The Phoenix Traveler

Bars in Scottsdale will celebrate with a huge block party, the W hotel will host a masquerade, the Tempe Improv will do comedy with Frank Caliendo, and Valleywide restaurants and bars have special dinner/dances planned for New Year’s Eve. But what if big crowds getting blitzed doesn’t rock your world? If you like your celebrations to be a little more low key, here are a few alternatives that will help you greet 2009 on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008:
Game night with family or friends: I’ll be heading over to a friend’s house where we’ll play board games till the break of …read more

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NEW YEAR’S EVE: If it weren’t for the blogs I follow, I’d likely miss really important news. For instance, I just found out from RailLife.com that Metro Light Rail is extending its service on New Year’s Eve. That means if you had plans to use the rail line for your safe ride home after celebrating the New Year arrival, but thought you couldn’t, now you can.
The last light rail service is regularly scheduled to end at 11 p.m. nightly; however, the schedule’s been extended on New Year’s Eve to 2 a.m. I have plans to go to Mesa that evening, …read more

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Reuters announces the opening of the new light rail line in Phoenix. The question on people’s minds is whether or not it will catch hold, if people will actually use it. Phoenix is not a city known for its convenient public transportation system. I’m hoping it will become more of just a novelty that wears off.
A day pass to ride on the new light rail costs $2.50. That’s a lot cheaper than driving a car to work, and it’s a safe alternative to getting around if you want to visit the bar scene in Tempe or downtown Phoenix.
The Arizona …read more

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After my boyfriend finished his 8-mile run this morning, I had a surprise for him. Instead of going to our usual spot for Saturday morning breakfast, I told him I wanted to ride the light rail. It’s the grand opening day celebration, and I thought we could try to find a spot somewhere on the rail line.
At first he resisted–it was pretty cold outside this morning, 50 degrees, probably less, and he was still in his running clothes. But he relented, and we headed off to what used to be called the Christown Mall at Montebello and 19th Avenue. It’s …read more

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Although the weather’s cooled down a bit since last week, it’s a common sight in Phoenix to see family and friends hiking together in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and other mountain trails in the Valley during the holiday season.
It seems the Phoenix winters were created especially for this outdoor activity. And homes that back up to the preserve make the perfect starting point.
Just ask Gene Urban and his wife Amy. They are known to schedule regular hike and brunch days. I was lucky enough to be asked to participate in one of them last weekend.
Take a look at …read more

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If you’ve never heard luminarias before, in Phoenix you’ll see them all over the Valley. It’s a “brilliant” tradition that honors the birth of Christ.
In my former north Phoenix neighborhood, the homeowners’ association distributed to all the homeowners the items you’d need for your Christmas luminarias. I’d step outside one afternoon to find at my front door a plastic bag filled with sand, ten votive candles, and ten paper bags–the kind used for school lunches.
On Christmas Eve, you’d see all the neighbors outside at the end of their driveways filling those paper bags with the sand, setting the candles inside …read more

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I’ve been sorting through hundreds of photos that I took while traveling throughout Arizona to research my book. I now have to pick 10 to send to my publisher for cover photo ideas. I’m mentally fatigued and could use your help in deciding which photo to recommend as the final pick. I have nine already in a file.
Of the three photos I’ve copied below, which would you think represents an Arizona backroads guidebook? Keep in mind that I’m writing about places you won’t see in Arizona, unless you get on some back roads to get there.
If you’ll help me pick …read more

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Come to Phoenix during the holidays and you’ll see a familiar sight: the saguaro cactus lit up with Christmas lights. The above photo of one was taken at sunset at the Four Seasons Resort in north Scottsdale.
You’ll see others like it in front yards of private homes, at shopping centers and malls. I’ve seen them before at the Desert Botanical Garden and also on other resort properties. You’ll see some with more lights, some with less, and some with a Santa hat on top or a cowboy handkerchief tied around the ribs of the cactus.
Since we don’t get enough …read more

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Day trips, weekend getaways, best places to visit. That’s what Arizona-based author and freelance writer wrote about in her first book published this year by Countryman Press. Called Great Escapes Arizona, Bitler’s book is available at local bookstores and online.
I wanted to talk to Bitler about her travels during the research of her book, because if there was ever a time to think about escape, it’s now. I met up with Bitler at a recent art fair, where I purchased her book, and she agreed to e-mail me with a few suggestions on where you might want to take …read more

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Don’t recognize the sign? It sort of looks like a McDonald’s, you say?
It really IS a McDonald’s franchise restaurant. But this one’s in Sedona, where zoning laws called for the restaurant to agree to construct teal arches, as opposed to its trademark yellow. The sign also sits lower to the ground, so it’s not a public eyesore.
To see this one for yourself, here are the driving directions:
From Phoenix, take I-17 to the SR 179 exit (Exit 298), turn LEFT, take another LEFT onto SR 89A. Before you turn onto 89A, you may see a billboard advertising the unique …read more

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