Travel Tips & Adventures

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.

We’re back with things to do at Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino – besides gaming.

If you’ve exhausted your roll of pennies, nickels and quarters and are tired of standing in line at the ATM for more money, there are other distractions within and outside of the casino that are part of the Gila River Indian Community. (more…)

It is Wacky Casino Wednesday! and we’re featuring the newest Resort Casino to open in the Phoenix area. (more…)

It’s Wacky Casino Wednesday! Throughout the month of December we’re going to visit some of the Native American run resort casinos in the Phoenix, and Tucson Arizona area. (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…)

With a claim to fame such as: More breweries than any other city in the United States, you would think we are talking about the big names in brewing (TV commercials, big horses dragging wagons, etc.). But, Portland, Oregon’s breweries range from micro one-off locations to national and international distribution, all without the horses dragging wagons …

Don’t get me wrong, I think those big draft horses are impressive, but big breweries don’t necessarily mean the best beer, or the only beer. (more…)

Ah, if only everyone could be Carefree – or travel there. It’s a town in Arizona north of Phoenix, by the way, but it is also a state of mind.

 
On a recent stay at the Carefree Resort & Villas in Carefree, the experience lived up to the name.

Carefree Resort & Villas entrance

(more…)

After the strenuous drive on RT 242  (see our blog on September 17) to get to Bend, we were prepared to really relax! 

Our hotel in Bend, the Shilo Inn, offered rooms with fully-equipped kitchens and  a view of the river.  A separate building contained an enclosed pool with spa and sauna.  Furnishings were a little worn, but the amenities were good with freebies offered for their full breakfast buffet, so not a bad deal all together.

We headed to downtown to look around and saw the following fellow sitting on a bench.  From a distance, he looked quite real!

Bench sitter in downtown Bend

We have already talked about the Farmer’s Market (see  our blog on October 9) we visited and had a chance to stroll the path along the Deschutes River.  We did not tell you about the very unusual restaurant that has a tree going through the roof in the middle of of a room.

Truly – a tree that goes through the roof!  When the restaurant owners decided to add another room, they didn’t want to destroy the 300-year-old tree.  Oregon people are like that.  So, they built the tree into the room.

Pine Tavern Restaurant

Trees in Pine Tavern Restaurant

Through the roof!

 Besides the unusual attraction of a tree going through the roof, the Pine Tavern has a spacious patio overlooking the Deschutes River.  We opted to sit there with an idyllic view. The patio has round tables with mis-matched linen napkins.  

Our waitress Nikki, was most accommodating.  She offered to make iced decaf tea for me, since they didn’t have anything decaf.  Although I remember liking the food, I don’t remember what we ate because we suddenly had a hovering bee that just wouldn’t go away.  

When we brought the bee to Nikki’s attention, she commented that there was no extra charge for the bee.  The way she said it, it was funny and we laughed and relaxed.

The view was mesmerizing and,when it was time to leave, we did so reluctantly.  As we left we saw two staffers sitting at empty booths in the restaurant folding napkins!  All of those napkins do need to be folded!

We liked the Pine Tavern Restaurant.  Good food with an old-fashioned, gracious atmosphere.

http://www.pinetavern.com/

Time to travel! We’ll be reporting on our travel to, around, in and beyond cities in Oregon. We’ve been before, but we never kept track – and it was years ago. So, on your behalf, we’ll be dishing on what, where and how much! (more…)

For most people, a trip on an ocean liner is not something they would consider. It takes longer to get places that way and delays arrival at a destination.

Since The Queen Mary is now docked in Long Beach, California, the Queen Mary Hotel can provide an approximation of what it would have been like to travel the Atlantic in style.

Queen Mary from Long Beach

(more…)