As an ex Londoner I get a kick out of hiking in the city, any city. In the winter we live just north of downtown Scottsdale and easy access via the Arizona canal allows us to walk in to town for food, drink, entertainment and events. Unlike the back country where the pleasure lies in the unchanging natural setting, the fun in city walking revolves around the constantly changing buildings and particularly the bar and restaurant scene. Some years back, after conversations that began "Now what was that bar called before it became....?", I decided to take photos of the existing "scene" and update it occasionally. Just last week I wandered downtown and did some rephotography.
One of my favorites is the space that has housed Furio, Bonfire and Rehab Burger Therapy in quick succession. Each place has been good but the turnover is fast!
I missed Furio but Bonfire has now morphed into...
In this case not much more than a quick coat of paint and a few accessories.
When Mulligan's Brick Bar closed....
They got a little more radical
But some of the old favorites go on for year after year
Downtown Scottsdale is actually at least three if not four or five distinct districts that as a whole has in excess of 100 bars, restaurants and nightclubs. After a lull during the Recession years the bar/restaurant building has started anew along with something approaching 2000 new apartments. These three are right next to each other in the Entertainment District and are all brand new construction.
Although I have focused on the food and drinking establishments, downtown also has as many Art Galleries as bars and a huge amount of public art that I hope to feature in a future post. Combine all that with the people watching and downtown Scottsdale makes for an urban hike worth doing again and again!
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