This report will be not so much a blow-by-blow account of our trip as a highlight report.

Flew from Philadelphia to Phoenix on 12/27 on America West, our first trip on that airline. The Philly airport was a zoo -- well, it was holiday travel time -- and my husband, who is 70, took a nasty fall in the terminal on the way to our gate when he slipped on a puddle of water that evidently accumulated from a leak in the roof. Fortunately there were no broken bones, but some evil looking bruises and a painful thigh muscle strain that will take a while to heal. He was not happy. I was not happy. Not a good way to start a trip! Fortunately, it wasn't an omen of things to come, and while he was uncomfortable, and it limited his mobility some, the rest of the trip offered no more dire events.

We were hoping to buy an upgrade to First Class using USAir miles, but were disappointed to learn that America West was not accepting them until March. (I believe that had we arranged to transfer the miles to an America West account at least three days prior to our trip, they would have accepted them -- but they are not yet set up to do the transfer on the spot.) So we lost out on that perk.

Circling over Phoenix we were astonished to see a cloud of brown smog over the city and have since been told that it's a permanent part of the atmosphere. What a shame! We picked up our car at Hertz and it was a Hyundai Ambassador. We were a bit wary of it, given the poor reputation of Hyundai, but I was astonished by the high quality of the drive. The engine was so quiet that, at first, I wasn't sure it was actually running, and it was extremely powerful, accelerating quickly and smoothly, running comfortably at quite high speeds. The limit on highways outside the city is 75 mph, and for long stretches many people drive at 85 or 90. I caught myself cruising along in the desert one afternoon at 100 mph (oops) and the car didn't give the slightest hint that it was struggling in any way. Holy cow -- a Hyundai?

We'd decided to fly into Phoenix and drive to Tucson because we wanted to see the landscape between the two cities, which should make everyone who has been there laugh hysterically. We saw some wonderful scenery on our trip, but this was definitely not part of that experience. Two and a half hours later (our B&B was on the far side of Tucson), we'd seen as much flat dirt and scrub as we'd cared to. However, the smog had cleared as soon as we left Phoenix and the sky stayed brilliant blue and beautiful from then on.

Tucson sits in a valley surrounded by two rugged mountain ranges and the effect is often breathtaking, especially as we neared our B&B just outside the city limits on the east. It's a quite different sort of landscape than we are used to, spare and severe, and very striking.

We stayed at the Alta Vista B&B, a gorgeous place with only 3 guest rooms, beautiful grounds and a host, Peter Smith, who was intensely committed to helping us enjoy ourselves in every way possible. In addition to being extremely gracious as a host, he made outstanding suggestions for places we ought to visit, and then, based on our reactions to those, made more suggestions tailored to our tastes. Turns out he is a psychologist, and he really uses his analytical skills, because he was right on the mark with us. His breakfasts were plentiful and creative, and there were way too many snacks throughout the day, which of course we inhaled non-stop. Our bedroom was large, bright and beautiful, including a luxurious bathroom-dressing room.

Our first trip was to the eastern Saguaro National Park, which is quite near the B&B and features magnificent mountain/desert scenery populated with gazillions of tall, branched Saguaro cactus, along with more kinds of colorful and oddly shaped cactus than we Easterners knew existed. It was a fascinating place, and we vastly enjoyed the slow 8-mile drive through. There are lots of trails, which younger people would do well to explore. We old folks were quite content to drive and occasionally get out to stroll around.

From there we made an afternoon trip to the Desert Museum, which is on the other side of Tucson, and turned out to be quite a long drive. (Well, everything is a long drive in Arizona, and in a day or so we got very used to that.) I wish I could say that we enjoyed it, because everybody else who has reported on the Desert Museum here loved it, but we really didn't. A large part of that is probably my own difficulty with seeing animals in cages; I really hate that. But the desert scenery of the park didn't strike us as exceptional, since we had just spent the morning at Saguaro National Park, and the wildlife exhibits were, we thought, pretty modest. I'm sure other Fodorites will weigh on with opinions about our opinion, and they are most welcome to, but we have visited the Bronx Zoo, the Philadelphia Zoo and the San Diego Zoo, and have those as comparisons.

We had an OK Italian dinner at Verona Italian Restaurant, near the B&B, but wouldn’t recommend that anyone go out of his way for it.

