Jerry Peek's Tucson Page

I live in Tucson, Arizona -- a wonderful city in the desert in the southwestern USA, with mountains all around, an hour away from Mexico.

This page has links that I use every day (for weather info, entertainment, etc) and other info that visitors might want. I update it as I think of pages I want to keep track of; please feel free to send me suggestions.

When you click on a link, a new window (or tab) should open; when you close it, this window should still be here.

You can scroll down or skip to one of the sections:
News
Weather, etc.
Transportation
Things I Like to Do
Places I Like to Eat (and buy)
Visitor Info, Other Pages of Local Links
Photos
You Know You're from Southern Arizona When... :)

Tucson Mountain Park
Tucson Mountain Park
Here are more Tucson photos.

News

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Weather, etc.

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  • Forecast and recent conditions Though the temperature readings lag behind, the site has links to frequently-updated info if needed -- with predictions of exactly when a storm will reach what part of the area, etc. There's also a Tucson-area page with maps and other area forecasts, and a three-day history page with graphs and tables of recent weather. (National Weather Service, Tucson office)
  • Tabular Forecast has hour-by-hour predictions (which can be handy for guessing when it'll be too humid for your swamp cooler to work)
  • Current conditions Temperature, humidity, wind, etc. (University of Arizona)
  • Forecast (The Weather Channel)
  • Climate charts (Ersys)
  • Sunrise/sunset times, current time, and more. When can you catch a beautiful Tucson sunset, or get out for an early-morning hike before it's too hot? We don't observe daylight saving (summer) time here. (time and date.com)
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Transportation

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Things I Like to Do

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There's more general info in the Local Links pages below.

Outdoors Outside Tucson
  • The Tohono O'odham Nation Cultural Center and Museum is 10 miles south of Sells, Arizona (75 miles sourhwest of Tucson on Ajo Way, AZ highway 86). It's hard to find, in a remote area with almost no signs to guide you there... but it's worth the trip! A handsome new building that opened in 2007, it has exhibits on the Tohono O'odham people and art, a gift shop, temporary exhibitions and presentations, and more.
  • The Amerind Foundation has a museum of anthropology, archaeology and art east of Tucson. It's located near Dragoon, the spectacular Texas Canyon along I-10, with picnic tables among the big rocks.
  • The Arizona Wine Growers Association website lists vineyards being developed as well as ones already there. Arizona has some great wineries, like Callaghan Vineyards and Dos Cabezas -- both in the Sonoita area.
  • An exposé on The Thing (warning: has spoiler!), the tourist attraction on I-10 southeast of Tucson
  • Linda Ronstadt’s Borderland is a New York Times travel article (December 29, 2013, by Lawrence Downes) with stories from the Tucsonan singer's life and places special to her. The Reader Comments (at tne end) are glowing.
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Places I Like to Eat (and Buy Food)

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My tastes are all over the map. I tend toward vegetarian food, but I love a great Sonoran Hot Dog (from one of the many food carts, of course!) or a Smashburger. I’m not (usually) concerned if a place is run by some “religion” or other group that has a particular point of view… though, in each case, I'll mention it if I know about it.

Here's a list that I'll build over time.

  • Govinda’s Natural Foods Buffet [TripAdvisor.com] [GovindasOfTucson.com]: Part of a worldwide chain of vegetarian restaurants run (according to this Wikipedia article, by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, a.k.a. Hare Krishnas), this place serves a delicious buffet of vegetarian (many vegan) foods. (When I worked in Prague, Czech Republic, during grad school, I was saved from the Czech’s typical heavy meats and gravies by a nearby Govinda's.)

    Get there early for the best selection. Open Thanksgiving and Christmas, too. (At Thanksgiving, the Tucson location — at least — has a live turkey running around the grounds, posing for photos… and gladly accepting handouts of diners' vegetarian feasts :).

