Downtown Phoenix : A Weekend Exploration of Food – Fun and History

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Every once in awhile, I’m asked to attend conventions as a guest voice actor in various cities. I love it because it allows me to travel like a VIP for free. I attended a conference in downtown Phoenix, Arizona that took place at the Sheraton Grand Phoenix

To my surprise and glee, the convention graciously booked me into a ginormous luxurious suite on the 30^th floor overlooking the city. It had 2 bathrooms, a living room, and a bedroom with an extra cushy King size bed. I wished that I’d brought a party along with me.

The Sheraton is a lovely and convenient hotel located in the heart of downtown Phoenix and just a few blocks away from Arizona State University. (ASU)

Check current room rates at the Sheraton Grand Phoenix here.

We had a wild “anime” convention going on for Labor Day weekend. Despite the madness and bizarre costumes of many of the participants, the hotel staff remained calm, friendly, and efficient. My VIP suite status allowed me to take advantage of the Club Lounge on the 28^th floor where the hotel served a filling continental breakfast and delicious afternoon appetizers.

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Sheraton Grand Phoenix – Downtown Phoenix
340 N. 3^rd Street Phoenix, AZ 85004
602-262-2500

My fellow voice actors and I had a fairly light schedule so it allowed us to leave the hotel and explore the area a bit. I wasn’t sure what that was going to be like because it was September in a town that normally has temps over 110 in the shade. Luckily a monsoon had cooled off the city before we arrived and it wasn’t hotter than about 98 degrees the entire time we were there.

I made sure to venture out for a walk as early in the morning as possible while it was still fairly cool. I didn’t want to find myself passed out on a sidewalk somewhere from heat exhaustion. On Friday, I went for a walk to the Phoenix Public Market Café.  

It’s an eclectic farm to table coffee house/restaurant open from 7 am – 10 pm seven days a week. They offer a variety of creative specials every day that you can enjoy with a fresh cup of Joe, wine or beer. The outdoor farmer’s market is held on Saturday mornings.

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I went to the café on 2 separate occasions for breakfast. The first time I was there I ordered their delicious homemade bagels and lox.

When I came back again, the woman at the counter recommended I try out the restaurant’s daily specials. She told me one of her favorites was eggs on top of a bowl of farm-fresh chili. It’s not something I would have normally thought to order, but I’m glad I took her suggestion because it was yummy!

Phoenix Public Market Café
14 E. Pierce Street Phoenix, AZ 85004
602-253-2700
www.phxpublicmarket.com

Later that evening, my friend Ellyn (another voice actress) and I took a short walk to see what was happening at Food Truck Friday. Food trucks, vendors, and entertainers congregate on the streets of downtown Phoenix the first Friday of every month. People were everywhere eating, shopping and having fun.

We enjoyed people watching as we strolled down the streets. A young college student asked us to help him with a class assignment and take part in an “on the street” interview about the status of women today. We happily obliged partly because he was so darn handsome!

The weather was warm and unusually humid. Phoenix is normally bone dry. We were surprised and delighted to feel a welcome sprinkle of raindrops on our heads. It only lasted a couple of minutes but it made the steamy evening more tolerable.

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phxstreetfood.org

The next day we had free time until 5:30 pm, so I decided to venture up the street to visit Heritage Square and took a tour of the Rosson House. It’s a Queen Anne Victorian home, built in 1895 that’s been carefully restored, by the community, to its former splendor.

Unfortunately, downtown Phoenix demolished most of its older residences to make way for a more modern and trendy downtown. Luckily, the Rosson House was saved but was in dilapidated disrepair. It had been originally purchased for $7,000 back in 1895 and was restored at a cost of $750,000.

Most of the vintage furniture displayed in the house was brought in from other Victorian-era homes that had been located in either Arizona or California. The museum has collected several stunning pieces including an old organ, Grandfather clock, and a throne from the “Orient.” 

All the vintage wallpaper was copied and reproduced from samples that were found in the home’s original wall treatments. The house features a spectacular oak spiral staircase, ornate parquet wooden floors, built-in wooden cabinets, and tinted red windows above the doors for ventilation.

I can’t even imagine how hot those homes were in Phoenix before air conditioning.

When the house was first built it had electric lights, running water, an indoor upstairs bathroom, and a telephone, which were all quite modern for that time period. The original owner of the house, Dr. Roland Lee Rosson, used one of the rooms for his medical practice.

He was a doctor and surgeon. The room used as his office has an extraordinary collection of Victorian-era medical tools including an instrument with a corkscrew on the end were used to repair bowel obstructions. Can we say “ouch?”

heritagesquarephx.org

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My tour of the house ended at 11:30 am. Having worked up an appetite, I walked over to Pizzeria Bianco, one of the several restaurants in Heritage Square, to have some lunch. I was glad to have arrived early enough to be seated because there was quite a line up at the door after I sat down. The pizza at Pizzeria Bianco reminded me of my trip to Italy.

I ordered a Bianco Verde Pizza made with fresh mozzarella, Parmigiana Reggiano, ricotta, and arugula arranged on top of a crunchy thin crust and washed it down with Prescott Ale. (From Prescott Arizona) It was so light I could have eaten the entire pizza, but instead took 1/2 of it back to my hotel room to nibble on the rest of the day.

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Pizzeria Bianco
Historic Heritage Square
623 E. Adams Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004
602-258-8300
www.pizzeriabianco.com

The anime convention I was a guest at had 6,000+ participants all dressed in the costumes of their favorite cartoon characters.

(Anime is the term for Japanese originated cartoons that are popular with children through adults. I saw a significant number of Baby Boomers at the convention who have been watching the shows for over 30 years and are still passionate fans.)

Here are just a few of the characters that were hanging around the hotel.

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As always, I wished I had more time to explore the downtown Phoenix area but it was only a quick weekend trip. In the summer, the city is blazing hot day and night but is pleasant during the rest of the year. Despite its fiery heat, it’s a “cool” town to visit.

Do you have any favorite places to visit in Phoenix? Please leave a comment below.

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