Best Post Office 2009 | The Federal Building United States Post Office | People & Places | Phoenix
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Best Post Office

The Federal Building United States Post Office

We're in love with the downtown post office, plain and simple. It speaks to our fondness for old architecture, with its wide stone steps leading up to the front door, over which a giant lantern sways in front of an elaborate glass-and-grillwork doorway framed by concrete columns on either side. Inside we can't help but ooh and ahh over old (and rather cheesy) Southwestern-themed murals, commissioned in 1938 by the Fine Arts Section of the Treasury Department and painted by La Verne Black and Oscar E. Berninghaus. We usually make a beeline for the rows of ancient P.O. boxes, with their coppery metal doors, oversize keyholes, and little glass windows etched with gold and red numbers in an old-timey font. Built between 1932 and 1936, the two-story structure's maiden name is The Phoenix Federal Building, as its construction was part of a massive federal program undertaken in an attempt to forestall the Great Depression. The gorgeous Spanish Colonial Revival building, which opened to the public in 1936 and housed the city's main post office for more than 30 years, is the only federal building from the period still standing here. But even if it were surrounded by dozens of others, we'd still love the old P.O. the best. Arizona State University occupies much of the building now. Given ASU's bad track record with historic buildings, we plan to keep a close eye on one of our favorite Phoenix landmarks.

Best Post Office That Used to Be Something Else

North Scottsdale Post Office

It's a Phoenix thing: There are a lot of buildings here that just aren't what they once were. Our personal fave is Breuners. Oops, we mean the Scottsdale Post Office on Scottsdale Road just north of McDowell. Not long after Breuners went belly-up in 2007, the post office moved in and turned this former furniture store into a place where one can buy stamps or send a box of cookies to one's aunt in Pennsylvania. And, because Phoenix architecture is just weird enough that it's entirely likely that someone may very well have designed a postal station fronted with glass showroom panels and giant display windows, it works. The former Breuners' long, low, peaked façade and big, ugly wrought-iron chandelier over the door are perfect for a south Scottsdale public building. It's enough to make you go out of your way just to buy a shipping carton.

Best Elevator

Compass Restaurant, Hyatt Regency Phoenix

Arizona's best Roald Dahl-style "Great Glass Elevator" is at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Phoenix. It whooshes you skyward to the 24th floor, the home of the revolving Compass Restaurant. As you shoot up, it's fun to lean forward and place your forehead against the glass, giving yourself just a drop of vertigo. At the top, if you're feeling flush, grab a cocktail or bite to eat at the restaurant, which rotates slowly atop the hotel, giving you one of the coolest views of the Valley. Otherwise, just stand around like a looky-loo for a few minutes, and then enjoy the elevator ride back down again.

Best Bathrooms

Liberty Market

Heather Hoch
Apricot Glazed Chicken from Liberty Market

Can't afford that vacation to Italy you've been dreaming of? Us, either. But do you have enough gas money to get to Gilbert? If so, you're in luck. But be sure to guzzle something on the way, so you have a reason to use the loo.

Each of the five stalls at Liberty Market — restaurateur Joe Johnston's latest brainchild — reflects a different scene. There's an Italian adventure, complete with Vespa logos and streaming opera music. And there's a real men's room, with photos of hot rods and hot chicks, punk rock on the stereo, and (sorry, ladies) just a urinal. But wait, there's more. Behind door number three is an ocean motif. Don't think of it as a toilet. Think of it as an undersea getaway, with blue tile and a sea anemone light fixture. Another bathroom is built for the chef in each of us. The walls are lined with handwritten recipes and photos of Liberty Market chef David Traina doing what he does best. Don't forget to look up or you'll miss the whisks hanging from the ceiling.

Best Budget Boutique Hotel

Aloft

Kyle Lamb

The inclusion of an iPod-ready adapter for an in-room stereo is a hotel convenience not to be underestimated. Taking your iPod to the lobby bar and subjecting guests to your favorite Japanese tracks during Aloft's weekly DJ nights is added value we just can't put a price tag on. That's why we're up for staying at Aloft even though we live a skip away. Owned and crafted by W Hotels, Aloft packs enough swank to make this budget boutique hotel seem more like a Scottsdale club with beds than a motel near ASU. Amenities include a sweet pool, fire pits, and milk and cookies on demand. Have we found Heaven?

Best Bang for the Buck

Phx Bux

Waves were made in July when local artist/designer/anti-establishment thinker Joey Grether pumped out a local currency called Phx Bux. The small metal tokens are worth a dollar each and accepted by more than 20 independent businesses. The idea is to keep the money moving locally and draw the attention of consumers who may be tired of shopping at malls and eating at chain restaurants. The coins themselves are a work of art. Designed by Chadwick Rueling jewelry, the square token features an outstretched palm, signifying the reliance on artists' hands for their creations and the helping hands of our arts community. Trouble is, Phx Bux got so popular so fast that folks started hoarding the coins and making them into jewelry. Within the first month, we were hard-pressed to get more than one at a time from any of the businesses that still had any, making it pretty clear that demand for this currency is high.

Best Free Culture

Culture Pass

Finally, you no longer have to be rich to feel educated and fancy, thanks to a nifty invention, courtesy of the Valley's library systems and museums, called the Culture Pass. If you're a library cardholder, you can walk into one of six Valley libraries and choose one of 13 Valley museums to visit — gratis. You will get a slip, and then you head to your destination before the slip expires. It's as easy as that. Looks like the best things in life really can be free.

Best Free Art in Phoenix

Phoenix Art Museum, Wednesdays 3 to 9 p.m.

Now, now. Before you get too excited, we'd like to note that though the Phoenix Art Museum does offer free entry once a week, you are encouraged to make a small donation. So don't be a total freeloader. At least shovel out the change you found under your couch cushions to drop in the box as you take your date (poor girl) to the free night. From 3 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays, you'll get way more than what you pay for with the opportunity to see the Valley's largest museum and a lineup worthy of major name-dropping. The museum's permanent collection includes works by Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keeffe, James Turrell, Claude Monet, Diego Rivera, Grandma Moses, and Chuck Close in more than 20,000 square feet, enough room to also include works by artists you haven't even heard of yet. Add the convenience of the light rail and it's a no-brainer, folks.

Best Free Art in Scottsdale

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Thursdays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Get your culture free in downtown Scottsdale. Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art offers free entry every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Donations are accepted.) Situated in the Scottsdale Civic Center next to some of the city's hottest spots, including AZ88 and the Mondrian, the museum is one of our favorite stops for contemporary art shows. With just a handful of galleries, the museum is totally doable in an hour or two, and your butt won't hurt from all the standing and walking you do at larger museums. You'll have time and cash for cocktails afterward.

Best Free Classical Music

Glendale Community College

Every few months, the Glendale Community College Percussion Ensemble holds free concerts in the school's cozy and acoustically awesome auditorium. The programs, which take place a few times each semester, are more experimental in scope (think John Cage and Steve Reich), and sometimes stray away from the classical idiom altogether — one gig featured the music of Mr. Bungle, Frank Zappa, and Billy Joel. But no matter what your ears are accustomed to, the group will certainly satisfy in some way. It is one of the largest and best community college programs for percussion music in the country.

Best Of Phoenix®

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