Travel Tips & Adventures

Actually, the location is called Watson Lake Park just north of Prescott Arizona. Whatever it is called, I find it breathtaking. (more…)

During the holidays, Prescott decorates more than most communities. Their Courthouse, the Yavapai County Courthouse, acts as the center of a giant light display. (more…)

Prescott has charm.  It is absolutely undeniable.  When you first see Prescott (pronounced Pres – CUT), you have the feeling that you’d really like to live there.  Warm and friendly with quirky shops and a town square around the courthouse, Prescott is a great place to visit. (more…)

When I first traveled to Arizona, everyone talked about Scottsdale as some magical place.  This week we’ll be featuring Scottsdale.  You can decide whether it is magical for yourself! (more…)

Since we feature favorites on Fridays, we’re returning to a favorite activity that is quite terrific in the Phoenix area: powered paragliding (PPG). (And also available elsewhere, but the weather is very favorable for this in Arizona.)

Getting up in the air is a great way to put life in perspective, clear your head and find an exhilaration that is hard to match.  (more…)

Tempe, the hometown for Arizona State University, is a vibrant city with business, social and quality of life issues well-handled.  With a population of 175,000-plus residents, Tempe has a business center, new malls, revitalized housing stock and is just a fun place to be.  It’s also near to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, so there is easy access in and out.

Housing in downtown Tempe

Festival of the Arts

During the weekend of December 4-6, Tempe hosted the Festival of the Arts, an arts and crafts gathering that last year attracted 250,000.  In 2009, over 400 artisans with some stunning work were displaying and selling their works.  Pottery, glass, wood, photography, woven items, painting, sculpture and even food showed the individuality and quality of the handmade efforts.

With no two works identical, visitors had the opportunity to see and buy something for their use for as little as $5 or as much as thousands.

Colorful Pottery from Ken Foster Ceramics - and useful, too

www.kenfosterceramics.com

(559-760-4549)

(As of early December 2009, his Web site was not populated yet.)

Doug Mader's metal art - Courtyard Art and Design

(No Web site available – 503-537-0720)

I tend to like usable art, so I was on the lookout for a small pottery casserole to replace one that had broken. I couldn’t find what I was seeking.  Instead, I saw a gorgeous pottery French butterkeeper made by Liscom Hill Pottery Works that I purchased.  (I did not take a photo – the display was crowded and I was intent on my purchase.) 

www.liscomhillpottery.com

Bands also performed throughout the Festival.  On the jazz stage, we heard the Chandler-Gilbert Community College Band perform big band numbers.  They had an interesting medley with “Auld Lang Syne” intermingled with Christmas carols, plus a rendition of “On the Street Where You Live” from My Fair Lady.

To host the Festival, Tempe blocked off about fifteen blocks of the downtown area.  Since these events occur regularly in Tempe, check out the light rail which travels right through the campus to save you time looking for a parking spot or $10 for event parking. The light rail is relatively new to the Phoenix area, but it is clean, on schedule and reasonable in cost.

http://www.valleymetro.org/metro_light_rail

Other Tempe notables

It may be in the desert, but Tempe has an amazing amount of water.  Tempe Town Lake, a manmade body of water, is a centerpiece for many community events.  In the area adjacent to the lake, events from ethnic fairs to fireworks are held regularly.

If you’re coming to the Phoenix area for a visit, we recommend that you check out what might be happening in Tempe.  There are hotels in Tempe if you care to stay; the aloft hotel is new, a “hip” hotel, and there are other hotels that can put you right in the middle of things or give you some quiet at the end of the day, if you prefer.

aloft hotel in Tempe

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3102

The Buttes

(Tucked into a hillside and next to a spring training baseball facility.) 

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/phxtm-the-buttes-a-marriott-resort/

ASU and Tempe

You can’t miss ASU’s presence in Tempe; it is unmistakable.  

Come back tomorrow for info on Arizona State University and other amenities in the area.

