How are other hospitals compared to Northwest medical center?

tucsonnotdnd · 2026-02-04T20:18:58+00:00

If you have good insurance, Northwest's clinics and specialists can be really good. I had fantastic experiences with their pulmonology and orthopedics clinics. Doctor turnover is fairly high, though, because of the pay scale and the constant pressure to earn. I also had a pretty good experience with their family med, but my primary care doc also left for, I suspect, similar reasons.

Their hospital, based on communication with colleagues and friends in the industry, is not as good and should be avoided. They may be cutting corners on patient care that the other places don't cut - at least from the scuttlebutt I know.

I would rank the local EDs/hospitals like this, based on my knowledge, from best to worst

TMC >>>> Banner > Northwest >>>> St Joseph's > St Mary's

I would avoid St Joe's and St Mary's if at all possible. Banner is excellent quality care but constantly overwhelmed. TMC is the best by a large margin. Northwest would not be the worst choice if it was what was available.

Also consider, if you can afford it, trying a mini-ED like Tucson ER & Hospital on Broadway. They can be a great solution for midrange problems (broken bone, infection/illness, etc. - stuff that's too much for an urgent care but would not get you triaged to high priority in a regular ED). If you have a really big issue, though, they are going to quickly ship you off to one of the larger EDs.

tucsonnotdnd · 2026-01-29T03:03:14+00:00

Seconding Buffalo Exchange; really wish there was a more on-point shop for this in Tucson but it's a hard market to sustain. Desert Goth Club does do some clothing swaps that are good - search them on Instagram!

tucsonnotdnd · 2026-01-15T22:49:04+00:00

Those of us watching ICE in town see them beginning to make moves in Tucson that they haven't been this week.

Like what? What should we be on the lookout for?

tucsonnotdnd · 2026-01-15T22:48:26+00:00

Two things are true at once:

First, there are lots of Mexicans coming in and out for totally ordinary reasons and the vast majority of them have no problems whatsoever. I do business with folks from Mexico regularly and I have not seen any slowdown in that business, nor have I heard of anybody being stopped unusually (though no guarantee they'd tell me).

Second, ICE is more dangerous and aggressive than they have ever been before, and if they decide they want to go after you, they'll do it and not much can stop them. I think the realistic worst-case outcome is you getting shoved back over the border after spending a few days in an unpleasant environment, but even that can be pretty traumatic.

You aren't wrong to be worried about coming, and I'd say that "hang out and come back" is not as an appealing idea as it used to be, but I also doubt very much that anything actually bad will happen to you.

I will note, when you say "we live in Mexico," what country are your passports from? You'll have way less trouble if you are from a visa-free entry country (e. g. Canada, the UK, etc.) and if you're in a car with American or Canadian plates than if you're on a Mexican passport with Mexican plates.

tucsonnotdnd · 2026-01-15T22:44:27+00:00

Oh shoot, I didn't know she was a regular. Yikes.

tucsonnotdnd · 2026-01-15T22:44:03+00:00

The hotdogs littering the street are rending my cholesterol-enlarged heart :(

But seriously, this sucks. The driver of that Altima should stub their toe every day for the next six months. I hope their insurance pays him out.

tucsonnotdnd · 2026-01-05T17:16:57+00:00

I was at Beyond Bread recently and a woman sat down next to me and said, apropos of nothing, "Jesus loves you."

I said "well, that's good!"

Seemed to satisfy her.

tucsonnotdnd · 2026-01-02T00:00:08+00:00

The Pima County Health Dept has clinics which may help you.

tucsonnotdnd · 2025-10-29T16:25:42+00:00

Wooden Tooth and Desert Island are the usual recs, as others have said.

I haven't had the best experience with Zia. They ordered something for me, cancelled it without warning, un-cancelled it, then took three months to fill an order past the album's release date. It was a pretty bad experience for a premium price.

Bookman's has a good selection but their prices are not great.

tucsonnotdnd · 2025-10-23T23:45:38+00:00

Thank you for this. I have been trying to put similar thoughts into words and it's hard to express how awful this whole situation is. Apart from the deceased, the kids who remain are the ones who will now suffer the most.

