Fun & Games

You've no doubt noticed Christown Lanes. With its jutting angles and midcentury style, the bowling alley has long been one of the coolest-looking buildings in Phoenix, a reminder of our Atomic Age past. But recently, the folks at AMF have given the place a striking makeover and new name: Bowlero. While everything you dug about the place remains intact — from league nights to a bustling bar and arcade — the new attention is certainly an upgrade. It's a thrill to see a kitschy Phoenix treasure actually treasured, and even if the whole black light trend doesn't entirely bowl us over, the excitement of an old-school meets new-school attraction in Christown certainly lands like a strike.

Hole-in-the-Rock at Papago Park is just the spot for a sunrise hike. We don't need anything challenging so early — a quick hike up to the hole at 5:30 in the morning is plenty. The area around the hole is smooth; bring a blanket and spread out. Once it's light, there are longer trails to hike and bike, plus you're not far from downtown Tempe or central Phoenix. Coffee beckons.

"Wastewater treatment" doesn't bring to mind a natural oasis. But in Gilbert, the city's water management system has birthed a surprisingly popular birdwatching venue. The city began storing treated wastewater in a series of ponds in the mid-1980s near Guadalupe and Gilbert roads, and birds such as egrets and warblers flocked to the site as a result. Birdwatchers dutifully followed, and now the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch attracts thousands of people every year. Fans praise the waterfront because of how many species you can spot: Shorebirds and herons are common, but birders can also glimpse hawks and owls.

Goats: They're just like us! They scream for attention, they're known for overeating, and now they participate in trendy group fitness classes. Goat yoga is growing in popularity all over the country, and in metro Phoenix, the place to do it is Arizona Goat Yoga. Longtime friends April Gould, a goat farmer, and Sarah Williams, a yoga teacher, have combined their interests to create a fun, low-impact experience. Participants show up at one of several farms in the far southeast Valley with a towel or a mat, then spend about an hour doing basic poses as baby goats and miniature goats dressed in outfits and accessories frolic among (and on) them. If yoga really isn't your thing, but playing with goats is, that's not a problem: You have to pay to attend, but once you're there, you can do as little or as much actual yoga as you want. Variations on the basic class include the Goat Yoga Pajama Party (the goats wear PJs, not the humans) and the glowstick-heavy Goat Yoga Rave. We can't say we got much of a workout, but animals dressed up in costumes make any exercise session more enjoyable.

Though our neighbors to the west have the most famous Joshua trees, Arizona has a stash of the U2-favorited agave plant definitely worth hitting the road to see. Hop in the car and head toward Las Vegas on U.S. Route 93. There's not much to see for a while, but eventually desert peculiarities emerge. First, you'll see the strange Snoopy Rocket of Wikieup, then you'll began spotting random Joshua trees until you hit a thick, dense forest of them nestled in the desert landscape. You'll also spot a sign reading "Joshua Tree Parkway of Arizona" — that is, if you can take your eyes off the trees.

The time for wildflowers — our short yet beautiful spring season in March, April, and May — is a special time. Colorful Arizona wildflowers line the side of the road, fill up our backyards and garden centers, and populate the landscape of many hiking trails. A scenic one in particular is the Dixie Mountain Loop Trail at the Phoenix Sonoran Preserve in north Phoenix. This single-track, 4.7-mile trail has an elevation gain of 807 feet, and there are lots of cactus, yucca, blooming cholla, and desert flowers like yellow Mexican prickly poppy and purple lupine. And keep an eye out for that burnt-out vehicle along the trail. The whole thing takes about an hour or more, and dogs are welcome on a leash. And as there are no trees, consider a hat, sunscreen, and your phone on full brightness for shots of the flowers.

