View source for What to Do in Phoenix

== Article Transcript ==
===Walking Distance===
Many of the convention attendees won’t have a vehicle during their stay. But not to worry. There are plenty of places to eat and hang out in the area immediately around the hotel. Here are just a few of them.

'''Downtown Chandler Cafe & Bakery'''
40 S San Marcos Plaza
Get breakfast and lunch here. About 1 block from the resort. 
Hours 7:00am - 3:00pm

'''Murphy’s Law'''<br>
58 S San Marcos Plaza<br>
Irish Pub with live music. Around the corner from the resort. Hours 11:00am - 12:30am

'''San Tan Brewing Company'''<br>
8 S San Marcos Plaza<br>
Pub food for lunch and dinner. Across the street from the resort. Breakfast served Fri.- Sun. only. Hours 11:00am - 12:30am Mon-Thu. and 8:00am - 1:00am Fri.- Sun.

'''Ice Cream Sammies'''<br>
135 W Boston St.<br>
Ice cream and hand made ice cream sandwich creations and cookies. Two blocks from the resort. Hours 11:00am - 9:00pm

===Getting Around===
The Phoenix metro area is spread out with suburban housing developments that stretch for miles and miles of single family homes. Public transportation in Phoenix is not efficient. There is a bus system that is rarely on time, if it shows up at all. There is a surface rail system that goes from downtown Mesa to a rough area of Phoenix. But it does not run near the Crowne Plaza Resort. $3.50/day pass for either.

'''Uber''' is available in Phoenix and suburban areas.

The general consensus is you must have independent transportation as the city is not walking friendly and downtowns are small. I choose a motorcycle. If you’d like to do that, here’s an option to rent one during your stay.

'''AZ Funtime Rentals'''<br>
1215 N Scottsdale Rd. Tempe, AZ 85281<br>
Call Jerry (owner) at 480-968-2522 to reserve a bike or find more details. Must have motorcycle endorsement on your license or from your country.<br>
Prices start from $89/ day + tax & insurance<br>
Doesn’t put a $2000 hold on your credit card.

'''EagleRider'''<br>
1000 N McClintock Dr, Tempe, AZ 85281<br>
From $149/day, 3 days at $133/day<br>
Jason Lyman is the shop manager<br>
480-905-9397

'''Hertz Rent-a-Car''' office is inside the Crowne Plaza Resort if you prefer a vehicle with more than two wheels.

Below are places to eat, drink, hike and visit, around the Phoenix metro area. Also included are some popular spots farther away, but worth the time.

===Coffee Shops===
'''Giant coffee'''<br>
1437 N 1st St. Phoenix, AZ 85004
This coffee shop is right across the street from the Phoenix Art Museum, north of downtown Phoenix.They also serve food. I recommend the breakfast burrito.
Free wi-fi.

'''Cartel Coffee Lab''' (2 locations)<br>
225 W University, Phoenix, AZ 85281<br>
Bicycle themed. I recommend the toddy. In Tempe by the hangouts, comic shops, skate shops and made-expensive second hand stores. Free wifi.

7124 E 5th Ave. Scottsdale 85251<br>
In Scottsdale’s Old Town which has a lovely/fancy arts district mixed in with souvenir shops and mass produced art galleries. The artists are usually in there on third Thursdays.

'''Jobot'''
918 N 5th St. Phoenix, AZ 85004
You can literally start a friendly conversa12
tion with anyone in this coffee shop. I met my sweetheart here. The floor creaks and the bathroom is very close to guest seating. But the parking is superb. There are walkable art galleries nearby and the famous Tammie Coe cupcakes if you want to get “American fat” as quickly as possible in the most heavenly way. It is a chamber of the still beating heart of the Roosevelt arts district. The Made Art Boutique is there and has fun, fun, fun trinkets that you can fit in a pocket of your jacket and take with you, and a TON of art magazines. They have savory cupcakes that taste like thanksgiving stuffing. Ask the barista what their favorite is and you won’t be disappointed. I believe there is currently an orange mocha on the menu. Free wifi.

=== Food/Drink ===
If you’re fully charged with caffeine and looking for lunch or dinner, here are some local spots I visit repeatedly even though there are new ones I could probably try out.

'''Filibertos'''<br>
1050 W Chandler Blvd, Chandler, AZ 85224<br>
Fast Mexican food chain with locations all over the valley.

