Posts Tagged ‘phoenix bars’

Saturday Night Live

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

Live, from Downtown Phoenix, it’s…comedy, music and martinis. Here’s a quick rundown of events this Saturday night [Editor's Note: There are no day events listed because you'll be attending Urban Wine Walk 2010 right??], which includes some welcome freebies for anyone who’s feeling a bit cash-strapped (and honestly, who isn’t?).

The Turf Restaurant and Pub

Saturday’s musical guest: Whitney Steele. This talented songbird is a local favorite who’s performed with the Gin Blossoms. Her recent CD, Any Thoughts on That?, was produced by the drummer for Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, one of my favorite homegrown bands.

Whitney and Aaron Ricker will perform an acoustic set at 9 p.m. at The Turf Restaurant and Pub. If you haven’t been to the Turf, a newcomer to Downtown, check out their complete menu and drink list.

Solstice Saturdays

Now in its second year, this dance party at BarSmith features DJ Element and Benjamin Cutswell spinning hip-hop on the first floor, and DJ Senbad and Pete Salaz playing house music until 3 a.m. No cover charge before 10 p.m.

cheech_and_chongCheech & Chong, Live at the Dodge

Boy, does this make me feel ancient. I remember Cheech & Chong from their heyday in the 70’s.  If you’d like a refresher course, or you want to see this stoner comedy duo for the first time, get tickets for their concert at the Dodge Theatre, this Saturday at 8 pm.

Live Music at the Grand Staircase

Here’s a terrific, absolutely free way to enjoy the last of our spring weather. Head for the Arizona Center, take a seat under the trees, and listen to live music from  local artists. 5 pm to 8 pm, this Saturday.

Prime Rib Special at Coach & Willie’s

Finally, here are those martinis I promised you. For just $15, a killer price, you can dine on a 10 oz. prime rib with garlic mashed potatoes and veggies.  Wine and martini specials are available to top off the feast this Saturday at Coach & Willie’s.

 

Got a little black dress but no place to go? Text ”nightlife” to 25866

Third Annual Downtown Phoenix Pub Crawl

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

0341Math isn’t my friend. It’s barely an acquaintance. But even I can do the math on the Phoenix Pub Crawl: 15 restaurants and bars for $12 per person. When you break it down, that comes to…80 cents per bar.

That’s crazy good. Your $12 ticket includes live entertainment, munchies and special prices on drinks, only available to Pub Crawl participants. Serious suggestion: Get $2 off your tickets now by ordering in advance and entering the code “2off”. Be sure to get your tickets in advance; the price goes to $15 the day of the event.

The Third Annual Downtown Phoenix Pub Crawl starts at 4th Street and Garfield on Friday, November 13th. It goes from 9 pm until 3:30 am, ending at an after-hours breakfast spot. Free trolley buses are on hand to move you to and from different locations.

Wondering which bars are participating? Here you go:

1130 The Restaurant
Bar Smith
Bently’s Night Club
Carly’s
Coach and WIllie’s
District American Kitchen & WIne Bar
Hooters
Kincaid’s Fish, Chop and Steak House
Majerle’s Sports Grill
Seamus McCaffrey’s Irish Pub

Sonoma Casual Dining
Steve’s Greenhouse Grill

Stoudemire’s Downtown
TGI Friday’s Front Row
Turf

Word on the Street

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

Come on Inside -

weekly-insider-emailToday marks the first day of the first issue of the new Downtown Weekly Insider, formerly Copper Square Connect.

Every Thursday, the Insider will arrive with news, feature stories, blogs and links to your preferences on downtownphoenix.com—think of it as a cheat sheet to Downtown Phoenix, delivered directly to your inbox. And look for suggestions each week on anything and everything downtown, from the mintiest mojitos to the best unsung spots.

What else? Well, you might find a spotlight on local bands.  Playlists for riding the light rail. Or even the best dishes to blow your diet (mmm, butter).

If you already know and love Downtown Phoenix, you’ll find a little more to love. We’ll focus on giving you surprising and unexpected ideas that you won’t see anywhere but here.

Join us each week inside Downtown Phoenix. You never know what you’ll find. And if you haven’t signed up for the Downtown Weekly Insider, do it now.

