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In the next two months, we’re also going to see people from all over the country and beyond come here for the (Jan. 10-Feb. 28; April 1-19), (Jan. 17-25) and the (Jan. 18-Feb. 16).

Many of them will have a passing knowledge of the Old Pueblo, but for those arriving here relying on Yelp reviews and social media listicles as their guide to getting to know us, we’d like to offer some different ideas.

While those social media tools have their place in the tourism space, they don’t really go beyond the usual suspects — the top five restaurants, watering holes, resorts, golf courses, hikes and attractions.

Sure, we’re going to offer a couple of those same suggestions; we’d be committing tour-guide malpractice if we overlooked some obvious boxes one must check when visiting ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.

But we want to take you to the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ we never tire of experiencing, whether you have 36 hours or three days.

Tag along, and let us introduce you to the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ we love — the place we call home.

Where we eat

We’re gushingly proud of our food scene in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, and rightly so: We were America’s first UNESCO City of Gastronomy, which basically validates how rich and diverse and absolutely amazing our food is.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ans will drive out of their way to support the newest locally-owned pizza or burger joint, and we’ll dress in our Sunday best for a Friday date night at a local steakhouse like downtown’s El Charro Steak & del Rey () or the historic Li’l Abner’s Steakhouse () in Marana.

We set our calendars by the changing fruit flavors of icy Eegee’s (), and we will argue the point to anyone and everyone that Sonoran hot dogs from the seminal El Guero Canelo () and the plethora of makers that followed should be ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s official Fourth of July hotdog.

We also pride ourselves on our culinary diversity, from the crispy, sweetly-spicy Korean fried chicken from Oh My Chicken (@ohmychicken.omc on ) to the spicy, rich berbere sauce on the Dora Wat at the legendary Zemam’s Ethiopian Cuisine () anchoring Z Street International Marketplace.

We wish we could make a daily habit of the iced egg cream latte — bold Vietnamese coffee blended with condensed milk and topped with velvety egg cream — at Café Thang (@ on Facebook), and we never tire of the Eggs Provençal from Ghini’s French Caffe (); from the first bite, we imagine this is how summertime tastes in chef-owner Coralie Satta’s native south of France.

But Mexican food, like the signature enmoladas in a rich mole poblano sauce at El Antojo Poblano ( and the spicy quesabirria tacos at Amelia’s Mexican Kitchen (), is our proud calling card. We marvel at how Marcos Barraga can take something as simple as cheese and tortillas and turn it into culinary genius at The Quesadillas (), and we will swear by the carne asada tacos at Tacos Apson (), which some people will insist has the best tacos in the region.

We cheered when Yelp named our James Beard-nominated vegan/vegetarian restaurant Tumerico () 2024’s No. 1 place to eat in America — yes, all of America! — and we joined the bandwagon of folks who wait in a line that can stretch 20 deep for the chorizo breakfast burrito at award-winning, James Beard-nominated Barista del Barrio ().

We hang our sombrero on our Mexican food, from El Charro Cafe (), the 102-year-old birthplace of the chimichanga and continuously operating Mexican restaurant, to the legacy restaurants along South Fourth Avenue in the city of South ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ that are the for the square-mile city.

That is where you’ll find the children and grandchildren of the families that started El Torero (), Guillermo’s Double L and Micha’s () cooking from the same family recipes of their forefathers to create Mexican dishes that borrowed from deep Sonoran roots. The family behind Guillermo’s the historic Mi Nidto () in February, but the menu is pretty much intact, including the famous President’s Plate, created when President Clinton visited the restaurant in 1999 and ordered one of nearly everything on the menu.

On ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s south side, a new generation of Mexican chefs is making their mark on the genre, from Mateo Otero’s birria ramen and rolled tacos at Rollies Mexican Patio () to Diego Valencia’s bacon-wrapped burritos at Percheron Mexican Grill (@percheronmexicangrill on ).

