OT: Phoenix trip ideas

[Piscataway]

I am going to phoenix in a few weeks for a short trip to check the area out as we are considering making the exodus from the Great Garden State.

Never been there before so I wanted some recommendations from the board. I am staying in Gilbert and will have a rental car.

Magnet already packed.

Thanks

 

[Knight Shift]

I am going to phoenix in a few weeks for a short trip to check the area out as we are considering making the exodus from the Great Garden State.

Never been there before so I wanted some recommendations from the board. I am staying in Gilbert and will have a rental car.

Magnet already packed.

Thanks

1. Have fun in August--remember, it's a dry heat, even at 115F. :fire:
2. Definitely go to the Phoenix Botanical Garden. But if you are going in August, get there early in the morning. Did I mention it is hot in Phoenix in August?
3. Go to Old Town Scottsdale. One of our favorite places to hang/visit/shop. Get a dessert from the Sugar Bowl. Don't take it outside in August. It's hot outside.
4. Get Breakfast at Matt's Big Breakfast. Don't eat on the outside patio. It is hot in August.
5. Take a day trip to Sedona, Arizona. One of the most beautiful places on earth. Awesome hiking and red rock formations. It can be 10-15 degrees cooler than Phoenix--which did I mention it is hot in Phoenix in August?
6. With #5 take a go to Slide Rock State Park, which is just north of the City of Sedona on 89A. Natural Rock Slides, and cool water from the Oak Creek, flowing down from Flagstaff. Did I mention it is hot in August? This is a good place to cool off. Kind of like a beach scene. A lot of NAU students hang here.
7. If you have time, with #5, take an extra day and go to the Grand Canyon South Rim.
8. Also with #5, Jerome, Arizona is another worthwhile place to visit.
9. Sunscreen.
10. Shorts and loose fitting clothing.
11. Water. Lots of it.
12. Don't rent a convertible or a car with a sunroof. It will cut down on the sun's impact on the temperature inside your car. Did I mention it is hot in Phoenix in August?

 

[HeavenUniv.]

Make sure you see the University of Phoenix. Oh wait,the University of Phoenix is everywhere,just like Southern New Hamphshire. Nevermind.

 

[RU4Real]

If you're gonna trip, I think Joshua Tree is the favored destination.

 

[Unionst]

Agree with all these suggestions except I can't vouch for Jerome - never been there. You are about to find out what HOT means. Have fun.

1. Have fun in August--remember, it's a dry heat, even at 115F. :fire:
2. Definitely go to the Phoenix Botanical Garden. But if you are going in August, get there early in the morning. Did I mention it is hot in Phoenix in August?
3. Go to Old Town Scottsdale. One of our favorite places to hang/visit/shop. Get a dessert from the Sugar Bowl. Don't take it outside in August. It's hot outside.
4. Get Breakfast at Matt's Big Breakfast. Don't eat on the outside patio. It is hot in August.
5. Take a day trip to Sedona, Arizona. One of the most beautiful places on earth. Awesome hiking and red rock formations. It can be 10-15 degrees cooler than Phoenix--which did I mention it is hot in Phoenix in August?
6. With #5 take a go to Slide Rock State Park, which is just north of the City of Sedona on 89A. Natural Rock Slides, and cool water from the Oak Creek, flowing down from Flagstaff. Did I mention it is hot in August? This is a good place to cool off. Kind of like a beach scene. A lot of NAU students hang here.
7. If you have time, with #5, take an extra day and go to the Grand Canyon South Rim.
8. Also with #5, Jerome, Arizona is another worthwhile place to visit.
9. Sunscreen.
10. Shorts and loose fitting clothing.
11. Water. Lots of it.
12. Don't rent a convertible or a car with a sunroof. It will cut down on the sun's impact on the temperature inside your car. Did I mention it is hot in Phoenix in August?