Goldilocks would love Pinnacle Peak Trail. Camelback Mountain or Piestewa Peak? Too steep. South Mountain or the Superstitions? Too long. But the four-mile out-and-back path at Pinnacle Peak Park in Scottsdale is just right. It's a workout that takes an hour or two, a soul-nourishing walk through a lush, Sonoran Desert landscape, and a brush with the truly wild. What's not to love? Well, admittedly, the park could stay open longer instead of shutting its gates at sunset. But that would annoy the owners of the posh mountain homes surrounding the peak, so the park opens late and closes early, with rangers shooing everyone out when the sun sets. Get there in daylight hours, though, and the trail is yours to enjoy — along with a few hundred other visitors. Don't fret about the foot traffic, though. People tend to be friendly at this park, probably because the trail is wide enough in most places to avoid bumping elbows. The trail's 1,300 feet of elevation gain is greater than Camelback or Piestewa, but that's the average after all its ups and downs. You won't reach the Peak's summit — that's only possible with rock-climbing experience. But the trail brings you near the base of the impressive pinnacle of granite that gives the place its name. Along the way, you might spot a bobcat or hawk or (hopefully at a safe distance) a rattlesnake. If you live anywhere near this trail, it's probably already a regular favorite.

The total mileage on this one depends on where you begin. If you don't want to go from home, you can begin by parking near Power and McDowell roads in Mesa, which is near a Loop 202 exit. From there, pedal north on Power Road, which turns into Bush Highway after entering Tonto National Forest. The austere, Sonoran countryside on the highway will take your mind off the hills — of which there are plenty. A morning ride is best to avoid the boat-hauling pickups and other lake traffic. If you haven't been to the marina or lake area, take the time to ride in for a cold drink and snack. Turning around at Saguaro Lake will give riders about 25 perfect miles total. For more mileage, more hills, and more beautiful desert, keep going north a few more miles and turn around at the Beeline Highway (whether or not you stopped at the lake). Overall, it's a fantastic, destination-oriented ride.

Have you seen those new comfort bikes with the fat tires and the cushy seats? Right, you wouldn't want your friends to see you riding one. So we've got the perfect place for you. This off-the-beaten-path little canal provides smooth riding for about five miles, just south of Baseline Road in Phoenix, from Central Avenue to around South 40th Street. There are trails on both sides of the canal, paved on the south side and hard-packed dirt on the north side, which is actually smoother than the asphalt. The route provides scenic views of South Mountain as you ride past the new housing developments that are sprouting like fruit trees and cotton once did in south Phoenix. Best of all, you won't encounter a lot of other bikers, pedestrians, or dogs, and there isn't a lot of traffic to deal with at the cross streets, either. The only trailhead parking is at Circle K Park, at 12th Street.

It's time to get out of that rock gym and take your calloused fingertips to the Valley's best granite playground — the McDowell Mountains. C'mon, it's not too hot! Hundreds of rock-climbing routes populate thousands of acres of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, some accessible by specially marked trails for climbers. The Arizona Mountaineering Club identifies 18 distinct locations, each with multiple climbing routes. None of the routes is taller than 150 feet, but don't let that discourage you. It would take years to bag every route in the McDowells, and the variety and easy access is well worth the trip. Sven Slab, for instance, sports at least 25 climbs ranging from 5.4 to 5.10c, meaning there's something there for everyone. Our favorites include Sven Slab, Morrell's Wall, Gardner's Wall, and Tom's Thumb. But other spots like Granite Ballroom, Hog Heaven, Goat Hill, and Thrasher offer terrific short climbs and bouldering options. Most of the climbing areas are within a couple of miles of the Tom's Thumb trailhead parking lot. But don't expect the climbing trails to be as casual as the trails used by hikers. Be extra-cautious here to avoid trouble. Scrambling and minor boulder moves are required to get to some spots. Plus, some areas are relatively remote, even when you can see houses far below. While on your belay ledge, keep an eye — and camera — out for sightings of wild horses, javelinas, and other desert wildlife.

