Author: Tony Arranaga

The great weather we’re experiencing in Downtown Phoenix is perfect for sitting at a local cafe and enjoying a mimosa or bloody mary (or both!) with family or friends. Easter Sunday is almost here and many restaurants near the light rail are offering up some delicious off-menu items as well as the usual crowd pleasers for you to enjoy. See anything you just can’t resist?

The District at the Sheraton (Central station) is going all out for Easter Brunch. The restaurant will have a bloody mary bar, unlimited mimosas, breakfast bar, raw bar (sushi, tuna, oysters, shrimp cocktail), a Dr. Pepper glazed ham and bbq chicken for $29 ($12.50 for kids). Talk about grazing! The brunch runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (restaurant website)

Fez (Osborn station) is a foodie fave in CenPho! Thomas the manager says on Easter Sunday, the restaurant will feature lump crab and ricotta egg white omelets topped with cherry tomatoes ($12). Another off-menu item: pork chops Milanese with creamy smashed potatoes and grilled asparagus ($18). The restaurant also has $3 mimosas and bloody marys. Riding your bike?  The racks are located in the back parking lot. (restaurant website)

Hula’s Modern Tiki (Camelback station) is on my list of new favorite places to dine. The restaurant recently started serving a weekend brunch, just in time for Easter Sunday. The staff tells me their eggs benedict dishes are to die for. Don’t like ham? Try the dish with Spam, Portuguese sausage or seared Ahi tuna. Oh, and the mimosas are bottomless until 2:30pm.  Bike racks are in the back. (restaurant website)

Local Breeze (Central station) is the perfect place for patio dining! The owner tells me the Fire Island eggs  are a hit, however my favorite is the Banana Foster french toast. The restaurant scores bonus points for giving customers a 10 percent discount off their order when they ride their bikes to the restaurant. WIN!

Steve’s Greenhouse Grill is located in the heart of Downtown near the Washington and 3rd Street station or the 1st Avenue and Jefferson station. The restaurant features a buffet for $12.95 ($8.95 for kids) which includes a beverage. You can also order off the regular menu as well. (restaurant website)

Taking your bike to brunch this weekend? Valley METRO just kicked off a bike awareness campaign and is encouraging people to extend your clean air commute by using a bike in connection with the bus or light rail. Learn about the bike safety education efforts here and see what events are scheduled during the month of April here.

Many cities have different ways of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.  Boston has one of the largest parades, Chicago puts vegetable dye in the Chicago River and Savannah puts green dye in city fountains.  While Phoenix may not have an official celebration, we can certainly do our part to turn our city green, if not in color then in practice by using mass transit and alternative transportation.

People always ask me how I get around town while living carfree.  Here’s a list of the different modes of transportation I use in Downtown Phoenix.

METRO light rail – The 20 mile starter line plays a huge role in getting me around Central Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa. You can either buy a month pass for $55 dollars, or buy a day pass for $3.50 depending on how often you plan on using the service. Information on how to ride can be found here.

Bike – My vintage Schwinn cruiser helps me get around Downtown and beyond. Besides using a bike for short trips in the urban core, it also comes in handy when you need to go north or south of the light rail line to either grab a bite to eat or go shopping. Unfortunately, Downtown does not have bike rentals…yet….

Zipcar – The car sharing service is available at ASU’s downtown campus. There are also Zipcar locations in Tempe and the West Valley.  Enterprise, which is located inside the Hyatt Hotel, also has hourly rates. However I’ve found that Zipcar is more competitively priced.  Information on the service and membership can be found here.

Pedicab – This mode of transportation is great when you have multiple places to visit in a night.  There are no set rates for the drivers, so tip generously!  How do you hail a pedicab?  A phone number and more information can be found here.

Taxi Discount Cab is my taxi of choice with their green fleet, however you have several options in the Downtown district.

Valley METRO looking to travel beyond Downtown?  Valley Metro bus service allows you to get to many places in the Valley.  Click here for more information.

Trolley and DASH both travel in the downtown area and operate mainly on weekeend nights.  These services are especially popular on First Friday’s, the monthly art walk in Downtown.  More information can be found here.

Of course, walking is always a great option. You may even see me every now and then on my longboard.

Using these modes of transportation are not only good for clearing the air and reducing congestion, but they also help a person get better acquainted with the city. Enjoy the ride!

One of the longest-running, self-guided art tours in the nation is about to get underway right here in Downtown Phoenix. The 22nd Annual Art Detour begins this Saturday and no doubt the trains will be packed for this and other events taking place along light rail. Organizers estimate that close to 15,000 people will walk through artist studios, enjoy local restaurants and stores, and see everything the urban heart of the Valley has to offer.  Information on the event can be found here.

