Phoenix, Arizona - Discovering
what the City had to offer made for busy days
by Joe Hilbers
We recently returned from a truly
wonderful travel experience at Phoenix, Arizona. It
was our very first visit to Phoenix and when we
returned we wondered why it had taken us so long to
discover such a treasure.
Actually we have over decades made many visits to
Arizona but these always took place in a 45 foot
recreational vehicle and through the years we
learned to avoid city streets and downtown areas
while driving it.
These earlier trips had always been to discover and
explore Arizona's many natural wonders like the
Grand Canyon, both north and south rims,
Superstition Mountains, Skiing Mt. Lemmon, a
historic rail trip to the South rim and Yuma to name
a few But the RV is now history and on this trip it
was to experience what Phoenix ha to offer the
visitor.
We have often pondered the question on how important
the choice of lodging as a base is to the success of
a recreational and exploration experience? On this
trip to Phoenix our choice was the WigWam Inn and
Resort located in Litchfield Park and it proved to
be a resounding success story. From the moment we
arrived and were captivated by the classic Spanish
southwest architecture, beautifully maintained
grounds and boundless space it offered. Once
registered there was a guide in a golf cart we
followed to our room which was almost a separate
building with a parking spot for the car steps away.
He explained there was a front door for entree and a
back door for convenient car unloading. By the front
door was a private patio with table and chairs.
Inside a huge room with two queen beds, step in
shower and large tub, a walk in closet and a
counter, sink and refrigerator. All this with the
decor of the early southwest.
The Greater Phoenix Visitors Bureau had provided us
with a long list of things to see and do during our
stay and the WigWam was the perfect hub for our
constant coming and going.
We quickly discovered that Phoenix shared one thing
with much of Southern California cities as being
spread out in every direction, often with
communities with separate names but when moving
about finding it difficult to determine where one
ended and the next began. The freeway system is
excellent and to our joy with none of the heavy
traffic we were accustomed to at home. It moved us
quickly to communities like Litchfield Park, Peoria
and Glendale
One of our first visits was to the Heard Museum in
Phoenix. We had already knew something of this
massive collection devoted to the
first inhabitants of the southwest, their way of
life, culture, art and artifacts.
We met Mark Scarp, communications manager at the
Heard and he personally was our guide as we toured
the exhibits.
Currently the museum is featuring a special
exhibition on the Santa Fe Railroad and the Fred
Harvey Company, the concessionaire,and its impact on
how it gave so many thousands of travelers their
first impression of little known Arizona and the
south west. As a railroad buff this exhibition
presenting the Fred Harvey story was of special of
interest to us.
As fellow journalists Mark and I instantly bonded
when we learned we shared professions and Italian
heritage.
The Heard Museum is located at 2301 N. Central
Avenue in Phoenix and open seven days a week from
9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Telephone 602 252-8848.
Also that day we visited the MIM, Musical Instrument
Museum where exhibits take one on a world wide tour
of music and how it varies from country to country.
Your tour includes state of the art audio and video
so as you approach each exhibit you begin to see and
hear the actual music the instruments are creating.
The museum has separate galleries for each
continent, Europe, Asia, North and South America and
Africa. For the U.S. there are separate exhibits for
blue grass, country, jazz, blues and
also featuring artists like Johnny Cash and Elvis
Presley, icons of their
times and music. It requires many visits to truly
appreciate and learn
about all that is offered here.
The MIM is located at 4725 E. Mayo Blvd., Phoenix
and open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m . For more
information on the web at MIM.org or telephone 480
478-6000.
Of special interest to us was Arizona's wine
industry and the place we learned about this was
Winery 101 which is located in Peoria. Arizona. Here
we met Kara, daughter of Irlyn and Gavin Gallifant
who started making Arizona wines in 2008. Kara, who
operates the Winery 101 tasting room in Peoria, was
a fountain of information on the 20 varietals the
family produces on two labels, Gallifant Cellars for
single varietal wines and South Paw Cellars for
their blends. But also on the state's other twenty
wineries and location of vineyards mostly located in
Wilcox and Cottonwood.
We tasted five wines including Gallifant 2012
Cabernet Sauvignon which recently earned a bronze
award at a competition. The only wine we tasted that
was not from Arizona grapes was a Gallifant Cellars
2013 Sangiovese from central California vineyards.
The South Paw Cellars wine we tasted was 2014 Rone
Ranger blend of Grenache and Syrah. The spelling of
Rone intentional.
In Peoria, Arizona the Winery 101 Tasting Room is
located at 9299 W. Olive Ave and open daily with
special events staged on weekends. Hours are 2 p.m.
to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and weekends 2 p.m. to 8
p.m. For more information call 520 477-9463. Kara
informed us that there is a second Tasting Room at
the winery in Cottonwood.
To learn more about Peoria we met with Jennifer
Stein, head of communications, over breakfast one
morning. The City considers itself ideal for family
entertainment and sports since it includes Lake
Pleasant, the second largest lake in the State. We
were back in Peoria one evening to attend a dinner
show at the Arizona Broadway Theatre. Here to go
with stage entertainment there is sit-down table
service, cocktails, wine service and great views
from every table. The show we saw was Rock of Ages
which made us feel right at home since it is set on
L.A.'s Sunset Strip in the 1980s. It was just one of
the many shows the Arizona Broadway bills each year.
Coming up next was Shrek, The Musical.
To learn more about the Broadway Theatre located at
7701 W. Paradise Lane in Peoria call 623 776-8400,
web wwwazbroadway.org.
Another day we met with Lorraine Zomak to learn
about Glendale, which thanks to being the spring
training headquarters for the Los Angeles Dodgers
and Chicago White Sox, now hosts scores of fans
following the teams.
Lorraine, who is president and CEO of Visit
Glendale, also led us on a tour of Cerreta Candy
Company which is the largest in Arizona. Here
Krystle Stephens took over as guide and she
explained each step in producing carmels,
chocolates, creams and other vartieties each in a
separate section of the plant. The plant and candy
store offers two tours every day and as we left
Krystle was starting a tour that included about
sixty people of all ages. with special hats for
children.
Cerreta Candy Company is located at
5345 W. Glendale Avenue in Glendale and the tours take place at 10
a.m. and 2 p.m. each day.
Lorraine also gave us some history of
Glendale which was founded in the 1890s as a center
for ranching and agriculture in the Valley of the
Sun. Downtown Glendale still shows some of its
historic past.
Another Vittles story will describe our culinary
adventures and more on our stay at the delightful
five star WigWam Resort.
© 2016
Joe Hilbers All Rights Reserved.