 

[ho26rus]

knight shift covered a great deal
I would add only one thing and its an all day trip
lLeave Phoenix towards tempe, and Mesa. You enter the Apache Trail by way of Apache Junction

On your right is the Superstition Mountains on the left an abandonded Gold mine/ ghost tow.it should be seen

You will pass throught Tortilla Flats six very old buildings with a restaurant that served very good chili
You will driving on mountain trails with stunning desert scenery

You will pass, or can stop at three chrystal clear lakes

Eventually you finish at a huge dam

As you exist there is a late 19th century fort, a walk up to a cliff dwellers site.

If it could end there it would be perfect. But the price to pay for a great day is you are nor 105 miles from ( high speed highway this time) downtown Phoenix.
I have done it many times but is not for everyone

The other recommendation( much less effort) is go to Mcdowell ave from tempe toward Phoenix and on your left there is a climbing spot for Camelback mountain. Three hundred sixty day degree views including the balloon crossing zone of Paradise Valley
I , generally, backpack a bottle of wine, French bread and cheese and spend a little time at the summit

Have a great time ( I had an apartment there once a while back) but if you feel you want to discuss something about the area reach out to me here

 

[vkj91]

Rent a boat on lake pleasant. Don't listen to these guys about the heat. I am sitting in airport headed back to scottsdale today. Yes, it's hot but its way more miserable in NJ on days like yesterday than it is there. I have been flying back and forth for the last 5 weeks and I Sweat more getting off the plane in Newark everytime.

 

[Knight Shift]

Rent a boat on lake pleasant. Don't listen to these guys about the heat. I am sitting in airport headed back to scottsdale today. Yes, it's hot but its way more miserable in NJ on days like yesterday than it is there. I have been flying back and forth for the last 5 weeks and I Sweat more getting off the plane in Newark everytime.

It is good the OP is going in August so he can judge for himself. We go to Sedona 3-4 times a year, and fly into Phoenix. We spent an August day in Phoenix once, and we will never do that again. I think it was 118 F and it was brutal. Summers on the east coast include heat waves like we have now, but it is not constant. In Phoenix, the hot intense heat starts in June and lasts through September.

 

[MrsScrew]

all of the above, plus

a ride up to Prescott which houses America's oldest rodeo and has some great bars. The temps there are always cooler than Phoenix and it's gorgeous.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West house in Scottsdale is a nice visit

treat your wife to a spa day at the Marriott Camelback Inn.

a ride up to Sedona is great as well....you must do the pink jeep tour.

 

[RUfinal4]

Hike Pinnacle Peak if you get to Scottsdale

 

[RUMBA-JK]

Rent a white car !

 

[Piscataway]

It is good the OP is going in August so he can judge for himself. We go to Sedona 3-4 times a year, and fly into Phoenix. We spent an August day in Phoenix once, and we will never do that again. I think it was 118 F and it was brutal. Summers on the east coast include heat waves like we have now, but it is not constant. In Phoenix, the hot intense heat starts in June and lasts through September.

Thats exactly why im going now. if I cant take 2 days i know it isnt for me. Then again folks live there year round and they just keep coming. Low property taxes, wide open spaces and 3/4 of the year that is just awesome.
I will be staying with an RU grad from Staten Island, they love it out there.

 

[RUforester72]

To get some relief from the heat and the Phoenix sprawl, head up to Flagstaff and hike the San Francisco Peaks. Also a great base to visit the Grand Canyon which is about 1.5 hours away.

 

[Piscataway]

Im there for 2 days folks! Thats it. flying in after work friday coming home on a red eye sunday night.

With that I may shoot down to Tucson to check out a practice. Other than that I am probably staying within a 50 mile radius.

 

[ho26rus]

from experience you try to do everything you can, or need to,before 10 in the morning
from experience that includes kids birthday parties

then try to stay in air conditioning until after 6

 

[knightinaz]

As a resident of the Valley I can tell you that is currently 102 and the forecasted highs the next few days are 108-111.

We were fortunate this year as we didn't hit triple digits until almost July.

