regular GUY reviews... Mountain Shadows (Scottsdale, AZ)…read moreSignature Premium King, Room 4323, 427 ft2, 1 King Signature Premium Queen, Room 4321, 427 ft2, 2 Queen Beds, 3 nights Cost: $$ ($300 - $599 / night) Take note, this is low season prices. In high season, prices are triple+! */* Final SCORE: 4.5 Last Thoughts: Fresh, mid-20th century style hotel with a lively (maybe too lively?) pool scene, nice golf course and great restaurant. */* */ The Room... (5/5) Bathroom: Spotless, plenty of towels Toilet in separate room with (frosted) door One sink with some counter space Enclosed shower (frosted door) with regular shower head; No tub Frosted pane of glass between bathroom and bedroom regular GUY's opinion: "Why put a frosted piece of glass there at all... ?" The Beds: Beds were comfortable; Linens were clean and fresh regular GUY's daughter says: "The bed was too firm" Extra Features: We added a mini fridge in one of the rooms for $25 extra Coffee maker Layout: Good amount of space, feels like a really large 427 sq ft Comfortable chair with reading light and magazines Dedicated desk space Outdoor Space: Balcony, 2 chairs, side table Other guests could see and hear us Noticed that Residences building guests have open balconies while the rooms in the building across had more private balconies Style: Modern and fresh style throughout View: We had a great pool view with a view of Camelback Mountain !-------- LIGHT Alerts! Bedroom had a decent amount of light in the morning with the blinds to the patio closed --------! */ *... Amenities... (5/5) $48 / night resort fee Wifi, fitness classes, valet are all included Fitness Center... (5/5) Full service fitness center with plenty of machines, free weights regular GUY's son reports: "Used it once, was good" Grub... (4/5) Hearth '61, Rusty's and room service had surprisingly good options (we loved the breakfast parfait) Otherwise, you have to drive or Uber Location... (5/5) Amazing views of Camelback Mountain Scottsdale is a short drive away (watch for those driving cameras though) Parking... (5/5) Included with the resort fee! You can self park. Even though valet is included, please remember to tip your valet :) Pet Experience (5/5) Pets stay free (we brought our shorkie) Pets allowed at Rusty's and the property has plenty of areas to walk your pup including a dedicated pet area Pool... (3/5) Nice size, poolside service, plenty of towels We rented a cabana (4/5), included a fan, tv, some drinks, fruit plate Free seating is first come first service (I noticed people staking out spots early in the morning) While the pool area is nice, it got much too crowded (this hotel participates in ResortPass so there are non-guests using the pool) Random... (3.5/5) Elevators were kinda slow, think there was only one in service in our building NO ice machine anywhere in the Residences building Safety... (5/5) We felt very safe *Teenage daughter walk around the area alone? Yes, the hotel grounds Staff & Service... (4/5) Check-in was flawless (we arrived at 4:15pm) All staff throughout the resort was helpful, friendly and amazing Billing & check-out: When booking, requested the $20 breakfast credit for each person but I'm still not sure it was applied / don't think it was explained that well to me...? ...*

Top notch hotel HOSPITALITY! Seamless experience and…read moreattentive and knowledgeable employees. Front desk was accommodating and Eli and Olivia stand out. Gorgeous views and terrific amenities. All F&B was excellent. I was as this place as a snotty nosed kid in the 60s. Mt Shadows holds the past with 5 Star accommodations and rare genuine hospitality.

It's a beautiful place and would've loved to have done a tour. The view is absolutely amazing. We…read morewent to watch an illusion magic show here and it was very entertaining. Everyone was really into the interactions with the magician. I would like to come back and dine at one of the restaurants here and also do a tour of this beautiful mansion.

