ARIZONA – SMALL TOWNS MAKE A BIG IMPRESSION
Sometimes, it’s right and proper to focus on the small things that keep a vacation alive long after it’s over.
While the Grand Canyon may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, Arizona offers a multitude of fun, relaxing and, in these uncertain times, affordable activities.
For value without the big price tag, check out the cities of Chandler, Mesa and Tempe, adjacent to Phoenix and Scottsdale. Here are seven great things to do in these friendly and affordable communities:
1. Take a hike. Get up before dawn and take a short drive east to Usery Pass, meet one of the enthusiastic leaders of Take A Hike Arizona and explore the Sonora Desert (the world’s most diverse desert). If you are more adventuresome (or not a morning person), consider a night hike to get up close and personal with scorpions. Not my thing, but apparently kids love it! http://www.takeahikearizona.com
2. Catch a game. Since sticker shock hit major league baseball, true fans figured out a great alternative in the form of spring training. At $7 for the grassy knoll out past third base or $26 for a field box seat, watch the Chicago Cubs at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa. March and April (dates vary every year). http://www.hohokamstadium.com
3. See a play. The Broadway show tour makes a regular stop at the Tempe ASU Gammage theatre (a classic Frank Lloyd Wright building), so you can see musicals and drama at a fraction of the New York prices with the same cast. Okay, so you won’t have the glamour of the Big Apple, but you’ll be warm and the money you save on ticket prices will pay for a twilight round of golf http://www.asugammage.com
4. Golf. Of course, that is one of the main reasons people come to Arizona, where the weather is pretty much guaranteed to be sunny and hot. Water abounds, but is seems to be particularly prominent at Ocotillo, a golf community in Chandler.
Chandler is home to a large semi-conductor industry and semi-conductor production requires a lot of water. What is waste to semi-conductors is liquid gold to golfers, so it’s a perfect match. With 27 holes, Ocotillo has enough variety to play more than once and the Nine and Dine concept will make staying for dinner a simple decision.
The tough part will be avoiding the real estate papers as you pass the beautiful homes backing onto the fairways. http://www.ocotillogolf.com5. Eat breakfast. There seem to be a lot of great places to eat breakfast in style. Over in Gilbert, just east of the Tempe-Chandler-Mesa triangle, Liberty Market combines the down home feeling of a classic eatery (including warm, friendly, staff that smile at you and are clearly happy to be there) updated with a terrific espresso bar. It’s obviously where the locals hang out. If you are staying in the area for a
week, chances are you’ll be back at least once, probably at lunch or dinner for the pizza. http://www.libertymarket.com
6. Drink beer. The perfect weather in Arizona in April can move to the “okay, it’s very hot now” quickly and venturing there in the summer months means you need to replenish those liquids religiously.
At Four Peaks Brewing Company in Tempe, they are so keen to have you try their variety of beer that the taster tray is just that – a large wooden tray of 8 beers, each about 4 ounces.
The great food seemed to suit most of them (particularly the beer-battered fries), with table favourites centring around the Raj IPA (my notes say “the merlot of beer”, whatever that means…) and the oatmeal stout. http://www.fourpeaks.com
7. Relax at the pool. It may sound odd, but some of the older hotels represent some of the best value.
The Hilton in Mesa may be 25 years old, but it’s had a complete renovation - in many ways, it is better than new.
The rooms are huge and the careful attention to detail on the new furniture makes for a casual elegance that contrasts sharply with newer properties that have to fit in more rooms per floor.
For anyone who has figured out the Hilton rewards system, the complimentary snacks in the evening and morning coffee do all the right things to promote loyalty. http://www.hiltonphoenixeast.com
All in all, a quick trip to Chandler, Tempe and Mesa will do more for your sense of well-being than most other getaways – you’ll relax, try something new and relish the familiar.
Report by Gael Arthur
