A Day in Downtown Phoenix

Find Out What the Heart of Phoenix Has to Offer

By Elizabeth Shell

Downtown Phoenix has been revamping, rebuilding and rebranding itself as the metro area has continued to expand outward in just about every direction. Have all or part of a day to spend stay-cationing? Lucky you-you have some time to discover some old and new gems in downtown Phoenix.

EARLY MORNING

Head forMurphy's Bridle Path to get your day started with a boost. Just north of the downtown area,Murphy's Bridle Path is a well-worn dirt trail along the east side of Central Ave. The path is a favorite for local walkers and joggers, and plenty bring their toddlers in strollers or their dogs.

The main appeal to the path is the beautiful scenery along the three-mile trail; located between Bethany Home Rd. and Northern Ave., this part of Phoenix will take you alongside houses and churches with perfectly manicured lawns and stunning architecture. Ash trees line and shade the majority of the path, which has been designated historic by the Phoenix Historic Preservation Office along with the irrigation lateral on the west side of Central Ave.

Dirt is one of the best natural surfaces to run or jog on due to the softer impact on your ankles and knees. Combined with the fresh air, getting your heart rate up, and taking in the natural and man-made beauty, this earlymorning wake-up along Murphy's Bridle Path is motivation to get out of bed and will leave your entire body feeling fresh and energized, without the soreness later.

BREAKFAST

Next, visitMy Florist Café for a yummy, classy breakfast. The best thing about doing breakfast atMy Florist is it fits every type of food mood you could possibly be in. Vegetarian? Covered. Healthy granola and fruit? All over it. French toast that reminds you powdered sugar still makes you feel like a kid (and that's not a bad thing)? Yep. Traditional eggs, bacon, sausage and buttered toast that will keep you full until tomorrow? Done, done and done.

Driving east onMcDowell toward 7th Ave. it's hard to miss the café on the north side of the street-the giant purple sign that spells out its name in a scripty font is a remnant from the actual florist shop that resided in the space for 49 years. There's live piano entertainment in the evenings, and the art and ambiance create a cool, eclectic vogue.

My Florist Café is a hot spot on weekend mornings, and is open for lunch, dinner and late night as well, but the breakfast-especially the granola-is not to be missed.

LATE MORNING

Yoga at Just BreatheWellness Sanctuary will let you indulge in a little bit of "me time" while doing your body good. Just Breathe is located a little off the beaten path on 2nd St. and Garfield. Like any good yoga studio, the atmosphere is serene and everyone is incredibly nice. The owner's dog is usually around and is always available for petting, which is guaranteed to turn any sour mood around.

What's especially nice about Just Breathe is the small class sizes and responsive instructors, meaning there's plenty of space and the class will be about what the group wants to focus on.

Also like any good yoga studio, membership is a bit pricey, but they offer specials and the first session is usually free if you're just interested in checking it out.

There's massage available too if you need the stretch and relaxation, but want a professional to do the work for you. Either way, after 75 minutes at Just Breathe, your stress will start to dissipate and your self-esteem will increase. That alone is worth the investment, besides the added flexibility, strength, toned shape and stamina a yoga practice can create.

LUNCH

Once you've had your morning workout, head to Duck and Decanter for a great lunch in an epicurean setting. Duck and Decanter looks and sounds like one of those places that's going to be rather expensive. It's not, and it's one of those gems that the local professionals know to go to on their lunch hour for a meal that's great and affordable.

It's a sandwich and salad shop, but even the lowly, comfort food go-to of PB&J is taken to the next level. The peanut butter is made in house. The cheeses are artisan. The meat is rich and the veggies are fresh. Even the pickles come in their own special pickle baggies. It would all seem pretentious if it weren't so good and easily affordable. A specialty sandwich and drink runs under $10. The Smokey Forrest and the Bacon, Tomato and Cheese sandwiches are especially excellent.

With freeWi-Fi, bottles of wine and bags of grind-your-own coffee for sale along with cutesy kitsch, Duck and Decanter is a convenient, yummy and cheerful place to have lunch.

AFTERNOON

The HeardMuseum is the place to go to when you're not in the mood for a traditional museum experience. Judging the HeardMuseum from Central Ave., it's a complete fooler; it looks like a small if well-maintained building- the kind one might expect for a state history or local geological museum.

Once inside, it's a completely different story. The museum opens up into room after room of galleries and collections. Each area is overwhelmingly full of prehistoric, historic and contemporary Native American art. The various exhibitions in the 10 galleries are compelling and emotional on many levels-some are nostalgic, some show pride for individual tribes and some show the mundanity and joy of family and daily survival. The most gripping pointedly show the reality of war, the struggle for identity and the anguish of loss after the Europeans arrived.

