Have you been to The Farm at South Mountain? It has 3 restaurants, a big grassy field with pecan trees and picnic tables, a handful of shops, a crepe truck on the weekends, and, yes, a small organic farm. It’s a delightful place to spend the day. Phillip and I like to get breakfast from Morning Glory Cafe, or a picnic basket or cup of coffee from The Farm Kitchen, and then wander around.
The Botanica shop has unique garden and gifty things. On Saturdays, they set up a table in front of their chalk art wall and sell various local foodstuffs, like salsa and honey.
Maya’s Farm has an organic produce stand and its own CSA. Last time we were there, they were demonstrating simple ways to use more vegetables with samples of this amazing salad and sauteed breakfast radishes.
About 20 years ago (yikes), my family briefly lived at the base of South Mountain. On the way to school, we would drive down Baseline Road past all these beautiful fields of greens and flowers with little roadside stores selling local produce, sweets, nuts, and flowers. There are still a few left, but most have been replaced by stuccoed condos and strip malls.
The Farm is a way to preserve some of that open space, to keep the land viable and beautiful, to nourish the community in a way that asphalt and stucco simply can’t.
This weekend (12/12-14) is the first-ever Phoenix Comicon Fan Fest. Besides being held during a much cooler time of year than the main all-pop-culture-encompassing Phoenix Comicon event, Fan Fest is smaller and focused on just 4 categories: comics, actors, costuming, and activities for kids.
Instead of taking place in central Phoenix, it’ll be at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, where the Arizona Cardinals play.
So what is there to do in Glendale?
My top picks: downtown Glendale
Here are a few Glendale things I’ve checked out that you might also enjoy – whether you’re going to Fan Fest or not. They’re in the historic downtown about 10 minutes by car from the stadium (near 58th and Glendale avenues – PDF walking tour map).
Unique Local Shops – Drawn to Comics has comics and comic paraphernalia. Pink House boutique focuses on stylish, hard-to-find clothing and is open until 10pm this Friday and Saturday. There are also several antique and vintage shops and other quirky local stores, right across the street from the Glendale Glitters action.
Kimberly Ann’s Tea Room – For those into the high tea experience*, it’s lovely without being stuffy. When I went I last year with my mom and aunt, there was a long list of teas available, and we had all the tea sandwiches and sweets we could handle.
Cerreta Candy Company
Located near downtown, Cerreta Candy Company gives free tours Monday through Friday at 10am and 1pm. During the holidays, you can go in and decorate chocolate wreaths or trees for $10.
Walking distance from University of Phoenix Stadium
I was wondering what there would be to do right around the stadium, and here’s what I found.
Sports stuff
If you’re around there right now or will still be around next week, there are University of Phoenix Stadium tourstoday (12/11), as well as 12/18-20. Tickets are $9.
Fan Fest attendees headed to the 12/13 Arizona Coyotes game can get a discount. I’m not sure what the discount is. You might wanna check out regular tickets too.
Shopping
In case you somehow don’t get your fill of shopping at the Exhibitor Hall, there is a lot more around the Stadium.
Tanger Outlets – apparently, Tanger rhymes with “hanger.” (Who knew?!)
Cabela’s – outdoor store focused on hunting and fishing (but also carrying equipment for camping and other outdoor activities). It includes a restaurant, aquariums, and an indoor archery range – if wanted to channel your inner Green Arrow or Katniss Everdeen. Just remember you can’t bring any actual weapons back to the Con with you.
Food
I had trouble finding locally-based options in the area. Here’s what I hunted down:
At the Stadium
There are supposed to be food trucks at Fan Fest, but staff doesn’t have confirmation on which ones yet.
Cold Stone Creamery – Now they’re everywhere, but the chain was actually founded in and is based in Arizona.
Tanger outlets
Fired Pie – I’m intrigued by this place and hoping to make it over there this weekend! You can either order from their menu or customize your own pizza or salad for one price. (It’s not extra for each topping.) They are sustainability conscious and use local, organic ingredients.
*At the main Phoenix Comicon event over the summer, I wandered into the wrong room at one point and a panel was discussing tea and tea-drinking rituals. A friend later said “Oh, they must be fans of [name of something I’d never heard of and immediately forgot].” Fan Fest has a tea battle on the schedule. What does that mean? I don’t know. All I know is that there is some kind of fancy-tea-drinking contingent within the Comicon community. So I put a tea house on the list.
There’s nothing wrong with seeing the highlights of a place, the well-known “must-see” spots. But it’s always great when you can go beyond that, get off the beaten path, take the side streets.
