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Stargazing at Arizona's Kitt Peak National Observatory

Thursday October 1, 2009

There are few better places for stargazing than the American Southwest. Nighttime views from its deserts and mountains are unblemished by light pollution from cities, revealing a vast canopy of constellations that simply defies the imagination. Visitors to Arizona who are curious to see how astronomers peer into outer space can pay a visit to Kitt Peak National Observatory, a cutting-edge scientific research facility in the Arizona-Sonoran Desert. Located about 55 miles west of Tucson, the observatory boasts the largest collection of optical telescopes in the world, with 24 optical and two radio telescopes representing eight astronomical research organizations. This is an active research facility, buzzing with activity day and night, which makes it all the more interesting to come take a tour. One-hour guided tours are available daily, taking groups to the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope (the world's largest solar telescope), the 2.1-m telescope (a 1964 workhouse that's still in use today), and the Mayall 4-m Telescope, which boasts a visitors gallery with 360-degree views of Kitt Peak and the surrounding desert. To see some actual stars, take part in the Nightly Observing Program, where guests can view planets and distant galaxies through fancy Ritchey-Chrétien and Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes. Sounds pretty far out to me. The observatory is less than two hours from several Starwood properties, including the Sheraton Tucson Hotel & Suites.

[image via astro.umd.edu]

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Feeling the Heat -- and Beating it -- in Tucson

Thursday August 13, 2009

This time of year in Tucson, you wouldn't want to be outside for more than a few minutes during the day — which is probably why there's so much going on at night there. Restaurants like B Line, Maynards Market & Kitchen and Cafe Poca Cosa do a brisk business helping Tucsonians chill out and unwind from the day with modern, daily menus and hip spaces.

But if you can't beat the heat during the day, you might as well join it. The ideal lunch is a Sonoran hot dog, which rivals Chicago-style for sheer excess of toppings. Inside the bun you'll find a bacon-wrapped hot dog, refried beans, shredded cheese, tomato, chopped onion and salsa verde, with a squeeze of mustard and mayo and possibly some avocado as well. El Guero Canelo is generally considered the best place for this Mexican-American treat; BK's is another popular option.

If the heat really has you beat, find respite in one of the three Frost Gelaterias scattered through town. With several dozen hand-made flavors in rotation, you're sure to find one that suits your mood and helps cool you down. One location is but a five-minute drive from the Sheraton Suites Tucson.

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Tucson's Historic San Xavier del Bac Mission

Friday August 7, 2009

Historic Spanish Catholic missions are not uncommon in California and the desert Southwest, but it's rare to find one more beautiful than Tucson's San Xavier del Bac Mission. Founded in 1699, the mission was designed to serve the Catholics of the San Xavier District of Tohono O'odham Nation, and it has taken several forms over the years, with its current design appearing in 1797. It's one of the most perfect examples of a Spanish mission to be found anywhere, representing a flawless mix of Moorish, Byzantine, and late Mexican Renaissance architecture. Its features include an ornate entrance, rounded parapets, graceful spires, and a manicured yard that's perfect for quiet contemplation. But it's no mere artifact, it's an active mission that's still served by Franciscans, who operate the church for the surrounding Native American community 365 days a year. It's open to the public every day, so come by to experience a bit of living history in southern Arizona. Starwood has several Tucson hotels, including the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa.

