Championing the makers, artists, and wanderers in all of us.
We don’t order date shakes at home in Phoenix. We could. There are a couple places that serve them, since date palms grow here.
But we only look for them on road trips through a certain western Arizona/eastern California corridor.
Continue reading “Where to Stop for Date Shakes on California Road Trips”
I got a little obsessed hunting for local food options in the Anaheim Resort District (where the Disney Theme Parks and Anaheim Convention Center are located) ahead of Star Wars Celebration last year.
I talked to frequent Disneyland-goers about their favorite spots, exchanged emails with the Anaheim Convention Center and their concessions-provider Aramark, and even tried sorting through online business license records.
Once I was in Anaheim, I walked into restaurants I hadn’t been able to find information for to ask questions and pick up take-out menus.
In the end, I had this list of restaurants that are some combination of unique to the area, highly recommended, and/or offering something local, as well as being walking-distance from the Disney Parks and Anaheim Convention Center – without requiring admission.
So here it is, updated with current information and grouped geographically. I marked up a map to help you visualize it all.
Continue reading “Anaheim Resort District Dining 2016”
On the way home from Anaheim last year, we discovered the loveliest park, made a friend, tried some amazing citrus, and learned a little history.
And it all started with a craving for donuts.
The donut shops around our hotel were partly to blame, but what really did it is stopping for gas late Sunday afternoon on our way back to Phoenix and noticing a vintage sign across the street that said “Donut Pantry”.
Sadly, it was closed, as were the other 3 donut shops we found driving around the town of Corona. But by then, we had decided donuts and a cup of coffee would be essential for our drive home.
So Phillip got back on the freeway, and I got on Yelp. There was a listing for a place in Riverside, just past an intriguing big green rhombus on the map called Citrus Historic State Park.
Before we even got there, however, Phillip saw Mister Blue’s Donut Shop (open 24 hours) and we pulled in. We got an apple fritter, chocolate cream donut, and a large coffee to go and went to check out the Citrus Park.
The gate was open but there was no one around. We drove in past orchards of citrus trees, parked near some rustic wooden picnic tables and enjoyed our donuts and coffee. The donuts were great. The coffee was drinkable.
Just past the picnic tables, behind some hedges, Phillip discovered a rose garden with a dry fountain in the middle.
Across the parking lot was a visitors’ center that had closed at 4pm. We wandered around the back and saw more picnic tables, (locked) restrooms, and a pair of rotund black and white guinea fowl that seemed quite at home. There was a trail that wound up a hill between young avocado trees, but we didn’t want to stay too long.
We were headed for our car when an official-looking truck pulled up. I assumed we were about to get yelled at for being there after hours or not having a parking permit or something.
Instead, Ranger Raphael Samuel handed us a park brochure, assured us it didn’t close until 7, and asked if we had questions.
He seemed truly disappointed we weren’t able to enjoy the park to the full extent. “I just wish you had been here earlier when the visitors’ center was open.” He explained how volunteers not only run the visitors’ center but lead weekend tasting tours where visitors learn about the citrus trees and sample fruit. If you like it, you pick some to take home.
We chatted about California/citrus history, traffic, and the Star Wars convention we had just attended. When he realized we were from out of town and wouldn’t be able to come back for the next weekend’s tour, he couldn’t let us leave without showing us around and picking some fruit for us to taste. His favorite tree had a variety of oranges that were sweet and complex and unlike anything I’ve tasted.
We’re hoping to stop back by for the full tour next time we’re in California!
Riverside, California is about 45 minutes east of Anaheim. In addition to being the site of Citrus Historic State Park and at least two 24-hour donut shops, it’s known for the historic Mission Inn. The hotel is the size of a city block, and you can see its mission bell logo stamped into the concrete freeway walls as you pass the city.
Updated last: February 23, 2021 (to reflect permanent closures and changes, not temporary measures due to COVID-19).
Originally published May 30, 2016.
