Tour of Arizona State University
Water bottles required, umbrella recommended.
Visit Suhail's office
Meet the coolest staff at Suhail's office. Gong ringing ceremony happens at 3pm daily which initiates tea time.
Office open: 9am to 5pm weekdays, Gong ringing at 3pm
Attend a performance at Gammage
The Gammage is an auditorium which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and was initially planned to be built in Baghdad. It has excellent acoustics and hosts some of the most premium events in Arizona.
Hamilton performances: Jul 1 7:30p, Jul 2 7:30p, Jul 3 7:30p, Jul 5 7:30p, Jul 6 2p, Jul 6 7:30p
Lunch around campus
Plenty of options for lunch around campus ranging from excellent Italian food to sushi and ramen. The traditional goto for all visitors have been the Phoenicia Cafe which is a mediterranean restaurant adjacent to the mosque.
Phoenicia open 11a-8p, Ice Cream at MU open till 4p
Tour the Organ Hall
The Organ Hall is a music hall at ASU's music school containing an Italian Baroque organ built in 1742. The hall is echoey and produces even the simplest single piano notes sound rich. I've performed in this hall twice. The hall is only open to public during recitals however I've reserved a special time for us to tour the hall on July 3rd.
Private tour scheduled: 2pm on July 3rd
Ice skating at Mullet Arena
This is a professional ice skating arena where all the ice hockey matches take place. The rink is open to the public a few hours per day and has a plethora of skates available for rent. Best of all, it's always empty so you can have a tumble without feeling embarrassed.
Public hours: Tue 7/2 9:30a-11:30a • 11:45a-1:45a, Wed 7/3 6p-8p, Fri 7/5 10:20a-12:20p • 5:30p-7:30p
Visit the Hayden Library
A hub for knowledge on campus. In addition to books, there is a makerspace, data management department, map and geological surveying departments and more. The library was received a complete $90 million makeover which started in March 2018 and concluded on January 2020.
Library open: 7am to midnight
Hasbrouck Insect Collection
Contains ~1 million insect specimens including some from Pakistan. This facility is slightly off campus but is adjacent to ASU Surplus store.
Open hours: 9a-5p weekdays
Day at Suhail's
Doomscrolling not allowed
Walk along the canal
Weather permitting we can walk along the canal that goes on for 14 miles. It is illuminated so preferrably we can walk after sunset.
After sunset
Silent or foreign film
Either a movie from 1920-1970 or a movie in a foreign language. Possibly even a foreign film without subtitles!
Any of the time
Yummy Yemeni food
Take out from mandi house, load of chicken on a bed of rice, what's not to love?
11a to 11p
Tea time
Accompanied with snacks
Any of the time
Hangout with indie music
Chill vibes, conversations accompanied by indie music albums.
All of the time
Experiences
Activities that are bearable in Arizona summer
Music Instrument Museum
One of my favourite museums in Arizona, it is as much about music as about people from around the world. They also have Ravi Shankar's cloths and as a bonus, you get to bang a giant gong.
Opening hours: 9a-5p. Expect to spend at least 4 hours here.
Heard Museum
A visceral experience into the history of Native Americans, pop culture does not do it justice. Each item in the gift shop is unique and is handmade by a Native American. This is the best place to get Arizona souvenirs
Opening hours: 10a-4p. Expect to spend at least 3 hours here.
Taliesin West
Frank Lloyd Wright's second residence, the same architect who designed the Gammage building. Frankie loves combining nature with architecture so this building feels like it arose out of the ground itself. It is a UNESCO heritage site.
Tours: 9a-Noon. Advanced tickets required.
Ride the self-driving car
To me this is the most futuristic experience in the world. A fully self-driving car driving alongside humans. Where else can you ride a luxury vehicle for $10 (besides San Francisco)?
Availability: 24 hours
Liberty Wildlife
Wildlife rescue with public hours to visit the patients. Nothing funnier than old burrowing owls and grumpy eagles.
Public hours: Wed, Sat, Sun from 9a-11a
Arcosanti
Experimental town slightly outside of Phoenix full of interesting buildings. Artists now go there for residency. They also manufacture bells which are featured all around Arizona including at the sky harbor airport.
Public hours: 9a-5p. Cafe is open from 8:30a-2:30p.
London Bridge
Yes, the actual London bridge from the river Thames. It was transported brick by brick to Lake Havasu Arizona in 1968. Proceed with caution, Lake Havasu is a popular July 4th celebrations spot.
Open 24/7
Miscelleous
- Food options: I have compiled a list of my favourite restaurants and places I've heard through word of mouth.
- Nearby towns: Bisbee is my absolute favourite place in all of Arizona, followed by Jerome and then a tie between Kingsman and Tombstone.
- Ostrich farm: This place is worth visiting if you're on the way to Tucson. Place is a reminder that birds are descended from dinosaurs.
- Kartchner caverns: One of US's best preserved limestone caverns. The humidity inside is kept at 99% so be prepared
- Phoenix bat cave: Between May and October 10k-20k bats flock to Phoenix and rest inside a 'cave' at night. At sunset you can see all of them fly out simultaneously which is a sight.
- Japanese friendship garden: Serene and relaxing, great way to break the monotony of your day without inducing any stress.
- July 4 celebrations: Tons of them going on around the campus. Not my jam but happy to help find one.