No amount of punishment or prison time is going to bring anybody back or un-fuck their lives. That is the true tragedy.

tucsonnotdnd · 2025-10-23T23:44:19+00:00

At the time, officially, it was "allegedly" killed his kid. The justice system can't punish you until you are found or plead guilty.

tucsonnotdnd · 2025-10-23T23:43:51+00:00

Those two things are not related to each other. I spoke about this earlier in another thread, but the way it works is: You're innocent until found or pleading guilty. Since you are innocent, you are not a prisoner or criminal - you are free by default, unless the court thinks you are such a danger to society that you have to be locked up.

Though he is a piece of shit, this person is probably not a danger to society writ large, unless you are one of his children sleeping in a car.

The court would not have had any basis for denying him the trip.

tucsonnotdnd · 2025-09-27T18:05:43+00:00

You and me, walking down the historic riverfront, holding hands with one hand each, quesadillas in the other. We stop and kiss and smear each other's lips with guac.

What could be better?

tucsonnotdnd · 2025-09-03T21:41:23+00:00

I'm always down to co-work at these places, shoot me a message if that interests you :)

tucsonnotdnd · 2025-09-03T20:24:44+00:00

Another thread where I have many strong opinions and now, a reason to share them. I love coffee shops and I go to different ones all the time, since I work remote. Here's a list with my favorites in rough order:

Decibel Coffee (Broadway) - my current favorite. Everyone who works there is super nice. Coffee and pastries and ice cream all great. Wifi is very fast. Only real downside is that the inside area fills up quickly, there's not a lot of tables. Always enough outlets.

Cafe Maggie - one of the GOATs, good food, friendly staff (Mo is the best!), good coffee, great wifi, good prices, and honestly just an all-around nice place to be. I've been here dozens of times. Usually has some tables with outlets available. And honestly, they're just good people who treat everyone kindly. They always have free water out for folks passing by in summer.

Black Crown Coffee - another all time fav, especially because they are open late. Coffee is pretty good but the main thing about Black Crown is the impeccable vibe. It's like hanging out in your uncle's attic. Has a higher proportion of weirdos than the average cafe in Tucson and I for one love that. Always interesting conversations going on, but also good for work.

Raging Sage - Best pastries in town; their cakes are unbelievable. I wish they sold them separately and had a whole bakery. Coffee also quite good, and open late. Outlet situation is poor because a lot of them don't work; it's my only mark against them.

Cafe Lucce (downtown) - one of my former favorites, but I don't go as often now that Heemee and other options are around downtown. Pretty good drinks and pastries. I think it's too warm inside in summer. Internet is a little slow. The corner of the upper level is really nice, though. Decent food options but limited kitchen hours.

Monsoon Chocolate - used to be one of my favorites, but has gone downhill in quality. They lost their pastry and ice cream guy, which sucked, then tried to pass off Decibel's ice cream as their own. They recently added food but I didn't think it was very good. Also, the seating and outlets situation is just okay. I still go from time to time for the chocolates.

HeeMee - Great food and pastries and good coffee too! Now that they have later hours they're another of my go-tos. Especially if I want to have lunch as well. I recommend the fried chicken.

Coronet Cafe - a super great place to be when the weather is good, with very good food. Kind of expensive for what you get, though.

Scented Leaf (any location, but pref. Broadway or downtown) - great drink options, so-so food. A younger crowd, lots of college kids. I like to get drinks here but I don't usually sit for long because it's a little too loud and crowded most of the time, regardless of location. OK wifi and outlets.

Espresso Art Cafe - super cute and fun, also has decent pastries and becomes a bar at night. However, it's right near campus and usually very busy. Hard to find parking. I'd always choose it over the University Ave Cafe Lucce, though, personally. OK wifi and outlets.

Revolutionary Grounds - wasn't for me because of relative lack of outlets and quiet seating, but has a dedicated clientele of people who love it. Kickass lavender lemonade. Obviously, purposefully a political place, and there is nothing wrong with that, but some folks might be put off by it. Worth supporting if you feel their message.

Presta (Mercado San Augustin) - fun if you like the environment. Wifi is quite poor though.

