The Downtown Clifton is the kind of place you would expect to find a lot of hipsters. https://downtowntucsonhotel.com/ Definitely the staff was hip. Me? At times in my life, sure. But for this instance I had my reasons for being there. For one, two friends back home in Santa Fe had recommended the Downtown Clifton. It was also recommended by a local travel guide to Tucson. They listed it as being the number one place to stay in the city in the reasonably priced category. So I was sold. We would be staying three nights in Tucson with my sister. But for our last night we wanted a place that was closer to the center of Tucson and all the things we wanted to do there. The Downtown Clifton was definitely in the center of all the places on my wish list.
Nostalgia
Truth be told…there was a reason why I wanted to stay a night at the Downtown Clifton. It was pure nostalgia. It reminded me of some of the road trips I was on as a child. Those trips were pure happiness for me and a sure sign of future wanderlust.
The framed art piece above the bed is a road runner, pictured here running through cactus. If you haven’t been to the Southwest…Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Southern California…you might not be familiar with road runners. I love when I spot one when I am walking at home. But Santa Fe is 7,000 ft. up and I think they like the elevation of Tucson (3,000 approx.) better. When we were at the mission I almost walked into one. Or at least is seemed that way. He was probably more like six feet away. We had a frozen in place staring contest. I lost and walked away after a few minutes.
I think these lamps have been at the Downtown Clifton since it opened in 1948. There’s a wonderful and similar yellow lamp from the same time period beside my bed at home. For years I’ve told myself that it doesn’t go with the rest of what I have. It is still there.
When we worked up an appetite for lunch, we found a restaurant in the neighborhood where we would be staying. It turned out to have amazingly good food. This was a neighborhood restaurant packed with locals getting together for lunch. All the plates that were being carried to the tables looked delicious, too. I honestly hope to go back if I am ever in Tucson again. I include it here as it is just down the street from the Downtown Clifton: https://www.5pointstucson.com
5 Points Restaurant, Tucson
So would I stay at the Downtown Clifton again? Or would I recommend it? The truth is that it is in a great location. That was another thing we were looking for. We got out of the car, walked across the street and were delighted to find we were entering Barrio Viejo. The location of the Downtown Clifton is also just minutes in the car to the center of town. So it was near the restaurant where we would have dinner. Are you on a road trip and looking for a place to stay the night? The hotel is just a short drive off Hwy. 10. So yes, I would consider another overnight, but definitely in the newer constructed senorita rooms.