Also, if you are interested in joining our community of writers/bloggers and offering your insights on Downtown Phoenix, fill out the writer submission form or visit our FAQ page to learn more.

For those who’d rather read than write, we have quite a few new blog posts for your perusal. Check out the “Crazies,” who are crazy about local dining, or read about Alyssa’s “Downtown Mishap Turned Adventure.” Or discover my suggestions for the best downtown lunch. There’s a little something for everyone.

Downtown Mishap Turned Adventure!

Friday, September 11th, 2009

The start of this adventure must be prefaced with an explanation of Christie; she is my best friend, the Monica to my Rachel, the Oprah to my Gayle, the Nicole Richie to my Paris Hilton…hmm, maybe not that last one. We met in high school and have grown closer through these past eight years of friendship. When it came to picking colleges, Christie picked the smallest, most far away, coldest temperature school (Bucknell University). Christie does have plans to come back to Phoenix after graduation to work as an accountant. We are the best of friends, and our adventures usually begin with a plan, followed by a calamity, and end with a giggle fest that leaves our abs sore in the morning. It is no surprise that this summer night followed that template.

It all started with my summer internship where I won two VIP tickets to see Lisa Lampanelli at the Dodge Theater (http://tinyurl.com/l5fk4m).  And with the best friend being in town from her East Coast college I asked her to come along for the evening. We had been downtown together for the occasional baseball game or concert, but this would be our first adventure in the city as 21 year olds!

The plan was to start at 1130, a bar in the Arizona Center that advertised $5 cosmos and $3 wines, go to the show and laugh, and then go to whatever bar looked fun. After getting lost with the one way streets of downtown (always take the light rail to avoid mass hysteria and confusion), Christie reading the tickets stated, “Oh, that’s weird. The tickets say the show is on Saturday.” This was especially weird because it was Thursday. After a laugh attack and calling Dodge Theater to confirm our error, we decided to head forth with the plan minus Lisa Lampanelli.

We walked into a very estrogen filled 1130. We ordered drinks and the appetizer special but to our dismay there weren’t many men in the restaurant to buy our drinks (coming into adulthood in the peak of Sex in The City’s success had filled our heads with silly ideas of bar life). Christie, now 2 and three-fourths cosmos deep, recommended we wander over to the AMC at the Arizona Center to see what was playing. Fortunately, Thursday nights are Student Discount Nights! This includes a discounted price on all movie tickets for students. Our “staving student” budgets were getting us pretty far for the swanky downtown lifestyle we were experiencing.

Horse CopsOn our way out of the movie, we saw two horse cops who let us pet their horses for about 15 minutes. We learned that one must always ask and, most importantly, receive permission before touching an animal of the law. You could be arrested if the officer thinks you mean harm to him or the horse. The two officers were so kind and told us that the Phoenix Police Department is looking for volunteers to care for the horses at the stable. If you are interested, you can contact the police department for more details.

On our way back to the parking garage, we met a Downtown Phoenix Ambassador who told us funny “on the job” stories while escorting us back to our car. The escort wasn’t entirely necessary because we didn’t feel one bit frightened.

Another night planned out perfectly, where something went very wrong, but turned into a great time in a beautiful city!

First Friday Fun

Thursday, September 3rd, 2009

First Friday Art

It’s July 3rd, First Friday night! The boyfriend and I hop on the light rail and start our journey into First Fridays. We wander into a bistro called Carly’s and discover they have a sweet happy hour. I used to think downtown was too expensive, but you just have to know where to find the deals. We try something called a Blushing Belgium, which combines framboise with Guinness—very tasty. We talk and watch the crowds of people pass us by. There are so many different groups. This is why I love Phoenix’s First Friday. There are Goths, followed by a family, then a high school couple, then a street show featuring roller blades and tutus. Watching the crowds go by is better than watching TV.

After our drinks, we head through the galleries and I buy my first piece of art! It’s a print of a phoenix rising with “love” written vertically. First Friday is full of Phoenix pride. We see a graffiti artist painting PHX on canvases in very creative ways. I am excited for next month’s event, and who knows? Maybe I’ll find my second piece of art.