Best way to get a good feel for the town in 3 days? (Tucson: for sale, apartments)

[utspg]

I will be in Tucson next week on Mon-Wed.

I have all day Monday to myself.
Tuesday I'm free until noon, and then after 6pm.
Wednesday I'm free from 1pm-7pm (then flying back).

I'm in college (graduate in May) and flying out there (with my fiance) for a job interview with Raytheon.

Raytheon is, I believe, on the south side of town, near the airport. (For some reason they made me book in a hotel on the north side...Sunrise drive to be exact).

Anyway, I'm looking for recommendations of places to see/things to do in my spare time during those 3 days to get an idea of what its like to live in the city. I haven't done it yet, but hope to one day get into rock climbing, and hear Tucson is good for that, but I don't think that's really something I can do in those 3 days. But should I drive up to Mt Lemmon? Other ideas? I don't really want to act as though this is a vacation...in other words I don't want to do the touristy stuff like go to a museum. Yes I will probably visit museums while I live there, but that will be only a few times a year...I want to try and get an idea of day-to-day life while I'm there.

Also, living arrangements. It seems from reading on here that all the good places to live are on the north side (Oro Valley, Catalina, etc). I want to live in a nice area, but don't want a long commute to/from work (I also read that traffic is bad in Tucson). So I'd probably be looking for a place to live on the south side. Recommendations of areas to drive thru to get an idea? Do you have to go all the way south to places such as Green Valley to get really nice homes? How are schools on the south side?

Nightlife: Sadly I won't be able to experience this really since I'm there during the beginning of the week, but does anyone know of a place that might be decently busy on Mon/Tues night? Or just comments about the nightlife in general? How good is it? Where is it? Are all the bars in 1 central place, or spread out over town?

Besides dinner, what's something fun my fiance and I can do on Mon/Tues night?

Thanks (potential future neighbors )

[utspg]

I'm attaching some pictures of Tuscon from google maps. If someone wants to use Paint or Photoshop to circle the areas of town I should drive thru to get a feel, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks again.

[mdtoaz]

The drive to Mt Lemmon is nice... kinda long for a 3-day cramming of stuff. Another nice drive is through Gate's Pass. Take Speedway as far as you can west, and it'll dump you in that area. It looks like a place that would be great for rock climbing (but I'm not a rock climber).

There are nice neighborhoods in the south - but like Southeast or Southwest (although the concensus on here seems to not like the southwest). Your best bet for that would just be to drive around and when you see a neighborhood that might suit you, pop in, drive around and pick up fliers for houses that are for sale. Seems kinda obvious, but that gave us a much better idea than just looking at house listings online.

Pick up a Tucson Weekly - it's a freebie paper, I think they're online too. They always have listings of clubs, bars, etc. so if you're looking for dancing, live music or whatever that's a good place to look. They're also pretty good for their restaurant guide, too. We're not too much into the bar scene anymore, so I can't help you out w/happening Mon/Tues nightlife.

[bigbiceps]

You can go to the Bashbul Bandit on Tuesday night there is college crowd there and the bars at 4th Avenue near downtown and the U of A.

[BillyBaroo]

I'm going to see "Southland Tales" at The Loft. Loft Cinema | Tucson, AZ (broken link)

I'm also going to see "Donnie Darko" for about the 20th time.

But The Loft is definitely a cool place to check out and then head down toward the U of A and sample the nightlife around the campus.

I don't think I would go up the Catalina Highway, too cold for me. But we have been getting a lot of snow up there and if you ski or snowboard. Monday might be a great day to go up there and try it out. Just call to see if they're open.

Information for Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley, Arizona

Sabino Canyon might be considerd touristy to some, but it's actually a great place for locals to go hiking. It's an incredibly beautiful place, well worth a trip while you're in town. Wednesday afternoon could be ideal if the weather cooperates.

Sabino Canyon Tours at Sabino Canyon, Tucson, Arizona

Take a drive through Gates Pass and then go through the Saguaro National Park West. Lots of people like to take a drive up there just for the heck of it. It's the best place to just sit and watch a sunset. Definitely a part of our day-to-day lives. I've spent many an evening just sitting and watching the sun set.

NRPR - Tucson Mountain Park and Gates Pass Scenic Overlook (http://www.pima.gov/nrpr/places/tucs_mtpk/index.htm - broken link)

Even though you said you don't want to do museums, there's one place I'd suggest that's not really a museum, the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum. It's a wonderful place to learn about the area we live in, especially the animals and critters. You could go there Tuesday morning as part of your trip through Gates Pass and the Saguaro National Park. Someday you should go to Old Tucson when you're out that way.

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

This is kind of touristy, but it's still a place me and my family like to go to for dinner, it's a lot of fun.

Trail Dust Town, located in Tucson, Arizona

This is IMPORTANT! I-10 is under construction and a lot of the exits are closed. You might need to take an earlier exit and get on the frontage road if you're going to be using some of the east-west roads in town. Here's a map to help you get around.

I-10 Tucson District (http://www.i10tucsondistrict.com/29toP.html - broken link)

HAVE FUN!

[BillyBaroo]

mdtoaz......There are nice neighborhoods in the south - but like Southeast or Southwest (although the concensus on here seems to not like the southwest). Your best bet for that would just be to drive around and when you see a neighborhood that might suit you, pop in, drive around and pick up fliers for houses that are for sale. Seems kinda obvious, but that gave us a much better idea than just looking at house listings online.


