Arriving in Bisbee’s historic district, there is an immediate sense of stepping back in time. Colorful names (Bisbee Bicycle Brothel, etc.) and early 1900s architecture create an appeal you won’t see in the homogenized cities of most of the United States. (more…)
As you drive into Bisbee from the north, you enter through a tunnel, as if you are going back in time. To an extent, you are. The town is nestled into a hillside and the feel is of the 1950s – or before. (more…)
Time to travel to smaller cities in Arizona! This week, we’re heading to Tombstone and Bisbee, Arizona. Tombstone proclaims itself, “The town too tough to die.” Bisbee claims bragging rights to the first bar and stock exchange in the State of Arizona.
In general, smaller cities in Arizona have a character and individuality that you won’t find in the medium and large-sized cities. You might see some familiar stores, but, for the most part, you don’t feel that you could be dropped down in any one of them and see all the same stores and buildings. There are some unique buildings and a close-knit character to the people who live in these towns.
Leaving the interstate, I10, in Arizona south of Tucson at SR 80, you enter a much different environment than the built up cities in Arizona. About an hour’s drive from Tucson, the terrain becomes more mountainous, with snow visible on the distant peaks. Nothing but open land seems to exist for miles and miles. Traveling with children, they are likely to begin the “Are we there yet?” litany. There are few houses and what seems like an endless amount of nondescript brush.
Things get interesting as you hit the outskirts of Tombstone. Suddenly, you see civilization with signs and buildings. One sign proclaims where the “OK Corral” fight occurred. We’ll visit Tombstone later this week.
Twenty-eight miles down the road from Tombstone is the quirky, artsy town of Bisbee, formerly a city dominated by copper mining. We’ll visit a copper mine and show you the shops and sites.
So, join us this week and next for some fun in the Old West.
Also, take a look at our SHOP – see the “SHOP” button above and check out the images we’ve captured you can wear or use.
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…)
So, you’ve arrived in Scottsdale and you’ve got your plastic ready.
Let’s go shopping! (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…)
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
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
(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.)
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
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/
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.
This is the day in the United States that families give thanks. But, it has grown far beyond what the original Pilgrims could ever have envisioned. We have a humongous feast that can take days to prepare. We truly do have much for which to be thankful.
Years ago, I traveled to Plymouth Rock where the Pilgrims landed and it had become extremely commercialized. There were little stands with the usual gimcracks and souvenirs.
Buying things seems to be what everyone thinks about when they consider traveling. And, I admit, I have purchased my share of souvenirs, too.
Somehow, the anticipation of seeing a new place and the sense of wonder and discovery has now been dulled by security checks and the many rules and regulations that now govern our travel.
In this blog, we have tried to feature places where we have enjoyed the travel, the people and the indelible scenes that have enriched our lives.
The reason I decided to publish a travel blog was that the newspaper for which I write, a small city’s paper, had asked me to cover travel. They decided they only wanted to feature local places, which left a whole world of great destinations I wasn’t able to share.
So, that led to the beginning of this travel blog.
The blog is now eight months old – almost old enough to have given birth to a real human baby. Have we done a good job? Does anyone want to share his/her experiences?
Would anyone like to offer comments other than the spammers who perpetually leave messages – or in Russian, which I cannot read?
So, I am asking for people to respond and participate. Should we continue the blog? Will you help us by supporting the blog through response and checking out our store?
We’re open to new experiences and new people. We’re always thankful for them.
Please give us some feedback!
And, have a wonderful holiday season to those who celebrate holidays in the next month. To those who don’t have holidays, please accept our understanding that people have different cultures and ways of experiencing the world. We would love to hear from you, as well!
May you have health, love and joy in your life and a chance to travel to the places that enlighten, enliven and excite you!
Warmest regards,
Shelley Gillespie
Publisher and Editor
Traveltipsandadventures.com
PS The new photos at the top of the blog give you some new places to view. Oregon and Las Vegas are featured – two great destinations!
