LightRailBlogger

A downtown bike crawl

Tony Arranaga — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:27:37 +0000

Pub crawls along the light rail are a great way to get a group of friends together and experience what downtown Phoenix has to offer. In case you don’t know, a pub crawl is when a group travels from bar to bar using mass transit or some form of alternative transportation. Since the start of the light rail in 2008, many groups here in Phoenix have organized crawls as a way to socialize while others use the format to raise money for a cause.

There was a small army of bikes on the streets of downtown Phoenix on Friday night for a bike crawl organized by my friend Cassie. Her sister Jaimee was in town tearin’ it up before her deployment to Iraq this week. We had so much fun! Cassie kept the bike crawl locations in the Roosevelt district of downtown Phoenix: Roosevelt Tavern (3rd and Roosevelt), then to Lost Leaf (5th Street and Roosevelt), Carly’s Bistro (1st and Roosevelt), and finally Seamus McCaffrey’s (Central and Monroe).

Need suggestions on how to organize your own pub crawl? First, pick a section of town with some bars that are relatively close in proximity to each other. You may even want to base your choices on which bars are having specials on the night of your crawl, or which ones are easiest to get to on foot or bike. Keep in mind you’ll need all the proper lights on your journey if you chose to ride a bike! Next, send out an email to your friends, or if you’re looking to get a larger crowd going, try using a Facebook evite to spread the word. That should do it! If a pub crawl isn’t for you, try exploring your core by organizing a restaurant crawl, a boutique crawl, or even a coffee bar crawl. Have fun!

Let me entertain you

Tony Arranaga — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:27:21 +0000

I realized last night while having dinner with my friend Tonia that there’s quite a selection of ‘go-to’ restaurants in Central Phoenix. What’s a go-to restaurant? These are restaurants I keep in mind whenever I’m looking for places to celebrate a special occasion, impress visiting friends, etc., etc. While we say goodbye to one of my favorites (here), there are still several other options for a good time – all of them are light-rail convenient.

For the most part, I love the restaurants for the same reason. They each have their own unique presentation, they have great service, and they offer an excellent dining experience with a cool urban vibe. Have a favorite near the light rail that’s not mentioned on the list? Be sure to tell me in the comments below. Need information on how to ride? Click here.

Gallo Blanco at the Clarendon Hotel is a good walk or short bike ride from the Indian School station (info).
Hanny’s which is within walking distance from the Central and Washington station in the heart of downtown (info).
Hula’s Modern Tiki which is just south of the Camelback station (info).
Postino on Central which is uptown at the Camelback station (info).
St Francis also located a few blocks from the Camelback station (info)

Take the Phoenix METRO light rail to the art museum

Tony Arranaga — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:21:18 +0000

LRB fan Jason shares his trip to the Phoenix Art Museum using the METRO light-rail in a video piece that he produced. In case you not familiar with the area, the museum is on the northeast corner of Central and McDowell, which is across the street from the McDowell station in Downtown Phoenix. Going to the museum? Jason suggests using the audio tour during your visit. Jason says it’s a great way to learn about the pieces on display at your own pace.

The museum always brings wonderful collections to the metro-Phoenix area. Currently, there’s an incredible Ansel Adams exhibit which I highly recommend (here). If you like tea, then you won’t want to miss my friends from Souvia Tea who are lending their expertise to a museum event being held at the end of the month. Souvia owner Kerstin Wingert will be on hand to talk about Yixing pots, which are made from a special clay that retains some of the tea flavor after several pots. Souvia will also have a tasting of their Oolong tea at the event. The lecture is part of a bigger exhibit on Yixing pots currently on display at the museum. For more information on the Wingert’s event, click here.