Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with tucson

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!

Scenic drive from Phoenix to Tucson?

Perplexity — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:20:58 -0800

Scenic drive from Phoenix to Tucson? Tomorrow we're flying into PHX and driving to Northeast Tucson (specifically, 7000 N. Resort Rd., Tucson, AZ 85750).

I see that it would be very easy/direct to take just take I-10 South to W Ina Road.

But it looks like some other options are available -- 60 to 79 to 77; 87 to 79 to 77; even 60 to 177 to 77.

How's the I-10 drive? Are any of the other routes particularly pleasant? How much time would we be adding to the trip? Any recommendations en route?

Thanks!

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).

Friday nights in Tucson

woolylambkin — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:59:23 -0800

So I'm going out tomorrow night and I need some help with suggestions for what to do on a late Friday night in Tucson. So my date for tomorrow just called and said that she has to work tomorrow and won't be ready to go out until 8pm which means that our current plan to see an indie film are out. I've lived in Tucson for a year but haven't had much of a social life so I don't know what's cool to do in Tucson, though I know there has to be a ton of stuff. I'm looking for some where nice to eat and then something to do/see/watch/listen to afterwards. General date ideas for Tucson wouldn't be bad either for future use.

Related info: Both of us are early twenties, I have a car, we're close to downtown, she's vegetarian.

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.

How to get to San Carlos?

cior — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 11:31:33 -0800

What's the best way to get from Tucson, Arizona to San Carlos, Sonora (Mexico)? We're investigating flights, car rentals and such. Any hints and pointers would be much appreciated.

1) Are there flights from Tucson to San Carlos or the surrounding areas?

2) Is it possible to rent a car in the US (Tucson) and take it to San Carlos, or is this just a silly idea?

3) Are there public transit options (Mexi-Greyhound?) between these two points?

4) Anything interesting to see on the way, supposing we do take a car?

Thank you!

Are Comcast broadband resellers legit?

ldenneau — Mon, 21 May 2007 14:42:01 -0800

I'm trying to get my parents set up with high-speed cable Internet on top of their cable TV service. They're in the Tucson, AZ burbs and their cable provider is Comcast. Google searches return "broadband resellers" who offer special deals (e.g. free cable modem+free router+$19.95/mo for six months) that don't appear on Comcast's official site. Are these resellers legit? Has anybody used them? Anything I should be wary of? [Comcast offers a combined cable/phone/internet package, but that's not available to my parents since digital phone is not yet supported where they live.]

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.

I don't want to die of frustration before we buy our first house; can you help? Please?

eebs — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 19:11:14 -0800

Tucson, AZ real estate filter: Trying to buy our first house in central Tucson, AZ (I find the whole process intensely painful for reasons outlined below). Should we wait a little longer for the prices to go down a little more? Background: My wife has been looking actively for 2 months. I joined 3 weeks ago. I went into about 20 houses with realtors; she's seen probably 40-50. Almost bought one, it fell through when the seller rejected to fix the roof. Another offer we made yesterday was rejected (no counter offer, seller flat out rejected our offer). I don't know if it is true for everybody, but both my wife and I seem to change our minds by the hour about a place when we get close to make decisions (making an offer, counter offer etc.). We unintentionally change roles; one minute she thinks we should go for it and I resist, next minute the opposite happens. Weird.

The central neighborhoods are very patchy in curb appeal and taste. It is not unusual to see a gorgeous, well-kept house in the same street with another house where a wheel-less car sits in the front yard. A good percentage of the houses for sale in central are bought by "flippers" last year, who performed cheap, rudimentary renovations. Now, they are charging $70K-$130K more for the houses (I understand this is the way it goes). So, the ones we like (and can afford) are not at the right location; the ones at the right location (and we can afford) are dumpy, which could potentially turn into major money-pits. Also, most houses in central have these weird additions that are counted in the sqft area. They do not match the original house - in some cases they are made of different materials (e.g. brick house with a wooden added room, bright green painted outside), they have window AC, sometimes you can see through where it attaches to the original structure (and many more drawbacks). However, they "add" to the value of the house, which is reflected in the price. So, preferably, we would like to buy one with either no additions or with additions done properly. This constraint reduces the number of candidates out there. But, all things considered, we still want to stay in central and not go into one of the developments.

The real estate prices took a dive after Feb. 2006 in Tucson according to www.zillow.com (I certainly don't take the actual price estimates at face value, but I believe the trends and comps provided have merit). It looks like the prices will continue to drop, albeit slower. Also, there is talk about interest rates going up (altough refinancing in 4-5 yrs when the rates are low again reduces the importance of this item).

What is your opinion on the right time to buy a house in Tucson, AZ if you're looking to buy soon?

Based on what I described above, do you have any advice for me?

Thanks a million!

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.

what is the best way to get from phoenix to tucson, AZ?

brandz — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 19:41:29 -0800

what is the best way to get from phoenix to tucson, AZ? i'll be flying to phoenix in february. i need to get to tucson. is there a bus i can take from the airport in phoenix to tucson? is greyhound any where near the airport? maybe i should just rent a car? other alternatives?

Driving from Phoenix to Tucson

docpops — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 13:50:41 -0800

My wife and I are flying from Portland, OR to Tucson in November and I'm considering flying into Phoenix and driving the rest of the way... I can't find any direct flights to Tucson. I don't mind a nice drive with my spouse (no kids, so anything will be tolerable) and don't really want to waste time and effort flying through Denver or Las Vegas unless you kind folks tell me the trip from Phoenix to Tucson is unpleasant.

PCMCIA storage card in Tucson AZ

jruckman — Tue, 14 Jun 2005 16:04:31 -0800

I need to purchase a PCMCIA storage card (ATA format) from a store located in or very near Tucson AZ. Any ideas?

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!

Tucson tennis club

nancoix — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 06:49:33 -0800

TUCSON - what's the name of the little community tennis center on the south side of town? It has a small clubhouse and lots of outdoor courts. It is more of a public/municipal venture -- not a private club. Sorry I can't be more specific on location (that's part of my confusion), but I'm fairly certain it was south of downtown.

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.