Park it!

You're sick of parking, thanks to the horrors of Lot 59 on the first week of school, when everyone at ASU actually decides to show up. So this might sound like the last thing that you want to do, but this weekend give parking another chance — only instead of waiting for the Flash, wait for your movie.

The West Wind Scottsdale 6 Drive-In is one of only a few drive-in theaters in Arizona, and it was my first time visiting. My friends and I decide to see Superbad on Thursday night, and since all six screens at the theater play a double feature nightly, it was paired with I Know Who Killed Me. All children under 11 get in for free, but since I thankfully passed puberty long ago, I fork over $6 for a double feature. The audio is only available on FM stereo, and since none of us want to leave our cars running the whole time we brought a stereo.

The crowd here is pretty much like it is at a traditional theater: families with small kids, teens and plenty of couples on dates. Since anyone younger than 11 is free, you can bet there are lots of little kids, though thankfully not around our R-rated showing. Since we ended up leaving half-way through the second film, we still had a lot of the night left to go out and do something else — preferably something where kids don't get in free, or at all.

The drive-in is definitely a different feeling than the traditional theatres. A big selling point was that this was cheaper than most theaters, assuming that you'll want to see the double feature — in this case we watched a movie and a half for $6 before deciding that the rest of I Know Who Killed Me was best left unseen. If you want to see a movie but are looking for something a little different, the drive-in is definitely a unique option. The nights are pleasant enough and the price is a bargain — just try to plan out a better double feature.

You're sick of parking, thanks to the horrors of Lot 59 on the first week of school, when everyone at ASU actually decides to show up. So this might sound like the last thing that you want to do, but this weekend give parking another chance — only instead of waiting for the Flash, wait for your movie.

The West Wind Scottsdale 6 Drive-In is one of only a few drive-in theaters in Arizona, and it was my first time visiting. My friends and I decide to see Superbad on Thursday night, and since all six screens at the theater play a double feature nightly, it was paired with I Know Who Killed Me. All children under 11 get in for free, but since I thankfully passed puberty long ago, I fork over $6 for a double feature. The audio is only available on FM stereo, and since none of us want to leave our cars running the whole time we brought a stereo.

The crowd here is pretty much like it is at a traditional theater: families with small kids, teens and plenty of couples on dates. Since anyone younger than 11 is free, you can bet there are lots of little kids, though thankfully not around our R-rated showing. Since we ended up leaving half-way through the second film, we still had a lot of the night left to go out and do something else — preferably something where kids don't get in free, or at all.

The drive-in is definitely a different feeling than the traditional theatres. A big selling point was that this was cheaper than most theaters, assuming that you'll want to see the double feature — in this case we watched a movie and a half for $6 before deciding that the rest of I Know Who Killed Me was best left unseen. If you want to see a movie but are looking for something a little different, the drive-in is definitely a unique option. The nights are pleasant enough and the price is a bargain — just try to plan out a better double feature.

You're sick of parking, thanks to the horrors of Lot 59 on the first week of school, when everyone at ASU actually decides to show up. So this might sound like the last thing that you want to do, but this weekend give parking another chance — only instead of waiting for the Flash, wait for your movie.

The West Wind Scottsdale 6 Drive-In is one of only a few drive-in theaters in Arizona, and it was my first time visiting. My friends and I decide to see Superbad on Thursday night, and since all six screens at the theater play a double feature nightly, it was paired with I Know Who Killed Me. All children under 11 get in for free, but since I thankfully passed puberty long ago, I fork over $6 for a double feature. The audio is only available on FM stereo, and since none of us want to leave our cars running the whole time we brought a stereo.

The crowd here is pretty much like it is at a traditional theater: families with small kids, teens and plenty of couples on dates. Since anyone younger than 11 is free, you can bet there are lots of little kids, though thankfully not around our R-rated showing. Since we ended up leaving half-way through the second film, we still had a lot of the night left to go out and do something else — preferably something where kids don't get in free, or at all.

The drive-in is definitely a different feeling than the traditional theatres. A big selling point was that this was cheaper than most theaters, assuming that you'll want to see the double feature — in this case we watched a movie and a half for $6 before deciding that the rest of I Know Who Killed Me was best left unseen. If you want to see a movie but are looking for something a little different, the drive-in is definitely a unique option. The nights are pleasant enough and the price is a bargain — just try to plan out a better double feature.

— Megan Hunt

ArtWalking? Bring a cane

I dragged my roommates to Scottsdale with me hoping that the Scottsdale ArtWalk, which happens weekly on Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m., would make a decent alternative to the hipper First Fridays in Phoenix, which only happens once a month. Unfortunately, the ArtWalk is about as close to First Fridays as the Heard Museum is to the Paper Heart.

The Southwestern-themed galleries in Old Town Scottsdale stay open later on Thursdays, but most of them are so tacky it is almost nauseating. A few of the galleries were interesting, but honestly my roommates and I had a better time making fun of the people and art then seriously looking at any of it. There weren't many people out walking around considering it was hot and humid, but the people who were around were either older couples or groups of middle-age folk. We literally did not see another person younger than 30 the whole time we were taking the ArtWalk.

The highlight of the trip was the Scottsdale Civic Center mall, an open green area near the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts with the famously cliché LOVE sculpture, and several fountains and other sculptures. After working up a healthy appetite people watching on the ArtWalk, we stopped for dinner at Jewel of the Crown Indian cuisine, which was not only tasty and reasonably priced, but reassuring, as it was filled mostly with young couples. After dinner we headed for a walk down Scottsdale Road, where the people watching was definitely improved by the presence of many people not yet eligible for AARP. We stopped for dessert at the Gelato Spot, which was crowded with more of the typical Scottsdale crowd and made for a good end to the evening.

If you are ever planning a trip to Scottsdale, I would recommend skipping the art and heading straight for the food — which is definitely what I will be doing next time.

— Megan Hunt