Nostalgia

As psyched as I am to get out of the desert (and just in time to miss the heat!!), there are definitely many things I'm going to miss about Phoenix. I already posted about my love for the Downtown Phoenix Public Market, but I realized that I needed to do more. I have many memories of my four years here, most of which are focused around specific places (businesses), so here's a compiled list of those (I'm only listing the ones that don't have locations in Prescott) and a little about the awesomeness of each one:


Clothes/Accessories: Buffalo Exchange. What more can I say? I'm not big on fashion, yet I'm definitely picky when it comes to clothes (ie: I don't like most of the clothes I have). This place has never let me down. When I go in there, if I even let myself glance at the clothing (versus just looking at accesories, like belts and sunglasses), I just can't keep myself from buying something, I really do love the style of their clothing.


Shoes: Cowtown Skateboards. Okay, so I don't skateboard (although if I had a bucket list, learning how would most definitely be on it), but skate shoes are the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn. And Cowtown has nearly every skate shoe known to man, all in great quality. I love their atmosphere, too (they have a couch! in a skate shop!).


Groceries: Trader Joe's. Again, I love the atmosphere (that goes for pretty much all of these places-that's a huge part of why I like them)...there's a lot of variety here, they always have samples for you to try, and almost everything is available in organic. I think I'd like working there. But, sadly, there's none in Prescott.


Restaurants: The Fry Bread House. If you've had Indian fry bread at the state fair...or at a fast-food place or roach coach...you haven't fully experienced it, because this place has the ultimate fry bread, made the way it was supposed to be made. If you live in Phoenix, please try this place out at least once. You can't go wrong.


Furniture: Ikea. Given, I've never actually bought anything here, I love their furniture, and when I have my own place I plan on furnishing it primarily with Ikea furniture. The style and COLORS astound me, they're like nothing I've ever seen before. I want to paint every room in the house I'm buying someday, 2-3 colors per room, with all different patterns: sponged, striped, checkered, polka dots, and solid. Ikea furniture would fit perfect in my colorful rooms!


Fun: Dave and Buster's (A.K.A. Jillian's). I've always liked arcades, and this place is one meant for grown-ups! It has some pretty awesome games, and although I've only been there once (my alcohol-free 21st Birthday) I really like it, and would love to go again. (side note-I went to one of their locations back when they were called Jillians, but it was a thing for work and I didn't really like the people I worked with so it was kind of a dud.)


Tattoos: Liquid Visions Tattoo. Now, I wouldn't recommend them now, but they used to have an artist (I think his name was Mike) who was completely awesome. His prices were very competitive, and the quality was beyond great. All but one of my tattoos were done by him. Sadly, he left Liquid Visions, and apparently it wasn't on very good terms, as they won't tell me where he went (and I don't know his last name). I've been back there for touch-ups since he left, and was extremely dissatisfied with the service. So, I guess I'll just mourn the loss of my artist, and not go back there again.

So that's it! My favorite places in Phoenix!