Phoenix & the Valley of the Sun - American Southwest - page 450

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FOOTBALL The Arizona Cardinals ( & 800/999-1402 or 602/379-0102; www.
azcardinals.com) play at the $450-million state-of-the-art University of Phoenix Stadium
in the west Valley city of Glendale. This stadium has a retractable roof made of translu-
cent fabric that lets lots of light in when the roof is closed. However, the stadium's most
distinctive feature is its movable playing field, which is rolled out into the sun outside
the stadium until a game is scheduled. This 2-acre, grass-covered tray is the first of its
kind in North America. Most tickets cost $50 to $113, and single-game tickets for the
entire season go on sale around mid-July.
GOLF TOURNAMENTS It's not surprising that, with more than 200 golf courses and
ideal golfing weather throughout the fall, winter, and spring, the Valley of the Sun hosts
some major golf tournaments. Late January's FBR Open Golf Tournament ( & 602/
870-0163; www.fbropen.com) is by far the biggest. Held at the Tournament Players
Club (TPC) of Scottsdale, it attracts more spectators than any other golf tournament in
the world (more than 500,000 each year). The 18th hole has standing room for 40,000.
Tickets start at $25 and are available through Ticketmaster (see above).
Each March, the Phoenix LPGA International ( & 877/983-3300 or 602/495-
4653; www.phoenixlpga.com) lures more than 100 of the top women golfers from
around the world. Daily tickets are $16; weekly tickets are $64.
RODEOS, POLO & HORSE SHOWS Cowboys, cowgirls, and other horsy types will
find plenty of the four-legged critters going through their paces most weeks at West-
World of Scottsdale, 16601 N. Pima Rd., Scottsdale ( & 480/312-6802; www.scottsdale
az.gov/westworld). With its hundreds of stables, numerous equestrian arenas, and a polo
field, this complex provides an amazing variety of entertainment and sporting events.
There are rodeos, polo matches, and horse shows.

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9 SHOPPING

For the most part, shopping in the Phoenix area means malls. They're everywhere, and
they're air-conditioned, which, I'm sure you'll agree, makes shopping in the desert far
more enjoyable when it's 110°F (43°C) outside.
Scottsdale and the Biltmore District of Phoenix (along Camelback Rd.) are the Valley's
main upscale shopping areas, with several high-end shopping centers and malls. The vari-
ous distinct shopping districts of downtown Scottsdale are among the few outdoor shop-
ping areas in the Valley and are home to hundreds of boutiques, galleries, jewelry stores,
Native American crafts stores, and souvenir shops. The Western atmosphere of Old Town
Scottsdale is partly real and partly a figment of the local merchants' imaginations, but
nevertheless it's the most popular tourist shopping area in the Valley. With dozens of gal-
leries in the Main Street Arts and Antiques District and the nearby Marshall Way Contem-
porary Arts District, it also happens to be the heart of the Valley's art market.
For locals, Scottsdale's shopping scene has been moving steadily northward over the
past decade. Kierland Commons and the Shops at Gainey Village are both north of Old
Town Scottsdale on North Scottsdale Road and are packed with women's fashion bou-
tiques.
Shopping hours are usually Monday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm and Sunday
from noon to 5pm; malls usually stay open until 9pm Monday through Saturday.