While the focus of Art Detour involves exploring the artist studios and galleries, you may also want to pay attention to the public art displays at each of the light rail stations. METRO budgeted $6.3 million for the features you see incorporated in the station platforms, each one unique to the neighborhood where the station is situated.  According to the METRO Web site:

“Each station boasts its own unique character with artwork that strives to add substance, style and even a touch of whimsy to the transit experience.  As a whole, the METRO art program is a major example of how art can transform the landscape and enhance the public dialogue.”

I love how the station art gives the transit rider some historical perspective on the area and provides a story about the community as a whole.  In one case there’s a sad twist that took place during the design and construction phase of the project.  Below are some interesting facts about the station art in Central Phoenix:

– The missing pieces of art at the McDowell station are due to a sudden death during construction.

– The terrazzos on the 1st Avenue/Jefferson platform celebrate iconic figures in Arizona justice, like Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

– The bronze boxes at the Encanto/Central station rotate and display narrative glyphs next to a modern version of a Mayan sculpture.

– The 24-foot circular design of desert stones [left] at the Camelback station is one of the largest public art displays along the 20-mile starter line.

– The Brancusi-inspired beacons at the 3rd Street/Washington station change color, and use sunlight to display color during the day.

You can read about the sudden death of the McDowell station artist here,and learn about the other station artwork here, and how to ride the METRO light rail here. What are some of your favorite works of art along the light rail?

Did you know there are close to a dozen super cool coffeebars in the heart of Phoenix?

Cartel Coffee Lab
Conspire
Copper Star Coffee
Fair Trade
Lola Coffee
Lux Coffeebar
Royal Coffee Bar
Urban Beans

Come see what they have to offer on Saturday, Feb. 27 at Portland Park (next to the Roosevelt light rail station).

Each coffeebar is donating samples of their signature pastry or dessert for the event. 

In return they ask that you:

* Bring a bike or ride the light rail to the event

* Bring a friend – preferably one who is unfamiliar with Downtown

During the event, be sure to Tweet about which dessert you liked the best. (Earn more Good Karma Points by posting a picture!)

Special thanks to all the coffeebars for taking part in the event!  Please be sure to RSVP on the Facebook evite so we can get a good head count for the event. Information on how to ride the light rail can be found here.  Hope to see everyone there!

There may not be a late night greasy spoon diner near the light rail, but there are plenty of other places to eat which are open until at least midnight in Downtown Phoenix.  Now keep in mind, this is Phoenix and we’re coming out of a recession.  Our choices are few, but at least we have some. For the purposes of this blog post, my definition of late night is a) open until at least midnight and b) the restaurant must have meat, chicken or fish on the late night menu.  And of course, each restaurant is a quick walk or bike ride from the light rail.  Enjoy your late night eats!

Hanny’s (Washington station) – The former department store turned contemporary restaurant has three dishes under $10. One is a margherita pizza, another is a snack plate, and the last one is a bar plate.  The snack plate consists of prosciutto and sopressata.  Add melon to the snack plate and you’ve got the bar plate. Hanny’s also has $5 martinis. The kitchen cooks until 1 a.m. You can find Hanny’s at the corner of 1st Street and Adams in Downtown Phoenix.  Kudos to the restaurant for putting light rail directions on their Web site here.

The Turf Restaurant and Pub (Central station) – The Irish pub has delicious wraps for under $8 and is open until midnight on the weekends. I like the Buffalo Chicken Wrap and their French fries are pretty good too!  Turf is located on 1st Street – see the menu and location information here.

NINE 05 (Roosevelt station) – The modern Asian fusion restaurant has a selection of dumplings, crepes and buns at $10 – including my favorite bbq pork belly with hoisin glaze.  NINE05 is open ’till midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.  More information on their menu and other events during the week can be found here. 

PastaBAR (Central station) – The italian eatery is nestled in the middle of restaurant row on 1st Street behind Turf and Sens.  PastaBAR has the latest hours on this list – and of course, we love that! Even better – PastaBAR has a $10 menu complete with a selection of pasta entrees that come with a side.  PastaBAR does late night right in Downtown Phoenix!  Need more information?  Click here.

Sens (Central station) – Another 2 a.m. restaurant on restaurant row in Downtown Phoenix. Sens has an Asian tapas menu so most of the items are under $10 – my favorite is the spicy won ton with sauteed chicken and pepper jack cheese. Honestly, though, you really can’t go wrong at Sens – everything is delicious!  Need more information or reasons to visit?  Click here.

Now that we’ve covered late night eats, let’s talk about places to have dinner on Sunday nights over here.

Information on riding the light rail can be found here.

I have a problem with becoming suddenly star struck and somehow gettting myself into trouble whenever I meet a celebrity. This was the cases last weekend while seeing Kathy Griffin perform at the Dodge Theatre in Downtown Phoenix.

