Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Arizona > Phoenix area
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 05-30-2007, 11:47 AM
 
Location: Findlay, OH
656 posts, read 2,315,946 times
Reputation: 330

Advertisements

I'll be visiting the Phoenix area next month and have the general "What's there to do?" questions, however I can provide specifics:

- I'll be visiting the west side of I-10 near Tempe and Chandler, are there any Mom and Pop mexican restaurants in the area that are a must stop before I leave?
- I see Sun Ray Park and Mountain Vista Park would be close to me. Are they beautiful, hiking type parks, or should I avoid them and go somewhere else?
- Are there any festivals (art, etc.) going on the weeks of the 24th of June or the 1st of July? I'll probably miss any 4th of July celebrations, but otherwise anything leading up to that?
- I'm not big into dance clubs, but a friendly bar with a pub-like atmosphere would be cool. I've grown quite fond of the Irish Bars of the East Coast and just can't get enough of their feel.

Feel free to add any other event or location you may consider a point of interest. I'd just collecting data at this point.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 05-30-2007, 12:06 PM
 
Location: Phoenix metro
20,004 posts, read 77,392,370 times
Reputation: 10371
How far are you willing to travel when youre in AZ? Are you just planning to stay in PHX? Or are you willing to drive a few hours to another destination?

Here are some of my faves:
Heard Museum
Lake Saguaro/Bartlett
Old Town Scottsdale
Rawhide
Macayo's (Mex) in Scottsdale
Sedona-- Pink Jeep Tours
Pinnacle Peak trails
Piestewa Peak trails
Camelback Mountain trails
Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesen West
Arcosanti (sp??) was bizarre, but unique
Mill St in Tempe
Tombstone
Mt. Lemmon
Painted Desert
Petrified Forest
Mt. Humphrey (near Flagstaff)
Grand Canyon
Art galleries in Old Town Scottsdale
Horny Toad restaurant (great chicken!!!)
El Pedregal in Scottsdale
Car shows at the Scottsdale Pavilions


Just whatever you do, steer clear of Uncle Sams in Phoenix. BLECH. LOL
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-30-2007, 03:11 PM
 
Location: Findlay, OH
656 posts, read 2,315,946 times
Reputation: 330
Default Cool!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve-o View Post
How far are you willing to travel when youre in AZ? Are you just planning to stay in PHX? Or are you willing to drive a few hours to another destination?

Here are some of my faves:
Heard Museum
Lake Saguaro/Bartlett
Old Town Scottsdale
Rawhide
Macayo's (Mex) in Scottsdale
Sedona-- Pink Jeep Tours
Pinnacle Peak trails
Piestewa Peak trails
Camelback Mountain trails
Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesen West
Arcosanti (sp??) was bizarre, but unique
Mill St in Tempe
Tombstone
Mt. Lemmon
Painted Desert
Petrified Forest
Mt. Humphrey (near Flagstaff)
Grand Canyon
Art galleries in Old Town Scottsdale
Horny Toad restaurant (great chicken!!!)
El Pedregal in Scottsdale
Car shows at the Scottsdale Pavilions


Just whatever you do, steer clear of Uncle Sams in Phoenix. BLECH. LOL
Thanks for the response! This will give me some research material tonight.

I'll probably not be travelling too terribly far out of the Phoenix and surrounding area. If it's the bee's knees in AZ, I could see going an hour, hour and fifteen out of my way. It would seem anything in Scottsdale, Tempe, Gilbert would not be a problem, but Flagstaff may be a tough swing.

I'm visiting friends that just moved there no more than five months ago, and they have schedules. It's really up to them on the longer driving excursions. I might be able to convince them to go up to Mt. Humphrey or the Grand Canyon on the weekend, however. I'd have to ask.

Thanks on the heads up on the restaurants. Life's too short for bad food.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-30-2007, 03:43 PM
 
Location: Inside the 101
2,789 posts, read 7,452,731 times
Reputation: 3286
Quote:
Originally Posted by Art1979 View Post
I'll be visiting the Phoenix area next month and have the general "What's there to do?" questions, however I can provide specifics:

- I'll be visiting the west side of I-10 near Tempe and Chandler, are there any Mom and Pop mexican restaurants in the area that are a must stop before I leave?
- I see Sun Ray Park and Mountain Vista Park would be close to me. Are they beautiful, hiking type parks, or should I avoid them and go somewhere else?
- Are there any festivals (art, etc.) going on the weeks of the 24th of June or the 1st of July? I'll probably miss any 4th of July celebrations, but otherwise anything leading up to that?
- I'm not big into dance clubs, but a friendly bar with a pub-like atmosphere would be cool. I've grown quite fond of the Irish Bars of the East Coast and just can't get enough of their feel.

Feel free to add any other event or location you may consider a point of interest. I'd just collecting data at this point.
Mom-and-Pop Mexican

It sounds like you'll be in Ahwatukee, which is lacking in Mom-and-Pop Mexican restaurants. It is a primarly white, non-hispanic area and therefore most Mexican restaurants in the immediate area are chains and somewhat gringoized. For more authentic Mexican, Central Phoenix, South Phoenix, and Guadalupe are your best bets. Some recommendations that you can look up via Google include the following:

San Diego Bay (Mexican seafood) in Guadalupe -- right across the freeway from Ahwatukee

El Napolito -- 24th and Thomas, Central Phoenix

Ranch Market food court and Tradiciones Restaurant -- 16th St. and Roosevelt, Central Phoenix

Guedo's -- Downtown Chandler

Carolina's -- 12th St. and Mohave, South Phoenix (near airport rental car facility); regarded by many as the best flour tortillas in town

Restaurant Mexico -- Downtown Tempe

Parks

The parks you have named are neighborhood playground / ballfield parks. For hiking, go to South Mountain Park, the largest municipal park in the world. During the summer, hike early (5 or 6 AM), bring plenty of water, and wear sunblock and a hat.

Festivals

Probably not at this time of year. It's just too hot. You might do better with indoor attractions such as the Heard Museum, the Phoenix Art Museum, and the Arizona Science Center.

Pubs

Rula Bula in Downtown Tempe has good beer and a nice Irish Pub atmosphere. It's not rigorously authentic since they serve quesadillas alongside fish and chips and feature alternative rock more than traditional Irish music. Still, it's a nice place for a meal and/or a pint.

A new pub in Downtown Phoenix that is getting a lot of attention is the Roosevelt Tavern. It's a great place to have a beer and a snack, and the atmosphere is very conducive to relaxing without a dance club or singles bar atmosphere.

Enjoy your visit!

Last edited by exit2lef; 05-30-2007 at 03:53 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-30-2007, 06:05 PM
 
Location: Findlay, OH
656 posts, read 2,315,946 times
Reputation: 330
Awesome! Thanks thanks for the info.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-31-2007, 09:04 AM
ejk
 
126 posts, read 594,652 times
Reputation: 55
If you do end up able to get out of Phoenix for a day, Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon have some beautiful hikes and the weather would be more comfortable, especially at OCC.

West Fork is very nice

Slot Canyons of the American Southwest - West Fork of Oak Creek, near Sedona, Arizona

It would be a day trip though. It's not much closer than Flagstaff. But we take all our visitors to that area- it is always the highlight of their stay. Beautiful scenery although some are turned off by the new-agey feel of Sedona itself.

South Mountain would be very convenient for you-- if you find it too hot for hiking, you can at least drive to the top for a gorgeous view.

Have fun

Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Arizona > Phoenix area
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top