Event Coverage heading to Arizona and looking for advice

Here is a few interesting things in the Phoenix Metro Area:

BBQ (Two places I can recommend, though they are Texas styled BBQ, so go for the Brisket):
http://www.texasbbqhouseaz.com/ <- by South Mountain https://www.phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/south-mountain, you can drive to the top, no hiking required, this is also where NeedLouvers? Thanksgiving hot rod run goes on, from Central ave all the way south to the park.
http://www.littlemissbbq.com/ (prepare to get there early [lines start hour before they open] and wait or get there late and wait longer and miss out on the prime items)

burgers:
http://originalhamburgerworks.com/location.html
http://www.thechuckbox.com/ (In Tempe at ASU, but right next to Phoenix)

malt shops:
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/location/macalpines-soda-fountain-and-espresso-bar-6482376 (Cool old building which is also tied into a vintage kitsch shop, so you have stuff to look at while you are there)
http://www.sugarbowlscottsdale.com/ (In Scottsdale, also right next to Phoenix, but an old standard since Mary Coyles has gone the way of the dodo)

For Museums we have the Phoenix Art http://www.phxart.org/ and Heard Museum http://heard.org/, which are on Central ave and right next to each other. But I recommend checking out the Hall of Flame http://www.hallofflame.org/ Firefighting Museuem, which is next to the Zoo and Desert Botanical Gardens https://www.dbg.org/ in Tempe.

The above will give you a good run of the valley, Between Central Phoenix in and around the historical areas, Central Tempe and Central Scottsdale, kind of like a triangle that are all within close driving distance that will not take you too far out of the extent of the city metro proper.

For local scenic views in the city traveling to the above, I recommend taking Central avenue near downtown north to Glendale ave, then head East past Squaw Peak which turns into Lincoln, all the way to Scottsdale road, then hook South to go to Sugarbowl. That will take you north of the Biltmore area (http://www.arizonabiltmore.com/ [Frank Lloyd Wright Designed resort] and Wrigley Mansion http://www.wrigleymansion.com/ (yes the Wrigely Gum magnate) through Paradise Valley and drop you off in Mid Scottsdale.

When leaving Scottsdale/Tempe, I recommend you take 64rth st South from Scottsdale which turns into the Galvin Parkway through the Papago Mountain park area, and then West on McDowell road, which will give you a view of Phoenix, best to do at night so you can see the lights.

 

Been years since I was there but Honey Bears BBQ in Phoenix at 5012 E. Van Buren just west of the 202 was great. Here's a description. "BBQ joint grilling Memphis-style ribs & other Southern fare in a cafeteria-style setup."

 

Not many drag strips anymore, but there is a Fuel Altered show at Wild Horse Pass, Chandler..Formerly Firebird Raceway, Saturday night....right on I 10 south of downtown Phx.

 