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Offbeat

Reach for the Sky at Tucson's Pima Air & Space Museum

Friday July 3, 2009

Just outside Tucson in the picturesque Sonoran Desert lies the largest non-government funded aerospace museum in the world. Opened in 1976 with just 75 airplanes, the Pima Air & Space Museum has grown to include over 275 vintage aircraft and spacecraft, with everything from nimble fighter jets and attack helicopters to twin-engine jet airliners like the Douglas C-9B Skytrain II. In addition to the aircraft, which are divided between five hangars and on display outside as well, visitors can drop by an authentic World War II barracks, a space gallery with a training version of an Apollo space capsule, and the 390th Memorial Museum, which features a fully restored B17 G "Flying Fortress," an impressive airplane if there ever was one. If you still haven't gotten your fill of flying machines after an hour or two at the museum, board a bus for a tour of the Boneyard, an Air Force storage and maintenance facility that takes care of more than 4,400 aircraft. The sheer scale of it all boggles the mind. Guests at the Sheraton Tucson Hotel & Suites or any of Starwood's Tucson properties might enjoy a visit to this sprawling tribute to the miracle of flight.

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Offbeat

All the World's Ecosystems On Display at Biosphere 2

Friday June 5, 2009

In a small desert town about an hour outside Tucson lies one of the most fascinating science experiments ever created. Biosphere 2 is the largest closed ecosystem in the world, and scientists have been studying the interactions between life systems and people there for nearly 20 years. It's essentially an enormous, sealed greenhouse that contains man-made versions of the earth's different climate and geographic zones, including a rainforest, an ocean with a coral reef, mangrove wetlands, savanna grasslands, a desert, a farm, and human habitat. As for the humans, two experiments were conducted in the early 1990's in which groups of people entered the sealed biosphere and stayed for extended periods of time. While the experiments revealed plenty of fascinating environmental data, they also showed that people don't always get along when locked into a confined space together. Fortunately, visitors to this scientific masterpiece don't have to worry about getting locked in, so they can just relax and enjoy the guided tour through the different ecosystems. The rainforest (pictured), with plants that reach up to 60 feet in the air, is stunning, particularly when you consider just how unlikely it is to have such a lush, humid forest in the middle of the desert. Starwood has three hotels in Tucson, including the Sheraton Tucson Hotel & Suites.

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Inside

Starpick the Sheraton Tucson Hotel & Suites

Wednesday July 9, 2008

Sheraton Tucson Hotel & Suites Pool 200.jpg Tuscon is one of the friendliest and most beautiful cities in the American southwest, with a mix of cultural activities and scenic outdoor spaces that makes it a perfect spot for a weekend getaway. If you can't wait another week for your Tucson escape, you're in luck. The Sheraton Tucson Hotel & Suites is one of this week's participating Starpicks properties, with last-minute rates of at least 20% off regular rates for stays during the next two weekends. That means you won't have to dig too deep to find yourself relaxing in the luxurious four-story courtyard by the heated outdoor pool. Or getting in touch with nature on the nearby award-winning golf courses or hiking trails. But if you're able to tear yourself away from the hotel's many amenities, you'll encounter some of the city's greatest attractions. The Historic 4th Avenue District, Pima Air & Space Museum, and Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum are just minutes away, providing a variety of ways to experience Tucson like a local. Back at the hotel, you can watch the sun sink behind the distant mountains as you savor a cool drink and delicious southwestern fare at Trophies Grill. It's a perfect end to a perfect Arizona day. New Starpicks properties are posted every Tuesday, so check the list for the latest deals.

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Destination Spotlight - Arizona - Cowboy Up in Tucson

Wednesday December 12, 2007

Despite the rampant development, it's still pretty easy to imagine what Arizona was like back in the days of the frontiersmen — especially at the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa out in the Catalina Foothills of Tucson. Looking out toward the mountains, surrounded by saguaros and sagebrush, you almost feel like a cowboy — even if you are standing on the 9th green, driver in hand. You can hold onto that cowboy feeling at a couple of local steakhouses.

Sure it's a little hokey with its "authentic recreation" of an Old West town, but Trail Dust Town also happens to be home to two of the best steakhouses in the city, if not the country. Pinnacle Peak is famous for its generous steak portions and its "no neckties" policy — wear one and it'll get cut off and hung from the rafters. (Needless to say, kids love this place.) El Corral is a bit more upscale but still family friendly, specializing in prime rib. The Adobe Mud Pie dessert also gets high marks.

