Best Way to Get Into Tucson

When you consider that most roads leading into Tucson are as clogged as a Waffle House patron's arteries, that Amtrak is often hours behind schedule, and that Greyhound is the official mode of transportation in hell, you may conclude that flying is the best way of getting into town. If arriving by day, you get glorious views of the mountains. By night, Tucson's city lights provide one of the few aesthetically pleasing byproducts of urban sprawl. TIA's recently remodeled and expanded terminals are attractive and soothingly quiet--sometimes, so few people are present that you'd think you were at a Sidewinders game. TIA has a lot of what you'd expect at an airport--shops, restaurants, enticing coffee kiosks--and also something you might not anticipate: an abundance of art. With a focus on regional artists, TIA's galleries merit a visit whether you're flying or not.

Runners up:

2. Interstate 10

3. Oracle Road

Votes of note: "pretend it's not hot," "carefully," "TMC birth center," UFO," "helicopter," "definitely exit at Prince," "rickshaw," "jaunt," "WHAT?"

R.I.P.: ExpressJet, one vote