seeing their eyes light up when they discover a piano or guitar played by a modern music legend. It’s a plus that you can treat them to a meal at the museum cafe, shop for souvenirs in the museum store, or even get tickets for a concert inside the museum’s own theater. Exploring the museum will take you at least half a day, and you’ll never be bored going back with visitors because every time you’re there, you’ll discover something intriguing that you hadn’t noticed before. Best People-Watching PHOENIX FAN FUSION phoenixfanfusion.com Some folks attend Phoenix Fan Fusion to geek out. Others go for the chance to meet pop-culture icons and collect autographs. We’re there for the unrivaled people- watching opportunities. Roam the Phoenix Convention Center during the three-day event, and you’ll encounter a nonstop parade of interesting characters, fictional and otherwise. Nerds wearing T-shirts with snarky sayings such as “The book was better.” Dudes in Pokémon onesies. A gal in a dress made from Beanie Boos. Punks with full sleeves of Harry Potter tattoos. You can also spot the various celebrities who appear each year at Fan Fusion, and not necessarily at their panels or booths (Mythbusters star Adam Savage dressed as Captain America and discreetly walked around the exhibitor hall in 2019). As you’d expect, cosplayers are also legion — and their costumes are always on point. At this year’s edition (the first since the pandemic) we spotted such standouts as a life-sized version of Totoro, characters from Dogma, a female version of King-Sized Homer, and an intricately crafted Eliksni Mother from Destiny 2. (Plus more Deadpools, Moon Knights, and Harley Quinns than we could’ve possibly counted.) It’s more than enough to justify the $90 price tag for a full event pass. Best Inside Look MESA ARIZONA TEMPLE TOUR 101 South Lesueur, Mesa 480-833-1211 mesatemple.org Mormon churches dot the landscape of metro Phoenix, and you can walk in and attend services whenever the doors are open. Temples are a bit different: There are only three in the Valley (Mesa, Gilbert, and Phoenix), and you can only enter if you’re a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints with a temple recommend. The exception occurs when a temple has yet to be dedicated, or in the case of the Mesa Arizona Temple, rededi- cated, which is why thousands of non- Mormons were afforded the rare opportunity to tour the building late last year. The temple, which was finished in 1927, had been closed for renovations since 2018, and before it was rededicated in December 2021, we got to take a look inside the house of worship. Modest dress was encouraged for the free tour, and all attendees were required to put disposable booties on their shoes so as not to sully the pristine carpets. We were walked past the baptismal font, through dressing areas, and into rooms devoted to worship and wedding ceremonies. The smiling volun- teers greeted us, but didn’t try to convert us, and after the tour, we took a few minutes to wander the temple’s beautiful public gardens. Seeing as how the last time the temple was open to the public was 1975, we feel fortunate we were around last year to sneak a peek inside one of metro Phoenix’s longtime landmarks. Best Hidden Oasis ALWUN HOUSE GARDEN 1204 East Roosevelt Street 602-253-7887 alwunhouse.org When it comes to art with an erotic or esoteric spin, Alwun House is renowned for putting it all out there. At any given time, they might be presenting an art exhibit, a cabaret, or a poetry reading. The multistory house is hard to miss, with its bright orange exterior and seasonal decor such as giant spiders or hearts. But it’s really the garden that shines most, in part because not everyone knows it’s there. Behind the house, you’ll find lush plants, ponds, water features, fairy lights, and art installations. And this garden has features you won’t find in most other green spaces, including a fabulous stage and bar area — because sometimes you want to wax poetic amid an idyllic array of blooms, but other times you want to circle a runway filled 73 SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2022.C0M | BEST OF PHOENIX 2022
