Phoenix, AZ

Amazing Jake’s

Not just another Pizza Arcade, Amazing Jake’s is an 80,000 square foot entertainment powerhouse that just so happens to also serve food. A miniature indoor amusement park, it features video arcade games, laser tag, rock climbing, and dozens of rides and a racetrack.

Address: 1830 E Baseline Rd, Mesa, AZ 85204
Phone: 480.926.7499
Website: http://www.amazingjakes.com/

GameWorks

Tempe is lucky to be home to one of only a few of Sega’s massive arcade entertainment venues in the United States. GameWorks, the largest arcade in the valley, features a three story tall Hot Air Balloon video game that sends players whizzing to new heights, not to mention all of the newest arcade releases.

The gourmet restaurant has a full menu for big and small appetites and a full bar for mommy and daddy. GameWorks is a perfect family destination!

Address: 5000 S Arizona Mills Cir Tempe, AZ 85282
Website: http://www.gameworks.com/locations/tempe.php

Rawhide

The best Wild West Town without going to Tombstone. Bring the whole family to enjoy an authentic Old West atmosphere and a gun fight or two. After the duel, takes the kids to the petting zoo or head over to Dead Man’s drop rock climbing wall. The kids can try their luck as a prospect and pan for real gold.

Dine at the Rawhide Steakhouse to get a bellyful of delicious steaks and ribs. For the braver bunch, rocky mountain oysters and fried rattle snake are on the menu. Be sure to give the mechanical bull a ride after dinner.

During the months of hospitable climate, the family can catch a mule-drawn hay wagon and dine out under the stars with the chuck wagon.

Address: 5700 West North Loop Road Chandler, AZ 85226
Phone Number: 800-527-1880
Website: http://www.rawhide.com/

Dinning, Restaruant, Kids, Arcade, Video Games

Doors open for Canned Heat’s last performance at 7 tonight at 1019 E. Indian School Road. It’s a show for those 21 and older. Tickets are $16. You can call 602.265.4842 for more information or Canned Heat’s website.

Canned Heat, The Rhythm Room, jam

As a creative, I’m always excited to find a new event supporting the arts. Here’s one if you enjoy music, poetry reading and watching painters create. It’s simply called Paint, which is open to the public every Tuesday’s 8 p.m. at The Paper Heart Arts Venue
at 750 N.W. Grand Avenue. It’s $3 before 10 p.m. and $5 after 10.

art, music, poetry, Paint, The Paper Heart Arts Venue

The First Fridays Artwalk for June is coming up. It’s a monthly event where downtown Phoenix art-friendly business and more than 80 galleries participate to give thousands of artists and art lovers a place to network and share their passion of the creative.

The Phoenix Public Library, located just south of McDowell Road on Central Avenue, is the place to start because it offers a First Fridays brochure that illustrates where all the member galleries are in the downtown Phoenix area. Starting at the Phoenix Library also offers you the best shuttle bus route for the night. The shuttles run every 20 minutes.

First Fridays Artwalk, Phoenix Public Library, Arizona

Tony Bennett will be at the Symphony Hall, 75 North Second Street, at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $65-$125.

Forrest Smith will perform at the Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza at 1700 West Washington Street tonight at 6 to 6:30.

Matt & Kim, a indie/pop duo, will be performing at The Trunk Space, at 1506 N.W. Grand Avenue starting at 8. Tickets are $6.

Tony Bennett, Forrest Smith, Matt & Kim

woo HOO! Who needs the Salt River tube rides when there’s Big Surf and Waterworld that are going to be opening this Saturday for the season. This is literally cool for the family do, especially starting on a weekend holiday.

Tempe’s Big Surf website at http://tempe.golfland.com/ for prices, due to height requirements. There are group packages and season passes, so go check it out or call 480.947.2477.

Waterworld Safari takes you on an African-themed adventure located 4243 W. Pinnacle Peak Road. Again, the prices vary due to height requirements, however season passes, events, arcade, rentals, and group packages are available.

Big Surf, Waterworld, Phoenix, Tempe, Arizona

Queen Creek’s Schnepf Farms is inviting the public to pick peaches off its trees until they’re bare. The crop is reported to be at 70 percent and offering six different kinds to choose from. The only cost is $2 a pound. If you’re wanting to give this a go but are worried about getting up on a ladder to get your peaches, not to worry! The trees are right to the ground so there isn’t any need for ladders. You have a choice to place your juicy fruit in bags or boxes, which are provided by the farm. Some great things to keep in mind should you have a thing for peach-picking right now: Arizona peaches take a few days to ripen yet easy to freeze for later.

