Before there was Metro Light Rail, there was the Phoenix Railway System. The two opened almost exactly 80 years apart, but shared the same purpose: get Phoenicians around the city efficiently. Of course, the area looked a lot different back in 1887, when the railway system started, and not a…
There’s a certain art to pouring an espresso shot, and many baristas won’t serve a shot of espresso if it’s not perfect. Robbie Pfeffer, manager of The Fixx coffee shop and arts venue in Tempe, says some people take “the art of espresso shots” too seriously, but even he throws…
Automorphosis isn’t just a documentary about art cars — it’s a study in interesting people, and their often wacky obsessions. Much of what viewers see in Automorphosis falls in the “stranger than fiction” category — it’s the vision of Filmmaker Harrod Blank (an artist who created a camera-shaped van out…
So two guys walk into a one-acre field and release a mouse. They send Beagles, Fox Terriers, and Scottish Terriers out to see who can find the mouse the fastest. The Scottish Terriers never found the mouse. The Fox Terriers took 15 minutes to find it. And the Beagles found…
If you’re pumped about Spring Training, gearing up for March Madness, or even sick of the local sports teams’ general suck-age, you can find a spot to cheer, bitch, and moan with fellow fans on Phoenix.Fanster.com.This site contains separate blogs for several local sports teams, including the obvious (Phoenix Suns,…
Sprawling green lawns, life-size bronze statues, trees with roots that stretch for several feet across the ground, and a bubbling, ornate water fountain sound like components of a great park or museum. But all these things can be found in the heart of downtown Phoenix, at the oldest Roman Catholic…
When Teresa Villegas took her first trip to Mexico in 1985, she discovered something that would become a major motif in her future art works: Loteria, a Mexican card game similar to Bingo. Since then, the Phoenix artist has visited Mexico dozens of times, created a series of paintings of…
We were reluctant to try coffee soda, because the one time we drank Manhattan Special espresso soda, we thought we were going to vomit. So we had low expectations for Hazelnut Java Pop Coffee Soda. Luckily, we were pleasantly surprised at the flavor.The Java Pop was a light caramel color, and…
There’s a local men’s roller derby team called the Phoenix Rattleskates. Why? We understand why women’s roller derby is popular: there are hordes of tattooed hot chicks in skimpy uniforms wrestling and slamming into each other. It’s the only full-contact sport dominated by sexy women, and the ladies’ leagues here –…
Sometimes, we see something so often that we forget how cool and special it is. So it was for us with the Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Survivors Park. We see this little gem every time we go to Burton Barr Central Library or Giant Coffee (the park sits between…
The first Wild Wild West Con took over the Hotel Tucson and Old Tucson Studios over the weekend, highlighting the world of steampunk, which combines the technology of the Industrial Revolution with Victorian Fashion (and American Western wear and military uniforms).Lots of people dressed up for Wild Wild West Con, and many…
Sola is a hip little coffee bar in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale, and it offers a nice reprieve from daytime window shopping. Outside, retirees ogle eagle and horse sculptures while BMWs jockey for parking spaces with Mustangs. But inside Sola, people inhale the scent of fresh-brewed java and…
There’s a new sandwich on the menu at select Dilly’s Deli locations in the Valley. It’s called the “Brown Bag Fowl,” and it was invented by a local comedy group, but there’s nothing funny about this yummy lunch item. It’s seriously tasty.The Brown Bag Fowl is the brainchild of Erica…
Mothers and their daughters do many things together, from shopping and getting manicures to cooking holiday meals. But Kathy Tee and her daughter, Nancy Tee, do something together that not many mother-daughter duos do: they’re activists and advocates for medical marijuana.In 2008, the Tees formed Phoenix March, a registered non-profit…
Some time this spring, Greenway University plans to open a campus in the Valley, and offer a variety of courses related to the medical marijuana industry. In Colorado, GU offers the first-ever state-approved course in cooking medical marijuana edibles. Pending approval in Arizona, Greenway University would like to offer cannabis…
Screen legend Jane Russell, the busty actress who played opposite Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, died Monday at the age of 89. Among other things, Russell was known for her bountiful breasts — still a big selling point in Hollywood (or anywhere, for that matter).In Russell’s honor (and for…
Today, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration published a final notice on the federal register regarding the emergency ban of five chemicals commonly used in products known as “spice,” “herbal incense,” and “synthetic marijuana.” The emergency ban, which was announced last November, takes effect today. Five chemical compounds — JWH-018, JWH-073,…
Last night at School of Rock in Tempe, seven local bartenders competed for a chance to fly to New York for the national Tuaca Drinks & Ink competition and win a spread in Inked magazine. Their mission? Make the most original shot that includes Tuaca, and show off their best…
“Dwarf cars” sound like something Snow White’s vertically-challenged friends might drive, but they’re really miniature versions of full-size automobiles that are surprisingly roomy inside. They may be only waist-high, but they hold their own on both race tracks and roads — just ask the man who invented them, Maricopa resident…
We love trying new coffees and energy drinks around town, but sometimes, we want to brew our own java, and the most popular brands of coffee don’t really float our boats. It wasn’t until we picked up a can of Cafe Du Monde Coffee & Chicory that we truly fell…
For new businesses and “green” entrepreneurs, Proposition 203’s passage meant an opportunity to make some serious cash. And instead of cooking up a storm in the kitchen or inventing the latest glassware, many marijuana advocates took the “educational” route and opened “medical marijuana colleges” before the Arizona Department of Health…
Whether or not you believe in the artistic beauty of breasts and buttocks, there’s a free erotic exhibit that might bolster your faith. “OVEREXPOSED: An Exhibition of Beauty,” kicks off at adult superstore Fascinations in Tempe on Saturday, February 26.The exhibit will showcase photography by Arizona artists, and the grand…