    • Location: 711 E Blacklidge (just off 1st Ave. between Ft. Lowell & Glenn)
    • Hours: Check their website (above) or call (520)792-0630.
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Visitor Info, Other Pages of Local Links

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  • Wikipedia Tucson page: lots of information about Tucson from this volunteer-maintained online encyclopedia.
  • Southern Arizona pages (the online 9th edition of Moon Handbooks' Arizona Handbook): lots of good info on Tucson and the area. Try the downtown walking tour.
  • Metro Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau
  • Tucson Downtown Alliance (includes Downtown Tucsonan, a very readable and interesting monthly magazine in print and online)
  • Tucson City Government (lots of useful and fun stuff)
  • Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
  • Arizona State Government
  • Meet-ups around Tucson (meetup.com): everything from canasta to cosmic consciousness, 150+ groups you can browse and join. (Also lists other cities.)
  • Need to find a doctor? The Arizona Medical Board website tells you whether a doctor has been investigated by the Board, had malpractice or other criminal convictions, lists where they studied and their specialties.
  • Through Our Parents' Eyes, a history of southern Arizona (from the University of Arizona) full of images, sounds, and interesting bits of information.
  • Tucson Origins: The Center for Desert Archaeology has information about southern Arizona and northern Mexico. This page is about findings around Tucson.
  • Parks & Recreation: Special Places: A listing from the City of Tucson website of unique parks and other “special places.”
  • Our Annual Gem Show, which fills Tucson with visitors from all over the world for two weeks around the start of February (and is a lot of fun to wander around):
  • Sadie & Dave Green, who live in England, have come to Tucson for long stays. Their blog, Arizona Spring 2008, has an interesting perspective on Tucson -- with good tips for both visitors and residents.
  • Mt. Lemmon and Summerhaven: high in the Santa Catalina mountains above Tucson (emol.org)
  • Grecycle collects your used cooking grease for recycling. They have a holiday event, and the website lists year-round collection sites. (Biodiesel, anyone?)
  • Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation - Tucson buildings, landscapes, and urban design from 1945-1975
  • Ghost Bikes - memorials to bicyclists struck by automobiles (in this town with one of the highest “bicycle-friendly” ratings in the USA, these seem even more sad).
  • Baja Arizona (the 51st state ;-)
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Photos

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  • Tucson photos (by me)
  • Tucson Time Capsule articles from the Arizona Daily Star and its readers. (Historic photos -- late 20th century and before -- with the story behind the photo. (Web search from Duck Duck Go, a private alternative to Google)
  • Webcam at U of A (buildings, mountains, lots of sky: spectacular in summer afternoons when big storms come)
  • Pima County Virtual Travel in 4,004 Images (Kelvin Smith's Untraveled Road: an interesting way to do a photo tour)
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You Know You're from Southern Arizona When... :)

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(This is from one of those email messages that circulates around the 'Net. I wish I knew who wrote it.)

You Know You're from Southern Arizona When...

  1. You buy salsa by the gallon.
  2. You think a red light is merely a suggestion.
  3. All of your out-of-state friends start to visit after October but clear out come the end of April.
  4. Most of the restaurants in town have the first name "El" or "Los."
  5. You think 60 tons of crushed rock makes a beautiful yard.
  6. You notice your car overheating before you drive it.
  7. You can say "Hohokam" and people don't think you're laughing funny.
  8. You no longer associate bridges (or rivers) with water.
  9. You know a swamp cooler is not a happy hour drink.
  10. Vehicles with open windows have the right-of-way in the summer.
  11. People break out coats when the temperature drops below 70 degrees.
  12. You discover, in July, it only takes two fingers to drive your car.
  13. The pool can be warmer than you are.
  14. You can make sun tea instantly.
  15. You run your air conditioner in the middle of winter so you can use your fireplace.
  16. The best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.
  17. The AC is on your list of best friends.
  18. You realize that Valley Fever isn't a disco dance.
  19. You can finish a Big Gulp in 10 minutes and go back for seconds.
  20. The water from the cold water tap is the same temperature as the hot one.
  21. You can correctly pronounce the words: Saguaro, Ocotillo, Tempe, Gila Bend, San Xavier, Canyon de Chelly, Mogollon Rim, Cholla, and Ajo.
  22. You experience third degree burns if you touch any metal part of your car.
  23. You know better than to get into a car with leather seats if you're wearing shorts.
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CatScratch Graphics icon Thanks to long-time Tucson resident Lannie Hartman for many helpful suggestions. CatScratch Graphics (which is offline now) made the cactus icons on this page. The CSG icon was reduced by GifOptimizer (also not online anymore).
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Last change: 13 March 2021

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