to preface this was made for my architecture university peers
architecture/art to see
- taliesen west | scottsdale/phoenix
- cosanti | phoenix (look for bell pour times on weekdays)
- arcosanti | ~1 hr north of phoenix
- james turrell ‘sky portal’ | tempe/ASU campus
- james turrell ‘knight rise’ | scottsdale contemporary art museum
- burden barr library/phoenix central library
- culdesac | tempe/ASU campus (startup project’s first test neighborhood with a goal to create a car-free city)
- chapel in the hill | sedona
cute semi-walkable areas with yummy food
phoenix | phoenix is divided into downtown + uptown
uptown | this area is scattered + you’ll need a car but there are some real gems in it
- valentine ( brunch coffee shop turns into cocktail lounge/restaurant at night. serves casual sonoran cuisine during the day and an award winning pastry chef who make sonoran inspired pastries with local ingredients. in an old phx drive in and has an attached mid century vibe antique furniture store)
- glai baan (very small thai place - chef and owner are a very sweet couple who run the place everyday - the chef is from thailand. my current favorite restaurant in az )
- fry bread house (native american “street food” - very authentic dive spot)
- lux central (very “hip” coffee shop)
- pane bianco (neighbors with lux central - fresh sandwiches + pizza)
downtown | the heritage district + the churchill are two walkable hubs that are nice to start exploring from
- biancos ( james beard award winning wood fire pizza - this place started the trend of “artisan pizza” across the u.s. and is located in the heritage district - very charming )
- the churchill (small complex of local food + shops)
- futuro coffee (best quality coffee in phoenix - futuristic + minimal vibe)
- bacanora ( $$ james beard award winners probably wont be able to get in - really shows the vibe of phoenix)
- best tacos: gallo blanco, tacos huicho, tacos tijuana, tacos chiwas
- noble bread shop
scottsdale | one of the oldest + wealthiest areas of phoenix lots of “western” history in old town and midcentury architecture around here so fun to go around
- vecina ($$ latin asian fusion - very good late night vibe - not in old town)
- olive and ivy
- cartel coffee
- andreoli italian grocer
- hush public house
agritopia/epicenter in gilbert | this is a farm neighborhood complex that has become a center of gilbert, lots of local goods and local food, and just a really nice development
- joes farm grill - retro diner
- cream of crop ice cream in barnone
- big variety of restaurants here, one i really like is belly
- peixoto coffee
downtown mesa | quaint but nice historic downtown street with lots of hidden gems
- tacos chiwas (featured on netflix taco show very yum)
- proof bread (local artisan sourdough bread + pastries)
- mykes pizza + cider corps + cupworks coffee (local cidery and yummy unique thin crust pizza)
- espiritu ($$ hispanic late night bar with tapas, very cool vibe)
- republica empanada
- worth takeaway (local aesethic sandwich shop)
downtown gilbert | this area is very very cute but lots of the shops/restaurants can be found in phoenix proper
- postinos (chain but is still a yummy + easy spot to eat w/ambience)
- joyride
- liberty market
- joes bbq
- topo ice cream (prickly pear ice cream here)
- snooze breakfast
mentions but not in hubs/semi-walkable areas lol
- dolce vita - best gelato i’ve had in the u.s. (oddly enough - a couple from italy moved to mesa and opened this shop that has won many awards!)
- mythical coffee (very cute coffee shop with nice people, my favorite shop)
cafe recap ranked
- valentine
- futuro
- mythical
- lux central
- cartel*
- press coffee*
- peixoto*
other cafes to try in mesa:
- cupworks (at mykes pizza)
- lost dutchman coffee house
*multiple locations
hikes / nature to see
camelback mountain echo canyon trail
this is a difficult hike only go if u have experience and brings lots and lots of water - it takes about 2-3 hours and the view is spectacular
hieroglyphic trail at superstition mountains
easy hike and u can see native american hieroglyphs and hopefully if its rained a stream mini waterfall at the top
tonto national bridge hike
this is an absolute beauty of the world, it's about an hour up north from phoenix. look up pictures. easy but has lots of scrambling and gets slippery near the water portion/the bridge
lost dutchman state park
beautiful nature in the superstition mountains, there are some trails if you'd like to wander
boyce thompson arboretum
beautiful place about an hour outside of phoenix? a husband created this for his wife and its a nice place to walk around on some trails and explore nature.
desert botanical gardens
i personally prefer boyce thompson to the desert botanical gardens but it is beautiful and shows you lots of the nice desert flora and fauna
papago park
in tempe/phoenix very cool short trail , i wouldn't even call it a hike. kind of alien red rock structure. next to desert botanical garden and phx zoo
saguaro lake area/ ranch stable
they offer horseback riding, but even if u dont do that drive to this location around sunset. it is stunning, there is a little parking lot where u can step out and peek at the horses. u may even see wild horses on your drive through this area. this is the start of all of the wilderness to northern arizona - the tonto national forest - everyone from phx and mesa etc comes out here to step away from the suburbs in city throughout the year.
usery mountain park
east mesa preserve with wind cave + wave cave hikes
mcdowell sonoran preserve
nature preserve in scottsdale with lots of trails including tom's thumb