At Daisy Mae's Steak House, the steaks are huge, the sides are standard (baked beans and potatoes, true cowboy style) and the hospitality is warm and friendly. The walls here are decorated with hundreds of dollar bills with comments from guests (add your own if you like). Though the steaks are excellent, the stars of the show are the mesquite-smoked baby back ribs. Succulent and smoky, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better barbecue sauce. Save a little room for the house-made apple pie.

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Celebrate

Destination Spotlight - Arizona - The Wonder of Kartchner Caverns

Tuesday December 11, 2007

In the natural world, I often think of state and national parks as America's ancient institutions, part of the geographic vernacular of regions. What would California be without Yosemite or Wyoming without Yellowstone Park, Arizona sans Grand Canyon? While it's always fun to revisit a favorite one, it's a pleasure to learn about a new addition to the natural world. Next time you're in Tucson, staying at the Sheraton Tucson Hotel & Suites, plan a day trip and visit one of Arizona's treasures: the limestone caverns of Kartchner Caverns State Park. The caverns, discovered by accident in 1974 by explorers Randy Tufts and Gary Tenen, sit at the bottom of a sinkhole in the Whetstone Mountains and are nothing short of dazzling. Although nestled between the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, the cave is known as a wet living cave, and maintains a moist 99% relative humidity microclimate that has allowed for abundant calcium carbonate growth. In recent years, scientists have discovered that the Kartchner formation grew over millions of years, after rainwater penetrated through the cracks, dissolving the natural limestone blocks of the mountain. The meticulous droplets of rainwater over 200,000 years helped created speleothems formations, the colorful mineral deposits that make Kartchner Caverns such a unique attraction. To keep the cave and its delicate conditions intact, the founders spent 14 years protecting it until it became designated as a state park. Now open to the public, entrance is through an airlock (pictured). Daily guided tours showcase such wonders as the world's longest soda straw stalactites and Kubla Khan, a 58 foot tall column and the largest natural attraction in the state.

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Inside

Starpick the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa

Wednesday September 5, 2007

Westin%20La%20Paloma%20200.jpg The desert southwest is beautiful during the fall, with mild temperatures, gentle breezes, and plenty of sunshine. And if that's what you're craving, then you might consider taking a little trip out to Tucson, Arizona. The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa is one of this week's participating Starpicks properties, with last-minute rates of at least 20% off regular rates for stays during the next six weeks.

The Westin La Paloma is one of the premiere spa resorts in the southwest, with 27 holes of golf, five swimming pools with a 177-foot water slide, and a world class, 9,300 square foot spa. At the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa, guests can choose from treatments such as a purifying seaweed body wrap and desert stone hot massage, and relax in eucalyptus saunas, heated Jacuzzis, and therapeutic steam rooms. But the pampering doesn't end when you leave the spa: a cocktail at the Desert Garden Lounge is just the thing to usher in the evening gracefully, and for dinner, Janos can't be beat. This Four-Star, Four-Diamond award winning restaurant has been Arizona's highest-rated restaurant since 1983, with French-inspired southwestern cuisine that uses locally-grown produce and the finest fresh seafood and meats available anywhere. A couple of days at this desert oasis is just about as good as it gets, so visit the Starpicks site today and see if the west is calling to you.

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Inside

Starwood Southwest Discounts

Wednesday August 9, 2006

Unfortunately, August isn't the top month for travel in the Southwest due to that whole scorching temperature thing. But hot weather outside means cheap rates for Starwood hotels in Texas, Arizona, Colorado and Missouri. $149 nightly for a shot at playing the PGA course at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort? A chance to stay at The Phoenician, a Conde Nast Gold List and AAA 5 Diamond Award winner, for $169 nightly? Or a chance to stay at Houston's St. Regis, yet another 5 Diamond winner, for $159 a night? Yup, yup and yup.

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