People drive from all over metro Phoenix to visit the Phoenix Rock Gym, which is actually in Tempe. Sure, there are other rock gyms in the area, and some of them are pretty good. But none match the state's first rock gym for style and camaraderie. PRG opened in 1992 as a labor of love by local climbers. How has it survived all of these years, through multiple recessions, when so many Valley businesses have closed? Again, love. Yes, the gym has two kickass bouldering areas, an exclusive lead-climbing room, and enough 30-foot-high routes for any grade of climber. As a place to work out and improve skills, it's a phenomenal facility. But it's not just the exercise that brings customers back. Going to the PRG is like going home. It's a comforting place that feels safe, and not just because of the padded floors. You get the pump and excitement you need there, but also — if you're open to it — genuine, non-electronic socializing. Egos are on display only minimally, and it's rare for unfriendliness to mar the experience. That ultra-ripped 5.13 climber cheering you on actually wants to see you nail that 5.9, because you tried. Besides the easygoing clientele, PRG boasts a terrific staff — friendly folks who take time to get to know the regulars, and who are as patient as kindergarten teachers in instructing newcomers with no climbing experience. May PRG's doors always stay open and its swamp coolers never fail.

Big Surf is a Valley tradition, and with good reason. The nation's first wave pool offers respite from the summer heat and (lesser-known fact) a damn good place for serious surfers to practice when California is a little too far. Add classic pools, slides, and thatched roofs, and you've got your weekend plans right there.

When it comes to hotel pools in metro Phoenix, we've got an embarrassment of riches. There are more beautiful resorts than you can shake a pool noodle at, and most of them have water features we'd be happy to visit. But of all the swimming holes in town, there's nowhere we'd rather be than the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in north Scottsdale. The Adventure Water Park welcomes all ages and includes the Adventure Pool, a 110-foot-long water slide, a FlowRider attraction for when you're feeling active, and a lazy river you can tube down when you're not. There are plenty of deck chairs for lounging poolside, and stylish cabanas available for rent. And when we're done with the high-energy fun and just want to relax, we head over to the adults-only Aguamiel Pool for a more serene swimming experience. Best of all, you can buy a resort pass for the day, so you don't have to fork over the cash for a room to experience the best hotel pool in town.

The people at Talking Stick Resort and Casino start their pool party season in early April, and no one is complaining. The 21-and-over crowd is welcome at the Release Pool Party held on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The 2017 Release season started off with that wild child Dillon Francis, and continued bringing in popular DJs and the party crowds every weekend through at least Labor Day. Bikini-clad babes and dudes in trunks can hit the pool, the bar, or the heavy mob of music fans gathered by the stage where headliners like Steve Aoki and Taryn Manning get the party started. There are also options to reserve a cabana or daybed for you and friends.

The Talking Stick Resort and Casino in Scottsdale has it all. Roulette, slots, and keno are all on the casino floor, as well as a couple of bars and eateries. Pros can make their way to The Arena poker room, the home of the Arizona State Poker Championship. If the chips aren't your thing, Talking Stick has slots games galore. There's every kind of machine game imaginable, with equally inventive titles. "King of Macedonia," "Wild Lion," and "Cash Eruption" are a few highlights, as is "Icarus: The Journey." Just don't fly too close to the sun in the course of your gambling night.

This summer, Phoenix artist Emily Costello said she felt like she won the lottery. Actually, the lottery won her — in the form of Costello's Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) artwork, which graced scratcher tickets for several weeks. The $2 scratcher tickets recognized the Mexican multiday celebration of those who have died, which begins each year on October 31. Costello is a self-taught painter, printer, and mixed-media artist whose work is inspired by her Mexican heritage as well as her own life events. She's a member of the Phoenix Fridas, an art collective inspired by renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, and the first Arizona native to have her work on a state lottery ticket.

If you're of a certain age (say it with us: "old millennial"), you spent part of your youth hunkered down at an arcade machine, mashing buttons and jostling joysticks. Chances are less likely you did so with a frosty mug of Kiltlifter in hand. Well, young-ish person, you're in luck. Your adult and kid sensibilities now can peacefully coexist at Cobra Arcade Bar, which features incredible machines like NBA Jam, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the X-Men side-scroller, and more, along with an impressive roster of craft beers and cans. Even better are the video game-themed cocktails, including the cucumber-infused RyuKen, which is much more refreshing than a hadouken to the face. Drink up, play on — young you would be proud.