The next day we ventured southeast to the Mission San Xavier Del Bac (also called the White Dove of the Desert)—built in 1783-- which looms up out of the desert about ten miles from the city as you drive toward it on I-19; a startling sight. We thought the sanctuary was one of the most beautiful and moving we have visited in the west, magnificently carved and painted by local artisans and artists. Almost every available space inside has a painting or sculpture. The amount of artwork on the walls and ceiling is overwhelming, but breathtaking. We puttered around outside a bit and found that at the rear is the beautiful residence of the Franciscan friars who are responsible for the mission – we could see attractively planted courtyards with splashing fountains and a white domed roof that, oddly, looked quite Moorish in design and was absolutely spectacular against the brilliant blue sky.

We left there and continued on I-19 to Tubac, established in 1752 as a Spanish presidio and now home to a large number of art and craft galleries and shops, restaurants, and a historic Old Town. It’s well worth the trip, and although there are a few inexpensive souvenir places, for the most part the galleries and shops carry good to very high quality items. If you’re into that scene, you can easily spend a whole day there, and also leave plenty of $$$$ behind. We wound up going back a couple of days later, because a lot of the shops and galleries were closed for the holiday week-end, and we had lunch there both days – quite nice each time and –sorry! —don’t remember the names of the restaurants, which we picked at random.

Dinner that night, which was New Year’s Eve, at La Fuente, in Tucson, which has a reputation as the best Mexican restaurant in town (well, a few others also have the same reputation, and we’re not Mexican food mavens, so don’t judge by us!). It was packed with Mexican and Mexican-American families; the service was cordial and very good -- amazing, really, on such a crazy night. We enjoyed the food, though we didn’t think it was remarkable, and the Mariachi band was, we thought, pretty good too and –- blessedly-- mostly in another room. OK, OK if you’re a Mariachi fan don’t get mad. It’s just that every single song sounds like La Paloma to me.

I think our biggest thrill came on the day we traveled to the Chiricahua National Monument, homeland of the Chiricahua Apache Indians and a stunningly beautiful mountain landscape that we reached after a mind-numbing couple of hours driving through desert grasslands. It rises up dramatically from the valley floor to over nine thousand feet, cresting in a series of uneven, volcanic looking peaks. As you drive up and into them you discover areas of spectacular pinnacles, columns, spires and precariously balanced boulders that are simply breathtakingly beautiful – and you are in an area of actual green trees and shrubs, for which we were pitifully grateful. There are, of course, trails and a campsite, and waysides offering one stunning scenic view after another. We simply loved it, but oh boy, getting there without stopping is sooo boring. We were getting hungry, so on the way back we stopped off at a very little town named Wilcox out in the desert, where we had quite possibly the worst lunch ever at a tiny hole-in-the-wall lunch stand owned by a really nice man who should be doing something else with his life. We sat out front trying to eat our lunch, giggling because it was so bad, and watching freight trains coming, and then going.

We had several forgettable dinners in and around Tucson looking for some good steak. The only restaurant in this group I remember was A Taste of Texas, which served humongous portions, naturally, and had a metal bucket of addictive peanuts in the shell on each table. The beef ribs were OK, and there were, I think, seven of them in my serving. Even the obviously large eaters in the place (and there were many) were calling for Styrofoam boxes. We weren’t about to take the ribs back to our B&B, so a lot of that food was wasted.

We did some wandering around Tucson itself, mostly downtown, and liked it quite a lot. There’s been a fair amount of urban renewal, and attention to preservation as well, and it was fun to browse. We shopped at some of the boutiques and craft shops on North 4th Avenue and had a delightful lunch outdoors at Delectables there.

Our favorite dining place this trip was Pastiche, at 3025 N. Campbell Ave, where we had dinner twice. They’re located in an attractive upscale shopping plaza, and serve contemporary American food. The mushroom soufflé and smoked salmon appetizers were outstanding, my Cioppino one evening and pumpkin ravioli the other were great, and they offer bistro-size portions of some of their entrees, so that you might actually manage an appetizer and dessert without going into a food coma.

Critter report: We saw a couple of huge coyotes saunter across the road at Saguaro National Park and, a couple of times, a large hawk sitting in a tree (I actually thought one might be an eagle, but I was driving by at 85 mph and wasn’t about to try to stop and see), innumerable quail with those curly question mark feathers on their heads around the patio at the B&B, and best of all, a big javalena – a wild pig – strolling out of a parking lot of a Walgreen’s one evening, and off into the scrub.

