East Elwood Street - UOP Hohokam Campus (Phoenix, Tempe: rental car, rental)

[misteremanca]

Hey great owners of all knowledge! Might I tap your local knowledge?

I have searched, as best I could, and I have not found answers to my questions. I've found more questions though....but I'll save asking about hohokam baseball for later...here is what I am really looking for:

I will be visiting Phoenix in mid-May and attending a week long course at the University of Phoenix on East Elwood Street.

Having never been to Phoenix, I'm trying to figure out where I should stay....

I was going to stay at a friend's house in Goodyear. But that looks like a heck of a commute. My wife will be coming, and she does not necessarily want to be stuck out in Goodyear all day while I am in class.

We thought if we stayed near the campus (Hampton Inn and Suites looks nice) there may be short cab rides or walks to shopping, sights, etc. while I can walk back and forth to school.

Is that a crazy idea? Where would a happening mid 30's bored wife head for things to do during the day?

Maybe we should stay somewhere else, and I should cab and she can walk around. Should we stay downtown perhaps?

Any local knowledge and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

eman

[exit2lef]

I work near that area. Frankly, it's a pretty sterile area full of suburban office parks, warehouses, and airport hotels. It's neither interesting nor pedestrian-friendly. If you want to stay nearby, a better choice would be to stay two miles to the east in Downtown Tempe along or near Mill Avenue. You'd be able to walk to some good restaurants and shops, and you'd also be able to take the train into Phoenix and other portions of Tempe. You'd probably still want a rental car, though, for going to and from the University of Phoenix, since the campus looks to be nearly a mile from the nearest bus stop on University Drive, and there are no sidewalks on Elwood Street.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by silverbear

I work near that area. Frankly, it's a pretty sterile area full of suburban office parks, warehouses, and airport hotels. It's neither interesting nor pedestrian-friendly. If you want to stay nearby, a better choice would be to stay two miles to the east in Downtown Tempe along or near Mill Avenue. You'd be able to walk to some good restaurants and shops, and you'd also be able to take the train into Phoenix and other portions of Tempe. You'd probably still want a rental car, though, for going to and from the University of Phoenix, since the campus looks to be nearly a mile from the nearest bus stop on University Drive, and there are no sidewalks on Elwood Street.

I attended UOP at this campus a long time ago. Needless to say, it's very difficult to get to. It's at the intersection of two freeways (143 & 10), so it looks easily accessible from driving on the freeways ... but you have to exit at 40th Street and turn east on Elwood. This can easily be missed because there is no stoplight at 40th & Elwood. Furthermore, you're correct about no sidewalks. It's located in a warehouse/industrialized area, which is actually pretty shady looking until you reach the campus.

You're right about Tempe. It's close to this campus, and contains much more in terms of shopping & entertainment. Keep in mind that May can be an unpredictable month in terms of weather. It's usually a dry month, so rain isn't an issue ... but it's the month when it usually starts to get very warm, so light clothing is always necessary, especially toward the latter part of May.

[misteremanca]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! It is great advice, and that is exactly what I was looking for by posting.

Appreciate it.

Cheers

eman