'''Thai Rama Chandler'''<br>
2040 W Chandler Blvd, Chandler, AZ 85224<br>
They close at 10:00pm. Good size portions.

'''India Oven'''<br>
5204 1315 S Gilbert Rd. Mesa, AZ 85204
I recommend this place because they offer an all you can eat buffet that is partially vegetarian and low fat. It’s about $13, nice and dark. And the food is spicy. Although it’s kind of far from Chandler.

'''Los Reyes de la Torta''' (a Mexican sandwich shop)<br>
1528 East Southern Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85282<br>
Recommended by a friend

'''Via De Los Santos'''<br>
9120 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85020<br>
My favorite restaurant in the world! Famous for margaritas. About a 35 minute drive from the resort. There are velvet paintings on the wall, bright, caked-on paint, great staff, spicy salsa, loads of beans, 8000 kinds of yum. On Sundays there is a live mariachi band playing for tips! The sopapillas are okay, but the dinner won’t leave room for them anyway.

Here are some fancy places:

'''The Vig Uptown'''<br>
6015 N 16th St, Phoenix, AZ 85014<br>
Tavern with food, drinks, live music, and games. Also open for breakfast and lunch.

'''The Vig Downtown'''<br>
606 N 4th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85003<br>
Tavern with food, drinks, live music, and games. Also open for breakfast and lunch.

'''Southern Rail'''<br>
300 W Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85013<br>
American classics with a Southern twist.

'''Postino'''<br>
302 N Gilbert Rd #102, Gilbert, AZ 85234<br>
Italian bistro with large wine selection.

'''Culinary Dropout'''<br>
5632 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ 85014<br>
Gastro pub.

'''Old Town Scottsdale area'''<br>
4101 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85251<br>

'''Kierland Commons'''<br>
15205 N Kierland Blvd #150, Scottsdale, AZ 85254<br>
Upscale outdoor shopping and chain restaurants.

===Bars===
'''Casey Moore’s Oyster House'''<br>
850 S Ash Ave, Tempe, AZ 85281<br>
College kid hangout. Beer, beer, beer. Fried, fried, fried. Loud music, fun, tons of seating, fabulous parking.

'''T&T Roadhouse Bar'''<br>
2915 N 68th St, Scottsdale, AZ 85251<br>
Excellent biker bar.

'''Bikini Lounge'''
1502 Grand Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85007<br>
The bar that sometimes has DJs, nice cocktails. CASH-ONLY!<br>
On Grand Avenue, in the arts district. Art friends are here a lot. Great people watching.

'''Sip Garage'''<br>
3620 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85018<br>
They took a Jiffy Lube and turned it into a bar. My friend Adam recruits local musicians to get up and sing and play guitar on the last Monday of the month. Highly recommended. Lots of beer choices, local brews, excellent food menu. Parking is extraordinarily limited here.

===Breakfast===
'''Hangar Café Chandler'''<br>
1725 E Ryan Rd 85286<br>
Breakfast on the tarmac of a small airport (my favorite). 10 minute drive from resort.

'''Joe’s Farm Grill'''<br>
3000 E Ray Rd, Gilbert, AZ 85296<br>
They grow what they serve. 15 minute drive from resort.

===Art/Museums===
On the first and third Fridays and all weekends, galleries are open on a walk-in basis. Museums have regular hours.

'''Phoenix Art Museum''' (Free on Wednesdays)
1625 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004
Our city’s art museum has a great collection of contemporary works, a fashion section, Asian art, and a good selection of European works.

'''Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art''' (Free on Thursdays)
7374 E 2nd St, Scottsdale, AZ 85251<br>

'''Gallery <nowiki>{9}</nowiki>''' - Phoenix

'''Eye Lounge''' - Phoenix

'''R Pela Gallery''' - Phoenix

'''Calvin Charles gallery''' - Scottsdale

'''Willo North Gallery''' - Phoenix

'''Heard Museum''' – Native American cultural museum

'''Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve''' – AZ Wildlife and rock drawings<br>
3711 W Deer Valley Rd<br>
Phoenix, AZ 85073

'''Musical Instrument Museum'''<br>
4725 E Mayo Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85050

'''Museum of Natural History'''<br>
53 N Macdonald, Mesa, AZ 85201

'''Rawhide'''
5700 W N Loop Rd, Chandler, AZ 85226<br>
Western town and steakhouse with cowboy actors and gift shops. Entrance is free, but you can purchase tickets to fake gun battles.