So, all in all, it was a fun trip for the week just after Christmas, and we recommend it. A whole week might be a bit too long for you high-energy tourists who really pack stuff in, but we’re very easy-going and like to take our time, relaxing as much as touring, so it worked out fine for us.

Glad you enjoyed your trip to Tucson. I don't recall having seen a post from you asking questions before your trip. If I had seen it, I could have told you that Verona's is not considered that good, as far as Italian goes. And La fuente USED to have pretty good food. But it changed hands and is now, at best, very mediocre, IMO. And Taste of Texas wouldn't, I think, be considered one of the top steak houses.

Again, glad you enjoyed yourself. You did hit a couple, but only a couple, of the many things to do in and around Tucson. To REALLY see the area, you would need much more time, even crowding things in during the day. But many of the other things would require more getting around, which may have been a problem due to your husband's unfortunate accident.

Interesting reading your take on Tucson since, like Mike, I also live here (and would never have recommended La Fuente -- it's way way past its prime in the resturant scene here). Taste of Texas is probably a place considered mediocre at best and not representative of what we have here in the way of good food in Tucson. I'm not familiar with Verona as I live on the opposite side of town.

Tucson actually is surrounded by 4 mountain ranges, Catalinas, Santa Rita's, Tucson Mts, and Tortilita's.

I'm sorry your husband took a fall, but thankfully it seemed not to put a damper on your trip.

If you ever make it out this way again I hope you get to see alot more of the area and sample some of our better places to eat

Thanks for taking the time to post a report. I am still trying to fit Tuscon into an AZ trip. And you Tuscon folks are quite helpful too!

Just a note about the brown cloud over Phoenix. We have experience some bad air of late because of the lack of rain and unseasonable warm temps. It is not a constant issue, but one we have to deal with in the winter. The air has been much better lately.

Well, amwosu,

I do hope you will be able to fit Tucson into your trip. But, please do learn how to spell TuCson (Not TuScon). We get that a lot. Probably because the airport code is TUS, not TUC. But it IS one of my peeves.

And please do ask us about restaurants before you come. I think between Lori (northwest side) and me (east side) and a couple of other regulars, you should have some good things to do/see and good things to eat.

ckwald, I do wish I had known you were coming. I live on the far east side, about 1 1/2 miles from Saguaro Nat'l Park east and could have given you some other great things to see and do. I do hope you come back.

What an informative, interesting, and amusing report! I relate completely to your feeling about animals in cages - a real turn-off. I'm printing out your objective experiences to refer to on our trip (soon I hope). I do hope that your husband has recovered from his injuries!

I have not been to Tucson in a while, I was born there and have family, but we have not been in a few years.
I used to love just driving out into the dessert-towards where Old Tucson movie studios were, I loved the Foothills and going up to Mt Lemmon and Sabino Canyon. My uncle and I would go horseback riding and keep score on which of us saw the most prairie dogs
I lived in NYC and never would have thought to compare the Desert Museum to the Bronx Zoo.
Unless things have changed drastically since I was there, I don't remember "cages" but glass enclosed areas, much like the Bronx Zoo.
My grandfather requested that his ashes be spread out in/around Saguaro National Park, they actually found a huge cactus that looked like a cross to sprinkle them.
I hope you get to visit there again, with no falls and injuries.

GKWald, Thank You for your interesting report. Last year, we spent 10 days in Phoenix and areas north and I can't wait to due the areas south, around Tucson. We go at a slower pace too, as it is then a relaxing vacation. I usually start my research 3-6 mths ahead, but I like to hear people response to different areas.

One of the things I liked most about the Sonoran Desert Museum was the lack of caged animals. And the amazing botanical gardens located throughout the grounds. Boy, we sure all are different, aren't we?

Scarlett and sharondi,

You are both correct. The animals at the Desert Museum are not in what most people would consider cages. They are in very open, natural-habitat spaces. The entire place is really made to be as a natural desert area.

Here is a link to the exhibits area of the Desert Museum. Unfortunately, there aren't pictures of the exhibits, so it is not possible to see (only to envision) that the animals are no really caged. http://www.desertmuseum.org/visit/exhibits.html

Well, folks, a few clarifications and responses to your welcome comments.