There's something about the sound of tires skidding over concrete that gets our blood moving. Even better is to feel them skidding underneath us, followed by the snappy sensation of the go-kart suddenly sticking to a straight line, zooming out of a curve. We love Octane for those visceral reasons and a whole lot more. First, Octane's a winner based solely on presentation. The facility is clean, modern-looking, and professionally run. The cafe sells beer, hamburgers, and other staples for an afternoon out. But it's the driving you come for, and Octane sure doesn't disappoint. Adult races go 14 laps; kids get 10 on somewhat slower cars. All the track's electric cars have punchy acceleration and relatively high top speeds. Yes, it's possible to get out of control if you're careless and don't follow the rules. That's what makes Octane special — it's real racing. But the last couple of times we've experienced the place, one feeling has risen above all the personal enjoyment — and that's the joy of watching a daughter scream around corners, slam into sidewalls, and raise her fist in excitement after a particularly well-driven lap. She may not have been proud of her overall finishing time — some of these kid drivers are really good! — but, unlike any video game, the sense of accomplishment that comes with learning how to race will ride with her for years.

It's hard to keep an eye on your ball with the distracting beauty of the Sierra Estrella mountain range in the background, but that doesn't stop Arizona golfers from flocking to this saguaro-spotted course. Eighteen well-maintained holes flow along the contours of the Sonoran Desert, accommodating washes and Bermuda grass-covered hillsides that add to the challenges already presented by water hazards, creatively cut sand traps, and split-level fairways. Friendly and attentive pros, groundskeepers, and staff will keep you coming back to the Nicklaus-designed course.

Let's give a Pantera call-out to the Wolf, who cleanses his vocal chords each morning with a primal scream about whatever is annoying him in sports that day. Wolfley, the co-host of Doug & Wolf on 98.7 FM, is more than just your typical aging jock-turned-sportscaster. He's an avid reader and is more likely to quote Sun Tzu or Edgar Allan Poe than he is to regurgitate the latest drivel from ESPN's Adam Schefter. Wolfley never possessed star athletic ability or size, but he not only hung on for 10 seasons in the NFL with the Cardinals, the Rams, and the Browns, he made the Pro Bowl four times. He seems to apply the same work ethic to his talk show and his job as color announcer for the Cardinals' radio broadcast team. He'll watch hours and hours of game film and tends to drone on about whether the Cards should be in an 11 formation or a 12 (who cares, just score a touchdown) — but he is at his best when he delves into the darker corners of the athletes' lives, a place where he's been many times, dissecting what drives them to excel or leads them to fail. So here's a howl for the Wolf — who never played on a winning team in the NFL. He deserves a victory here.

There is a remarkable photo taken on June 4, 1967, in Cleveland, where longtime Valley resident Muhammad Ali is surrounded by 11 of the leading African-American athletes of the time, including superstars Bill Russell and Jim Brown and a 20-year-old college basketball player named Lew Alcindor, who would rename himself Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. They came to hear why the heavyweight champion was surrendering his title to oppose the Vietnam War. They left persuaded to join their voices with his to speak out on social justice and change. "This recalls a time when Ali, not silenced by disease, was so vocal in his expression of outrage against injustice, not only against people of color in this society, but against people of color the world over," Georgetown sociology professor Michael Eric Dyson says about the photo. Ultimately, Ali's stance was credited with helping turn public opinion against the war. He returned to boxing and recaptured his crown. His voice was later silenced by Parkinson's disease, but he continued to be an ambassador for social justice and, before his death last year in Scottsdale, he helped raise millions to research the disease that robbed him of so many years of good health.

You know Diana Taurasi is something special when NBA legend Kobe Bryant brought his daughters to watch her and the Phoenix Mercury play on Father's Day. Bryant, the "Black Mamba," has nicknamed her the "White Mamba." The day that Kobe showed up also happened to be the day Taurasi became the Women's National Basketball Association's all-time leading scorer. Add that to a list of laurels that includes four Olympic gold medals, three WNBA titles, three times Euroleague player of the year, and three NCAA championships at the University of Connecticut. Phoenix also has been fruitful for Taurasi off the court: She married her former Mercury teammate Penny Taylor before the start of the 2017 season. So what did Bryant want his daughters to take away from seeing Taurasi play on Father's Day? "She takes no crap," he said.

