[mowz]

I lived in Tucson for 5 years while attending the UofA. During that time I bought a house and rented several other places. I also am pretty outdoorsy so I got to know the area better than most. I have been gone almost a year now so I'll try and help.

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In about three weeks, I will be moving from Michigan to Tucson for a new job. Since I've spent a grand total of six hours of my entire life in the city, I could use a little help. I would appreciate some feedback on any or all of the following questions:

1) What are some good neighborhoods to live in? What do nice one bedroom apartments go for down there? I don't think I would want to live too close to the university, because I assume the cost of living is jacked up there, plus I know how college kids act at any time on any day of the week.


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This really depends on how far you want to drive from work. There are some great places that are very cheap outside of the City limits to the west, north, and south, but it will probably be 20 minutes to get to the bars. Right now an okay one bedroom about a mile from the University will be $450-600.
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2) What are some good bars/hangouts? (I'm 24 and usually like the college kid/early 20s crowd, but also occasionally enjoy older crowds at bars)


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O'Malleys, Maloneys (most bars on 4th avenue), Trident, Dirtbags(the Greek crowd). For an older crowd something like Pastiche or Risky Business. There isn't a whole ton of selection in the bar area but you can still drink, have a good time, and meet a ton of pretty girls as they import new ones in every semester.
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3) I've heard there are two casinos in the area. What are they like? Are there poker rooms, and if so, how good are they?


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Desert Diamond and Casino of the Sun/Casino Del Sol. Casino Del Sol has a better rake setup and nice soft games all the time. When I left they were only spreading limit games but that may have changed.
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4) What are the best restaurants (besides the obvious chain restaurants)?


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There are a ton of great Mexican food places as well as chains like Claim Jumpers that may not be in your area. East of Speedway and south of Broadway is where to go to get good cheap Mexican food.
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5) I love to play golf, and I am excited about finally getting the chance to play in November - February. What are some of the best courses, and what can I expect to pay to play 18 holes on them? If not the absolute best courses, which ones are the best value?


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Drawing a blank here, but there are a ton of courses and a ton of people that would love to tell you all about them. Bottom line is that most places are pretty cheap during the summer months.

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6) If there is anything else that you think would be helpful/interesting to me, please let me know.


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Tucson is a great place to be if you are in any ways outdoorsy. Even if you aren't, take a drive up to Mt. Lemmon just before lunch time and grab a big slice of pie in Summerhaven on a hot day. Bring a long sleeve shirt.

If you are artsy-fartsy there are always things going on. Actually there are things going on for everyone. Don't get sucked into the "there's nothing to do here" attitude that a lot of the students bring with them. Most of the fun events are in the paper and if it can't be Googled it is hard for college kids to find. The monsoon season is starting now or very soon and the next few months are a great time to be in Tucson. Try and get an apartment with a window or a porch so you can watch all of the amazing lightning storms curled up with a pretty girl.