You obviously don't do much outdoors during the summer but the tradeoff is shorts & t-shirts for 9 months of the year while the rest of the country is battling all the winter misery.

Best move I ever made.

If the Dbacks are in town when you're here head to a game. Fun bars outside the stadium for pre-game activities & with the roof closed the ballpark is always comfortable

 

[Piscataway]

knightinaz, are you originally from NJ? what brought you out to AZ and how long have you been there?

 

[ho26rus]

As a resident of the Valley I can tell you that is currently 102 and the forecasted highs the next few days are 108-111.

We were fortunate this year as we didn't hit triple digits until almost July.

You obviously don't do much outdoors during the summer but the tradeoff is shorts & t-shirts for 9 months of the year while the rest of the country is battling all the winter misery.

Best move I ever made.

If the Dbacks are in town when you're here head to a game. Fun bars outside the stadium for pre-game activities & with the roof closed the ballpark is always comfortable

Hey when you say Valley I assume you mean Paradise Valley, yes?
By a very lucky situation I was able to buy one of those Casitas that I used one month a year.
Oh that was at John Gardiners Tennis Academy across te road from you

That's a prelude to is it still there.? I think it was 44 Mcdowell

just curious

 

[knightinaz]

knightinaz, are you originally from NJ? what brought you out to AZ and how long have you been there?

Grew up 10 minutes from High Point Solutions Stadium before there was any expansion. As kids we would sneak thru the fence around the stadium & run around on the field. More times than not we were never caught

Came to AZ thru a job opportunity. Worked 22 years for adidas North America. Been in the Valley of the Sun (live in Tempe) for almost 14 years

 

[Knight Shift]

If the Dbacks are in town when you're here head to a game. Fun bars outside the stadium for pre-game activities & with the roof closed the ballpark is always comfortable

How is Alice Cooper's sports bar by the stadium?

 

[Piscataway]

Grew up 10 minutes from High Point Solutions Stadium before there was any expansion. As kids we would sneak thru the fence around the stadium & run around on the field. More times than not we were never caught

Came to AZ thru a job opportunity. Worked 22 years for adidas North America. Been in the Valley of the Sun (live in Tempe) for almost 14 years

I grew up in Edison, just behind the Kilmer inspection station. Could hear the band practice during the summer.

Going to see if this is the place for my family.

 

[Knight Shift]

I grew up in Edison, just behind the Kilmer inspection station. Could hear the band practice during the summer.

Going to see if this is the place for my family.

Piscataway, what line of work are you in?

 

[knightinaz]

How is Alice Cooper's sports bar by the stadium?

It's OK. depends on what you're looking for. We go to Coach & Willies anytime we're downtown for a game. Food is better & service is much better

 

[Piscataway]

Piscataway, what line of work are you in?

I'm a dentist. Not a rich, lion hunting dentist though. But I aspire to be. How about you Knight Shift?

 

[RUforester72]

Im there for 2 days folks! Thats it. flying in after work friday coming home on a red eye sunday night.

With that I may shoot down to Tucson to check out a practice. Other than that I am probably staying within a 50 mile radius.

Sorry I misunderstood. Scottsdale always fun for a short stay. Or camelback park. Or the botanical reserve.

 

[Caliknight]

Sedona. One of the coolest places on the planet.

 

[Knight Shift]

I'm a dentist. Not a rich, lion hunting dentist though. But I aspire to be. How about you Knight Shift?

Will it be easy for you to join a practice or set up your own in the Phoenix area?

I am a patent attorney. While I can do my work from nearly anywhere, we have an office in NJ that I cannot leave. Plus our kids are settled in their middle and high schools. We live at the beautiful shore area, and we have talked a lot about whether we will leave when I retire, but we like this area too much to leave. Yes, it is expensive. We have lived in various other places--Wilmington, NC; Cincinnati, Ohio and upstate New York in the Finger Lakes area. But we found each of them lacking in certain aspects. So, our current plan is we will find a smaller home/property when we retire, and head to Arizona during the cold and snowy months.