Let’s say you’re in town for a thing at the Phoenix Convention Center. You have a spare hour here and there. Maybe a spare afternoon. And then you have a flight to catch. How can you get a little taste of Phoenix while you’re here?
Or maybe you’re a local, looking for somewhere new to eat or hang out while you’re downtown for an event like Phoenix Fan Fusion (formerly Phoenix Comicon) or before you head to a symphony performance.
Here are some tips for a Phoenix experience with the Convention Center at the epicenter. All these locations are easy to get to from there without a car.
View: There are places to sit and experience the Arizona climate outside of all 3 of the Convention Center buildings (North, South, West). In the North Building, check out the view from the second- and third-floor (200 and 300 level) terraces on the south side of the building. Look for the mountains beyond the downtown. (Building maps)
Food: While all the Phoenix Convention Center Food is managed by Aventura, a Phoenix-based division of Aramark, they do contract with local companies such as City Central Coffee in the Metro Marché food court in the North Building. Some events (like Phoenix Fan Fusion) may also have locally-owned food trucks outside.
Music: The West Building of the Convention Center is actually connected to Phoenix Symphony Hall, where there is a variety of performances throughout the season. Check the Phoenix Symphony’s online schedule for concert and ticket information.
Bike Share: There are bright green Grid Bikes you can rent by the minute from kiosks outside the Convention Center, in Heritage Square, and several other locations downtown. Sign up first online or via the Social Bicycles app – membership is required even for a single “Pay as You Go” ride.
There’s tons of stuff to see/do/eat within walking distance. Here are some recommendations, in order of their (rough) distance from Phoenix Convention Center.
Relax and sip some really good coffee. It’s very close to the Convention Center, but just far enough away to be much less hectic.
They share space with Kaleidoscope Juice, in case you also need a smoothie, salad, or breakfast sandwich. Update: This Kaleidoscope location has closed. However, you can still find them in Scottsdale, Gilbert, and North Phoenix.
Two blocks of mixed-use space, including residences, offices, fitness centers, a hotel, salon, barbershop, drugstore, comedy club, shopping, and restaurants.
The best thing about Arizona Center is probably its Garden Grotto. Pathways wind through desert plants and past a pond. There’s a fair amount of shade and lots of benches. I feel like a little garden walk is a great remedy for convention hall chaos.
There is also shopping and restaurants.
Part of the original Phoenix townsite, the Square is now home to several museums, a couple restaurants, and cultural festivals throughout the year.
The Valley Metro light rail is a convenient way to get around Central Phoenix (some tips). There’s just one line and automatic ticket kiosks at each station.
You can catch westbound trains off Washington in front of the West Building / Symphony Hall. The eastbound stop is on Jefferson, just across from the South Building.
Hop on the westbound train (it’ll curve north) to check out these places, listed by number of stops from the Convention Center.
Collections include American, Asian, European, Latin American, and Western American Art, fashion, photography, and contemporary installations, such as the interactive You Who are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies.
The museum also hosts traveling exhibitions, like Hollywood Costume, Michelangelo, and Super Indian – Fritz Scholder’s bold, bright pop art.
Fantastic museum of the historic and contemporary culture of indigenous peoples of the Americas, especially the Southwest. Collections include work on canvas, jewelry, pottery, texiles, and video interviews.
I mostly know Martha’s Vineyard through podcasts. Of course, I’ve heard it mentioned on the news as a place where presidents and hoity-toity people go to vacation.
But the year-round residents are a close-knit community – one that, I learned from This American Life’s annual poultry slam episode, is sometimes plagued by roving bands of wild turkeys.
The most recent podcast to bring Martha’s Vineyard to my attention was The Moth. One of the storytellers is a farmer and chef-owner of a restaurant on the island with food sourced from the area and his neighbors. The menu changes daily and may include ingredients like the mussels his friend grows just off the nearby shore or shiitake mushrooms from a family farm down the street.
The restaurant is called Beach Plum, and they also have an inn and rental cottages. It sounds like a really lovely place to be.
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Photos by Gabriela Herman via Beach Plum Inn.
