Halloween legend has it that on October 31, the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is at its thinnest. While some groups focused on chasing away bad spirits with masks and scary props, Latin American and Mexican cultures honor their dead via Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).
Though first played more than 2,000 years ago by nomadic warriors, polo was officially introduced to the U.S. in 1876 at the prestigious Westchester Polo Club. This “sport of kings” has long been known as a rich man’s game. But America’s first pro polo player was a man of humble means: 1930 Monty Waterbury Cup winner Cecil Smith, a Texas rancher with a 10-goal rating (the highest possible skill ranking given by the United States Polo Association).
If you’ve driven by Camelback Road and 32nd Street lately, you’ve probably noticed that the iconic Molina Jewelers building has been under construction. Eleventh-generation jeweler Alfredo J. Molina has remodeled the space, incorporating a 2,000-square-foot salon with a separate entrance to house Black, Starr & Frost, America’s first jeweler, established in 1810.
photos by Blake Bonillas
“Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates,” inspirational-book author H. Jackson Brown Jr. wrote. “There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backward or sideways.”
Unlike the proverbial rollin' mollusk, you can maintain forward motion on the rink with a little practice. Even if you haven't been anywhere near a pair of skates since the movie “Xanadu” was in theaters, you can still have fun – for free – on Great Skate's 12,900 square-foot skating floor, as the Glendale institution offers a free skate session on Saturday, October 17, in celebration of National Roller Skating Month.
Everyone's favorite crowd-sourcing, dream-making platform is bringing its annual film festival to the Valley of the Sun, home to such Kickstarter-funded local favorites at Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co., Noble Bread, Dubina Brewing Co. and The Dressing Room.
Want some color in your parched yard or barren windowsill flower box but don’t want to purchase from a commonplace conglomeration? Search no further. DIG IT Urban Gardens and Nursery celebrated its grand opening on Saturday, October 3, and it aims to be the go-to place for all of your gardening goodies.
Celebrate the third annual International Day of the Girl with sweets, champagne and shopping. The Girls Rule! Foundation, a local 501(c)3 nonprofit, is uniting with jewelry shop Kendra Scott to girl-power holiday. Mothers and daughters are welcome to attend “Mimosas, Sweets and Shopping” October 10, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at either the Scottsdale or Tucson Kendra Scott locations.
The arcade trend might’ve died out with neon legwarmers and Tamagotchis, but in the past decade some game-loving entrepreneurs have found a brilliant way to revive this old-school pastime for current crowds: just add alcohol.
There are countless ways to take advantage of the mild Arizona winters, but for those with a need for speed, ditch the hiking trail for winding roads in a convertible. Perhaps it’s the sensation of the wind through your hair, or the roar of the motor, but nothing beats a drop-top in dazzling weather. Though the Arizona landscape is sensational, to find road-trip nirvana you’ve got to be in the right ride. We’ve put together a list of the best drop-tops, convertibles and top-less cars for your driving pleasure.
Every single day makes a difference for infant development during a pregnancy. Premature birth can lead to low birthweight, underdeveloped organs and even, in extreme cases, death. In fact, the No. 1 leading cause of death among children younger than 5 is premature birth.
Miguel Ivery cooks up an appealing metaphorical recipe for Brazil: “You take one part samba, one part beach, one part love of life and family, and one part hard work, and you have Brazil. How is that not appealing?”
Ivery is the founder of Afro:Baile, a Valley-based company that promotes global music and culture (mostly emanating from Latin America) through its Afro:Baile Records label and events like the 6th Annual Brazilian Day Arizona Festival, taking place this weekend at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.
People who have dogs tend to be somewhat obsessive about them. All you have to do is check out Facebook or Instagram and you’ll see countless canine posts. (Guilty.) Some dogs even have their own social media accounts.
On NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour, acerbic geek gurus debate everything from theme parks and Pixar trivia to the effect a flick’s opening sequence has on overall enjoyment. This isn’t strictly nerd territory, either. Comic books and Marvel movies are tossed in among more mainstream pop culture topics like Hulu’s new Difficult People show. It’s a bright, witty, fabulously fun round-table discussion of daily entertainment – even if there isn’t any actual drinking involved.
Photos by Mirelle Inglefield
On Labor Day, everybody's favorite feline -- Internet meme sensation Grumpy Cat -- threw out the first pitch at the Arizona Diamondbacks game, as the D-Backs took on the San Francisco Giants. The Diamondbacks defeated the Giants 6-1, but the real winner was Grumpy Cat. The cat (real name: Tardar Sauce), who has feline dwarfism and an underbite that gives her a purrfect permafrown, is one of four cats in the home of the Valley-based Bundesen family. Grumpy Cat received her own Diamondbacks jersey, met and mingled with media and MLB Hall of Famer Tony La Russa, and vicariously tossed the first pitch from the mound. Here's a slideshow of Grumpy's big day at the game.
How do you spend your birthday if you are Larry Fitzgerald Jr.? Running routes on the practice field and running food at Dominick’s Steakhouse, of course. The wide receiver hosted his seventh annual Fitz’s Supper Club, Celebrities at YOUR Service on August 31 at the swank Scottsdale eatery, and yours truly lucked out with an invitation to be on the red carpet.