We're hoping Phoenix's adopted son Michael Phelps didn't "jump the shark" when he raced a shark during Shark Week on The Discovery Channel, even though he lost. Not even publicity stunts should diminish the swimmer's status as another animal, the GOAT (that's Greatest of All Time) in Olympic history. Phelps made his first U.S. Olympic swim team in 2000 at age 15, and over the next 16 years, he set record after record, accumulating 28 medals: 23 gold, three silver, and two bronze, the most ever by an athlete in any Olympic sport. In the 2008 Olympics, he won eight gold medals, breaking swimmer Mark Spitz's record for the most by an individual athlete in a single Olympics. More impressive, perhaps, was his performance in the 2016 Games in Rio, when he came out of retirement at age 31 to become the oldest swimmer to win a gold medal. But one wasn't enough: He won five golds and a silver in the competition, including his fourth consecutive gold in the 200-meter individual medley. Phelps officially became a Valley resident last year when he purchased a $2.5 million home in Paradise Valley, where he lives with his wife, Nicole Johnson, and son, Boomer. He also was hired as an assistant coach for the Arizona State University swim team. But unless ASU is recruiting sharks, it's not likely to have any swimmers who can outrace their coach.

Early in the Amazon documentary All or Nothing, Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim is about to select University of Nebraska star running back Ameer Abdullah in the second round of the NFL draft, when the Detroit Lions jump in and get him ahead of our Birds. So Keim, desperate for depth at the running back position, is forced to settle for little-known David Johnson from Northern Iowa University in the third round. By the end of the documentary about the Cards' 2015 season, assistant coach Stump Mitchell is telling Johnson that's he's going to be a Hall of Famer. Never has bad luck turned out so good for an Arizona sports team. Johnson starred as a rookie in 2015 after starters Andre Ellington and Chris Johnson went down with injuries. Then he became one of the most potent weapons in the league in 2016, when he led the NFL with 20 touchdowns and more than 2,100 yards from scrimmage — 1,239 rushing and 879 receiving. So after beginning his career as the 86th person taken in his draft class, he is now ranked by the NFL Network as the 12th best player in all of pro football. And even though Johnson suffered a wrist injury in the season opener against the Detroit Lions that will keep him on the sidelines for a while, we're hopeful that he'll be healthy and back in the game soon.

Maggie Ewen learned the hammer throw as a child in a barn on her family's farm in Minnesota. But this hammer has nothing to do with building a barn. The women's hammer is a nine-pound steel ball attached to a four-foot chain, which the ASU junior spun around and around until she hurled it farther than any other female athlete in NCAA history. Ewen won the 2017 NCAA hammer throw with a collegiate record of 70.32 meters (240 feet, seven inches for those of you who haven't converted to metric yet). She also finished second in the discus and sixth in the nation in shot put. And she won all three events in the Pac-12 championships. Ewen was named the 2017 Outdoor Women's National Field Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Obviously, she's long since outgrown throwing the hammer and the shot and the discus in the barn — or else that barn has a lot of holes in it.

Actually, as you read this, DeAndre Ayton would already be a millionaire except for an arcane National Basketball Association rule that demands high school athletes must pretend to attend college, wink, wink, for at least a semester before they can sign an eight-figure contract. Ayton is from the Bahamas, but for two years, he attended something called Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix. The 7-footer led the so-called high school team, which is sponsored by Nike (seriously) to a 33-6 record this past season. He averaged 27.9 points, 18.2 rebounds, 3.7 blocks, and 3.3 assists. Local fans won't be happy that he'll fulfill his required college experience at the University of Arizona, but by June he'll be gone from Tucson, as he's already projected as a potential No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Which means if the Suns are bad enough again, he could return to Phoenix to play professionally, this time for real. Another Phoenix teen, Marvin Bagley III, will also go high in the draft, but he's headed for Duke University first, and we're not such big Duke fans.

