Best Puddle 2010 | Tempe Town Lake | People & Places | Phoenix
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Best Puddle

Tempe Town Lake

"Look!" our kid said, as we drove across Mill Avenue Bridge. "It's the Town Puddle!"Indeed it is, but not for long, we hope. We still think the idea of putting oversize balloons up, letting water out of the dams upstream, and calling it a lake was ill-conceived on some levels, but once we had that lake, we didn't want to let it go, a fact driven home by this summer's disaster. If you build it, people, please maintain it. Jeez. We're just glad no one died — and that no dead bodies were found (that we heard about, anyway) when the thing drained itself. Now we've been looking forward to November, when officials have promised to fill our little lake back up again.

Best Shower

Dick's Hideaway

Patricia Escarcega
When word spread in the summer of 2009 that our beloved Richardson's had been destroyed by fire, we had one question: What about Dick's? Over the years, we loved Richardson Browne's New Mexican cuisine, served with his own brand of fire and, thankfully, very good margaritas to wash it down. But our true love is Dick's. The speakeasy-esque spot around the corner from Richardson's survived intact, and it's still our favorite spot to grab a bar stool for an after-work drink or gather folks for an intimate nosh in the comfy private dining room. Among the quirks of this place is a shower, conveniently located in the dining room's private bathroom. We're not sure why it was built or how often it gets used, but it's nice to know it's there if we ever need it.

Best Bathroom

Modern Steak

Courtesy of Modern Steak
When Valley designer Catherine Hayes created a steakhouse to look like a jewelry box, we knew there had to be a killer bathroom. Behind an unassuming door with a frosted window — right next to the Dorothy Draper-style dresser — is a fabulous backdrop for a mid-meal photo shoot. Pepto-pink wallpaper, gracefully lit vanities (we all know the effects of poor bathroom lighting), and a pair of retro-chic couches create a convenient getaway from an awkward date, a family reunion — hell, even a friendly lunch. Baskets of powder-room necessities can be found near the vanities, because a quick powder might be necessary after that T-bone steak. Hayes says she wanted to create a place for women to feel comfortable and have the chance for a quick chat. Little did she know she left their dining partners waiting and wondering just where their ladies went.

Best Home Show

Maricopa County Home Shows

So what if it's essentially an advertisement for the hundreds of local and national companies that gather to show off their wares and designs. We've always gotten a kick out of the salespeople trying to outdo each other's exhibits, displays, seminars, demonstrations, and contests. The Home Shows happen several times a year around the Valley, but we are partial to the one at the Arizona State Fairgrounds, 19th Avenue and McDowell, because everyone seems, well, at home there. The how-to seminars usually are winners. We even learned a lot about how to get the clutter out of our homes and offices (not that we've put it into practice). Now, if we only had the coin to buy any of that newfangled home-improvement stuff that we surely can't live without another second.

Best Home Tour

Willo Historic Neighborhood Home Tour

Sometimes we'll skip the Encanto or F.Q. Story home tours, but we never miss the Willo neighborhood tour, which usually falls on a weekend in February each year. Willo — bounded by Central and Seventh avenues and McDowell and Thomas roads — is one of the largest historic neighborhoods in Phoenix, with nearly 700 homes built between the 1920s and the 1940s. For us, it's like a holiday to wander through Willo's wide variety of architectural styles — 1920s bungalows, 1930s Spanish Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Greek Revival, American Colonial Revival, and Pueblo Revival homes. We even like the mid-century ranch houses. And after we've wandered through a dozen or so cool old houses, checking out the rehabbed kitchens and the neatly period-correct moldings and doorframes, we like to grab a quick bite and do a little shopping at the Willo street festival that's one of the best parts of this fun-filled event.

Best Neighborhood

Encanto/Palmcroft

This 75-year-old neighborhood offers a glimpse of what tony downtown residential districts once looked like. Encanto/Palmcroft is home to some of the loveliest older architecture in the Valley: Tudor Revivals and American Colonial and California Craftsman homes, all situated on generous lots, nearly all of them restored or maintained, and each one a glimpse of beautiful bygone days. A tight, friendly neighborhood association and close ties to the Historic Preservation office have kept Encanto's charm intact. The folks on these blocks — 15th to Seventh avenues, north of McDowell Road and south of Encanto Boulevard — are proud of the hard work they've done to maintain both their beautiful buildings and the nifty neighborhood spirit they've developed. Even if you don't live there, you can enjoy this 'hood.In a city of grids, Encanto/Palmcroft offers walkers an alternative to the straight line. Curved streets lined with old, lushly landscaped Period Revival homes set the stage for an out-of-Phoenix experience (even the temperature is purported to be a few degrees lower in this unique urban ecosystem). The Encanto Circles offer myriad route possibilities, and when you've exhausted those (or yourself), you can always head to Encanto Park, bordering the north side of the neighborhood.

Best Drive

Central Avenue between Camelback and Northern

Maybe it's all the gorgeous trees that grow in some places right over the street and touch in the middle, creating a crazy canopy that drops the temperature what feels like 10 degrees. Or maybe it's all those gorgeous 100-year-old houses lining both sides of the street. Or the sexy joggers bouncing past. Or those little horse properties that dot this lovely three-mile stretch of residential Phoenix. Probably it's the combination of these things that make this one of the best drives in town. We go out of our way to enjoy it, ogling as we go past the tidy lawns of a handful of new-built properties and the oddly un-Phoenix-like absence of desert scrub and messy medians. Beautiful!

Best Street

16th Street, between Van Buren Street and Indian School Road

What's not to do on this dynamic drag between Indian School and Van Buren? Grab some lunch at Lucky Boy Burger Shop, Tortas El Güero, or Two Hippies Beach House before treasure hunting at UFO Universal Furnishings and Offerings, Lizabel's Treasures, and Boom Boom La Rue's. Groovy grocery shop at Phoenix Ranch Market and the Middle Eastern Bakery and Deli and snag a sweet treat at Michoacana Helados after a lesson at the Phoenix House of Karate or while waiting for Rover at Family Affair Pet Grooming. Finally, dine delicious at Barrio Café, with drinks and entertainment later at Philthy Phil's and Rips to toast this single street's sweet scene.

Best Dream

Canalscape

We get fired up about great ideas — even if they seem a little ambitious. Greatness, after all, was built on dreams, and we think Canalscape has tremendous potential. Planners took inspiration from places like Venice and proposed incredible ideas for the Valley's 181 miles of waterways. These winding canals are based on the ancient Hohokam's crop irrigation system and have previously been seen as utilitarian systems. Not any more. The plans include beefing up our waterfronts with small marketplaces filled with coffee shops, cafes, and retail boutiques. Imagine going for a jog along the waterway, free of cars and stinky traffic, to stop for a cappuccino and a newspaper. Sounds like a dream to us.

Best Street of Dreams Come True

Fifth Street, between Roosevelt and Garfield

You know a street has arrived when it starts to put down roots — where so much is happening on the main drag that stuff starts popping on side streets, too. That's what has happened on Roosevelt Row, where just to the south, the stretch of Fifth Street from Roosevelt to Garfield has become the place to be. From MADE at the northwest end to Conspire at the southeast corner, with The Lost Leaf smack-dab in the middle, this is a street to emulate. The city hasn't been able to tear down all the charm — not yet, anyway — and this little scene is, in our estimation, city living at its finest.

Best Of Phoenix®

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