THE SCENE When I walk into The Bar’s Gilbert location for a media happy hour, I’m struck by how chill it is. Yes, it’s a bar – The Bar, as its no-frills name downplays – but it’s not rowdy. It’s not kitschy or themed or projecting the forced party atmosphere of a bar where grown-ups try to act like college kids. It’s not a quiet, demure little watering hole, either. It occupies a sweet spot...
Healing hot springs anchor a wellness-minded retreat in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
We chatted with local restaurateurs about their most-stolen items.
Fountain Hills journalist turned fantasy author C.K. Donnelly is back with Trine Revelation (Kibbe Creative Media, $28.95), the hotly anticipated third installment of The Kinderra Saga. Donnelly’s sprawling, heart-pounding epic is set in the mystical land of Kinderra and centers on Mirana Pinal, a teenage girl blessed with supernatural powers. We rejoin our young heroine after the battle-ravaged second book’s cliffhanger ending, which challenged her perception of the war and the myriad alliances within it....
Cross the secular December holiday Festivus – introduced to the popular consciousness in a 1997 Seinfeld episode – with Phoenix and you have Phoestivus, a wintertime market celebrating its 13th year in the Valley of the Sun. Like its namesake, Phoestivus offers an “airing of the grievances” and a Festivus pole, but our Phoenician fest also boasts local vendors (200 last year), art, crafts, food, beverages, Hipster Santa Claus and Phoestivus mascot Phreddie the Yeti....
It reads like the setup for an HGTV series: Firehouse Reno, coming soon. But it’s reality – minus the TV – for Scottsdale real estate brokerage Diversified Partners, which is in the midst of remodeling the disused Scottsdale Fire Station No. 3 into its new, 7,500-square-foot headquarters. “As part of our ongoing commitment to being a great place to work, we’re excited to offer our team a new, modern, state-of-the-art workspace,” founder and CEO Walt...
We’ve got a local gift for everyone on your list, from a whiskey club and private chef dinners to museum memberships and pet portraits.
Celebrate National Rice Month this September with these local dishes. Chifa-Style Fried Rice Chinese and Peruvian cuisines meld in the fried rice ($25) at Fairmont Scottsdale Princess resort’s Toro Latin Restaurant & Rum Bar. It’s chockablock with meat and veg. scottsdaleprincess.com/toro Uzbek Plov A mound of golden rice with carrots and peas is topped with succulent chunks of beef ($14) in this dish at Café Chenar in North Phoenix. cafechenar.com Arancini How to improve upon...
“Everyone who works on trains knows they have personalities, they’re like people. They have their own mysteries,” wrote novelist Sam Starbuck. Phoenix photographer (and frequent PHOENIX contributor) Mark Lipczynski has spent most of his life pursuing these mysteries. In his recent photo book/zine, Chasing Trains in Cars ($20), Lipczynski corrals photographs he’s taken of trains during his 30 years of road trips across the U.S. “All of them demonstrate a dependence on transportation as a...
The days are getting shorter and the temperatures are slowly making their way back down to sane levels, so you know what that means: It’s time for the Arizona State Fair! The Valley’s harbinger of fall is back this year with more fun food, live music and adventurous activities than ever before. From rodeos and monster trucks to trapeze acts and hypnotists, there’s something to captivate everyone in your family or friend group. On the...
THE SCENE When I interviewed chef Jeremy Pacheco about his home fridge for our July/August issue, he perked up when we discussed his new restaurant, The Genuine. He enthused about the wood-fired oven, the locally sourced meat, the pasta and the veggies. “There will be something for everyone,” he said as we chatted across his kitchen counter. “A nice neighborhood hangout.” So, when I got an invitation to come in for a media happy hour...
Fashion is part of the fabric of the Swan family. Matriarch Tequilla met her husband when they were working at a clothing store in Milwaukee and her son started his own apparel brands after the family moved to Chandler. Now she and daughters Janet and Tara run Klassy Kloset Boutique, an online women’s retailer with personal styling and in-home shopping services. “I used to be an influencer for other brands,” Tara says. “I’m like, ‘Why...
After years of decay, these mid-century motor lodges are bouncing back. The Aloha A retro beach atmosphere permeates this 1950 property in Chandler, which reopened in May following a three-year renovation. alohaarizona.com Egyptian Motor Hotel A 1950s shrine to Egyptian kitsch in the Grand Avenue District, the Egyptian reopened this spring with a rock ’n’ roll vibe and modern Mexican pop-up from Chilte. egyptianmotorhotel.com High Country Motor Lodge Mountain vibes meet 1960s design meets an...
THE SCENE Bars and restaurants are playing it fast and loose with the word “experience” these days. Calling a dimly lit bar a speakeasy and charging $20 for a cocktail does not an experience make. But over at the Century Grand compound on Indian School and 36th Street – the playground of cocktail innovators Jason Asher, Rich Furnari, Jeff Holland, Mat Snapp, Kailee Asher and Jax Donahue – true experiences abound. At each of Barter...
After delving into his personal history with abuse and addiction in his 2019 memoir Mascara Boy, news anchor turned mental health advocate Brandon Lee returns to his lived experiences in his debut children’s book. SPLAT! Brandon’s Big Fit ($16.99) – co-authored with fellow Emmy-winning journalist Jordana Houchins – was inspired by the trauma-informed mood swings and outbursts Lee experienced as a bullied and abused child. In the rhyming story, young Lee finds a lifeline in...