First of all, as I said at the beginning of my report, it wasn't a blow-by-blow account of our trip. It was a highlight report. We did a good deal more than I wrote about but for us, at least, these were the most memorable.

I didn't post questions about Tucson restaurants because I scoured Tucson threads for quite some time before we left, and came away with a long list of recommended restaurants. I like to avoid posting repetitive questions here. But the only restaurant on the list we actually got to was Pastiche, which, as I reported, we enjoyed so much that we ate dinner there twice. We wound up at the others I mentioned because they were convenient to where we happened to be. Verona, for example, was about a mile from our B&B, it was the end of a long day that started in Philadelphia and we were ravenous. La Fuente was highly recommended by our host, so we deferred to his judgement. Oh well. Next time, we'll rely more on the list we get from here!

I am really glad to hear that the brown cloud over Phoenix when we were there is not there permanently; that would be a tragedy.

I can see that my choice of words was poor to describe the animals at the Desert Museum, and you are right to object to it. They are not in cages. I simply meant that it disturbs me to see animals in captivity, and I wanted readers to know my personal bias when they read my report. But having said that, I'm not sure why some responders are unhappy with my comparison to the Bronx Zoo, the Philadelphia Zoo and the San Diego Zoo, all of which are famous for their displaying of animals in sort-of replicas of their natural habitats.

MikePinTucson, I wish you had known we were coming too, although I think we pretty much did as much as we felt comfortable doing during our visit. I know from my experience as a host, however, than I am often fruistrated when people leave my home area without seeing the gems I know are there. Thanks for the thought.

The brown cloud you saw has disappeared, glad to report. This is what is called an inversion layer. Cold air above warm air trapped near the ground, plus photo-chemical smog from auto, truck & industrial emissions combined with dust, largely from construction sites. It comes and goes. Strong winds move it away, but it can be very nasty when it lingers for days and days due to stagnant weather systems.

Well, ckwald,

I really did know you were coming, having read your question about how to dress. But since you hadn't asked about other things, I didn't bother responding. And thaks so much for your clarification on the desert museum. Your comment on cages really did puzzle me.

I do hope you come back again. and do feel free to send me an email with any other questions or observations. In fact, funny thing, but the B&B you stayed at is less than 2 miles directly north of where I live.

I am a native of TUCson, (although I no longer live there I visit often) and at one time was a docent at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, there surely aren't cages out there and isn't a zoo
by any stretch of the imagination!

That said, I just have to wonder why anyone who had such a dislike for viewing caged animals had visited so many zoo's-
???
:-?
R5

Good question, razzledazzle. I visted them when I was a child and a young adult, and before I became very uncomfortable with seeing animals confined. We went to the Desert Museum because I was very interested in learning more about various desert environments, and kind of hoped the confined animal component wouldn't disturb me too much. As I have tried to make clear in my posts, I am very well aware of how highly regarded the Desert Museum is by virtually everyone who visits it and reports back here. However, I was simply expressing my own views, and trying to be honest about them.

I think your explanation cleared it up, at least for me. I can appreciate your views, and can appreciate your candor. Did you know the A-S-D-M included a zoo before you went?

Are you coming back? I really would like to introduce you both to some of Tucson's finer restaurants and sights. I know it can be difficult if you are not aware of locations AND distances beforehand.

I am glad you enjoyed "my" side of town, too. I love the area I live in, possibly because the area is not a "development". It is homes on 3+ acre parcels. Which does let you feel more in tune with the desert

MikePinTucson, it's too soon to know about returning -- we just got back! If we do, I'll be certain to get in touch well in advance for your advice. Thanks for the offer.

Glad to see that other Tucsonans already posted on restaurant choices. I'm not sure where you got recommendations from, ckwald. La Fuente is nowhere near the best Mexican restaurant in town. Guadalajara Grill is excellent, as is Mi Nidito and Cafe Poca Cosa for a less traditional Mexican food experience. I have been to Taste of Texas and Verona as they are area joints, but wouldn't recommend them. For Italian on the East side choose Amerenos or Gavi. Glad you went to Pastiche. That is a good restaurant. By the way, I was glad to hear that the B&B is nice. I live around the corner from it (on a dirt road just to the East) and might consider using it when family comes to visit.
Come on back to Tucson and try the other restaurants! Tucson really does have some incredible restaurants.

Hey, Tucsonartist,

That means you are also just around the corner from me. Send me an email if you want to try to get others for a Tucson GTG.