Where we drink

When the sun hits just right in the late afternoon, there’s nothing better than sitting on the cool downtown patio of Borderlands Brewing () and sipping a refreshing Viejo Pueblo Blonde Ale or a Toole Avenue Hazy IPA.

Borderlands is one of nearly 20 craft breweries in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, from the city’s OG Barrio Brewing (), which opened in 1991, to the 5-year-old MotoSonora (), which celebrates the spirit of cross-country road racing. If you’re more of the quiet suburbs beer-drinker, head out to Marana’s bike-centric nano brewery Catalina Brewing Company (), where their motto is “We bike, we brew.â€� Catalina, born around a campfire during the 2009 24 Hours of Old Pueblo mountain bike race, has a loyal following in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s cycling community.

We also have a terrific distillery in the award-winning Whiskey Del Bac (), a mesquite-smoked spirit that captures the essence and flavor of the Sonoran Desert. Don Rubino incorporates the taste of the desert in several of his hard ciders at Bawker Bawker Cider House () in the bustling entertainment district of North Fourth Avenue, including his AZT Prickly Pear and Lemon cider made with cactus fruit and local lemons, and his spicy Hot Tropics that turns on the heat with jalapeño and chiltepin peppers native to the region.

Prickly pear, those red bulbs sprouting from the pads of its namesake cactus growing wild in the Sonoran Desert, is our signature cocktail additive. Folks drive across town to the far east side for the prickly pear margarita at the nearly 70-year-old Saguaro Corners () or hop-skip downtown for El Charro’s Prickly Pear-Rita made with top-shelf Cazadores Blanco tequila.

If you’re looking for the perfect spot for day drinking, Dirtbags () near the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is a must. This dive bar has been “a part of growing upâ€� for generations of UA students with specialty cocktails sporting names like the vodka and grapefruit juice-based “Cocaine Shooter,â€� the three-layered “Mind Eraserâ€� shot, and the “Sicilian Whore,â€� a pitcher of eight exotic shots mixed with pineapple juice that comes with a caveat: “Can only be served with a close group of friends.â€�

You’ll want to consider pre-gaming a night on the town at downtown’s Tough Luck Club in the basement of Reilly Craft Pizza & Drink (), located in the former Reilly Funeral Home; that basement served as the morgue. The Owls Club () in downtown’s Armory Park neighborhood used to be the historic Bring Funeral Home before it opened in 2016 as a cocktail bar known for its killer Old Fashioned and Manhattan.

We also love to imbibe a smooth mezcal from the dozens of artisanal and ancestral Mezcals from throughout Mexico that they pour at the Century Room () jazz club in Hotel Congress. While you’re there, slip into the hotel — one of the oldest in the state — where bank robber John Dillinger and his gang were captured after a fire broke out at the hotel in 1934.

Where we shop

This time of year, we can think of a few places that capture the spirit of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, from Cicada (), the candlemaker on North Oracle Road that has managed to capture the aroma of the desert after a monsoon storm and other scents that remind us of hiking in Sabino Canyon with wildflowers in full bloom; to the gift shop at Tohono Chul () on the northwest side, which carries a wide array of handcrafted items from regional and local artisans, including picture frames, picture books and handcrafted jewelry and artwork.

When we’re looking for totally ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ gifts and keepsakes, we have two go-tos, both located downtown.

• Why I Love Where I Live () on the west side of Congress in the hip and happening MSA Annex is where you’ll find ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥-centric T-shirts, including some with our desert animals from the roadrunner to the rattlesnake; handcrafted greeting cards with our beloved saguaros; pottery cups; jewelry; and the ever-popular stickers including one depicting a javelina, the desert dweller that travels in packs and often makes its way into our neighborhoods.
• The expansive inventory at Popcycle () on North Fourth Avenue has everything from hats and shirts to bolo ties — which is, btw, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s official neckware — to a line of artisan soaps, oils and fragrances. You’ll also find ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥-centric and mostly artisan stickers and patches, totes and kitchen towels, coasters and coffee cups, and an array of upscale pieces from lamps and furniture created by local makers.

