6pm, 22 oct. i need to be in pasadena, ca, by 9am next sunday (24th), so have the saturday free. i like travelling by bus/coach during the day (staring out of the window calms me ;o), but geyhound schedules seem to be overnight for tucson-pasadena. is there somewhere i could get to from tucson on friday evening, stay in a hotel there, and travel on to pasadena next day? i could fly, but would prefer to see something on the way, don't drive and know nothing about america... any other solutions? thanks.