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Cool Spots for Hot Times

Weekend trips to Arizona cool spots during the summer.

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Latinos love Arizona. That’s why so many of us settled here generations ago, or recently transplanted ourselves from bustling cities like Los Angeles or Chicago. But just because we are Latinos doesn’t mean we love Arizona’s summer heat.
 

I don’t do well with hot. When the summer sets the air on fire and it hovers oppressively over the urban heat island we fondly call the Valley, I get grumpy.
 
“It’s too hot!” I whine. (C’mon, don’t you?)
 
 “I can’t take this heat another day,” I say, often at 7 in the morning.
 
“You could fry an egg on the sidewalk!”   (I’m not all that original in the heat - especially at 7 in the morning.)
 
But, amigos y amigas, we gotta admit, Sam Kinison had it right when he’d shout in one of his famous comedy bits: “It’s a friggin’ desert!”  (I always clean up his quotes. I’m a mom.)
 
Another factor causing tempers to rise these days is the zooming cost of gasoline. In June it was in the neighborhood of $4 a gallon.  Fellow Latina Yvette Lopez, a marketer with Arizona Automobile Association, says the high costs haven’t yet made people permanently park their gas guzzlers.  
 
“People are still traveling, but they are looking at ways to save costs. In terms of drive time, more people are possibly looking to travel in-state,” Lopez says. (Check out www.fuelcostcalculator.com  to estimate gas costs to destinations, and www.aaa.com for the latest state travel updates.)
 
So, instead of just complaining, let’s do something about it. Let’s leave, if only for a weekend. Here’s some of our favorite cool spots that provide great things to do as you escape the Valley’s triple digits.
 
See ya on the way outta town.
 

 
1. Get to Flagstaff -- fast
In summer, Interstate 17 north becomes a magical highway climbing steadily upward to the land of Ponderosa pines and radically cooler temperatures before terminating at U.S. 40. It eventually evolves into the famed Historic Route 66 in downtown Flagstaff.
 

First recommended stop is the Flagstaff Visitor Center. Located in the historic 1926 Santa Fe train station at 1 East Route 66, it provides you with everything you want to know about the 7,000 feet-high city and surrounding environs. It’s still a passenger station with Amtrak service twice daily and remains one of the nation’s busiest railroad corridors with more than 1,300 trains passing by every 24 hours.
 
The Visitor Center, in the heart of the historic downtown district, has two hours free parking, so leave the car and go for a stroll on the 1890s streets while appreciating the remaining old-timey atmosphere.
 
Thirsty? One block south of the Visitor Center is the Beaver Street Brewery with an outdoor beer garden and a view of the San Francisco Peaks.
 
At 16 East Route 66 is the 14-year-old Flagstaff Brewing Company.  Along with the latest brews you can enjoy the famous Stink Burger – a half pounder so named due to its topping of roasted garlic cloves, Swiss cheese and an onion ring!
 
For upscale comfort food in Flagstaff, there’s nothing to compare with Josephine’s, where chef owner Tony Cosentino whips up upscale comfort food. Find them in the converted bungalow at 503 N. Humphrey’s Street.
 
Another must see is the Lowell Observatory, founded in 1894 and a mile west of downtown. Catch a 30-minute guided tour (every hour from 9:15 to 4:15) to see the original 1896 Lowell telescope or tour the new John Vickers McAllister Space Theatre. www.lowell.edu
 
Staying in Flagstaff?  Try the Little America Hotel, perched on 500 pine-filled acres with spacious rooms, or the Radisson Woodlands.