Where to sip, eat, and shop like a local
Stop by Durant’s, a 1950s steakhouse, for a classic gin martini (it goes best with oysters Rockefeller). Dead-on details like red flocked wallpaper, vintage booths, and bow-tied servers take you back in time as you dig into filet mignon or double-cut lamb chops.
Insider tip: Regulars enter from the back, through the kitchen ― not from the street.
$$$$; 2611 N. Central Ave.; 602/264-5967.
Kick back with a coffee and a turkey-and-brie sandwich at My Florist Café, an airy restaurant that housed Phoenix’s largest florist for 50 years. There’s live music almost every night; on weekends hear Nicole Pesce on piano.
$; 534 W. McDowell Rd.; 602/254-0333.
Pick up Navajo textiles, a Hopi katsina, or handcrafted silver and turquoise jewelry at the Heard Museum Shop, which has sold Native American art for 50 years.
On weekdays, you’ll often find artists bringing in new works for the shop’s buyer to consider.
2301 N. Central Ave.
Snap up homewares at Willo Antiques, a cottage crammed with furniture, art, tableware, and accessories, gathered mostly from Phoenix sources. Step out to the courtyard for garden decor.
Call for hours; 133 W. McDowell Rd.; 602/266-0939.
The stretch of Monte Vista Road between Third and Fifth Avenues is lined with Spanish Revival, English Tudor, bungalow, and modern ranch homes from the 1920s to the 1950s. Peek into tidy gardens and explore pocket parks.
Bonus: A home tour (Feb 8; $15; willohistoricdistrict.com) lets you see inside historic houses.