Why stay in school when you can go work for the NBA's Phoenix Suns and become a millionaire? Heading into the season, the Suns had five designated drivers on the team — and that had nothing to do with their ability to take the ball to the hoop. Shooting guard sensation Devin Booker, power forwards Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss, and small forwards Josh Jackson and Derrick Jones Jr. are all 20 years old or younger — not even old enough to drink legally. And all but Jackson, a rookie, are already NBA veterans. They each left college after their freshman year, as did 20-somethings Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight. At the end of last season, with several veterans sidelined by injury, the Suns' roster was younger than all the college teams that reached the NCAA Final Four in Glendale. Four Suns — Booker and point guards Knight, Bledsoe, and Tyler Ulis — are products of the one-and-done college basketball factory otherwise known as the University of Kentucky, a school that regularly hires, er, enrolls, top players for a year as required by NBA rules, then sends them off to professional riches. But if the Suns kids want to know what the college experience was really like — well, it won't do any good to chat with the team's old man, 34-year-old Tyson Chandler. Back in the day, when it was allowed, he went to the NBA directly from his high school graduation.

Arizona-themed apparel by the local clothing company State Forty Eight has been one of our favorite ways to show off our desert-dweller pride since 2013. So we were thrilled earlier this year when the Arizona Diamondbacks announced that the clothier was partnering with the team for the 2017 season. As a part of the collaboration, the Rally-backs (those nice girls who throw free T-shirts at people) have been outfitted in State Forty Eight gear this season, and several cool shirt designs have been available at the D-backs Team Shop at Chase Field and on the State Forty Eight website. (We're partial to the vintage-style baseball tee emblazoned with the word Arizona in the D-backs font and a simple line drawing of the state.) Also, the team gave away 20,000 State Forty Eight-designed shirts at a home game in July, ensuring there are a lot of stylish sports fans walking around town these days.

Let's face it — there's no bad place to watch spring training in Arizona. If you're at a game, you're likely either retired, on vacation, or skipping work. Many fans favor the grander stadiums like Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, where our Diamondbacks play, and the new digs in Mesa for the World Champion (doesn't that sound strange?) Chicago Cubs. But we agree with Texas baseball fan and author Dan Hammond (Delbert Judd, The Solomon Twist). He prefers the stadium in Peoria, spring training home of the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners. It has more of a "minor-league feel," says Hammond, who was an average high school player. "Nothing beats sitting on a low row behind the manager and coaches when they sit outside the dugout." You don't just learn strategy, he says, you also learn who is watching the game and who is watching some of the women in the stands.

A solid, panoramic view of the mountains that make Phoenix "the Valley" usually comes at a premium price point. If a plane ticket, a cushy bank job on the top floor, or a high-end resort cocktail all sound out of your league, try the Biltmore parking garage, why don't you? Sure, the once-charming shopping mall has gone the way of the rest of the malls in Phoenix, and now feels more bougie than bohemian, but we are here to tell you that a good, old-fashioned, cheap thrill can still be had. When you arrive at the mall, head straight for the four-level parking garage on the north side. That sunlit stairwell you always pass without noticing? That's your ticket to paradise. Climb past the floors of employee parking until you get to the top, where virtually no one is parked, and then take a deep breath. The cross-breeze will reward your climb (and clear away the exhaust fumes), and you'll be left with the best, free, 360-degree view of our fair city. Shhh, don't tell anyone — we don't want them to start charging us for it.

If Phoenix is known for anything besides the "dry" heat and former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, it's our Technicolor sunsets. The cotton-candy pinks, dandelion yellows, and dusty purples lining any lingering clouds paint our desert sky and are sure to fill your eyes, and definitely your Facebook feed, with wonder. But if you truly want to watch the desert become a piece of art during the golden hour, drive east out of town to the base of the Superstition Mountains. Lost Dutchman State Park becomes a living watercolor as the sun dips below the horizon, especially during the cloudy, dusty monsoon season. The fading light refracting and dancing across the results of volatile ancient volcanoes showcases just how beautiful our harsh landscape can be. If these descriptions sound a little flowery, just wait until you see the waning sun radiate through a field of cholla cactuses, and you'll be waxing poetic, too.