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United States |
|
 |
Language(s) | English |
 |
Currency | U.S. dollar |
 |
Phone Code | +1 |
 |
Population | 304,102,000 |
 |
Area | 9,826,630 sq km |
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Capital | Washington, D.C. |
 |
GDP | $13.8 trillion |
|
United States |
|
|
Language(s) | English |
|
Currency | U.S. dollar |
|
Phone Code | +1 |
|
Population | 304,102,000 |
|
Area | 9,826,630 sq km |
|
Capital | Washington, D.C. |
|
GDP | $13.8 trillion |
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe, a city of approximately 160,000, lying just to the southeast of Phoenix, is built largely around the Arizona State University, which is also the cultural center of the city. On ASU’s 700-acre campus, you can search out the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Gammage Auditorium, which features Broadway shows and musicals; the Nelson Fine Arts Center as well as the ASU Art Museum, the latter acknowledged as one of the premier contemporary arts institutions of the Southwest; and the Northlights Gallery, where the focus is on photography.
Also of interest in Tempe is the 2-mile Tempe Town Lake, which offers both recreational possibilities for boating, kayaking and canoeing, as well as the up-and-coming Tempe Center for the Arts, with a 600-seat proscenium theater, a 200-seat studio theater, and 3,500 square feet of gallery space. Worth exploring, too, is the city’s Mill Avenue District, site of the spirited annual Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Block Party, and where you can also poke around in the Arizona Mills shopping complex and its 175-plus factory outlets and assortment of eateries and entertainment venues. And for a flavor of the area’s history, check out the downtown Arizona Historical Society Museum, the Peterson House Museum, and the Tempe Historical Museum, the last with several artifacts depicting Hohokam Indian heritage.
Chandler, Arizona
Chandler, located just south of Tempe, is a city of roughly 200,000 residents that has blossomed from a rural center into a resort town with full-fledged, high-fashion shopping districts, fine restaurants, well-regarded golf courses, and luxury car dealerships. It also has a decidedly historic downtown district, with an eclectic mix of shops, boutiques and galleries, as well as the Arizona Railroad Museum. For serious shoppers, however, places to visit in town include the 180-store Chandler Fashion Center, Chandler Pavilions, Chandler Festival & Gateway, and Casa Paloma. And for a whiff of nostalgia, try the San Marcos Resort, originally built in 1912, and still going strong, with full-service guest accommodations, an 18-hole, championship golf course, and a superb café-cum-restaurant.
