In June this year I traveled to Phoenix to work a conference, and since I had never been to Arizona before, decided to make a trip out of it. Not only did I take an awesome little road trip through the south of Arizona with stops in Tucson and Tombstone, but I made sure I had enough time in Phoenix surrounding the conference to get to explore the city a little, and made the most of my evenings out after my booth hours. And better yet, I even got to spend some quality time with my uncle who lives in the area.
Stay
Aside from the part of the trip where I stayed with my uncle and his friend in the extreme northern outskirts of Phoenix, my stay during the conference was at the Hyatt Regency, conveniently located right across the street from the convention center in Phoenix’s downtown. The hotel was great and my room was huge! Since the weather was 100 plus degrees (typical of Arizona summer), on a few of the evenings there I enjoyed grabbing to-go beers from the hotel’s grab and go outlet and chilling by the rooftop pool. The life!
See and Do
With my uncle, who is just as much of a history buff as I am, I checked out the Heard Museum of American Indian Art, which was probably one of the highlights for me of my Phoenix visit. It’s a beautiful museum and tells Native American history through art that includes baskets, pottery, beadwork, jewelry, clothing, and one of the coolest parts – the impressive collection of Hopi katsina dolls.
On one of my conference days that my work hours didn’t start until the afternoon, I took the morning to go and explore the Arizona State Capitol. The 1901 building was the center of government for the area, until the senate and house moved into neighboring expansions in 1960 and the governor’s office moved to a new tower in 1974. The 1901 copper-domed capitol building then became repurposed and reopened as an Arizona history museum in 1979. Today you can tour four floors of exhibits on the state’s history and government. One of my favorite parts of the museum was the USS Arizona exhibit, featuring pieces of wreckage recovered from Pearl Harbor and the ship’s silver service collection that was removed from the ship months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. In front of the Capitol Museum is Wesley Bolin Memorial Park, which features 30 memorials to various figures, wars, and historical events.
Back in the convention center area, I did a lot of wandering on foot and just taking in some of the surrounding streets. I found plenty of street art, and some architectural beauties like the 1915 St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Basilica and the 1895 Rosson House, a fully-restored Victorian house from Arizona’s territorial days.
Eat and Drink
Upon arrival in Phoenix on the front end of my trip, after picking up my rental car to get on the road to Tucson, I stopped on my way out of Phoenix at Macayo’s, a restaurant that claims to be the originator of the chimichanga. Another restaurant in Tucson also claims this (read more about it in my Tucson guide), and I’m not sure who the title actually belongs to, but I can tell you that the Macayo’s chimichanga is delicious and worth getting no matter what!
If you know me, you know that I seek out all things quirky, so it should come as no surprise that I would end up at a restaurant with a creepy display of dolls behind a chain-link fence in the basement. That restaurant was Hanny’s, located a block over from my hotel. The building was built in 1947 as Hanny’s department store, revered at the time as the first International architectural style building in Phoenix. It became a go-to spot for men’s fashion in the area until its closure in 1986. The building was bought and established as a restaurant in 2005 by local restauranteur Karl Kopp and maintains some original fixtures from its department store days while serving up delectable cuisine in a classy atmosphere. As for the dolls in the basement? They were meant to be a temporary art installation but have since become a Hanny’s institution.
My 30th birthday happened to fall while I was in Phoenix for the conference, and I wanted nothing more than a chill evening out sipping beers at a local brewery. I wandered up 2nd Street from my hotel to Arizona Wilderness Brewing, which had the exact vibes I was looking for: an awesome beer selection and a cozy outdoor beer garden to relax in. I also had dinner while I was there, and just had to try their PB&J (peanut butter and japaleno jelly) burger topped with white cheddar and bacon. If peanut butter on a burger sounds questionable to you, just give it a try! It was quite good. And if it’s not for you, there are plenty of great brews to wash it down.
For my morning caffeine run, I found some great local options around my hotel. Press Coffee has a location right inside the convention center, conveniently on my walk into the building each day. A block over in the other direction on 1st Street, I enjoyed a cold brew and a pastry from Cartel Roasting Co. one morning.
Attending a conference in Phoenix, despite the stiflingly hot early June temperatures, was a great time. I loved wandering the palm tree-lined streets of downtown Phoenix to find a mix of modern and historic architecture and eclectic art. I have plans to go back to the greater Phoenix area in a few months for a music festival and can’t wait to see what adventures Phoenix Part 2 brings!
C to Shining C 