First, a review of the show starring the Emmy Award-winning comedienne.  Griffin starts her 90-minute performance with a retrospective video montage of her career.  The “My Life on the D list” actress then runs on stage, prances around and announces to the cheering crowd “we have so much to talk about.” Compared to Griffin’s toned-down cable version of her comedy routine, the 49-year-old star sucks you in during her live show with raunchy humor and tales of run-ins with A-list celebrities.  Griffin’s latest stage performance in Phoenix was literally ripped from the headlines as she talked about her New Year’s Eve appearance with Anderson Cooper on CNN and the ensuing fallout with her contract.  Griffin also talked about tea with Cooper’s mother (fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt), dinner with Sharon Stone, and the fallout after Renee Zellweger sent her a floral arrangement with a handwritten note attached that read “warmest wishes.”  Griffin brings the routine down to earth and shows a softer side as she weaves in and out of stories about all the Hollywood hoopla with anecdotes about her equally hilarious mother who is celebrating her golden years.  The stories about Griffin’s life on the D list are hysterical, but it’s the relatable stories about her mother that really show the performer’s heart and soul.  You walk away from the night finding it hard not to love Kathy Griffin.

So how did I get myself into trouble?  I bought my ticket a week before the show – and didn’t know I was going to write a review for Downtown Phoenix until last minute.

My mission for the night:  Get a picture with Kathy Griffin.  When I arrived at the theatre, I talked to one of the house managers about meeting Kathy (before or after the show) and getting a picture with Kathy for this post.  The manager said I needed to secure credentials in advance; doing so now might disrupt the artist and possibly the show and she would not be able to accomodate my request.  No problem.  However, I still needed to give it the old college try.  Long story short, I found which entrance Kathy would use when she arrived at the theatre and snapped the accompanying photo:

Score!  My only regret is that I wasn’t in the picture but no big whoop.  Anyway, Kathy was super nice as I yelled out how much I love her and her show and how I follow her on Facebook and Twitter and then she mentioned something about a racy twitpic.  The rest is a blur.

After getting the shot, I started to walk back toward the front entrance and that’s when I got in trouble. Apparently the house manager, upset that I ended up taking a picture of the headliner afterall, came racing out to the street and shouted that I was basically no longer welcome to cover anything at the theatre again.

C’mon, really?  I mean, it’s not like I tackled Kathy Griffin on her way into the theatre.

The Dodge Theater is a three-block walk from the 1st Avenue/Washington light rail station.  More station information and details on how to share the ride can be found here.

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Downtown Phoenix is coming alive with new businesses opening up in our urban core – all of them are easily accessible using the light rail.  However, in some cases you might want to combine more than one mode of alternative transportation (a bike, a taxi, etc).  Doing so will help you enjoy the many restaurants and coffeebars that Downtown has to offer.  Recently, over on my blog, I talked about ways the light rail improved the quality of life in Downtown Phoenix.  While the light rail has helped, there still needs to be more awareness about other things people can do to drive less and truly help green the city.

Bike rentals or a bike rental kiosks in various parts of Downtown would be hot.  Right now, the nearest bike rental facility is either way south of Downtown or on the east side of the airport. This is why we need a bike rental kiosk in our urban core.  Tucson is trying out a bike kiosk and so are a handful of other major cities around the country.  Why not here?  True, there was a bike sharing program in Phoenix at one time, but people kept stealing the bikes.  A rental program in downtown would encourage people to leave their cars at home, or at least encourage people to take the train into town and rent a bike once they’re here.  You can seee the Tucson bike kiosk story here.

Bike racks are lacking in many parts of Downtown.  Copper Square and the Downtown Phoenix Partnership have a good supply in the heart of Phoenix, but  we need more and lots of them throughout the rest of Downtown, midtown and uptown.  Secure areas to park our bikes will encourage more people to bring their bikes into town.  Many cities across the country are finding there are federal funds to pay for racks if the location meets city ordinances.  Recently, I pointed out how restaurants along the light rail are seeing green by installing new racks on their own.  See a previous story I wrote on the bike racks in Downtown Phoenix here.

Zipcar, a car sharing program, has cars in most major cities including right here in Phoenix.  Zipcar is an hourly car rental service has several location in the Phoenix market, mostly around the three Arizona State University campus locations.  They’re inexpensive when you use the cars for short trips like running errands, and can get more expensive when you rent them for longer periods of time.  There’s even an iPhone app for convenient reservations.  I realize the service and concept is relatively new for many people, however I don’t think enough people know about this service, especially when I tell people and their reaction is ‘what’s a Zipcar?’   If that’s your’re question too, read more here.

Curbside taxi service at light rail stations apparently is not allowed to offer service to and from a light rail station. If they were, think of how easy it would be to get to the airport or to a baseball or basketball game from the various park and rides along the light rail line.

Pedicabs are a quick and easy way to get around in the center of town.  Not only are they a green form of transportation, but the pedicab drivers and the carts add character to downtown Phoenix.  I took a ride on one the other night and found out how many hundreds of pounds each one can haul.  Read more, plus get the number to call a pedicab here.

The city of Phoenix has come so far in such a short amount of time when it comes to promoting alternative transportation.  As you can see from this list, there’s still more work we can all do to get people out from behind the wheel of  a car.