Travel Info

The University of Arizona occupies the land and territories of the Tohono O’odham and Yaqui Peoples in the heart of the Sonoran Desert.

The Tohono O’odham (lit. “Desert People”) have lived here for at least ten thousand years. Their ancestral land is torn apart by the present-day U.S. and Mexico “border” (which they do not recognize), and U.S. border patrol has frequently arrested and even “deported” them.
The Yaqui community here is a diaspora that fled genocide at the hands of the Mexican government in the late 19th to the early 20th century.

The area is served by:

The Tucson International Airport (TUS) is a 20-minute drive (8.5 miles) to campus. You can use rideshare, and we’d be happy to find local grad students to pick you up as well. (Note that Southwest flights may not show up on third-party sites like Google Flights, for interesting reasons.)
The Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) is a 1.5- to 2-hour drive (115 miles) to campus, contingent on highway traffic. FlixBus (around 25–30 USD each way) and Groome (around 50 USD each way) both stop on campus, but please check with Ding to see if they could pick you up from PHX directly.
The Amtrak Sunset Limited may be an interesting option if you are coming from/to LA or El Paso.

A free-to-ride streetcar Sun Link runs between campus and downtown.

Lodging:

Keynote speakers: we have booked your rooms at the Marriott next to campus, which is a 8-minute walk from the department/conference venue.
Grad students: we are happy to arrange homestays with our local grad students so you wouldn’t need to pay for a hotel, but you are of course welcome to find your own lodging option (in addition to the Marriott, try the Aloft, the Graduate, or somewhere along 4th Ave or Congress St—but stay east of the I-20 so it’s not too far); please do note that the conference coincides with the annual Gem Shows and so it may be more difficult than usual to find hotel rooms.

Access to caffeine near campus:

Vegan/vegetarian dining options:

Near campus:
- Kababeque Indian Grill (many vegan/vegetarian options—try their Aloo Matar, Baigan Bharta, and Chana Masala)
- Jimmy’s Pita & Poke (build your own rice bowl with grilled tofu and stuff)
- Bacio Italiano (pizzas can be made vegan; sit-down restaurant)
Downtown:
- Cafe Maggie (all day breakfast and more; many options)
- Time Market (pizzas can be made vegan)
- BOCA (Mexican; some options)
- JoJo’s (Mexican; some options)
- OBON Sushi Bar Ramen (Japanese; some options)
- Urban Fresh (breakfast & lunch only; all vegan)
- 4th Ave Deli (sandwiches and hotdogs; many options)
- Nhu Lan (Vietnamese; many options)
- Street Taco and Beer Co. (Mexican; some options)
- JA Ramen (Japanese; some options)
- Miss Saigon (Vietnamese; some options)
- HUB Restaurant & Ice Creamery (American; some options)
- Thunder Bacon Burger (American; some options)
If you are willing to go further:
- Tumerico (Mexican; all vegan)
- La Indita (Mexican; some options)
- Cafe Desta (Ethiopian; many options)
- Beaut Burger (American; all vegan)
- Fatman Kitchen (Chinese; many options)
- The Coronet (more expensive; some options)
- Beyond Bread (sandwiches; some options)
- Falora (sit-down pizza restaurant; some options)

Drinks:

Near campus: Screwbean (coffee + beer) and Time Market (beer + wine + pizza + groceries)
Downtown: Crooked Tooth (brewery with lovely outdoor area), The Royal Room (unofficially-queer wine bar), and Surly Wench (ex-lesbian bar but now pretty straight)
More out of the way: SideCar (cute little bar) and MotoSonora (brewery with a vintage car theme and a large outdoor area)

Places to dance (all downtown; check if there is an event):

Things to do if you have an extra day (check with Ding to see if there might be a group of people interested in going to some of the following):