There are outdoor sculpture gardens, a cafe and a fun trading-post style gift shop as well. But for a really special treat, don't miss the world-famous hoop dance competition. The next event will take place on the weekend of Feb. 13-14, 2010. Be sure to arrive early-the competition takes place on the sweeping, circular front lawn, and the space fills up quickly. And take the Light Rail if you can-traffic slows to a crawl on Central Ave. as drivers slow to watch the event as they pass by.

LATE AFTERNOON PICK-ME-UP

Hob Nobs is one of those local coffee houses every neighborhood wished it had. OnMcDowell and 3rd Ave., the great coffee and freeWi-Fi meet the basic requirements for a coffee house. But it's the spaciousness, comfy chairs and big tables (perfect for setting up your laptop, books, coffee, notes and phone without bothering anyone else's space), full breakfast, lunch and pizza menus and diverse mix of music, local art and knick-knacks that make it an enjoyable place.

If you're in a noshing mood, be sure to pick up the fresh tomato and mozzarella salad (the balsamic vinegar dressing is addictive). It's hard to go wrong on the coffee menu, but the cafe mocha is especially good.

DINNER

Hula'sModern Tiki offers healthy food that isn't the same old, same old. Up Central Ave. toward Camelback is the new and decidedly hip island cuisine restaurant. Tucked in the same area as HausModern Living and Oliver and Annie boutiques, the open restaurant and fire pit lend a relaxed and friendly vibe.

The menu is full of fish, coconut, mangoes,Maui onions, blackened chicken and fiery spiciness. Happy hour prices are great-signature drinks and appetizers for $5 each-and the menu is diverse enough to keep just about everybody happy (meaning there's hamburgers and steak, but no chicken tenders. Sorry, kids).

Hula's also carries a unique wine made from pineapple, and if you ask nicely enough you can sample it before committing to a full glass. If you like mixed drinks made with pineapple syrup, this wine is right up your alley. If not, spend your money on dessert. The key lime pie is fresh and bright, and is a great follow to the delicious, savory umami taste of Hula's pan-fried hapu dinner.

EVENING ENTERTAINMENT

Civic Space Park provides the perfect spot to walk off dinner while enjoying dazzling lights and scenery. The new, multi-use park is located in the block of land between Arizona State University's downtown campus on Central Ave. and the YMCA on 1st Ave. It has a strong urban and ecofriendly feel, and the open grassy areas are perfect for a quick game of Frisbee or sitting to watch the stars.

Night is when the Civic Space truly comes alive. The multiple light sculptures are mesmerizing, including poles of changing light along the Central Ave. side, and a mammoth art fixture fashioned out of colored wire and illuminated by colored lights floating stories above the park. The dancing water feature that shoots out of the ground amid colored lights is fun for kids of any age to play in.

On certain nights the Civic Space plays movies on a big screen, hosts fairs and is a venue for shows. The recently restored historic A.E. England Building houses Fair Trade Café and Store, and is often used for public events or showcasing local artwork. Even if there's nothing going on that night, the park is big and interesting enough to enjoy a meandering walk or bike ride among friends.

LATE NIGHT

Downtown Phoenix is full of places for late night shenanigans. If children and those under 21 are part of the group, head to the Arizona Center between 3rd St., Van Buren and 5th St. It's the perfect place to get local Cold Stone Creamery ice cream for the kids and catch a movie. The garden along the Van Buren is beautiful-wooden benches, dirt paths, little ponds and blue lights strung on the palm trees create a sweet and peaceful way to end the evening, whether by yourself, with a partner or in a group.

If everyone in the group is of proper drinking age, then head to The Roosevelt Tavern on 3rd St. just south of Garfield St. On tap are lots of local favorites, including a wide selection from Four Peaks, and lots of unique local and regional craft beers that you've never heard of but have to try. The menu is small but almost everything is quite good and wards off that late-night hunger. The fact that the food is yummy should come as no surprise; Roosevelt Tavern owner Matt Pool is the owner, chef and proprietor behind Matt's Big Breakfast, the insanely popular and insanely small breakfast place also in downtown Phoenix, as well as Giant Coffee, which is scheduled to open in winter 2010.

The Roosevelt is the locals' neighborhood bar of choice (it was awarded "Best Of" by Phoenix New Times last year). It's a bit small, appropriately dark-lit, and there's never quite enough space at the bar. It's so good and such a match for the downtown Phoenix atmosphere that any day spent in the city should end here.

Elizabeth Shell is a freelance multimedia producer in Phoenix.