Now in its fifth decade, west Valley panaderia La Purisima is still our best and most beloved. Conchas are soft, fragrant, and touched with just enough sugar. Puffy, pig-shaped marrinatos are simple beauties with ample chew and notes of molasses that roll and roll. Flaky baked empanadas filled with sweet pumpkin drop in the fall. Regulars flow in for quick to-go orders of sugar-encrusted pan dulce like clockwork. What many also grab is an underrated aspect of this longtime standby: savory food. Next time you stop in for cookies or sweet yeasted breads, grab a burrito or tamale for the road.

One pandemic habit we'll stick with long after this plague has left us? Avoiding the grocery store. What an incredible convenience it's been to order produce, dairy, and frozen pizzas with a laptop click. Truly, we're living in the future. We'll make an exception for Los Altos, though, which answers the question: What if the oppressive lighting, dull brands, and sunken-eyed cart-pushers at your local grocery chain were replaced by something a little more Technicolor and full of life? Los Altos is like a Walmart-sized bodega; curiosities abound alongside the essentials. Do you need a Spongebob pinata? Several dangle from light fixtures. A tiny yellow lawn chair for a child? A few are hoisted up above the frozen section. An entire third of an aisle is dedicated to seeds. There are two women stacking and packing fresh corn tortillas that ride down a conveyor belt, one after another. A vendor near the entrance sells steel-toed boots. Another buys gold. There's a salsa bar. There's a juice bar. There are bright, beautiful, elaborate quinceanera cakes. You can order a torta or chicharrones or menudo for lunch and eat it at the indoor picnic tables. "We are here to serve and enrich the lives of others," reads the wallpaper above the checkout, painted in both Spanish and English. Mission accomplished.

The Pixar movie Coco may have increased public awareness of Día de los Muertos, but in metro Phoenix, this annual holiday to commemorate loved ones who've passed on has always been an integral part of our cultural identity. When we want to add new items to our ofrenda (the ceremonial display created for the holiday), we head to Mercado Mexico in Guadalupe. The Mexican import shop has lots to see and buy, from sugar skull merchandise including figurines and tiles, to calacas (skeleton figurines). While you're there, check out everything else the store has to offer, like hand-painted Christmas ornaments, pottery, jewelry, and more.