"When we go to Tucson, we like to stay in Barrio Viejo, a small neighborhood with beautiful old adobes that’s a 20-minute walk to downtown and Fourth Avenue, the main drag, which is full of restaurants and shops you can pop into. If you’re going for just a few days, you wouldn’t necessarily need a car. For a longer stay, a car definitely comes in handy."

"Once we get in, we make it a point to stock up on essentials for the next couple nights. After a long day of travel, it’s really nice to crack open a nice bottle of wine or pour a splash of mezcal to decompress. We usually hit up Time Market. They have everything: great fresh bread, a reasonably priced menu, and delicious pizza — because the last thing you want to do after a long day of driving is cook."

"Our first week is all about hitting our favorite spots — like this great open-air market, Mercado San Agustin. I’ve found that midweek, it’s more laid-back, which is always a bonus. There’s both food and shopping — you can get flowers from Bloom Maven, and get lunch from this great taco spot, Seis. We go there a lot, so I try to order something different every time, but their guacamole is delicious, and I’m a sucker for a good al pastor taco."

"During my first few days, I always make a point to go to Desert Vintage, a great vintage shop that’s thoughtfully curated with super special pieces."

"When we’re in Tucson we like to plan our days around sunset drives. One of our favorite places to go is Gates Pass, which is about 15 minutes from the barrio. You drive past all the beautiful saguaros, and once you’re at the overlook, you do a bit of scramble up these rocks and you get this incredible panoramic view of the desert, which turns all golden and beautiful as the sun is setting."

"Before we hit the road to Bisbee, we popped into Five Points, a restaurant in the barrio that also has the most amazing baked goods to grab some pastries and coffee."

"On the way down we stopped at Benson Donuts (in the town of Benson, naturally). It’s a no-frills donut shop — kind of in the middle of nowhere. If you go, be sure to grab a glazed donut or one of their apple fritters."

"My friend she works at Optimo Hats, this beautiful custom hat shop that feels like a museum. They do amazing custom work — it’s truly hat-making as an art."

"We usually eat at Thuy’s Noodle Shop when we’re in Bisbee — they have great pho and spring rolls and an out-of-this-world limeade that’s just so dang good."

"A weekday morning drive up Mount Lemmon is always so nice — it’s about an hour and a half north of Tucson in the Santa Catalina Natural Area. The air cools, the scenery changes like crazy, and you start getting into pine trees and other wholly undesert-y things."

"When you get back from whatever day trip you’ve gone on, step out and grab a drink at the Owls Club. It’s housed in an old mortuary, and they’ve got a really great outdoor space, too. Grab a glass of orange wine or a mezcal gimlet and sip on it under the strings of lights."

"We always make it a point to go to Arizona Inn when we’re in town, too — they have a happy hour with a lovely old pianist who’s been there forever. He plays classic tunes like “Moon River” that make you want to cry into your martini (in a good way)."

"Tanque Verde Falls is a great place to go for a hike and a dip — if you go after the spring melt, the lower pools are full of water. Visit the Tanque Verde Falls website ahead of time to check the water level status before you go."

"Another favorite of ours - they have great tamales and this amazing mole, which is a must-get and everyone who works there is insanely nice."

"There’s a new natural-wine store close to the barrio that’s really good, called Pearly Baker Fermentables. It was a short walk from where we were staying, which made it great for getting a few bottles of orange wine or rosé, or just a recommendation from whoever was working there."

"During the days, I’ll do another sweep at the shops I love in town. There’s Mast, which is like Tucson’s version of Love Adorned, it’s chock-full of beautiful things."

"I got another pair of Levi’s from a new spot in town called Con’s Closet, which is just around the corner from Desert Vintage (think vintage Levi’s and T-shirts)."

"Next to Five Points, there’s Bon Boutique. The owners, Bonnie and Crystal, are the nicest mother-daughter duo (you’ll end up having a 20-minute conversation with them). They have an amazing sense of curation and stock their store full of things you wouldn’t find anywhere else."

"After Bon, you can grab lunch next door at Café Desta, this wonderful Ethiopian spot."

"We have one tradition right before we leave town: There’s a no-frills burrito spot called Nico’s that sells massive, greasy burritos — the kind you get if you’re very drunk or the day after you’ve been really drunk. They remind me of a good, greasy bacon egg and cheese bodega sandwich, the hangover cure-all."