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Excerpt

Tucson

Getting There Tucson is about two hours south of Phoenix on Interstate 10. Because a number of other highways spoke out from it, the city is a convenient hub for exploring all of southern and eastern Arizona.    Tucson International Airport is served by Aerolitoral, Aeromexico, America West, American, Continental, Delta, Southwest and United Airlines. The airport is located about 20 minutes west of downtown. Call individual airlines or the Tucson Airport Authority at (520) 573-8100, or you can fly into Phoenix and use surface transportation for the remaining two hours to Tucson. A number of companies offer sedan service from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport to many Tucson destinations. One of them is the Arizona Shuttle, (800) 888-2749.

In 1869 J. Ross Browne’s book, Adventures in the Apache Country: A Tour Through Arizona and Sonora, described Tucson as “A city of mud boxes, dingy and dilapidated, cracked and baked into a composite of dust and filth littered about with broken corrals, carcasses of dead animals and broken pottery.”

Today’s Tucson is a sophisticated city of about 850,000, a pleasant blend of metropolis and small town that mixes the best of the West with trendy resorts, velvety golf courses, outstanding restaurants and an active arts scene. At an elevation of 2,389 feet, almost 1300 feet higher than Phoenix, it stays a bit cooler than its neighbor to the north. More than 350 days each year are sunny and fair, according to the Tucson Bureau of the U.S. Weather Service. With a metropolitan area covering nearly 500 square miles, the city sprawls north, from a reemerging downtown, toward the picturesque Santa Catalina Mountains, one of five ranges that surround the city. It sits in the eastern portion of the high Sonoran desert, the only place in the world where saguaro cactuses grow naturally. Tucson is flanked by Saguaro National Park East and West where you can see the largest concentration of these “giants with arms” anywhere...

Festivals and Events
La Fiesta de Los Vaqueros
mid-February
Tucson’s biggest rodeo and the largest outdoor midwinter rodeo in America, it has thrilled crowds for more than 70 years. The celebration features a parade around the rodeo grounds, the worlds largest such nonmotorized event. Tickets are required. (520) 741-2233.

Major Attractions
Kitt Peak
Even if you’re not a Trekkie and stars are something you prefer to see on the silver screen, Kitt Peak is worth an afternoon just for the sheer beauty of the stark white domes poised on various crests, blending with cumulus clouds against a sheer blue sky...

Seeing and Doing
Sabino Canyon
You don’t have to hike or bicycle to enjoy this exquisitely lovely canyon that winds up the slopes of Mt. Lemmon in the Santa Catalina foothills, but they are the most popular options for exploring. The canyon was closed to private motor vehicles in 1981. You can bird-watch, picnic, even swim when the natural pools along Sabino Creek are full enough. You don’t even have to leave the visitor center to see white wing doves, little ground doves, roadrunners, cardinals, round Gambel’s quail and half a dozen other native birds. They’re attracted to this lush riparian area because of an ample food and water supply.

Where to Eat
Tucson’s dining scene includes the sophistication you’d expect to find in a well-bred city. On the other hand, rowdy cowboy steak houses, trendy cafes and bistros, basic coffee shops and fast food are readily available. The city has too many great Mexican restaurants to make an accurate count. Many of the best lie in the city’s southern part, where its deep Hispanic-Latino roots began. Because Tucson was once part of Sonora across the border in Mexico, mainstays of that area such as burritos, tamales and enchiladas are a part of many menus. The Native American culture is apparent in blue corn tortillas and fry bread. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that Mexican food is just hot stuff folded in tortillas. Some of its best is seafood, which includes shrimp, sea bass (sometimes on a menu as cabrillo) and other sea creatures that became part of the Mexican diet because they were readily available in surrounding waters...

Janos Restaurant—$$$$
This newly renovated downtown restaurant is in a casually upscale, quiet and lovely 1855 adobe landmark called the Stevens House, part of Tucson’s Historic Block. Built on the site of the original Spanish presidio, elegant service and a carefully chosen wine list (with several Arizona wines) attract serious gourmets. The name of owner-chef Janos Wilder has become synonymous with Southwest nouvelle cuisine, which is the restaurant’s claim to fame. Come here for a big splurge and know it will be more than a meal—it will be an experience. Open Tue.–Sat. at 5:30 for dinner only. 150 N. Main Ave.; (520) 884-9426, fax (520) 623-4172. E-mail: janos@azstarnet.com.

Reviews

The Arizona Guide is a gold mine of information for anyone exploring our nation´s sixth largest state ... Organized into eight geographic regions, the 324-page book brilliantly captures the multi-faceted personality of a state whose features range from cactus-dotted sands to snow-covered mountains. Wade, one of Arizona´s leading travel writers and a regular contributor to Travel America Magazine, provides inside tips on everything from scenic drives to don´t-miss restaurants.

—Travel America Magazine

Interesting, informative and handy to have when the mood for a road trip strikes, The Arizona Guide by Judy wade details the what, when, where and how of hiking along the creek in Patagonia, attending the world´s largest gem and mineral show in Quartzsite, trout fishing in Greer and peach-picking in Wickenburg, among other excursions. ... Useful as a personal reference, it also would make a wonderful gift for visitors and friends.

—Phoenix Home & Garden

The Arizona Guide is very readable and contains information not found in other guides to the state, while also covering every corner of the state. If you travel Arizona for the recreation, the history or the natural world, pick up The Arizona Guide before your next trip.

—Ahwatukee Foothills News

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