Touristy things to do in Phoenix

One thing that’s nice about the Sonesta Extended Stay Suites here in Phoenix is that it’s right next door to the Andaz Hotel, so that, in the evening, we can wander over to the Andaz and experience the luxury of a top-rated hotel that would surely be our first lodging choice if only we were less cheap. We make ourselves at home, brazenly utilizing the Adirondack chairs that surround their toasty fire pits and admire the palm trees and glistening pool. (Compare: Here at the Sonesta, a different “resort” aesthetic prevails and so our courtyard consists of an actual basketball court). This is not new behavior for us. On Maui, I make it a goal to sneak into the Four Seasons’ spa bathroom to utilize their real cucumber slice soothing eye soak and sip their ginger tea.

But none of that is to minimize the luxury over here at the Sonesta. When we checked in, the clerk told us that our rate includes breakfast with (and she proudly mentioned this) fruit. And in the specific sense of the word fruit, I guess she was telling the truth, since yesterday there was a single banana for the 82-room hotel to share. Today, times are tougher because some selfish room must have taken the banana for themselves and all Ron brought back in the way of fruit was some jelly packets with the fruity word strawberry on them.

Today was the day I had designated for the Phoenix Art Museum, a brave outing for me, but I’ve been stuck at home for a year and amenable to most any activity. We arrived early and had some time to wander the street out front, discovering these huge piles of dead bees, which I initially identified as rabbit food pellets. Similar to my misidentification of the specimen itself, I was also incorrect about their status as alive/dead – when we walked by later those piles were abuzz!

Inside the actual museum – vs. the sidewalk out front – things were not as interesting. Art, paintings, pottery etc. etc. etc. There was a fine collection of modern sculpture art that I enjoyed. This might be my favorite. Can you see the hot dog poking out? I didn’t know it yet but it was going to be the theme of my day!

Here’s a few other pieces that caught my eye:

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Ron was excited to see a Monet there, along with a Marc Chagall. There was an entire room of pottery, including some blue and white pieces that had Ron all chatty (rare for Ron, in case you don’t know him). By this point, artistically fulfilled by the hot dog head statue and the woman’s head made of nails, I plopped myself down on a bench. Trying make good use of my time, I worked on my eavesdropping skills. A man walked right up to a docent and asked about a piece of art that consists of an enormous hamburger that sticks on a wall and you can bet I was waiting for directions to that piece.

Alas, my friends, it was no longer on exhibition but I came right back to the hotel and looked it up. This link should take you to a picture of this important piece of art:

https://twitter.com/ericjaydolin/status/1210321274947481600

Leaving the museum, I decided to route us further downtown to check out some sculpture people rave about. Ron followed along with that “doubtful” tone he gets when he’s unclear about my itinerary plans. In the end, we found the sculpture and Ron was so underwhelmed that, about 45 minutes later, he asked me when we were getting to the sculpture, fully unaware that we had already stopped to appreciate it. Here it is:

You can see from the photo he’s looking at it and everything but I am not sure I blame his lack of awe. Having transited parts of downtown Phoenix on foot today, it’s got a more…can I say…delicate and elusive beauty… than DC, Savannah or San Francisco.

On we went, though, to stroll through something called the Roosevelt Arts District, through the ASU urban campus and on back towards the car. I was proud of the 1.5 hours we spent in the art museum but I had been hoping for more from our downtown visit and then BAM, up ahead of me was the Oscar Mayer wiener mobile you see up above.

We had stumbled on the annual street fair for the Ashland Historical District! This tiny district – wedged between office buildings and vast, empty parking lots – was full of fun bungalows, with live music and craft booths that I haven’t seen in over a year. (Note regional Arizona variation in craft booth focus: booth for gun storage, booth for self defense items, booth for bread and butter pickles along with the more typical jewelry and cupcakes). Here’s one of the houses:

Where did the Oscar Mayer mobile fit in? I’m not sure, but we had a good time talking with the young woman inside. She is a recent college graduate (hey, just like our curator at the Cave Creek Museum) and she is taking a gap year off to drive around the US in that large hot dog. She has a degree in neuroscience and she allowed that she is not the typical Oscar Mayer employee, as the company usually gravitates, understandably, towards the communication/journalism majors.

But she is extremely enthusiastic about her vehicle. She’s off to physical therapy school in the fall, where she will likely gain helpful skills for dealing with the back pain that must flow from 365 days behind the wheel of a 27 foot frankfurter. I am hopeful some of these young adult stories help you inspire and/or cope with any young adults of your own you may have.

I’ll leave it at that. We’ve got two more days in Phoenix before we head home. Focus is on architecture – we’ve got reservations to see a couple of really grand houses. I get why you asked me WHY Phoenix. But there is a charm to the city. It takes a little more effort but, as we head out each day, lovely sites pop up. Here’s two. One is a road sign that some car dealership on Camelback Road was smart enough to keep intact and the second was a little park we came across downtown.