Neighborhood sights in Arizona
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A
Presidio Historic District
The Tucson Museum of Art is part of this low-key neighborhood, which embraces the site of the original Spanish fort and a ritzy residential area once nicknamed 'Snob Hollow.' This is (per current historical knowledge) one of the oldest inhabited places in North America. The Spanish Presidio de San Augustín del Tucson dates back to 1775, but the fort itself was built over a Hohokam site that has been dated to AD 700–900. The original fort is completely gone, although there's a short reconstructed section at the corner of Church Ave and Washington St.
The historical district teems with adobe townhouses and restored 19th-century mansions. Shoppers should steer towards Old…
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B
Old Town Scottsdale
Tucked among the glitzy malls and chichi bistros is Old Town Scottsdale, a tiny Wild West-themed enclave filled with cutesy buildings, covered sidewalks and stores hawking mass-produced 'Indian' jewelry and Western art. One building with genuine history is the 1909 Little Red School House, now home of the Scottsdale Historical Museum, where low-key exhibits highlight Scottsdale's history. Old Town is centered on Main St and Brown Ave.
In a cleverly adapted ex-movie theater, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Arts showcases global art, architecture and design, including James Turrell's otherworldly Knight Rise skyspace in the sculpture garden. The museum is across from…
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C
Mill Ave
Situated along the campus' western edge, Mill Ave is Tempe's main drag and lined with restaurants, bars and a mix of national chains and indie boutiques. It's a fine place to browse for old vinyl records and vintage dresses. For cool metro and mountain views, huff it up for half a mile to the top of 'A' Mountain, so-called because of the giant letter 'A' painted there by ASU students, but officially known as Tempe Butte or Hayden Butte. The trailhead is on E 3rd St, near Mill Ave.
Mill Ave spills into Tempe Town Lake, a 2-mile-long recreational pond created by reclaiming the long-dry Salt River in the 1990s. Have a picnic at Tempe Beach Park and watch kids letting off…
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Barrio Histórico District/Barrio Viejo
This compact neighborhood was an important business district in the late 19th century. Today it's home to funky shops and galleries in brightly painted adobe houses. The Barrio centers on 100 S Stone Ave and is bordered by I-10, Stone Ave and Cushing and 17th St.
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4th Avenue
Linking historic downtown and the university, lively 4th Ave is a rare breed: a hip yet alt-flavored strip with a neighborhood feel and not a single chain store or restaurant, oops, except for Dairy Queen. The stretch between 9th St and University Blvd is lined with buzzy restaurants, coffee houses, bars, galleries, tattoo parlors, indie boutiques and vintage stores of all stripes.
Under the overpass that crosses 4th Ave and Broadway is the Tucson Portrait Project, one of our favorite public art projects anywhere. This wall-to-wall mosaic of about 7000 Tucsonian faces is a simple yet powerful testament to the diversity of the city's population.
The best time to visit 4th…
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