Arizona Bucket List

[chumley]

The good folks at Gannett came up with a "bucket list" of 50 things you need to do before, well, before the Republic goes out of business? :roll:

Apparently the Arizona Republic only represents Phoenix because it is centered only on things you must do in the valley. Though one could argue that Cave Creek, Goldfield, and the White Tanks are not actually IN the valley. But I digress...

Read the complete article if you wish. There are nice descriptions and details on each item. http://www.azcentral.com/arizona-bucket ... to-do.html

The abridged version is as follows:

The Ultimate Arizona Bucket List

1. Drive up to Dobbins Point on South Mountain
2. Savor a French mint truffle at Glendale's Cerreta Candy Co.
3. Play the 16th hole at the TPC Scottsdale
4. Tour the Arizona State Capitol
5. Enjoy a tea ceremony at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Phoenix.
6. Drink a dry martini at Durant's
7. Watch a haboob roll in from Jade Bar at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort.
8. Lunch at downtown Phoenix's Pizzeria Bianco.
9. Rent a kayak and float down the Salt River
10. Witness the Wurlitzer pipe organ at Mesa's Organ Stop Pizza.
11. Dine at Monti's La Casa Vieja in Tempe.
12. Picnic inside Hole-in-the-Rock at Phoenix's Papago Park.
13. Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving
14. Ride the live bull-riding at the Buffalo Chip Saloon in Cave Creek.
15. See "Late Nite Catechism"
16. Dine at Phoenix's Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe.
17. Visit the Soleri Bridge and Plaza during the summer solstice.
18. Be seen at the Heard Museum
19. Prove mind over matter at the Arizona Science Center's bed of nails
20. Surrender to "Knight Rise" at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.
21. Play hooky from work and attend a Cactus League spring-training game.
22. Scottsdale's Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event in January.
23. Savor the taste of an authentic tortilla at Carolina's in Phoenix.
24. Pick the peaches at Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek.
25. Gawk at the large birds at the Chandler Ostrich Festival in March.
26. Take a free barn tour at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show in February.
27. Pay for a seat at the table of Scottsdale Culinary Festival's Friends of the James Beard Dinner.
28. Tour the Wrigley Mansion.
29. Desert Botanical Garden's Las Noches de Las Luminarias.
30. tour of Taliesin West in Scottsdale.
31. Wildlife World Zoo and Aquariumin Litchfield Park.
32. Watch a gunfight at Goldfield Ghost Town near Apache Junction.
33. witness as many as 20,000 bats journey out to their nighttime feeding at the "bat cave" near 40th Street and Camelback.
34. See a show at the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix.
35. Experience spaceflight at Challenger Space Center of Arizona in Peoria.
36. reserve the exclusive Brick Oven Table at Quiessence at South Mountain.
37. Dine atop the Compass Arizona Grill at the Hyatt Regency.
38. Hike the Valley's Mount Everest at sunrise —Camelback Mountain
39. Sing with Walt Richardson, Valley reggae/folk legend and host of the walk-in Wednesday open-mike night at Tempe Center for the Arts.
40. Halloween tour of the Rosson House in downtown Phoenix.
41. Visit the Robert Indiana "LOVE" sculpture on the Scottsdale Mall.
42. Petroglyphs at Waterfall Trail in White Tank Mountain Regional Park.
43. Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix.
44. Citizen R+D in Scottsdale.
45. Tour Tovrea Castle
46. Native Trails at the Civic Center Mall in Scottsdale.
47. Splurge with an overnight stay at the Arizona Biltmore.
48. Toss one back at Four Peaks Brewery in Tempe.
49. Book a twilight dinner cruise on the Dolly Steamboat at Canyon Lake.
50. Cattletrack Arts Compound in Scottsdale.

I've done only 14 as described, but 5 more partially (I've been to Durant's but not had a martini there, seen a haboob, but not from Sanctuary, etc.)
There's 3 that I would like to do sometime (this is the first I've heard about the bat cave!), and at least 10 that I can't understand why ANYBODY would EVER want to do them. But I guess that's just me!

[Bradshaws]

I've done a few on that list but #21 is my favorite Not being at work, laying in the grass, cold beer just watching the game and once again not being at work


No Grand Canyon anywhere on that list?!?!

