BEST PARK FOR A WEEKEND BARBECUE 2006 | Kiwanis Park | Arts & Entertainment | Phoenix
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BEST PARK FOR A WEEKEND BARBECUE

Kiwanis Park

The fine art of hanging out at the park seems lost on a lot of Valley residents, and we guess we understand why it's hot (duh), and many parks in these parts are just small patches of dying grass with some busted old swings and a concrete table thrown in for good measure. Luckily, we've got Kiwanis Park, 125 acres of green grass, hills, shade there's even a lake with paddle boats if you're feeling masochistic (admit it, those things are never fun). But amenities aside, the place is always packed on the weekend with pickup games of soccer that go late into the evening. Even with the large crowds Kiwanis draws, it never gets too loud or rowdy and is the perfect place to barbecue with young kids or a big family. Or come alone you might just make some friends.

BEST PARK TO FIND A PICKUP GAME OF ULTIMATE FRISBEE

Benedict Park

When the operators of Tempe Diablo Stadium decided to limit all of their auxiliary fields to baseball only, they left the future of the local ultimate scene up in the air like a flicking forehand flying disc toss. Thank goodness for the Frisbee backers at Valley of the Sun Ultimate, who rallied to find a new home at Tempe's Benedict Park. Not a bad pick. The park boasts 20 acres of open fields for perfect huckin' action. The fast-paced and exciting non-contact team sport fuses together the speed of football, the strategy of soccer, and the quick transitional aspects of basketball into a fascinating game on grass. Free and open public play takes place before league matches on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. The games are coed-friendly, and all skill levels are welcome, so catch, clog, and cut your way on down.

BEST LITTLE LEAGUE MOMENT

Shaun Chase

For the second time in five years, an Arizona team has advanced from the Western Regionals to the Little League World Series by rolling over the once invincible California squads. Last time, it was Chandler National. This time, Ahwatukee, which comes out of the same district as Chandler National. For anyone who has taken a small Arizona team over to play a giant California team, in any sport, the sight of the relatively tiny Ahwatukee boys taking it to the bigger and cockier Southern California and Northern California teams in the Western Regionals was a delight. The main force behind the win: Shaun Chase. Besides keeping batters at bay with his pitching, Chase did what only one other Arizona kid has ever done in regional or World Series play hit three home runs in one game. It's that kind of clutch play that has Arizona baseball rising as a force in national tournaments. (At the same time, Arizona's Connie Mack team, the Firebirds, was off winning the Connie Mack World Series.) Chase's finest moment, though, actually was a blunder. As he came around third base after his first home run, Chase tripped on the base and fell awkwardly to the ground. On national TV. But the kid got back up, smiled an embarrassed smile, took the jabs of his teammates in stride and then came back to win the game pitching and hit two more home runs. For a moment, he just looked like an awkward little kid. Which we can too easily forget, with all the hoopla around Little League these days, is exactly what every one of these players is.

BEST REENACTMENT OF THE OLYMPIC MEDAL CEREMONY

SWIMkids USA, Inc.

Here at Best of Phoenix, there are some things we don't want to recommend. We're not going to tell you where to get a boob job, or what dentist to go to (although we really do love our dentist), or even what vet to send your pet to. We're just a little nervous. We don't want to have to feel guilty because you wound up with your lumpy boobs. So we also won't tell you where to take your little tyke for swimming lessons. Far be it from us to dispense such precious advice, given the whole kid-drowning thing. But one thing we do feel comfortable telling you: If you want to see the best reenactment of the Olympic medal ceremony, head straight for the Arizona outpost of SWIMkids USA. We saw it dozens of times this summer, but we never failed to chuckle (except when it was our own tyke, at which point we must admit we shed a tear or two) when the swimmer of the moment having completed the requirements for a particular level climbed the plywood stairs of the red, white and blue platform to take his or her place in front of the Plexiglassed-over shiny blue streamers. "May I have everyone's attention, please!" the manager yells. "Annabelle has just completed intermediate swimming! Let's give her a round of applause!" Everyone claps, and the manager hits the button on a boom box, which begins to play the Olympic theme. Annabelle stands, proud, while the manager hangs a medal around her neck and takes a picture. On weeks the kid doesn't advance (and it doesn't happen every week), no one minds if she climbs the steps and pretends, stealing a little more glory. We've never felt more patriotic.

