PHOENIX – It struck me on the way back from the Brewers-Rockies game at stunning Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, somewhere along the route as we drove through the scenic foothills community of Paradise Valley.
I may be starting to take this trip for granted.
I say that because I noticed my jaw wasn't dropping at the desert scenery on Friday. I wasn't floored to see a beefed up Ryan Braun crank a home run into the vivid, blue sky, as the temperatures climbed in the high 80s. I was happy, of course, but it didn't feel all so special all of a sudden.
For a second, I wondered if visiting Phoenix every March since 1998 has spoiled me. Maybe I needed to take a year off. Then I stopped myself and realized that even if it's familiar, it's just as wonderful. And I smiled again, like a wide-eyed 23-year-old kid on my first visit here. I pledged to savor every moment from then on out.
The day began smoothly, with breakfast at the Over Easy Café with our friends from the Tempe, Scottsdale and Phoenix convention and visitors bureaus. These are the people who help us out every year with car rentals, new experiences and meals, and historically with lodging (though now we work directly with the Sheraton Crescent).
The Over Easy Café is in a strip mall in Phoenix, just like just about everything in this area. But that doesn't take away from its cool atmosphere and tasty, inventive menu. True, we had a 30-minute wait on a Friday morning (a Guy Fieri mention will do that), but similar to Blue's Egg in Wauwatosa, it was worth it. A great breakfast can just about make you forget you're burning the candle at both ends for five days.
Next, we headed to the brand new Rockies/Diamondbacks stadium, Salt River Fields. There are some nice ballparks here, but this place is world-class. And, for the first time I've ever experienced out there, the game was sold out.
Still, we took our time exploring this amazing stadium, which makes me think the Brewers need to consider a replacement for the now-bland Maryvale Baseball Park. On the field, the Crew nearly overcame a horrendous first inning, in which Wily Peralta, the pitcher who is being considered to replace an injured Zack Greinke, could only retire one out while coughing up five earned runs. Prince Fielder went yard, but it wasn't enough to win.
Friday afternoon, we recharged by the pool and headed out to dinner at the Cadillac Ranch in Tempe. In our early years visiting, Tempe was our home base. More recently, we have shifted most of our activities to Phoenix and Scottsdale, but when we first started coming here, we rarely left the campus of Arizona State University.
But there's more to Tempe than the college bar scene on Mill Ave., and for dinner we checked out this Tex Mex restaurant in the Tempe Marketplace. The Tempe Marketplace is interesting; think of it like the area's version of Bayshore but a bit more rocking. The concept works better here, though, because of the amazing weather, and even the Cadillac Ranch is on the new side, its owners took great lengths to make it feel authentic. For a good meal, it was also quite reasonably priced -- our group of four spent less than $80 on a solid dinner and dessert (of fried cheesecake).
After dinner, we trekked north to Old Town Scottsdale again, this time to an old favorite, the Coach House. And speaking of old, Coach House is Scottsdale's oldest bar, opening way back in 1959. I'd never seen live music there before, but the super-talented Nameless Prophets were playing and we checked out their first set before wisely packing it in early. There's something to be said for getting a bit of sleep on vacation.
This morning, we're not in a rush (for a change) and will make our way to Camelback Ranch in Glendale where the Brewers will take on the Dodgers. This is another new stadium that I haven't seen yet, so I'm excited to check it out. Randy Wolf is starting for the Crew.
And tonight is the OnMilwaukee.com Brewers fans happy hour tweet up at Dos Gringos that we've been planning for the better half of a month. It's just a casual party at a great Scottsdale bar, running from 5-7 p.m. (and maybe later). With drink specials, raffle prizes and more, we hope you'll join us if you're out here. And if you're not, but you know people who are, please send them our way. I promise a full recap tomorrow!
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
