If you missed your chance to see a recent big release in theaters, don't stress: It's almost certain that it'll end up at this east Valley hot spot. But Pollack Tempe Cinemas is more than just a place to see newish movies on the cheap. If you take a spin around the theater before finding your seat, you'll discover a cinephile's heaven with movie props and memorabilia sprinkled all over. Take a selfie with some life-size Star Wars characters, and if you get there with enough time before your show begins, you can hit the game room for a bit of fun. And don't forget about their Wednesday Classics, when you can watch films from long ago for the same price as any other film they screen — $3.50. Who said going to the movies wasn't affordable?

It's pretty common now to have a beer or cocktail while watching a movie, but nine times out of 10, that movie probably isn't something that came out before you were born. FilmBar is the one other time. But it's not just classics; FilmBar screens newer indie films only released in select cities, Big Gay Sing-A-Longs, documentaries, and anything else you wouldn't typically find at a chain theater. FilmBar is where you will find the most passionate cinema fans, but also those looking to see a movie they may never have heard of before. It's where you go to fall in love with film.

The future of cinema involves in-theater service where people bring you food, drinks, and snacks directly to your seat while you're watching the movie. If you can do that, while keeping ticket prices competitive with places that don't deliver food — you're doing it right. And if you add in all-local craft beers, food named after popular films and celebs (like the Robert Brownie Jr. Sundae, Home Alone Pizzetta, and Glazed & Confused popcorn), and fully reclining seats? You're the best. Not to mention the food isn't your typical theater food: RoadHouse Cinemas has made-from-scratch burgers, pizza, pretzels, four flavors of free-refill popcorn you can mix and match, and gelato. Show up too early? There's a full bar with TVs to watch a game, a lounge to hang out, and a patio with fire pits for when it's nice outside.

As holiday stress looms and people start wondering whether they're too busy for December First Friday, Frances Vintage gives them a reason to venture out, where they discover that it's better to undertake holiday tasks together in a space filled with merriment and creativity. Dozens of artisans converge on the Frances parking lot each year to sell their wares in a casual, friendly setting that transforms shopping obligations into opportunities to support local businesses, makers, and entrepreneurs. Everything at this holiday arts and crafts festival is handmade and local, so shoppers know they're supporting creatives in their own community, and don't have to worry that they're choosing gifts that anyone could buy with just the click of a computer key. By creating a sense of community, Crafeteria reminds participants of the everyday gifts that never get wrapped, but still warm the cockles of our heart.

Among the mainstays in our Phoenix Public Library chain, Yucca Branch manages to maintain its old-timey charm and combine it with state-of-the-art features that make checking out a book or researching a term paper a real pleasure. Friendly and helpful staff are on hand to cheerfully renew your library card, help you find the best popcorn movie, or recommend nice new fiction based on what you like best to read. Lots of comfortable seating and a fast auto-checkout are among Yucca's newest features — two more reasons why, when it comes to multimedia borrowing, this place is the best.

As kids, we used to dream about secret passageways that connected the far-flung corners of our surroundings, allowing us to travel from one place to another at astonishing speeds. As adults, our dream comes true every time we drive the 143 from the east Valley to central Phoenix. Dubbed the Hohokam Expressway, this 3.93-mile freeway might just be the best-kept secret in Valley commutes. Originally designed in 1957 as a collector road for traffic from the east side of town, the current freeway also serves to connect Interstate 10 in the southeast Valley to Sky Harbor International Airport and the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway — both of which can be accessed without having to get too close to the dreaded mini-stack or Durango curve thanks to this small-but-significant route. Traffic? What traffic?

There are historic downtown neighborhoods, and there's Palmcroft, one of the oldest and grandest collections of midcentury homes in the city. That's because Palmcroft, roughly bounded by Seventh and 15th avenues between Thomas and McDowell roads, is something other than a mass-planned subdivision. Both Palmcroft and its nearest historic neighbor, the Encanto neighborhood, are examples of the Garden City design principle, a comprehensive approach to suburban planning that includes a unification of architecture, community planning, and landscape design. It's an approach that has its roots in 19th-century suburban planning, which typically included innovative street plans, superior landscaping, and ornamental light fixtures — all combined in this single square mile to absolute perfection.

This gorgeous Al Beadle condominium high-rise was already a midtown standout before its owners ponied up for an exterior renovation. Now, Executive Towers looks as good as (if not better than) it did when it threw open its shiny glass doors in 1964. Newly repainted stairwells sparkle in stunning turquoise, offset by balconies of palest lemon yellow. Neatly redesigned landscaping and a rejuvenated concrete lagoon surrounding Beadle's "floating" structural design add to the appeal of this popular landmark, which recently earned both national and local historic designations. Interior tweaks include grey-and-turquoise walls and carpeting on each floor. Anyone jonesing to live in a gorgeous and period-correct midcentury building might line up for one of Executive Towers' sought-after condos.

It's a downtown dream, and what's more, a stroll through Phoenix's Encanto-Palmcroft neighborhood is totally free. One of our best-known (and higher-priced) historic neighborhoods, this one is no old-timey tract. Made up entirely of custom homes dating back to the late 1920s, this collection of Tudors, Craftsman bungalows, and transitional ranches wraps itself around 222-acre Encanto Park, and is chockablock with rose gardens, tidy lawns, and some of the best examples of long-ago architecture styles. Winding streets are well-tended by the city and locals alike, and are jammed every two years by the Encanto-Palmcroft Historic Home Tour and Street Fair, which allows lucky ticketholders the chance to peek inside some of this historic neighborhood's better examples. The next one will be held March 24, 2019, and tickets are already on sale.

Brought to us by the nice folks at the Midtown Neighborhood Association, this latest entry in the "Let's go look at old houses!" thing is among the most interesting. A self-guided tour that draws folks from all over the Valley, this one shows off apartment and condo homes in some of midtown's finest buildings. Because these are all closed communities (many of them high-rises like Phoenix Towers and the Regency), the Midtown Urban Living tour offers a rare opportunity to ogle neat interiors from the '50s, '60s, and '70s. Thoughtful organizers have taken the load off visitors determined to see all half-dozen or so homes with a handy shuttle service that beetles ticketholders from one locale to another, and all tour spots are situated a short walk from light rail stops. Mark your calendar: This year's tour happens on Saturday, November 3.