5 Cool Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Weekend

Astronomy in the Garden

Humankind has often looked to the skies for answers, but when was the last time you, personally, got a good look at the stars? This weekend you can become re-acquainted with the Sonoran sky at the Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 North Galvin Parkway. An instructor from the Phoenix Astronomical Society will lead a group to an ideal location in the garden, where the class will experience an educational celestial evening both with and without telescopes.

Astronomy at the Garden launches at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 15, and the stargazing continues until 10 p.m. Enrollment in the class is $32 for the general public and $25 for members. For more information, visit dbg.org or call 480-941-1225. Katrina Montgomery


ARTELPHX 2015

If you’ve lived in Phoenix for at least the last couple years and haven’t heard of ARTELPHX, you’ve been missing out big time. But don’t worry; it’s never too late to improve yourself. ARTELPHX Spring 2015, the fourth installment of this art show, will take over the Clarendon Hotel, 401 West Clarendon Avenue, during the weekend of Friday, May 15. And we really mean “take over.” Pieces of visual, performing, and interactive art will fill the hotel’s lobby, pool area, and a fair amount of rooms. In the past, guests have been encouraged to take artistic selfies, add on to a jungle of glowing plastic tubes linked together, and witness new pieces by both emerging and established local artists. We can’t don’t know what will be on display this time around, but we sure we don’t want to miss it. For more information and a list of exhibiting artists, visit www.artelphx.com. Evie Carpenter


"Super Heroes"

Move over Avengers — the real “Super Heroes” are here. The newest Heard Museum art exhibit offers a Native American view point on what makes a super hero. These views, mostly drawings and works on paper, include animals, humans and magical beings who fight “evil” in everyday life, as well as people who’ve heroically overcome great odds to succeed.

Be there opening day, which runs from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 16, at the Heard Museum, 2301 North Central Avenue. General admission is $23, and there's an additional $5 fee for this special exhibition. Admission is free for American Indians and children 5 and under. Call 602-252-8848 or visit www.heard.org. Glenn BurnSilver


The 40 Year Old Boy

L.A. comedian Mike Schmidt has been spewing out his stream-of-consciousness podcast The 40 Year Old Boy for seven years. By now, he’s aged out of the title. But the often funny, sometimes perplexing monologue continues, and Schmidt gets points for sheer stick-to-it-iveness as well as entertainment value. The effect is that of a long, somewhat ooky phone call with a weird but beloved friend.

When Schmidt comes to Phoenix, according to host Space 55, we’ll also find out whether “bees thrive in the desert heat.” We live here, Mike, but go ahead and tell us. It’s bound to be interesting and maybe a little paranoid. Tickets are $20 for the one-night-only show at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16, at 636 East Pierce Street. Visit www.space55.org. Julie Peterson


Yoga & Mimosas

We tend to think that things are generally better accompanied by or chased with cocktails — tedious friend catch-up sessions, really boring meetings at work, tiresome workouts. It’s all about balance, right? Midtown yoga studio Sutra knows a little something about balancing the old yin and yang. Which is precisely why a few of its instructors are heading to The Newton, 300 West Camelback Road, on Sunday, May 17, for Yoga & Mimosas. With DJs in the mix, mats on the floor, and mimosas waiting to be sipped, this class gets bent starting at 10 a.m. $15 gets you in, and Changing Hands’ First Draft Book Bar will be there for the post-class happy hour with $3 mimosas, plus pretzels, beers, and other things that will blissfully even out any exerted energy. See the Facebook event page. Becky Bartkowski

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