Where we take our friends

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ has a plethora of museums and galleries specializing in all things Western and Southwestern, but to really get a feel of who we are, head over to Ignite Sign Art Museum (), where the city’s history and culture blazes in brilliant neon. Museum owner Jude Cook and his team have restored 25 iconic neon signs that tell ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s story, from the red and green ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Small Animal Hospital sign to Valley National Bank, the Samaniego House Grill & Bar and the Grill, an iconic greasy spoon on East Congress whose motto, ablaze in neon, was “Open later than you think.â€�

We also have the “Stages of Imagination: The Iconic Broadway Designs of David Korinsâ€� exhibit at Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures () on our must-see list. The groundbreaking showcase, on exhibit through May, goes behind the scenes with the Tony Award-nominated stage designer’s process as he created the sets for a number of shows, including several that have recently come to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥: “Hamilton,â€� “Beetlejuiceâ€� and “Dear Evan Hansen.â€�

We have to take them to the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥-Sonora Desert Museum (); we’d be committing tour guide/host malpractice if we didn’t. But we’re going to follow the advice of the great philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson: “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.â€�

We’re going to show off this incredible living museum, from the 1,200 native plants, including the ubiquitous saguaro and Palo Verde trees lining the 2 miles of walking trails to the 230 animal species. among them black-tailed prairie dogs, Colorado River toads, coyotes, a black bear, Mexican gray wolves and hummingbirds, great blue heron, black vultures and other raptors. We’re going to get there early so that we can witness untethered raptors flying overhead at 10 a.m. sharp on weekdays during the cooler months; sometimes, they are known to land near you, which would be too cool!

Let’s not forget the dinosaurs.

OK, not real dinosaurs, but now through April 27, the desert museum is home to 18 ginormous animatronic dinosaurs, including the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Pterosaur and Triceratops that move and growl like we imagined they did millions of years ago. The exhibit doesn’t include a Sonorasaurus, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s state dinosaur that stood 27 feet tall and 49 feet long, but you can see real Sonorasaurus bones. The museum has an exhibit of fossils discovered in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ County in 1994.

We want to show off everything the museum has to offer, but we do have an ulterior motive that falls right into what Mr. Emerson was saying.

To get to the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥-Sonora Desert Museum, you have to drive through Saguaro National Park West, a forest of the gnarly cacti that is native to Southern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and Sonora, Mexico. They can reach 50 feet tall, weigh seven or eight tons and can survive up to 150 years. It’s those limbs, which sometimes twist and contort, growing clumsily around one another or pointing here, there and nowhere, that we love.

If you look real quick in your rearview as you’re driving, those tangled limbs look like giant fingers flipping you the bird.

We like to tell newcomers it’s Mother Nature’s way of welcoming you to the desert. It also checks the never-gonna-see-it-anywhere-else box.

Where we meet the outdoors

There are several places we suggest for our cold-weather friends wanting to get outdoors and soak up our warm sunshine.

There’s the 137 miles of bike trails and walking paths to tackle along the Chuck Huckelberry Loop () that loops around the greater ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ area, from downtown and along the Rillito River to Oro Valley, and from Marana to the west of downtown along the Santa Cruz.

There’s some dynamic desert views and vistas in Sabino Canyon () in the Santa Catalina Mountains. The desert scapes are breathtaking along the 30 miles of trails, some of which lead to Sabino Creek that surprisingly flows nearly year-round. At some points, it’s deep enough to swim in.

Closer to the downtown, you’ll find 2.9 miles of paved path on Tumamoc Hill (), one of the most popular treks in the city. During the summer, we prefer to hit the trail before first light when it’s cooler, but no matter the time of day or year, Tumamoc is a challenge. It’s a 700-foot climb that includes grades up to 18%. Even the fittest among us find themselves huffing and puffing to the top. But the view, overlooking A Mountain and going as far as ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Stadium on the UA campus, is worth it.

By the time you reach the top, it’s all downhill from there.