There's a lot of nice homes on the south side, lots of very nice ones southeast. Check out Vail.

Pick up a Tucson Weekly - it's a freebie paper, I think they're online too. They always have listings of clubs, bars, etc. so if you're looking for dancing, live music or whatever that's a good place to look. They're also pretty good for their restaurant guide, too. We're not too much into the bar scene anymore, so I can't help you out w/happening Mon/Tues nightlife.

Here's the online sites for the Tucson Weekly and the Arizona Daily Star. You can get a lot of entertainment information from both of those.
Tucson Weekly : The Alternative to Bland Daily Journalism in the Sonoran Desert

AZNightBuzz.com

[utspg]

lots of good info here guys. thanks a ton! special thanks to billy for taking the time to get all those links for me.

and feel free to keep adding more

[mdtoaz]

Originally Posted by BillyBaroo

There's a lot of nice homes on the south side, lots of very nice ones southeast. Check out Vail.

Vail's definitely nice... We just moved into our new house on the far SW side (Star Valley). I just wanted to say that some of the areas around here aren't quite as bad as some of the posters would lead people to believe.

Oh, and I love The Loft!!! We went there for their Festivus celebration the Saturday before Christmas. Even the independent theatres in Baltimore didn't offer good beer and vegan cookies (my husband was in heaven).

[shara]

Are you staying at the Westin La Paloma? The pool there is so much fun, though unfortunately it's not exactly swimming weather when you'll be here.

My husband and I did the same thing as you with Raytheon. They gave us the weekend. We basically just looked around at apartments (no interest in buying a home here yet) and ate at restaurants, went shopping, tried to get a feel for the area.

I agree with doing some hiking at Sabino Canyon; it's not too far from where you'll be. Don't do the main trail though. I would suggest Seven Falls or Phoneline Trail. They are much more fun and pretty (and unpaved!).

Also check out the University area/ Main Gate and 4th Ave.

I'm not sure what sort of a commute you think you would be comfortable with for your first job. I know some Raytheon people that live in Marana and they have about a 35 min commute. Personally I wouldn't care, because they can take the highway all the way down. I think Oro Valley would be a tougher commute however. And I know some people who think that is way too long regardless.

We live sort of central and the commute isn't bad. A lot of Raytheon people live in Sahuarita....it seems pretty boring to me personally. Though Madera Canyon is also nice for hiking.

If Raytheon makes you an offer, they usually will provide 3 mos. temporary housing in Starr Pass apartments if you want it. But if you're a fresh college grad (undergrad? masters?) I'm not sure whether they do it or not. That's on the west side. Also very pretty so you could go check that area out (in the Tucson mountains).

Good luck!

[teshorr]

Originally Posted by utspg

Raytheon is, I believe, on the south side of town, near the airport. (For some reason they made me book in a hotel on the north side...Sunrise drive to be exact).

I've heard they have some sort of deal worked out with La Paloma, is that where you're staying? Also, it's incredibly nice, so I think it's also a ploy (a darn good one...) to show people really, really, REALLY nice Tucson!

I don't really want to act as though this is a vacation...in other words I don't want to do the touristy stuff like go to a museum. Yes I will probably visit museums while I live there, but that will be only a few times a year...I want to try and get an idea of day-to-day life while I'm there.

Go to La Encantada (Campbell & Skyline) or Main Gate Square (UofA campus) for some shopping and/or food. Check out El Charro or Guadalajara Grill for some very traditional Tucson Mexican food.

Also, living arrangements. It seems from reading on here that all the good places to live are on the north side (Oro Valley, Catalina, etc). I want to live in a nice area, but don't want a long commute to/from work (I also read that traffic is bad in Tucson). So I'd probably be looking for a place to live on the south side. Recommendations of areas to drive thru to get an idea? Do you have to go all the way south to places such as Green Valley to get really nice homes? How are schools on the south side?

From what you've said so far, I advise against you living in any extreme part of the city (Vail, Sahuarita, Oro Valley, Catalina, Green Valley). Those places are all far from any type of real nightlife or entertainment for younger people. You can find amazing homes in all parts of the city, and truthfully, Tucson's not all that big, so your commute living IN the city would be negligible. I would highly recommend looking into the Sam Hughes neighborhood, or central and northeastern foothills. I'm not sure if River Road is considered the foothills, but there are some amazing homes near and on River.

Nightlife: Sadly I won't be able to experience this really since I'm there during the beginning of the week, but does anyone know of a place that might be decently busy on Mon/Tues night? Or just comments about the nightlife in general? How good is it? Where is it? Are all the bars in 1 central place, or spread out over town?

The bars in Tucson, with the exception of 4th Avenue, are spread all over the city. There are some really fun things to do Monday and Tuesday night (I'm 22 myself), that will give you a decent glimpse into Tucson nightlife. MON--Either Club Congress or North on 4th, both downtown. North does $1.50 U-call-its, and Congress has a really fun '80s dance party night with $1 & $2 drinks. TUES--Bashful Bandit (college night, karaoke, insane drink specials, and it's a biker bar! Awesome night), Metalhead at the Cactus Moon ('80s metal/hair cover band, $5 cover, pretty casual), Championship/Sam Hughes Place (this night just started up but has a few well-known DJs so it's already big. Drink specials, no cover, sort of a see-and-be-seen place), or Maloney's on 4th Ave (no cover, everything is 2-for-1, very casual/college hangout).

Hope this helps! Good luck to you both!