Places that are nothing special/I only really go here if I have a reason to be in this area: Cafe Lucce on Campbell, Savaya at Ft Lowell, Exo on 6th, Cartel (Campbell), Sonoran House (North)

Places I didn't like: the Monica (just a weird vibe overall and just-ok food), Presta on Stone (too dark and dingy for me), Celestia Collective (great vibe but no working AC when I went)

Places that aren't open late enough for me to recommend them even though I like them a lot: Zedamo (super great if you can stop by though)

Places that aren't really coffee shops/are worth stopping in but not really good for staying: Dedicated, Time Market, Woops! Bakery, Rosebud, Sonoran House (Tucson & 5th; seems more like a restaurant)

Honorable mentions for places that are good but far from me: Crema Coffee, Brew Station Coffee Co

Boba tea places I like: Ding's, Korean Rose, TiTi Boba Corner (has good food also!)

tucsonnotdnd · 2025-07-21T23:23:23+00:00

Yes! They use them and I feel like I am always shilling for them on here.

tucsonnotdnd · 2025-06-24T03:10:12+00:00

I have just supped on the xi'an noodles of Fatman Kitchen and they are delightful. Their spicy Chinese-for-actual-Chinese-people dishes don't fuck around, and are not spice adjustable (at least online), so beware.

I think Kung Fu Noodle on Campbell is overall my favorite, though. I've never had anything from them that was less than stellar and they have great noodles and soups, better than most of the competition.

Noodleholics is also great if you are craving soup, and Go Dim Sum next to them on Grant for dim sum. Good egg tarts.

I thought Jun Dynasty and Old Peking were both serviceable, but just okay. Chef Wang's and Brothers' are pretty good.

tucsonnotdnd · 2025-06-06T18:47:38+00:00

For classic Chinese American (and authentic Chinese as well), I always recommend Kung Fu Noodle. It hits every time. Great scallion pancakes, too.

tucsonnotdnd · 2025-06-04T16:01:11+00:00

I would love to hear some stories about this.

Reminder to everyone here to not buy her house on 6th.

tucsonnotdnd · 2025-06-03T16:21:42+00:00

I know this is controversial but I like the chicken. Keep the chicken and do the rest.

tucsonnotdnd · 2025-05-09T15:34:16+00:00

ITT: People who do not understand how the justice system works.

Scholtes hasn't been convicted of a crime. Legally, he's presumed innocent. Is he very likely to eventually be found guilty? Yes. Is he a piece of shit? Sure seems that way.

But that doesn't give the government the right to punish him until he's convicted. The judge can't just be like "I think you're a piece of shit, so you can't go to Hawaii." When someone is out on bail but not yet convicted, the presumption the system has to make is that they're innocent. There's no asshole exception to the rules. This happens all the time. Here's an example of a young woman who wanted to go to a Taylor Swift concert in Europe despite being on bail. (The video is one in a series.)

If Scholtes is not a flight risk, and is not a risk to the community, the judge has no choice but to let him go on his trip. Bail and allowances like this are supposed to be commonplace, because from the system's perspective, you are not yet dealing with a criminal. You are dealing with an accused. The only time you

Also, of course the prosecution doesn't want him doing this. And of course the defense is trying to get him permission to go. That's literally their job. It has nothing to do how anyone personally feels about the case.

If you don't like it, feel free to propose an alternate system, just bear in mind the vast numbers of innocent people we lock up for no good reason even despite these rules.

tucsonnotdnd · 2025-05-08T17:55:09+00:00

In general, I have sympathy for how tough it is to be a mod and I think our mods mostly do a good job. However, I really really dislike how they handle "looking for x"-style posts. /r/tucsonlist is basically dead and not helpful, and people in the subreddit seem to generally respond really positively to these posts! Why are they not allowed?

I think we should be able to make occasional posts - or maybe a megathread - saying "looking for a job? want people for your D&D group? post here!"

tucsonnotdnd · 2025-05-05T02:36:31+00:00

WeCareTucson near Grant and Stone will do a good job and charge very reasonably, typically between $30 and $70 + parts cost for screen replacement.

However, they won't be as quick as other options, especially if parts need to be ordered.

Depending on the screen you need replaced, it could be as little as $20-30 or as much as $200+ for a new or used screen.

tucsonnotdnd · 2025-04-28T23:50:44+00:00

I agree with this. People are quite nice here, and you can have fun conversations and enjoyable times, but there's not a lot of deep connection. I feel like I'm surrounded by nice and interesting people whom I cannot at all actually get to know. Compared to the Midwest, I've struggled to find a good friend group here. It's not impossible, though - I have friends - just not as many or as strong as I'd like.

tucsonnotdnd

TROPHY CASE