There are plenty of places in Monmouth and especially Ocean County where you can get a decent home for under $400K and property taxes under $7K. We have done the math with the various property, income, sales and various other taxes in other states. Many of the states with lower property taxes have higher income or sales taxes that can make up for the difference in property taxes. And in some places, like Sedona, you have to pay for private trash collection and brush collection when you clean up your yard. Some states have ridiculous fees for car registration--IIRC, it was Ohio/Indiana that charged you many hundreds of dollars per year.

So, different states get you one way or another on costs/taxes. Arizona has some ridiculously high sales taxes. Counties and towns can add their own sales tax. In parts of Sedona, the sales tax is 9.9%. I believe clothing and grocery store food are charged at least the local sales tax, which are not taxed in NJ. I don't know how the public schools are around Phoenix, but if we were living in Sedona, our kids would be in private school.

Arizona charges annually a Vehicle License tax (VLT) $2.80 for every $100 of the value of your car. If you have a $40,000 vehicle, based on their formula, you will pay nearly $700 in VLT per year.

I have not done all the math, but on garbage collection, additional sales taxes and vehicle taxes alone, I estimate an additional $2-4,000/year over what we pay in NJ. Depending on your property taxes, you may save money, but in our experience, the higher wages and quality of life in NJ (yes, quality of life) are worth the extra cost to us.

 

[198hamilton]

Well, it's hot in the summer is right ,,, but it's ok because there are options I've found out! My wife's family moved out 10 years ago and we laughed, 'how can you leave NJ with all of its beaches, mountains and NYC?' They had the last laugh ... so they sold their place in NJ and bought 3, a house in the Phoenix area, a condo up in the mountains of Show Low, cool in the summer at 7,000 ft elevation and skiing in the winter and only 3 1/2 hours from Phoenix, and a condo in Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico) on the Sea of Cortez, only 4 1/2 hours from Phoenix. You also have Las Vegas, 3 1/2 hrs away and San Diego, 6 1/2 hours away. There is hiking, biking and of course, amazing Mexican food ...

 

[Piscataway]

Just want to update you guys about my trip. I arrived this past Friday night at about 10PM, 104 degrees...I stayed in Gilbert but spent most of my time up north in the Prescott area. Much more comfortable, beautiful scenery, nice people. And most importantly a Costco! I was just blown away by the service (with a smile) I got. HS kids engaging in conversation at the In-n-out burger. Really respectful. Drove to Sedona via Jerome through the Prescott National Forest. Really nice windy road that would have been better in a convertible or a Can-Am Spyder. I was able to set up an interview and that worked out well. I checked out some new houses which were pretty nice. One odd thing was a lot of the homes had front entry ways that opened into a dinning room - strange. In Sedona I had a really good meal at Elote Cafe. Flew home Sunday night and right to work Monday morning.

Next visit my wife and I will go together for a little longer and try to make our decision. Thanks everyone for the input.

 

[RU848789]

Sedona. One of the coolest places on the planet.

We loved everything about Sedona except for one thing: all those New Age Vortex nuts, who really think there's some special power in Sedona.

 

[Piscataway]

We loved everything about Sedona except for one thing: all those New Age Vortex nuts, who really think there's some special power in Sedona.

You are right, It felt like New Hope in the desert.

 

[Knight Shift]

You are right, It felt like New Hope in the desert.

We loved everything about Sedona except for one thing: all those New Age Vortex nuts, who really think there's some special power in Sedona.

There is. . . . . .

 

[Knight Shift]

Just want to update you guys about my trip. I arrived this past Friday night at about 10PM, 104 degrees...I stayed in Gilbert but spent most of my time up north in the Prescott area. Much more comfortable, beautiful scenery, nice people. And most importantly a Costco! I was just blown away by the service (with a smile) I got. HS kids engaging in conversation at the In-n-out burger. Really respectful. Drove to Sedona via Jerome through the Prescott National Forest. Really nice windy road that would have been better in a convertible or a Can-Am Spyder. I was able to set up an interview and that worked out well. I checked out some new houses which were pretty nice. One odd thing was a lot of the homes had front entry ways that opened into a dinning room - strange. In Sedona I had a really good meal at Elote Cafe. Flew home Sunday night and right to work Monday morning.