ok so we are back .
whew that was a long one . we went to so many places I will list them as we went along .
Phoenix to Scottsdale Harley Davidson , which by the way is now the WORLDS LARGEST HARLEY DAVIDSON dealer and that is very impressive ! got the bike and went to Holbrook to sleep in a teepee . while heading through the Petrified forest we hit a rain/hail storm . the hail was between 1/2 to 3/4 inch and hurt like a bitch . we had to keep riding as we were in the middle of no where with no shelter to speak of . the next morning we rode from Holbrook Az. to Colorado to see a lifelong friend and his kids. later that night we rode down to Farmington New Mexico to a beautiful cabin that was over the top !
the next morning we went from there to Munds park Arizona. the next day was a mix of light snow and heavy hail . we had to get on the bike and ride almost 15 miles to flagstaff just to get some food , milk and water .that was tough to say the least ! the next day was only a light rain there so we saddled up and went to Sedona which is awesome ! the weather was a complete turn around in Sedona with the sun shining . the mountain part was great , the tourist trap of a town = no thanks . we head on up towards Cottonwood and ate at a great Mexican place Juanita's Taqueria . next we were heading to Jerome and we kept riding through these traffic circles on the rode and I was getting so sick of that we turned around and headed back to Sedona to get some ice cream and hang out by the river which was sweet ! headed home .
the next day we went to our next cabin in Flagstaff and headed to the Grand Canyon which is great to see ! my favorite part is riding from one place to the next to see the next amazing view.
after that we headed to some far off two lane roads just pounding out some mileage .
the next day we were off to Pinetop-Lakeside riding through some awesome places along the way . when we were getting into Pinetop it was raining , cold , and dark . I made a wrong turn and made a U-turn on a side street , came around a truck and decided to ask if they knew where the street was that we were looking for . this chick was so cool she was originally making a left turn , shut her blinker and said follow me . it took even her like 20 -25 minutes to find this cabin on a dirt road in a forest ! we hung out with her for a while and then met up with her the next day at the steak house she is the manager of . then she gave us a bunch of beer and so on.
we rode out to all kinds of great riding roads around there and came across about 125-150 cattle coming down the road . they were on both sides and we found our selves dodging cattle LOL ! just so you know , up to this point we have endured 7 straight days of rain and some hail .
when we left Pinetop-Lakeside , which was about 35 degrees F. we headed SOUTH for some warmth . we went towards Tucson and when we were almost there I had to get off the highway as people were damn near running us off of the road and we were pushing 90 MPH !
so we hit some desert back roads checking out all the cactus and different landscape , compared to northern Arizona . there is so much more I will remember later and list it ! all in all we put on almost 2500 miles in 8 days it would have been more , but one day it rained and hailed so hard , I know how much abuse my mind and body can endure .
I say mind because you end up riding down these streets and highways and it is only 35 degrees out ,it is raining , the road looks slick , your awesome wife is on the back of the bike and that is a lot to have on your head ! hahaha
oh yeah , we hit Winslow Az. and a few parts of rt.66 . maybe in a car it has a different feel , but nobody on an over packed full dresser Harley wants to hit a red light every quarter to half mile ! on the parts we were on . I don't know the whole road , but when we did 66 in Illinois we felt the same way . I know living in Jersey I am used to a very sped up way of life which I am not bragging about , just stating that we are so sped up around here that trying to slow down and enjoy rt66 was like AAAARRRGGGHHH !!!!!!!!!! LOL
anyway thanks to all of you kool cats who chimed in and helped out . I will throw up some more detailed parts of the trip and more pictures .
the next person in New Jersey that tells me it never rains in Arizona is going to get slapped !

 

It rains in Arizona? Lol...

 

hells yeah it rains in Arizona .
hail, rain and snow in October ! we had no idea ! oh well , we still had a blast !
sorry for copies of the same photo's , I am getting used to this uploading thing ! LOL
we did see a few HAMB worthy vehicles .

 

I lived in Tucson and Albuquerque. I would suggest Prescott Az. one of the prettiest towns I've ever been to. It's near the Grand Canyon, but north of it. Also, if you really want to get away to something different, I suggest Chaco Canyon. It's an ancient Indian settlement with unbelievable stone dwellings the original inhabitants built. It's very spiritual and very out of the beaten path. It's actually in Indian land, but there is a visitor center and a camp ground.

 

Your friend Bob does amazing work, thanks for the link.

The junkyard/"gold mine"/ghost town attraction is actually in Jerome. It's an old 1880's mining town located on the side of a mountain and it's pretty much intact.

 

Here are photos of my trip to the Dwarf Car Museum.
http://s978.photobucket.com/user/hlp020dd/library/Dwarf Car Museum
http://www.dwarfcarmuseum.com

 

Went to Jerome in October based on recommendations of this thread, really cool place to visit.

 

We have a room for 5 nights in Gilbert. Looks like fun times.

 

"I ain't lost nothin' up there..."