Pike Place Market isn’t just a tourist attraction. Locals also frequent the farmers’ market, shops, cafes, and bars. It’s brimming with quirky Seattle flavor. The Market rewards those who are willing to explore, to keep their eyes open.
Of course, it’s fun to watch the guys throwing fish, and then stroll down the main arcade checking out the fruit and flowers. But you don’t have to stop there. Try chocolate pasta. Peruse the busker bulletin board.
Go down a level or two and you’ll find a magic shop, a record store, a place that sells squirrel underwear.
Around the corner from the famous Gum Wall, there’s an alley covered with posters, stickers, and street art. (I’m always on the lookout for art in unexpected places – including alleys.)
A paste-up of a man wearing a business suit and a space helmet caught my eye. He’s the Clastronaut and is inspired by the feeling of never being at home.
That makes sense to me. We’re all travelers.
So you might as well wander around, get lost, and see what’s around the corner.
Pike Place Market is one fantastic place to do that.
My favorite souvenirs aren’t mass produced. They’re things like a scarf from a street fair or wildflowers from the Rockies.
I didn’t do much shopping on my SeaSFBlog trip, but I did get a chance to stop by the Fremont Sunday Market. The market is held rain or shine, which is good, because, you know, Seattle does have 58 days a year of sunshine.
One vendor was called Fun Junk: Piles of Old Stuff. True to their word, the tables held mounds of skeleton keys, patches, watch faces, and stacks of what looked like miniature paintings. It turned out they basically were. The owner finds vintage paintings in thrift stores, cuts them into sections, and stamps “POST CARD” across the back. The result is these beautiful, one-of-a-kind, mailable works of art.
It made me think about what else I could pick up along the way (when I’m not in Seattle) to make impromptu postcards. Travel brochures? Booklet covers? Maps? Gift boxes or packaging? It might be a good idea to pack some labels to stick over items without a blank space to write on.
You could mail pages of an on-the-go travel journal back to yourself and bind them together when you get back. Or mail a note to a friend.
As long as you meet the post office mailing guidelines for the country you’re in and make sure your postcard/letter/package is sturdy enough to handle shipping, you can really get creative with what you mail!
Resources
Fun Junk: locations | online shop (awesome typewriter key jewelry but no postcards at the moment)
Looking to get some holiday shopping done and support independent businesses? There are some fabulous local vendors and products here in Arizona. Here’s how to hunt them down.
Mega List (Start Here): A great place to begin is Local First Arizona’s Business Directory. Local businesses are listed by category and geographical area. There is also a subcategory of retailers with online stores for shoppers who are out of state or just want to shop from their living rooms. During Buy Local Month (November 29-December 24), they’re posting daily deals.
Top 12: If Local First’s directory seems a bit overwhelming, check out the Arizona Holiday Gift Guide byThe Wilderness Girls. Their 12 local picks include succulent gardens, jewelry, food and wine.
Phoenix newbies: For someone who has recently relocated to the Valley of the Sun, check out my Gifts for Phoenix Newcomers board, inspired by a Pinterest challenge. Several of the items are locally made, and they are all sold by Arizona-based businesses/organizations. They’re all also available online.
Foodie Heaven: The Queen Creek Olive Mill has both an online store and a really nice marketplace on their grounds. (They’ve also opened a new location at the Biltmore.) In addition to olive oil, they sell other gourmet food items, pet treats, and bath products. We’ve purchased client gifts, as well as hospitality gifts there – and tried lots of delicious samples in the process – and everything has been tasty and really good quality.
Artisan Products:Practical Art exclusively sells drool-worthy items handcrafted in Arizona, such as houseware and accessories, online and in their Central Phoenix location.
Artist Marless Fellows painting “Saddle Up” during the Hidden in the Hills Studio Tour. Photo taken with permission.
Open Artist Studios: You can tour artist studios and purchase art (and prints) this weekend (November 29-December 1) at the Hidden in the Hills Studio Tour in the Cave Creek/North Scottsdale area. You can browse participating artists via the HITH directory or search by medium on their site.
Local-to-you Clothing and Decor:Scott’s Marketplace is an online portal for local businesses across the country, including several Arizona retailers selling apparel, accessories, home decor, and other gift items.
How do you find fabulous local products where you are?
Local First Arizona logo, Queen Creek Extra Virgin Olive Oil photo, and Queen Creek Olive Mill logo images via their respective websites. Landscape photo of Queen Creek Olive Mill from our visit there. This is not a sponsored post. I just wanted to write something in support of local businesses, so I did.
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