Next visit my wife and I will go together for a little longer and try to make our decision. Thanks everyone for the input.

You found Elote Cafe on your first trip? Congratulations. That is one of the best restaurants on the planet. Next time you come through Sedona, try The Schoolhouse in the Village of Oak Creek and the Mesa Grill at the Sedona Airport.

 

[kstmar]

I play golf everywhere...drink a lot of water and don't be a pussy. It is summer, staying indoors sounds like no fun. We go to Scottsdale in March, but I went LY in August.. I played Troon N, TPC, and and Kierland. Did I mention drink a lot of water? Tucson is a hundred miles from Phoenix...

 

[Piscataway]

You found Elote Cafe on your first trip? Congratulations. That is one of the best restaurants on the planet. Next time you come through Sedona, try The Schoolhouse in the Village of Oak Creek and the Mesa Grill at the Sedona Airport.

I give all credit to Yelp. Smoked pork cheeks on a corn flour pancake. Damn it was good. It was the last day they were open prior to a 2 week shut down.

 

[Knight Shift]

I give all credit to Yelp. Smoked pork cheeks on a corn flour pancake. Damn it was good. It was the last day they were open prior to a 2 week shut down.

Yeah, we are missing Elote during our week here. This small area has such a wide variety of good to great restaurants. Just saw a place opened called Taste of Marrakech, serving Moroccan food. Two recommendations in Prescott and Jerome. In Prescott, the Texas Roadhouse is a decent chain restaurant. In Jerome, try The Asylum in the Hotel at the top of the hill. The hotel was on one of those paranormal shows. The views from the restaurant are spectacular.

 

[Piscataway]

Yeah, we are missing Elote during our week here. This small area has such a wide variety of good to great restaurants. Just saw a place opened called Taste of Marrakech, serving Moroccan food. Two recommendations in Prescott and Jerome. In Prescott, the Texas Roadhouse is a decent chain restaurant. In Jerome, try The Asylum in the Hotel at the top of the hill. The hotel was on one of those paranormal shows. The views from the restaurant are spectacular.

The restaurant scene is something that might bid me about Prescott. Definitely like non chain places (Texas Roadhouse is pretty good). Def would miss the access to awesome
Indian and varied Asian cuisines we have here if Iake the move. In fact I had a chuckle seeing a billboard for an Indian restaurant that had what was clearly a white lady dressed in an Indian outfit.

 

[Knight Shift]

The restaurant scene is something that might bid me about Prescott. Definitely like non chain places (Texas Roadhouse is pretty good). Def would miss the access to awesome
Indian and varied Asian cuisines we have here if Iake the move. In fact I had a chuckle seeing a billboard for an Indian restaurant that had what was clearly a white lady dressed in an Indian outfit.

We met a family from NJ yesterday who were saying they ate at "an Indian" place, and I was wondering where it was--it turned out it was a place called Indian Gardens, which is just a deli and coffee shop--they do not have Indian food. Sedona has a place called India Palace, and Prescott has the Taj Mahal, but I believe that is it. Have not tried either.

 

[vkj91]

I play golf everywhere...drink a lot of water and don't be a pussy. It is summer, staying indoors sounds like no fun. We go to Scottsdale in March, but I went LY in August.. I played Troon N, TPC, and and Kierland. Did I mention drink a lot of water? Tucson is a hundred miles from Phoenix...

My wife and kids spend about 5 weeks each summer at Kielrand.......great place.

 

[kstmar]

My wife and kids spend about 5 weeks each summer at Kielrand.......great place.

Ha..have you played golf there? Incredible place...we stayed once and everything was awesome. We're thinking about going for spring training in 2016. TPC was fun too..Mexican food is great as well.