The farm is located at 24810 South Rittenhouse Road out in Queen Creek and this Saturday and Sunday are the last days this experience is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can call 480.987.3100 for more information, or go to schnepffarms.com.

Queen Creek, Arizona, Schnepf Farms, peaches

If you love the simplicity of a grid style street layout, then you may want to check out this exhibit hosted by Trunk Space tonight from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Nine photographers’ work gives you a cool look of the East/West running roads of Metro Phoenix. This event runs until June 11th and can be viewed most everyday. It can also be enjoyed on First Night, June 1st. If you’re interested, call for event times and prices at 602-256-6006.

Yesterday, I talked about walking — let’s talk about swimming.

In Phoenix, swimming is an all-year around activity to take of advantage of. The heated pool is relaxing in the winter (unless you have icy-water lovin’ relatives from Minnesota who like to wake up with a dip in the pool instead of a cup of coffee) just as a sun-heated pool is in the summer.

My favorite time to take a swim is in the summer not long after the sun goes down. Last year, Hubby and I joined my parents-in-law in their pool after suppertime. We have what is called “noodles” to float on while we “walk” around in the deep end, or lean back on one end of the noodle to relax to see if we could catch sight of stars coming out to play for the night. A hot breeze came along a time or two, but it actually felt nice…as long as we were in the water. Another funny thing is we’d be in the pool long enough that when we got out to refill a drink we’d be chilly and make a beeline back into the pool where it would feel like a satin comforter on a mountain winter night. If I had more leisurely time in my life, a swimming pool is where I’d be, either “beatin’ feet” around the deep end, or relaxing on a floating mattress, with sunglasses, SPF 55, and a sun hat reading a book.

As relaxing as it can be, one does need to be careful around the pool. Of course, we would do well to look after ourselves along with the kids and “furkids.” I’ve lived in the Valley since 1999, and every one of those years I always catch the TV channels around here do their best to let us know a rather life-saving thing to do: Watch you kids around water. I’m not a parent, but I “get” it. I “get” that campaign so much that I watch anyone I care about around water; they can be 2, 24, 58, or 65, I have their six o’clock. This is because I love them and that the most able-bodied person/pet could end up wrong in a pool.

On the subject of being responsible, I’d like to add something from my veterinarian about cooling off pets in the summer. If you think your pet is overheated and want to putting them in the pool will cool them down…think again. The action of placing an overheated pet in a pool will cause the cool water to compress the heat of the body to its center, which may cause multiple organ failure. The best way to cool down your pet is to take them to a shady spot, wet their fur and feet and cool them with a fan. If you are able, call your vet for added support. Even better here is to make sure pets don’t get overheated at all. They may want to play ball, but 120 degrees isn’t the temperature to be doing it in.

It’s that time of the year again to go walking in the early morning, late at night, catch a treadmill at the gym or window-shop walking at the nearest mall because of this wicked heat. A walking enthusiast such as I am finds the great outdoors to be the course to enjoy and get rejuvenated, therefore it really puts a dent in my buggy to have to trek it somewhere inside. So, the choices boil down to (no pun intended): early morning or late at night?

I chose early morning a couple of weeks ago. This is the first week I’ll be able to put into practice my new schedule. I have to say that the best time is between 5-5:30 while 8 o’clock is too late. Yeah, I’m still talking morning. The best plus to this is one gets a fantastic view of a new day arriving, the best paintings ever on this planet. And they’re never the same, so it’s best to bring along a camera.

This is one of the things I like to do when I get in a rut…make my trek a photography expedition. I capture anything that gets my eye, even if it’s the shadow of my dog on a dew-kissed, freshly cut green lawn. Or it could be the clouds coming in from the east to (hopefully) give us rain, a bird sitting on the cactus. It is then that one can understand the speed of walking is the sometimes best thing for a soul…so one can enjoy the speed of beauty.

The Deftones are in the Valley tonight for a 6 o’clock concert at the Mesa Amphitheatre, 263 North Center Street. Tickets are going for $25. Be sure to check out the local eateries and take some aspirin before making your way to this heavy metal experience.