First up was a stop at a local DDD (Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) place called Matt's Big Breakfast (#38 on the list) in downtown Phoenix. The building may be small and nondescript but the food was delicious with large servings and bold combinations. At 9:30 on a weekday, we waited a little over 30 minutes for counter service; there are only eight tables. The wait on the weekends is even longer- but worth it. I'm sure we'll go back... on a weekday!
Friendly service + great food + reasonable prices = Matt's Big Breakfast
After an uneventful drive up to Flagstaff, we stopped at Riordan Mansion State Historic Park (#62). The Riordans are credited with developing Flagstaff and we enjoyed learning about this prominent family.
The three bottom pictures are almost a panoramic shot of the mansion while the top one shows the front gate.
In a nutshell, the Riordan brothers came to Flagstaff and built up a lumber business, the main employer of the town. Because of the number of people they employed, other businesses were born- general store, feed store, schools, etc. The oldest brother then left the business and moved east leaving the two younger brothers to run the lumber business. They married sisters and built the Riordan Mansion- really, two complete houses (quite large by the standard of the day) connected with a huge "family room" where the two families came every night to "play" together. There are 40 rooms comprising over 13,000 square feet!
(L)- The inglenook ("corner by the fireplace") in the entryway
(R)- One of many fireplaces- this one is in the library
The inside of the mansion is decorated for Christmas during December including a gigantic 12-15 foot tall (and 10 feet wide!) Christmas tree with homemade decorations (courtesy of local schoolchildren). Unfortunately, photography is allowed in only a few rooms and the gigantic "family room" is not one of them. I enjoyed the attention to details in restoring and furnishing the mansion. Our tour guide regaled us with lots of family stories making the house "come alive."
The long icicles hanging from the roof accentuated the gingerbread house likeness of the Riordan Mansion!
After our tour we headed to Salsa Brava (#30), another DDD place, for dinner. While the restaurant has the look and feel of any other big Mexican food restaurant, the service is personal and the food is fresh and unique. And I love the story behind the restaurant as much as the food itself. John Conley, a young man with an interest in cooking, worked at a Mexican food restaurant (where Salsa Brava is located now) while he pursued a degree in Restaurant and Hotel Management at Northern Arizona University. During his senior year, the owner of the restaurant decided to close up shop and sell the property. John quit school and, with the help of his parents, bought the restaurant, closed it down to remodel it and train his staff. It reopened, bigger and better than before, and was an overnight success. The recipes are uniquely his and come from his travels around Mexico. We will definitely be back when we're in Flagstaff!
I had the "special"- Yucatan Carnitas. Mmmmm Mmmmm Good!!!
The next morning for breakfast we tried a restaurant listed in the original "100 Things" article in the Arizona Republic- Biff's Bagels (#12). This eatery is named after the family dog and originally opened in Prescott. Biff passed away in 1995 but remained an important part of the restaurant even when it relocated to Flagstaff in 2000.
Biff's carries an eclectic bevy of bagels (from spinach to asiagio) and shmears (from tomato basil to green chili and cheddar) and the ones we tried were good- but not "gotta drive to Flagstaff for bagels or else" good. What really impressed me about Biff's was their love for dogs... their dog, their customer's dogs, homeless dogs, ALL dogs. The walls are adorned with framed photos of customer's canine companions who have passed away. It is a living memorial to all the pooches who became part of someone's family and are now missed by them.
Next up was a stop at Arcosanti (#14) near Cordes Junction on the way back to the Valley of the Sun (and warmer weather!). Started in 1970, the experimental town calls itself "an urban laboratory." Its goal is to blend architecture and ecology in creating an urban community with minimal impact on the environment- a concept developed by Italian architect Paolo Soleri.
Arcosanti- a 25-acre urban living project built on a 4,060-acre land preserve in the high desert.
Funding for the project comes from donations, workshop fees and selling bronze and ceramic wind bells designed by Paolo Soleri. The bells sell for about $30 for a very small one to over $4000 for a larger one.
This apse is constructed of sections of concrete cast on top of sand. It provides optimal lighting and shade as the seasons change. This one is used by workshop students to cast bells.
The buildings are constructed of concrete. This one has a music room (with a piano and other instruments), a lounge-type area and living quarters. Most of the living quarters are designed for several people to share although very small single person "studio apartments" are available.
The vaults are a colorful meeting area and like the apses, provide optimal light and shade changing with the seasons.
Some of the buildings are beginning to show their age (40+ years) with visible cracks and rust. I found the "urban laboratory" a bit depressing- perhaps it was just the name or maybe because it lacked individuality. And the futuristic, communal living aspect was reminiscent of sci-fi movies like Logan's Run. But the idea of linear cities where people work, live and play in the same community is intriguing. I was glad I finally explored it- and would like to see another arcology community before dismissing the idea altogether.
Thumb Up or Down: Up!
Miles Round-Trip: 415.3
Miles To Date: 855.9
Date of This Trip: December 9-10, 2011
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