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…)
On my recent trip to New York, I had only four hours to spend before it was time to catch my plane back to Phoenix.
Since I hadn’t been to visit in several years, I pondered the best use of my time. Should I head to a museum? Stroll through Central Park? Shop? Visit a landmark?
The only thing time wouldn’t permit would be a Broadway show – sigh!
So, given my four hours, I decided to reacquaint myself with NYC by just walking around. I did not head to a museum or to Central Park, but chose to travel a multi-block path that had some major highlights to see. It was an overcast day, so the brilliant blue skies I was hoping to see just weren’t there. But Manhattan is still impressive, no matter what the weather.
Macy's - The largest store in the world
Coming up from Penn Station, one of the first sights was Macy’s, “the largest store in the world.” I didn’t go in, because I might never stop myself in time to catch my train to JFK.
Instead, I headed over to…
A major landmark for photographers is B & H Camera. Located on 9th Avenue between 33 & 34th Streets, B & H is THE place for cameras and photography equipment. They’ve got it down to a science and have probably every imaginable piece of photo equipment. The most wonderful part of the store is the knowledgeable staff because they really know their stuff.
Want a flash attachment for a camera? I showed them what I have and they gave me three options! The prices were right and I could leave with my choice, at a good price.
And, no, this is not a paid endorsement for B & H, but it was my second visit.
They’re impressive and also very security conscious. Be prepared to leave large bags at the entrance to claim when you’re ready to leave.
Saddled down with a suitcase, my next stop was Schwartz’s Travel Service where I could leave my suitcase. (Located at 357 W. 36th Street near 9th Ave.) Taking the small elevator to the second floor, I paid $10 to leave my suitcase for the day. Ultimately, I left it for less than two hours, but it gave me the freedom to move quickly.
New York Public Library
Next, I headed over to 5th Avenue to see the sights: The New York Public Library with its lions guarding the entrance (stone, not live), and both the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building in the distance. I considered a trip up to the top of the Empire State Building (now the tallest building in NYC since the devastation of 9/11/01), but that would have required several hours.
Empire State Building - the tallest building in NYC
Chrysler Building
I wandered into a street fair on Avenue of the Americas (6th Avenue) that stretched from about 34th Street to 42nd Street. Traffic was closed down for the entire length of the fair with people sampling food and buying the vendor’s wares. There were a lot of people selling jewelry, scarves, and NY T-shirts. The aroma of the food finally made me break down and try an arepa.
An arepa is a corn cake sandwich fried with mozzarella cheese melted between the two corn cakes. I chose a poor representation because, while it tasted good, it was very thin. As I marched and munched along, I was seeing the profusion of people and remembering the energy of NYC that I have missed.
Carousel in Bryant Park
Strolling through Bryant Park behind the giant New York Public Library, I viewed the glorious, recently refurbished carousel, a permanent fixture for anyone young or young at heart. The NY Public Library is getting a facelift on the outside with the back face totally clean and gorgeous, but the front has coverings to protect passersby from the cleaning. It is an impressive building and many people stop for a photo op near the lions guarding the entrance.
Street scene in Manhattan
That’s one of the best things about New York City and, especially Manhattan; there is so much energy! The colorful signs, places to see, food choices from street vendors to fine dining, and excitement, can’t be topped anywhere.
I know, some might contest that last statement, but I never run out of enthusiasm for NYC and the many opportunities to enjoy. Times Square, entrance to the joys of Broadway, is one of my favorite places in the universe, but this time, the schedule just wouldn’t work.
Colorful, thought provoking and dynamic with events and experiences, New York City is the place where I’d spend a week if I could be in any city in the world. But I only had four hours, so I enjoyed what I could and share it here.
If you decide to go to NYC, get a guidebook like DK or Frommer’s to give you the many choices that you’ll have. And, there are many.
I Love NY
http://www.iloveny.com/home.aspx
B & H Camera
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/
