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Discover the green side of Phoenix
Bask in open desert spaces, scoop up exotic fruit, and drink in indulgent cocktails
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Getting There
To get to the Desert Botanical Garden (a good starting point), take State 202 to State 143 north and turn right at E. McDowell Rd. Go about 2 miles to N. Galvin Pkwy.
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Share Your Weekend Finds
Favorite new restaurant? Local hike? Email your suggestions to the weekend guide editor at wgeditor@sunset.com
Why go now in late spring: Explore Phoenix’s cutting-edge gardens and open spaces before summer heat sends you indoors.
Dress code: Pearl-button cowboy shirt, jeans, and sunglasses.
22 feet: The height of the tallest cactus in the Cactus and Succulent Galleries at the Desert Botanical Garden.
Rakish find: Pick up a stylish collapsible rake at Southwest Gardener (2809 N. 15th Ave.; 877/315-9301).
Bragging rights: Pizzeria Bianco ($; closed Sun; 623 E. Adams St.; pizzeriabianco.com), where locals line up for wood-fired pizzas topped with house-smoked mozzarella.
Best place for nature lovers: The Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area (free; Central Ave. just south of I-17; phoenix.gov/riosalado), a 5-mile stretch of wetlands along the Salt River bed. Once a dump site, it’s now home to hundreds of bird species.
Reason to return: The opening of the habitat’s eco-friendly Audubon Center (az.audubon.org/center_riosalado.html), scheduled for fall.
MORE GREEN PHOENIX STOPS
Waterworks at Arizona Falls
Sit on large boulders and watch as sheets of water flow overhead to power a hydroelectric plant in this creative park designed
by artists Mags Harries and Lajos Héder. Free; in G.R. Herberger Park, 56th St. at Indian School Rd.; srpnet.com/water/canals/azfalls.aspx
Baker International Nursery
Browse this beloved Phoenix institution for hard-to-find plants; the nursery’s rose and citrus stock is particularly diverse. 3414 N. 40th St.; 602/955-4500.
True food kitchen
It’s easy to eat green at this sunny, airy restaurant―alternative medicine guru Dr. Andrew Weil helped create the healthy-but-sophisticated menu. Sip organic Sauvignon Blanc and
try the miso-glazed black cod or green tea soba noodles with peas, bok choy, and lemongrass. $$; in Bittmore Fashion Park,
2502 E. Camelback Rd., Ste. 135; 602/774-3488.
Take it home
Rose Ann and Nick Colamartini have been avid recyclers for decades, and their rambling furniture and accessories shop, Urban
Southwest, is stuffed with rustic dining tables made from old roof decking, candelabra crafted from scrap metal, and chairs
formed from waste palm wood. Too big for a suitcase? They ship. Closed Sun; 1016 E. Camelback Rd.; urbansouthwest.com
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