To help you be a smarter Phoenix tourist, enjoy your trip more and spend less of your hard-earned money doing it, I've compiled some Phoenix tourist tips:
Six Ways to be a Smart Phoenix Tourist
- Know the Weather: Many a Phoenix tourist doesn't realize how cold it can get here in winter. Our guide to Phoenix weather can help you bring the right stuff.
- Know the Geography: Numbered streets run north and south, but 7th Avenue is NOT the same as 7th Street. Avenues are west of Center Street and Streets are east of it. Just to mix things up further, 7th Way or 7th Lane may get wedged in between 7th and 8th. If you're unsure about where you're headed, call ahead to ask or get out your GPS.
- Know the Distance: Phoenix is one of the country's largest cities, and it sprawls. Ten street numbers can spread over a mile, and it can take half an hour or more to drive from north Scottsdale to Tempe. If you need to be somewhere on time, find out how far it is and how long it will take to get there.
- Know When to Find a Bargain: If you can tolerate the heat, Phoenix offers some of the best bargains around on summer lodging, with top resort rooms going for less than half of what you'd pay in peak season.
- Don't Dismiss Downtown: It's undergone a lot of changes and is well worth a look.
- Know the Mantra: When confronted with talk of triple-digit summer temperatures, Arizonans all know what to say: "But it's a DRY heat," they'll parrot. Head them off at the pass by starting with something like: "I know it's a dry heat, but..."
- Be Prepared for the Air: If you don't live in it all the time, the desert can quickly turn into an uncomfortable place. Find out what you need to do before you go to the desert to be sure you have what you need to stay comfy.
