Eleventh American Conference on
Crystal Growth & Epitaxy
August 1-6, 1999
and
Short Course on Crystal Growth
July 31 - August 1, 1999
at
Loews Ventana Canyon Resort
Tucson, Arizona

Additional Information about Tucson

The Hotel
Airport Transportation
Tourist Sites in and around Tucson
        For Sites where tours are organized
        For other places you may want to visit
Dining
Weather
Grand Canyon
General Information about Tucson


The Hotel
Hotel Phone Number:  800-234-5117 or 520-299-2020
Hotel FAX Number:    520-299-6832
The Web site for [http://www.loewshotels.com/ventanahome.html] Loews Ventana Canyon Resort
[http://dinnerat8.azstarnet.com/int/fly.htm] Flying V Bar & Grill - Located at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort
[hotel.html] Conference rates and other information related to the conference

Airport Transportation

From the Tucson Airport:
Special Rates between the Tucson airport and Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, Sheraton Tucson Hotel & Suites, and Hawthorn Suites Tucson have been arranged through Arizona Stagecoach.  Follow the overhead Arizona Stagecoach signs inside the airport to the ground level center corridor Stagecoach counter. Departures occur approximately every 15 minutes.  The rates are as follows:
 

Hotel One-Way Round-Trip
Loews Ventana Canyon Resort $24 $38
Sheraton Tucson Hotel & Suites $14 $22
Hawthorn Suites - Tucson $14 $22

Be sure to mention AACG to receive these prices. To reserve a return to the airport, call (520) 889-1000 24 hours in advance.

From the Phoenix Airport:
There are two primary shuttle services between Tucson and the Phoenix airport.  Shuttle services of this type end their route at their shuttle station, not at the hotel.  So you will have to pay for a taxi in addition to the shuttle costs.

Arizona Shuttle Service (520-795-6771 or 1-800-888-2749) has service from the Phoenix airport every hour on the half hour starting at 6:30am and the last shuttle leaves at 11:30pm.  It is $20 one-way or $40 round-trip.  It is about 10 miles from Loews.

Tucson-Phoenix Shuttle (520-584-0000 or 1-888-584-6116) has 36 trips between the Phoenix airport and Tucson every day, but I don't know the exact times. It is $18 one-way or $30 round-trip, but they are further from Loews (12 or more miles from Loews).  They do offer a door-to-door service, but it will be $40 in addtion to the normal shuttle price.

To give you some idea on the cost of a taxi, the rates for All-State Cab are $2.50 for the first mile and $1.40 for every mile after that.

If you plan on using either of these services, I would recommend making reservations.  When you call you can also find out where and where to meet them in the Phoenix airport.

Tourist Sites in and around Tucson

Tours are planned for:

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
        [http://www.desertmuseum.org/index.html] Offical Site of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
        Review from The Arizona Republic titled [http://www.azcentral.com/travel/destinations/arizona/oldwest/desertmuseum.shtml] Southern Arizona alive with critter, cowboy lore
        Best of Tucson Rates the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum [http://www.desert.net/tw/bot98/framed/cl18_1998.html] Best Place to Astonish Guests
Biosphere II
        [http://www.bio2.edu/] Official Site of Biosphere II
        Review of [http://www.azcentral.com/travel/destinations/arizona/oldwest/biosphere.shtml] Biosphere II by The Arizona Republic
Jeep Tours
        I don't have any links for what we will actually be seeing, but here is a description of what one jeep tour company offers   Tombstone
        The Department of Journalism at the University of Arizona calls this [http://journalism.arizona.edu/tombstone/tombstone.html] The Town Too Tough to Die
        Destinations" Travelguide describes [http://www.onroute.com/destinations/arizona/tombstone.html] Places to See in Tombstone
San Xavier Mission
        A few pictures of San Xavier Mission from the [http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/images/swf/San_Xavier.html] University of Arizona Library
        Review from The Arizona Republic reports [http://www.azcentral.com/travel/destinations/arizona/oldwest/sanxavier.shtml] 'Dove of the Desert' remains spiritual, historic oasis
        Best of Tucson Rates San Xavier Mission del Bac [http://www.desert.net/tw/bot98/framed/cl09_1998.html] Best Historical Site
Tubac
        Official Site of the [http://www.pr.state.az.us/parkhtml/tubac.html] Tubac Presido State Historical Park
        Review from the Arizona Republic reports [http://www.azcentral.com/travel/destinations/arizona/oldwest/tubac.shtml] Tubac traces march of history in Old West
Saguaro National Park
        Official National Park Service Web Site for [http://www.nps.gov/sagu/] Saguaro National Park
        The Arizona Republic describes [http://www.azcentral.com/travel/destinations/arizona/oldwest/sag.shtml] Where the Giant Cactuses Grow
        Surfer's Guide to Arizona description of Saguaro National Park
Colossal Cave
        Now on the National Register of Historic Places Colossal Cave Mountain Park
        The Arizona Republic says to [http://www.azcentral.com/travel/destinations/arizona/oldwest/colossalcave.shtml] Head underground for fun, mystery, history

Other places you may want to visit
Sabino Canyon
        [http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/images/sabino/senter.html] Sabino Canyon our Desert Oasis
        Review of Sabino Canyon by The Arizona Republic
Coronado National Forest
        Hiking Trailheads within walking distance of the resort enter [http://www.azstarnet.com/public/nonprofit/coronado/cnfhome.htm] Coronado National Forest


Dining
[http://dinnerat8.azstarnet.com/int/fly.htm] Flying V Bar & Grill - Located at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort
[http://www.arizonaguide.com/cities/tucson/nightlife3.html#dinsubsth] Dining Guide by Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau
[http://www.azstarnet.com/caliente/d.list.htm] Recent Restaurant Reviews in the Arizona Daily Star - includes description of dress codes for Tucson
[http://dinnerat8.azstarnet.com/int/archive.htm] More Restaurant Reviews from the Arizona Daily Star

Weather
[http://www.weather.com/weather/cities/us_az_tucson.html] The Weather Channel
Intellicast
[http://nimbo.wrh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/Tucson/java.cgi?TotalForecast+Tucson+AZ+033+019+MAPCOORDS^179^266] National Weather Service
University of Arizona Department of Atomospheric Sciences
    [http://www.atmo.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/uawxstn/wxtail5.pl] Live Weather Information or [http://www.atmo.arizona.edu/wxgraph.html] Plots from the past day, week, or month

Grand Canyon
Note:  While the Grand Canyon is in the same state as Tucson, it is still about 340 miles or 6 3/4 hours from the conference location.
[http://www.thecanyon.com/nps/] The Official Site for the Grand Canyon National Park (includes links for lodging information)
[http://www.nps.gov/grca/] More National Park Service Information on the Grand Canyon

General Information about Tucson
[http://www.visittucson.org] Official Site of the Tucson Visitors Bureau
Information on what to see in Tucson and Southern Arizona
[http://www.itucson.com/]Internet Tucson - the place to look for businesses in Tucson