I called my hotel in Tucson yesterday and while I was speaking with them I asked about the weather. It's not as warm as I thought it would be.
betty brought up an often inaccurate idea about tucson: winter does
not skip arizona. last january 24th we got off of the plane into very
florida-like weather - the rest of the day it was walking shorts to
visit our brokers, etc. while they set up. that night it snowed. next
4+ days brought rain &/or snow. we stood downtown & watched snow
storms in the mountains (it was a slow day). it never got back up to
florida temps before we left on february 13th. bottom line: just like
backpacking, think layers of clothing instead of heavy items. you
will be going in & out of warm venues so take a tote or bookbag with
straps to stow what you won’t need indoors, as well as your
‘treasures’. don’t think light colors if you plan to do heavy-duty
‘under the tables & into the piles’ type rock hunting because you
will pick up smudges along with your bargains. my partner & i poked,
crawled, dug without regard to smudges. we still laugh about one
drizzly late afternoon walk down congress st. to the italian
restaurant: he with his backpack (full of $5000+ worth of ruby,
sapphire, emerald & opal beads) & his hiking stick (you can’t take
mace on a plane), me in an ultrasuede trenchcoat, slacks, tevas & the
biggest gucci tote made (full of pearls). as we passed a homeless
lady in one of the bus shelters, she looked us over as kindred
spirits, smiled at me & said “nice purse, honey.” tucson moral: there
are times to be elegant & times to be real; know the difference if
you want to get the best out of your trip.
here are some other hints: print up & take labels with your address,
a small pocket knife & a roll of package tape - if you have to have
something shipped you can seal the container & attach the label
yourself; safer than sorry! for every purchase pick up the seller’s
business card & write what you bought & price on the back if you
can’t take a tiny stapler - some of the invoices or receipts do not
have company names on them! every evening sit down & make a list of
what you bought & price as you take it out of the bag/tote - keep a
running tally of what you’re spending. put as many items as possible
in the room safe or ask the front desk about using their safe -
bundle your stuff in opaque taped up bags before storing it in
theirs; thieves know you’re there to buy etc. take
snacks! never go gemstone shopping on an empty stomach, you might
pay a higher price for something when you have low blood sugar. take
an army/navy surplus duffle bag if you are a serious rough (rock)
buyer & don’t want to have everything shipped - it’s tough as nails,
rolls up on the way there, holds a lot of rough & can be checked
through on the flight home. another baggage suggestion: KNOT strips
of same color bright ribbon to the handle of every piece of your
carryon, checked luggage, duffles, etc. - they were cloning luggage
long before dolly the sheep.
big tip: you do not need a rental car in tucson! they have the best
bus system anywhere! there are 100 cars for every available
overpriced parking space at every venue. the first trip my partner
gave me a choice: rent a car & spend at least an hour every day
looking for a space & run the risk of someone breaking into it or
use the $500+ rental & parking fees to buy more rocks. the bus
drivers have schedules & you can buy swipe cards for multiple
riding. it was great - lost a few pounds & saw more!
so - if you see a tall blonde & a curly haired ukranian guy with a
hiking stick in tucson - say “hello” to …
…ive