The Wrigley house is a wonderful monument to love: it was built for his adored wife by Mr. Wrigley…read morein 1931, with a mediterranean feel and a stunning view. We used the valet parking as the signage was a bit unclear, so it seemed the easier solution than going up and down stairs to find Geordie's. The entrance had the open feeling of a grand house, with the wrought iron staircase and the beautiful ceiling, terracotta tiles and wood furnishings. There was a wedding party in the large restaurant area that we passed on the way to our table in a separate area. The table was set with care and the rose petals were such a thoughtful touch! As a European I was pleasantly surprised by a small velvet covered stool, placed by my side, for my purse: these touches made the evening even more memorable. No rushing to seat more people or a check arriving while still deciding if something else was going to be ordered. I do enjoy a real meal in a real restaurant, with table linens, linen napkins, the proper glasses, the good silverware. Nick was taking care of our table and was very attentive to anything we may have needed. The cocktails we had were the " Ready, Fire, Aim" with rye whiskey, Drambuie, St Remy and bitters, and the "Dr Vincent's Penicillin" with scotch, lemon, honey, ginger and Laphroaig spritz: both were delicious. For the meal I had the Risotto made with Carnaroli rice, oyster mushrooms, truffle and asparagus; for me the risotto was just a bit over but it was creamy and all of it eaten! The Scallop Ceviche was fabulous, thinly sliced served with auicos, sliced jalapeño, leche de tigre : my chile allergy wouldn't let me taste this dish, but my partner ate it all so definitely good :) The main course consisted of the prime Filet for me, cooked perfectly!! to my medium-rare with emphasis on rare, served on pommes purée and enjoyed to the last bite; the other order was for the dry smoked Branzino (sea bass) with olive tapenade, artichoke and tomato: the fish was so moist and tasty, the skin crispy, and was presented beautifully. For dessert we shared the "Milk and Honey" which is a twist on panna cotta with brown buttercream and honeycomb. With dessert I had my usual after dinner espresso with a shot Sambuca to go with it. Thank you Nick for taking such good care of us. A perfect meal and ambiance for a special night

Nice well maintained venue, well organized,courteous ushers,easy access clean restroomsread more

As the self-appointed king of events, I'm back at it with another review of a venue. This time,…read moreSymphony Hall. Located in downtown Phoenix, this venue, you guessed it, houses the Phoenix Symphony. Though that's not all. They also host ballet performances and opera performances, too. I've stopped by three times for matinee performances on Sunday: the Mask of Zorro (opera), a Dia de Los Muertos performance (symphony), and Rick Steves' Europe (symphony). Since this is downtown we're talking, parking isn't easy. You'll either have to park in a garage/surface lot or on the street. I'm morally opposed to paying for parking, but I've had to shell out a couple of dollars to use metered parking ten minutes or so from the venue. Minus the parking difficulties, the rest of the experience is pretty awesome. You go through metal detectors to get in, but the line moves fast. They have complimentary water, which is always a nice touch. There are multiple areas to buy refreshments and snacks (beer, wine, liquor, soft drinks, desserts, coffee, etc.). And most importantly, the theater is beautiful. Pretty much every seat in the house is solid. And the prices tend to be affordable. They also have a nice variety of performances throughout the year. As a lover of the arts, Symphony Hall will continue to be a frequent entertainment option for me. If you've never seen a symphony performance, ballet, or opera, I highly encourage you to give it a try!

Amazing work, Professional equipment, exceptional quality, and Jim's artistic eye and photographic…read moreability is the best in its class!! Highly Recommended!! -ManderPants

I love small intimate theater shows. We were here for "a Bloody Mary Christmas" and it was a good…read moreshow. Only downside is that intimate seating can be a problem. I would suggest they leave a little space between each seat for movement, and please clean your only bathroom for patrons! Keep showing Original live plays keep up the good work

Mavrix is a Bowlero establishment in Scottsdale. I stopped by on a Wednesday night for the arcade…read more Parking is easy in the huge lot they share with a bunch of other businesses. One of the main attractions at Mavrix is bowling. Another is laser tag. I passed on both and checked out the arcade instead. It was time well spent because it's a pretty awesome arcade. I've been to the Bowlero in North Scottsdale and it's smaller than this one. Here, you have a bunch of fighting and driving games, interspersed with carnival-style games. I played 10 or so games total in about an hour. Wednesday is a great day to go because the games are 50% off. I didn't come away empty-handed either. With the tickets I won, I redeemed them in their prize room. It's a pretty large room too, with more prizes available than the North Scottsdale location. While I didn't have many tickets, I had enough for two pieces of candy and a T-Rex toy. Outside of what I mentioned, Mavrix has plenty of areas to sit, including a full bar. I haven't had food or drinks here, but I did take a look at the menu and it's a pretty extensive one. Definitely nicer overall than your typical bowling alley.

