About Us

Want to know a little About Us?

We're the creators of Tucson Up Close, a married couple - Karen & Bill. Hello, and thanks for stopping by to meet us.

We're glad to welcome you!

We Chose Outdoor Seating in a Favorite Local Restaurant

Bill and I have always loved to travel.

When we both were Respiratory Therapists in local hospitals, we worked 12-hour shifts. With strategic planning, placing those working days in a row (which also helped patient care continuity), we had anywhere from 4 to 8 days off.

Enabling trips, visiting places we'd never been before. Or with shorter availability, visiting or revisiting spots around Arizona, Southern California & New Mexico.

Even having that staycation.

On a Jeep Tour Into the Desert
With Our Daughter & Son-n-Law
Karen on left, Bill behind me.

We've had RVs for accommodation. At this point in time, we no longer go the RV route.

We've been using Booking.com to find the ideal place to stay (we love their system, which is why we recommend it to others). 

We Once Had This RV - Long-Gone Now!

Besides the fun in doing this traveling, we gained experience in finding the best of everything to do and to see. We've had some great travels!

Why We're Helping You Plan a Visit

We've lived in Tucson Arizona for nearly 50 years. Moving here from the Northeast when a friend recommended the area. He knew we were looking for a different climate, one without cold winters.

Now that we're retired, we like to give back by helping others. We know how it is, visiting new places. Trying to find out hidden gems about a place, and tips for having a fabulous trip.

We created this website to give others what we want for ourselves when traveling.

Knowing how it is for us when we're researching options for a trip, we thought we, as locals, could do that well for visitors to Tucson. We want to do the best for any who arrive at our website, in a friendly, more personal way.

We know how we enjoy our travelling. And how helpful it is when we get tips from people who live where we're visiting. We'd like to help others, as we've been helped.

We want visitors to Tucson Arizona to plan for a best experience. We're continuously working to make our site more complete, including anything and everything you may be interested in. Plus helping with your trip planning.

Each of Us, Karen & Bill, Contributes
to Tucson Up Close

Bill & I have been married many years - were high school sweethearts. (That's a hint for how many is "many" 😉).

We like lots of activities together, and we each have our own exact interests. Yes, we do both love traveling together, visiting new places, having new experiences. And we love taking in experiences in Tucson Arizona.

And we enjoy working on a website that involves what we love: traveling.

When they travel and visit local areas our kids help us by providing some photos for us here.

Meet Karen

I was born in Scranton Pennsylvania. After a move to the NJ coast, growing up there, I recognized I wanted to spend my daily life in a different climate. Someday!

After getting married & our kids were in their teens, we finally made our move. And here we are now, been here for many years in Arizona, mostly in Tucson.

I'm Karen - Nice to Meet You!

I'm the main author of this website, writing most of the content. Basing it all on what we together know, our experiences, and those of our family. I also research for my writing, to be sure it's accurate.

So, my position is as the webmaster for Tucson Up Close.

Bill is part of this as well.

Meet Bill

For Tucson Up Close, Bill is my website assistant/partner.

Visitor, meet Bill. 😎

He likes coming up with new ideas that visitors here may enjoy, and helps with researching that. He takes many photos, and offers opinions on my work, my writing, my website plans. Giving me feedback.

Together we take in local events, and visit local spots of interest to gather current real-world info. He has a great imagination which often helps with discovering unique information and creations to offer readers.

He adores living in the Southwest. But especially loves Tucson Arizona!

Now That's Definitely Enough About Us!
What About You?

After perusing some of our web pages, do you have any comments? Or maybe you have a question?

What did you want to see when arriving here? Was there something you couldn't find? You can tell us what's missing, that would be helpful to us.

Some of that may be in the works, as this site is always a work in progress.

We're always open to feedback from you.

Let Us Know Your Questions or Comments