'''Martin Auto Museum'''
7641 N Black Canyon Hwy. Phoenix, AZ 85023<br>
Classic American cars.

'''Arcosanti'''
13555 S. Cross L Rd. Mayer, AZ 86333<br>
A sculptor popular in the 70’s that makes metal bells made an ecologically conscious compound which you can tour.

===Outdoors/Hiking===
'''Tempe Town Lake'''<br>
Here you can visit the Tempe Center for the Arts, take a paddleboard or kayak on the water or just enjoy the nice 2 mile walk around the lake’s edge. There is a boathouse to rent out a scull if you enjoy rowing. Nearby is “A Mountain” (for Arizona State), which is a short and steep hike with great views.

'''Echo Canyon Trailhead'''<br>
N Echo Canyon Dr, Phoenix, AZ 85018<br>
This trailhead at Camelback Mountain has very little parking, is a steep and crowded hike.

'''Piestewa Peak Trailhead'''<br>
7232 N Squaw Peak Dr. Phoenix AZ 85016<br>
South Mountain/ Pima Canyon<br>
9904 S 48 St 85044

Be sure to go to the Hidden Valley. It’s a neat canyon, but there are bees that swarm there.

'''Papago Park'''<br>
625 N Galvin Pkwy, Phoenix, AZ 85008<br>
Hiking, biking, golf in a rocky area right in the middle of the Phoenix metro area. The Phoenix Zoo is here as well.
=== Day Trips ===
'''Jerome, AZ'''<br>
Very small biker town. 2 hour 15 minute drive north of Chandler.

'''Tombstone, AZ'''<br>
Old West town that was the site of the famous shootout at the O.K. Corral with Wyatt Earp. 2 hour 30 minute drive south of Chandler.

'''Flagstaff, AZ'''<br>
Town at a high elevation with skiing and lots of pine trees. 2 hour 45 minute drive north of Chandler.

'''Sedona, AZ'''<br>
Town and artist community with striking red rock formations and power vortex centers for spiritual exploration. 2 hour 30 minute drive north of Chandler.

'''Tortilla Flat, AZ'''<br> (nearest day trip to the resort)
Small outpost in the hills east of Phoenix. It’s the last surviving stagecoach stop along the old Apache Trail. On the way there, it’s a beautiful scenic drive amongst hills, canyons, cliffs and Arizona’s famous saguaro cactus. 1 hour drive east of Chandler.
Along the way to Tortilla Flat on SR-88, stop by Goldfield Ghost Town, a touristy but fun re-creation of an Old West Town.

'''The Grand Canyon'''<br>
If you’re going to hike it, the Bright Angel Trail is hot and sunny with few plants, no shade and sweeping canyon views. The trails are busy and you have to keep moving. No sitting. The Kaibab Trail has lots of shady trees, places to sit, friendly squirrels and is usually crowded. But plants can block the views sometimes. If you plan make it all the way down, be sure to have saved a bed or camp spot at Phantom Ranch where they serve a bean chili at night, and a simple breakfast. Spots fill months in advance. 3 hour 45 minute drive north of Chandler.

'''Grand Canyon National Park''' (North Rim)<br>
N Kaibab Trail, North Rim, AZ 86052<br>
Don’t go rim to rim in a single day. It’s dangerous and people die every year trying it. There’s no water available except at Phantom Ranch, the CO river, and other hikers. Be prepared. (You cannot drive easily to the North Rim from Phoenix. You must hike there from the South Rim).

'''Havasu Falls'''<br>
A beautiful and remote water feature that is a 10 mile hike from the nearest parking. West of Grand Canyon Village. Over 4 hour drive from Chandler.

===Art Supplies!===
As of press time, there isn’t anyone selling art supplies at the convention. But there are three big art stores within close driving distance. They are all in the area surrounding Arizona State University in Tempe.

'''Jerry’s Artarama'''<br>
4421 S Rural Rd #1-3, Tempe, AZ 85282<br>
17 minute drive from resort.<br>
Hours: 10:00am - 7:00pm

'''Blick Art Materials'''<br>
930 E University Dr, Tempe, AZ 85281<br>
19 minute drive from resort.<br>
Hours: 9:00am - 7:00pm

'''Arizona Art Supply'''<br>
Southern Palms Shopping Center, E Southern Ave #13, Tempe, AZ 85282<br>
17 minute drive from resort.<br>
Hours:9:00am - 6:00pm<br>

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