It's definitely one of those all-in-one spots where you can bowl, play arcade games, do laser tag,…read moreand grab food and drinks all in one place. The vibe is super lively and modern, with a lot going on, so it's perfect for groups, date nights, or even just something different to do. The arcade had a good variety of games and the bowling area was clean and well set up. It's the kind of place where you can easily spend a few hours without getting bored. Food and drinks were decent--nothing crazy, but good enough for a night out. The menu has a mix of bar food, appetizers, and drinks, which makes it easy to snack while you play. But honestly, the service alone made me not want to come back. The bartender/waitress took our drink order and clearly made my boyfriend's drink stronger like noticeably stronger. I asked for the same thing at the same moment saying "she was going to hook him up " she didn't do it me, but still charged me the exact same price. That made zero sense and came off unprofessional, like she was more focused on him than actually doing her job fairly. It didn't stop there. My food came out soggy and borderline unappetizing, while his was completely fine. So not only are the drinks inconsistent, but apparently the kitchen is too. For how expensive everything is, you'd expect better service and quality across the board. The place looks nice and has a fun concept, but it's not worth it if the experience depends on who you are or how the staff feels that day. Definitely wouldn't recommend unless you're okay with inconsistent service and being overcharged for less.

What an incredible Arizona gem. This is a place that you can take a couple of hours and be…read moreintroduced to different types of art that changes every eight weeks. There's a permanent sculpture garden outside and inside our art exhibits from Arizona artists

I love that this local art center and gallery showcases local and up and coming artists, even high…read moreschool students. The sculptures outside are all for sale and extensive in variety. Inside, this repurposed house (?) is charming with several different display rooms. We came during the New Horizons Student exhibit and I was amazed by the talent of these local teens. The staff were very welcoming and knowledgeable.

Beautiful bar/restaurant inside Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa. They don't take…read morereservations, so our group was happy to get there in time to snag a great spot with an incredible view of Camelback Mountain! Service, food, and ambiance was amazing and would absolutely recommend. Would love to come back to try Elements, their restaurant right next to Jade Bar.

jade bar, which is located inside the Sanctuary, was recommended to us for their HH and the views…read moreof Camelback Mountain. When we arrived, it was a bit confusing, as there wasn't really any signage or staff who were willing to assist in directing us to the the place - the hostess at the elements restaurant was snippy and was just rude for no reason! The setup at jade bar was fine; sitting by the windows is your best bet to get a nicer view; however, there was a wedding that was taking place outside, so we couldn't access to have the option to do an al fresco experience. There was no hostess, and the waitstaff seemed to be limited; we didn't know this was just a 'walk-in and grab a seat at any table' type of a setup - We ordered: +the Truffle Tots - did not expect what this dish was; the romesco sauce was just not good +a California maki roll - the imitation crab meat had an off taste to them, and it wasn't tightly rolled so everything fell apart +and, the Chicken Wings - this was covered in some type of a sticky/hoisin type of a sauce; the chicken was NOT cooked through, and we thought we were going to get sick We ordered the Blueberry Dreams (prepared with buffalo trace bourbon, lillet rouge, blueberry lemon, honey, and ginger) and the Spicy Margarita (prepared with deleon blanco tequila, cucumber, jalapeno, and lime) - both were made very strong and were aesthetically pleasing. The seating area and the chairs could have been wiped down and cleaned better; we noticed stains on the furniture. We weren't checked-in often throughout our experience; we would have liked refills, ordered additional drinks, etc., but it wasn't hapepning. You can pop out through the doors at the back of elements for a better view of the mountains, if you wish. We're glad to try this place out, but not worth going out of your way for it. +underwhelming HH options +inattentive/rude staff +located at the Sanctuary

As the self-appointed king of events, I'm back at it with another venue review. This time, for an…read moreintimate theater in Fountain Hills, a lovely suburb of Phoenix. I stopped by for an Agatha Christie play on a Thursday at 7:30. First off, parking won't be an issue in their complimentary lot. I came straight to the theater for the performance, but if you're looking for some food and drinks before the show, there are a good number of bars and restaurants within close proximity. Once you arrive, there's a small lobby area to check in. From there, walk to the back to reach the theater. It seats roughly 100 people or so, so it's definitely a small theater. Which I love. You're right there in the heart of the action with a great view of the performance. With that being said, you won't get as elaborate of a set design as bigger theaters in town, but they make up for it in other ways. E.g. affordable ticket prices. Before the show and during intermission, they sell water, soft drinks, and snacks. Not a wide variety of options, but at $2 a pop, you've gotta love the prices. I for sure was the youngest person at the performance (kids these days don't know what they're missing), but that's totally fine by me. Looking forward to stopping by for another performance in the near future!

Such a great experience. Great cast. Like the atmosphere (welcoming and neighborly). Really liked…read morehow cozy the auditorium is (you can hear good and have a good view of the play). If you are in fountain hills and there is a play, support the local theater.