BEST BIRTHDAY PARTY IDEA FOR BOYS

Racing Limos of Phoenix

With the NASCAR craze in full flower, what better way to make big-time points with your young man than hiring out a racing-themed limousine for the evening? This typical stretch limo becomes an extra-long racing stock car, numbered, painted in multi-colors and raring to ride. The spacious interior is complete with a PlayStation, DVD player, flat-screen monitor, comfy seats and a fridge. The cost? $70 an hour, with a three-hour minimum, plus an obligatory tip. And if you don't want to spend that much on the little one and his pals (the car fits eight adults comfortably), then think of it as a cool opportunity to avoid a detour to the county jail on a drunken-driving charge after that special party, graduation, or sporting event.

BEST BIRTHDAY PARTY IDEA FOR GIRLS

Tea Cups & Tiaras Tea Room

Sometimes, you just gotta let a little girl be a little girl. Or a little girl pretending to be a big girl. That's why we're so glad we found Tea Cups & Tiaras. After months of hearing horror stories about over-the-top tea parties with gift registries and spa pedicures, we landed on an appropriate, classic birthday party for our little lady: a bona fide tea party, complete with pink lemonade in a tea pot, crustless PB&J sandwiches, and sliced fruit arranged as daintily as you'd find at a high tea at a fine resort but for far less money. With a standard tea, the girls were also given hats and boas to wear for the duration, but the real draw is just beyond the tea room at this homey spot (where we spotted some grown-up girls enjoying tea on their own), in the party room. There, a vanity table is packed with costumes full dresses, hats, gloves, shoes. Our birthday girl just turned 5, but she's already planning her 6th birthday party at Tea Cups & Tiaras and we'll be happy to grant her wish.

BEST PLACE TO HOST A CO-ED KID BIRTHDAY PARTY

Pump It Up

Face it 6-year-olds don't want expensive party favors or complicated theme parties for their birthdays. They want to jump around, drink soda and make a mess until the sugar high ends and they crash. And chances are, you probably don't want them doing this all over your house or expensive party decorations, so ditch the high-concept birthday and let them get that energy out at Pump It Up. True, it feels a little lazy, but there are advantages to letting the people at the "inflatable party zone" do the work for you: They do all the planning (they'll even preside over the gifts writing down the gift givers' names and bagging up the unwrapped gifts afterward), and you don't have to stress about coming up with a co-ed theme that won't make your kids feel awkward. The kids can bounce, slide and somersault to your choice of tunes, and afterward, pizza, drinks even goody bags are available, for an additional fee. Just bring your own cake.

BEST BUMPER BOATS

Castles-n-Coasters

What better way to get out your aggression than to crash giant, gas-powered rubber boats into walls and waterfalls? Figuring out how to maneuver the suckers is half the fun; the steering wheels turn a full 360 degrees, so the challenge is to do more than make crazy circles in the water while everybody else bashes into you. And it's really fun when you get stuck against the wall or your boat dies in the middle of the water, because everybody races to rescue or (more likely) ram you. The boats at C-n-C also have a tendency to float backward when idle, and if drivers stomp on the gas pedal, they can rip into reverse and cause fantastic collisions with other giggling, wet maniacs. Adults love piloting these oversize, motorized doughnuts just as much as kids, and since each boat fits two people, a smaller kid can sit in the passenger seat while you bump and grind.

BEST PUMPKIN PATCH

Mother Nature's Farm

We've tried the bigger, more commercial Halloween festivals, but this year we'll go back to Mother Nature's Farm (humming the Beatles the whole way) to let our kids grab a pumpkin, get their faces painted, and spend a little time in the hay. With a nod to the desert, the folks at this farm not only stock cute crafts in the gift shop, they stock a pen with all sorts of reptiles. (We wish someone had warned us beforehand, so we're warning you.) This is not an all-day affair, more like a quick detour, but with our hay fever, that was perfect.

BEST PLACE TO SEE A PEACOCK

Glendale Community College

Sure, there are peacocks at the zoo, but how often do you see a large, brightly colored bird wandering around a college campus? You'd cry fowl at least a couple times a week if you attended Glendale Community College. The campus is located right next to Sahuaro Ranch Park, which technically occupied 640 acres until 1977, when the City of Glendale purchased 80 of the original acres. Now the park sits smack-dab in the middle of Glendale, between a fire station and the college and so do the peacocks. The edge of the park bumps right up against GCC's north parking lots, so it's pretty standard to see roosters, chickens and peacocks pecking about between students' cars. The peacocks also stroll the shaded mall between the Life Sciences Building and High Tech centers, along with Gambel's quail and roadrunners.

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