The Phoenix Traveler

More than 20 Arizona authors will sell and sign their books at the 15th Annual ArtFest of Scottsdale today and tomorrow. New for this year’s event, “Book Street” gathers the authors all in one area, near the Scottsdale Mondrian hotel at the northwest corner of the festival site, in Old Town Scottsdale.
A few travel writers, including Christine K. Bailey, author of Destinations: A Complete Guide to Phoenix, Scottsdale, Sedona and Central Arizona, and Teresa Bitler, whose Great Escapes Arizona was just released are scheduled to appear.
Also plan to see arts & crafts booths, food and live music at the festival …read more

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In a recent post here at The Phoenix Traveler, one person posted a comment about being “too poor to travel.” Boy, do I understand that, which is why it’s good to know that there’s always budget travel options to consider.
For instance, Now that gas prices have dropped below $2.30/gal., how about a road trip? In less than two hours, you can hop in your car, pick east or west, and wind up in small town Arizona where you’ll be able to see the Western lifestyle up close. No need to reserve a room, take the dog to the kennel, or …read more

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A few of the original cast members and VIP’s from the iconic TV show, “Happy Days”, will be in the Gammage Theater audience on opening night for the Tempe debut of the musical stage version of the hit TV show.
Producer/writer/director Garry Marshall, Anson Williams (Potsie) and Don Most (Ralph Malph) are among the noted celebrities who will attend the Tuesday, Nov. 18 performance.
Heeeeey, it should be cool. The cast and VIP’s plan to arrive in classic 1950s cars and walk the red carpet.
Gammage, part of Arizona State University, is located on Mill and Apache. 
SHOW DETAIL:
HAPPY DAYS ● NOVEMBER 18-23, …read more

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Does dough flipping and rolling sound like sporting events to you? What about making dough balls? They will if you plan to celebrate the grand opening of Rosati’s Pizza in Peoria on Saturday afternoon.
The new restaurant is hosting what it expects to be the first annual “Master’s of the Pizza Dough” contest. For the first one, they’re bringing in twelve members from the Liberty High School Varsity Football Team to compete in various pizza-making drills. It’ll be the offense against the defense as teams compete for the winning team trophy. The restaurant’s founder, Fred Rosati, 91, will judge.
If you …read more

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Now through October 2009, three museums in Mesa (Mesa Contemporary Arts (pictured above), Arizona Museum of Natural History, and Arizona Museum for Youth), all within walking distance, are open free to the public on the first Sunday of every month, noon to 5 p.m.
Other free events: MACFest, a downtown Mesa art and cultural festival every Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the October Storytelling Festival; and Day of the Dead and Holiday Art & Music festivals coming in November.
The city of Mesa, Target and the Arizona Republic launched the free museum program, 3 for Free, this month.
Upcoming Exhibitions
Mesa Contemporary …read more

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I had every hope to attend this but will be heading elsewhere, instead. But I want to make sure you’re aware of this upcoming event. It’s relatively new to Arizona–This is only its second year. I think it will make a wonderful way for you to spend your weekend with family or friends.
Visit my previous post to read more:
http://www.thephoenixtraveler.com/upcoming-event-salsafest-2008/ 
Even if you can only drive down to Safford for the day–it’s a three-hour drive southeast of Phoenix–I think you’d have a great time visiting the farming, ranching and mining communities–not to mention tasting some of the best Mexican food in …read more

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Sorry, my pictures didn’t turn out, but you gotta go see this. It wasn’t as brutal as you might think, but the occasional brawls were fun to watch. It makes sense why they let the EMTs come in for free; they were needed a few times when falls and pushes kept players down too long. Only one player got taken off site last night, and that was near the end, when the rough stuff picked up.
RULES
The program explains the rules, and here’s what I learned and observed:
Each team has a pivot. She’s the gal with the stripe on her helmet. …read more

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Arizona summers are long, long, long, and those of us who live here relish the day when the temperatures start to move away from those three digits. That day has come.
For those of us who are outdoor lovers, even 90 degrees means we can ride the bike longer, hike the trail farther, add a few more miles to the run, and generally not worry too much about heat exhaustion. Still need that water and sunscreen, though.
So it is that I’ve been hiking again recently. And I’m not the only one. Take a look at local health blogger Michelle May’s …read more

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Last month, I overlooked an important date–August 25–or, in other words, National Banana Split Day. But, really, who needs a special day to honor this delicious treat? Most ice cream parlors I know serve them whenever you want, and that would include a special little place in Old Town Scottsdale (located in the Valley of the Sun, otherwise known as Metro Phoenix) called the Sugar Bowl.
Owned by the Huntress Family, the Sugar Bowl has been serving ice cream, including its famous Banana Split, since opening day on December 24, 1958.
The shop has been featured many times in the nationally syndicated …read more

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It’s not a neighborhood normally associated with art or community functions of any kind. In fact, Sunnyslope has long been the neighborhood in Phoenix to avoid. Why? It’s run down. Its streets are graced with colorful people of questionable character. And its early 20th century origins are based on the fact that it was once a tuberculosis colony. Not exactly the stuff that fun is made of, unless you’re talking about a joke.
But that’s changing. Restaurants are moving in. There’s a wine bar and coffee shop. Houses are being renovated. The community is pulling together to rid itself of the …read more

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