Phoenix on the rise: you'll find a new downtown, spring hiking, and baseball

Sunset, March, 2005 by Nora Burba Trulsson

There aren't many desert cities where you can get esoteric over art, aerobic over a steep hill, and poetic over baseball--all in one weekend. Phoenix, however, with its newly revitalized downtown, offers a great sampling of culture, outdoor adventure, and sports.

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Prowl downtown and you'll find a booming contemporary art scene that has grown amidst old warehouses and storefronts. Residential loft projects have sprung up nearby, and new, sophisticated restaurants are catering to the creative crowd and urban dwellers.

The art scene is at its height now, with exhibit openings and organized gallery and studio tours. Plus it's peak season for baseball's spring training, or hiking in one of the nearby desert parks. Expect balmy shirtsleeve days and light-sweater nights.

Visitors might find the city's sheer size daunting, but the best way to get to know Phoenix is to divvy it up into sections or neighborhoods and spend time soaking up the very different character of each.

DAY 1 Friday

This month, art aficionados should plan a trip to coincide with the annual Art Detour (Mar 4-6; free; schedules and self-guided tour maps available at www.artlinkphoenix.com or 602/256-7539), which includes the monthly First Friday gallery and studio tour.

Museum morning. Start an art-tour day at the ever-expanding Phoenix Art Museum (10-5 Tue-Sun, until 9 Thu; $9; 1625 N. Central Ave.; www.phxart.org or 602/257-1222), where in March you can view paintings by American impressionist Theodore Robinson and French impressionist Claude Monet. Look also for works by notable artists with Arizona ties, such as Philip Curtis and Max Ernst.

Diner deluxe. Elbow your way into the Welcome Diner ($; breakfast and lunch Mon-Sat; 924 E. Roosevelt St.; 602/495-1111), a nine-seat, newly restored vintage diner that has quickly become a downtown hit. Ignore carb counts and have a BLT and a root-beer float.

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Gallery hop. Enter Studio LoDo/Phoenix Center for Contemporary Art (12-5 Thu-Sat; 15 E. Jackson St.; www.lodopcca.org or 602/200-8790) through its south-side patio and have fun with the March exhibition, Translucent Transcendence. Nearby Bentley Projects (10-5 Tue-Sat; 215 E. Grant St.; www.bentleyprojects.com or 602/340-9200) is an ambitious gallery complex, set partially in a 1910 laundry building.

Sample the fare. Pizzeria Bianco ($$; dinner Tue-Sat; 623 E. Adams St.; 602/258-8300) offers exquisitely simple pizzas and salads. Ever since chef-owner Chris Bianco won a 2003 James Beard Foundation Award, waits for seating in his intimate restaurant can be long. A great nearby alternative is Ruby Beet Gourmet ($$$; dinner Tue-Sat; 628 E. Adams; 602/258-8700), where a small bowl of roasted ruby-beet salad pairs well with entrees such as chicken stuffed with duck and pancetta sausage.

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Stay up late. Continue in art mode at the Paper Heart (1 p.m.-1 a.m. Tue-Sat; admission varies; 750 N.W. Grand Ave.; 602/262-2020), where the first Friday of the month might feature live music or poetry, plus art exhibits. If you dare, cap off the night at Bikini Lounge (1502 Grand Ave.; 602/252-0472), a smoky, dive-y tiki bar untouched since its 1947 opening. It has become the hangout for artists and gallery-goers.

DAY 2 Saturday

A great place to fuel up for a day of hiking and exploring the many gems tucked into the city's old South Mountain neighborhood is the Morning Glory Cafe & Bakery ($; breakfast Tue-Sun; 6106 S. 32nd St.; 602/276-0601). Order the pecan granola or omelets to enjoy on the patio. The backdrop is the pecan trees and vegetable plots of the Farm at South Mountain, a working farm.

Hit the trail. The nearly 17,000 acres of desert mountain terrain at South Mountain Park/Preserve (free; 10919 S. Central Ave.; www.phoenix.gov/parks/hikesoth.html or 602/495-0222) provide miles of trails and spring-blooming brittlebush. There's a good 4.2-mile loop that starts by heading south on Kiwanis Trail, turning west on National Trail, north on Ranger Trail, then east on Las Lomitas Loop. The route gives you views of downtown and suburbia, plus a good workout. Stop at the park's South Mountain Environmental Education Center (9-5 Mon-Sat; 10409 S. Central) for trail details and exhibits. If you don't want to do the trail legwork yourself, consider a horseback trek. Ponderosa Stables (one-hour trail rides from $25; 10215 S. Central; www.arizona-horses.com or 602/268-1261) offers a variety of rides throughout the park.

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Chow down. Los Dos Molinos ($; lunch and dinner Tue-Sat; 8646 S. Central; 602/243-9113) caters to hungry hikers by serving up spicy carne adovada ribs and chiles rellenos in a rambling, 1920s Santa Fe-style building that happens to be the former home of silent-film star Tom Mix.

Unravel a mystery. Tour Mystery Castle (11-4 Thu-Sun Oct-May; $5; 800 E. Mineral Rd.; 602/268-1581), a quirky, folk-art landmark built in the South Mountain foothills during the 1930s and '40s out of recycled materials and found objects.