[Espi]

48... good old number 48

[mazatzal]

Haven't done #48 as described

[BobP]

Wow...I've done several of those things. Some of them are wicked boring to me now. Last time I played the TPC was in 1992 or 1993. Haven't played golf(boring) in about twenty years but Bruno told me about a cool golf game he learned. Haven't been invited to Durant's in a long time either.

[chumley]

I'll invite you to Durants if you're ok with picking up the tab.

[beterarcher]

(this is the first I've heard about the bat cave!)

It's pretty cool. I found mention of it on geocache com.

golf(boring)

Golf courses are only good for fishing.

[Tortoise_Hiker]

I'll invite you to Durants if you're ok with picking up the tab.

I remember when I delivered old man Durant.He kept his old Basset hound in the office with him.The good ol days.

[azbackpackr]

Adding to what Chumley said: Thread title should be "Phoenix Bucket List" or "Valley of the Sun Bucket List." As usual, so utterly provincial. The Arizona Republic "Valley and State" page usually barely acknowledges Tucson, Yuma, Flagstaff or any other area of the state. The name of the newspaper has always bothered me also, for the same reason.

However, since I'm moving, I've been hoping to find a Sunday edition (for free of course) so that I can use it for packing material. I can't seem to find any neighbors who subscribe to it any longer. Last time I bought one it was so small, it only came in useful to pack a few boxes and start a few fires in my fireplace.

[beterarcher]

@azbackpackr
The last time I got one there were no classified adds in it and it was barely enough to line the bottom of my bird's cage.

[chumley]

I remember when I delivered old man Durant.

I knew you were old, but never knew you were an OB/GYN. Fascinating stuff you learn here in the forums!

[Tortoise_Hiker]

Your a funny.....

[chumley]

Thank you. I'll be here all week. Don't forget to tip your servers and bartenders.

[te_wa]

16 of them. #48, maybe a few times ;)
(and, um, yes.. watching a sunset from Plateau Point is better)

[paulhubbard]

#48, maybe a few times

It now needs to be 48a and 48b since there are two 4 Peaks locales in Tempe. Done `em both more than once! Kiltlifter, yumm!!

[mazatzal]

48a, 48b and 48c
3 locations: 4 pks at FLW and 101 has been open for many years,
my issue with 48 is "toss one back" two or more is better than one

[azbackpackr]

This has had me thinking that we each must have our own Arizona bucket list. Mine includes the following:
1. 330-mile Lower Colorado Kayak trip from Hoover Dam to Yuma's West Wetlands Park, using this cart http://www.nrs.com/product/159313/c-tug ... iwi-wheels to tow my kayak around the 6 (or so) dams. Take about 3 weeks.
2. Finish hiking all named trails off S. Rim (forget about routes, folks, I'm getting too creaky in the joints.) (I don't have too many miles left to finish this project).
3. Hike all named trails off N. Rim, (sorry, mikehikes, but I am not going to attempt your N. Rim line, hundreds of miles of off-trail hiking)
4. Central Arizona, where I've spent very little time, needs some time on foot.
5. Arizona Trail, either sections or the whole enchilada.
6. Row the whole Canyon, including House Rock, Horn Creek, Lava, Crystal, Dubie, Walthenburg, and a lot of others So far, my biggest rapid is Granite, but it's just big, not very techical.
7. Oh. For some reason, although I've camped, hiked and hunted deer in the Chiricahuas, I've never been backpacking there. Add that to the list.
8. A whole bunch more. More time in the Blue. Arizona Strip. Hualapais, Kofas, Mazatzals, Eagle Tails, Huachucas, etc. Still not interested in Paria unless someone else does all the planning.
9. Shoes that fit. I've had a hard time this year with shoes. Biking and kayaking work well for me, because I can't find shoes to fit me.

[big_load]

I don't think my AZ list would look very much like that, but I've done six of those. I wouldn't rate any of them among my top 50 AZ experiences.

[JoelHazelton]

Camelback is now Arizona's Mount Everest?

[big_load]

Camelback is now Arizona's Mount Everest?

It's sort of the Everest of short shorts and flip-flops.