Less than 20 minutes from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport heading east are three attractions well worth seeing when you’re visiting in the Phoenix area.  Bring your camera, because you will want to record your views – they are unique!  All are around the area called Papago Park. (more…)

By Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw; Photos by George Bradshaw

The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM) maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. Located in Washington, DC on the National Mall, it also has a companion facility at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles Airport at Chantilly, VA.

The space shuttle Enterprise is housed at the Udvar-Hazy Center, as is one of Amelia Earhart’s planes.

The NASM holds in trust some 50,000 objects, including air craft, space craft, engines, rockets, uniforms, space suits, balloons and artwork. The Wright Brothers 1903 Flyer is on display with related artifacts. A whole section is dedicated to the Wright Brothers with original and replica flying machines.

Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis

(more…)

There’s something about a college town. I’m not talking about New York City, Boston, or Los Angeles, but rather those small to mid-sized towns that cater to, or are intricately involved with, the day–to-day operations of the campus.

Virginia has several such towns, Lexington (Washington & Lee University), Williamsburg (College of William & Mary), Blacksburg (Virginia Poly Tech), Radford (Radford University), even Farmville (Longwood University) are a few of the ten such towns that are labeled “college towns.”

But, my pick for this article is Charlottesville.

Home to the University of Virginia, designed by United States President and signer of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, Charlottesville is just over an hour from Richmond, and easily accessible by car or plane. Current population of just under 50,000 makes this a small college town with amenities that you might not find in other towns of this size. (more…)

It’s the Capitol of Virginia, but it has also been the Capitol of the Confederacy, a claim no other U.S Capitol can come close to.  Although the Civil War has been over for 144 years, the past lives on alongside the present.

As a former resident of the city for several years, it’s always interesting to come back and re-visit just why you lived somewhere, and maybe even why you left.  In the case of Richmond, I relocated there for a job and left for the same reason. 

Richmond is a mix of a modern and also a “stuck in the past” city.  The latter would be their Civil War heritage.

But, that shouldn’t stop anyone from visiting as there are many things to see and do and you don’t have to see a single battlefield, Civil War or Revolutionary War, if you don’t want to, and still have a great time.

Are you into literature?  Edgar Allen Poe lived in Richmond for over 13 years.  The Poe Museum is located on Broad Street (Poe didn’t actually live in the house, but nearby).  Furniture from his home, as well as manuscripts, first editions and personal belongings, are on display.

www.poemuseum.org

Architecture?  How about a 15^th century English estate (Agecroft Hall) that was bought at auction, crated and shipped from Lancashire, England to Richmond, and reassembled on the banks of the James River.

www.agecrofthall.com/

Famous speeches?  Revolutionary leader Patrick Henry wasn’t shy about speaking.  He gave his famous “stick it to King George” speech,  “Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death” at St. John’s Church in Richmond. 

www.historicstjohnschurch.org/hist_main.htm

Monuments?  How about … Monument Avenue?  Northwest of downtown Richmond you’ll find Robert E. Lee on a horse … J.E.B. Stuart, on a horse … Stonewall Jackson, on a horse … Jefferson Davis (President of the Confederate States of America), not on a horse.

Anyone notice a theme … and we’re not talking about the horses.

And then, there is Matthew Fontaine Maury.  Who?  Seriously, WHO? 

And finally, a slightly controversial choice for an avenue with statues of Confederate soldiers — we have

Arthur Ashe, professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond. 

Even if you don’t like statues, the architecture along the avenue ranges from English Tudor, Georgian, Italian, and Art Deco on either side of center islands of huge trees and green grass.  It’s the kind of street they don’t build anymore.

Historic Theatres with a Pipe Organ?  The Byrd Theatre in Carytown, a retail shopping area northwest of downtown was opened in 1928.  Included in its 1,300 seat configuration is a balcony and a Wurlitzer Pipe Organ that opens the show on Saturday evenings by rising from the basement to the stage in front of the screen.

You can’t buy tickets ahead of time, they don’t show previews, and the movies aren’t first run … but at $1.99, I’m not going to complain!

http://byrdtheatre.com

http://www.visitrichmondva.com/

NEXT TIME: We’ll take a trip back in time and look at the Civil War history of Richmond and what remains today.