74 MEGALOPOLITAN LIFE SEPTEMBER 25, 2025 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2025.C0M | BEST OF PHOENIX 2025 braving the “Phoenix Ultimate Dead of Night” tour, you can experience a side of Phoenix that isn’t just cactuses and street tacos. You don’t have to believe in ghosts to take the tours; rather, they’re a neat way to see how much certain spiritual practices informed our culture. Ironically, it’s a way to see the city come alive like never before, and to indulge things weird or dark that are vital to life around here. e e e B E S T F R E E WA Y LOOP 101 There’s a reason State Route 101 looks like an upside-down U — because it’s all about you, Valley residents, as the Loop connects massive parts of Tolleson, Peoria, Tempe and Chan- dler. Its massive span is integral to getting around the northern half of the Valley, and doing so in a timely manner (if you’re willing to engage in a little defensive driving, of course). But Loop 101 is more than just an effi- cient means of travel; it’s a snapshot of Phoe- nix’s outer edge. It offers a look into those places that may not get as much celebration as, say, downtown Phoenix or Tempe, but that are nonetheless vital to this region’s everyday hustle. Traveling this beltway is a history/ economics/civics lesson via road trip. e e e B E S T P L A C E T O R E A C H F O R T H E S T A R S ESTRELLA STAR TOWER ESTRELLA PARKWAY AND HILLSIDE DRIVE, GOODYEAR If you feel a sense of wonder atop the Estrella Star Tower in Goodyear, that’s by design. Local astronomer Steven Kates created the spiral-shaped landmark, which resembles a literal stairway to the heavens, as a place to reflect on the cosmos and the sacred land beneath your feet. By day, you’ll get sweeping views of the Estrella Mountains from the 50-foot-tall tower. Stick around for the equally epic sight of sunset and the first stars of night- fall. Just don’t overstay your welcome. This celestial lookout, tucked at the entrance of an upscale West Valley community, shuts down promptly at 8:15 p.m. In other words, don’t dawdle. e e e B E S T P L A C E T O S E E A R O B O T IDEA TEMPE CAMPUS 850 W. RIO SALADO PARKWAY, TEMPE Carbon-based lifeforms of metro Phoenix, beware: The robots are here and they’re multiplying. Since 2019, they’ve increasingly crept into Valley life. Autonomous janitors at QuikTrip stores mop up spills. Amazon drones drop off impulse buys into West Valley yards, or the occasional pool. Cat- faced waiter droids schlep plates at local restaurants. And Waymo robotaxis haul our drunk asses home from the bar. At the IDEA Tempe Campus awaits your best chance for a meet-cute with robots, assuming you behave. The 18-acre property near Tempe Town Lake is patrolled by a squad of Dax robots, 3-foot-tall black-and-white security droids that roll about on tank-like treads. (Picture a robotic love child of Pixar’s WALL-E and EVE.) Spot one during business hours or while strolling a lakeside path and you might get a head tilt or see their digital googly eyes become hearts. Trespass after dark and the flirty vibes ends fast, resulting in a no-nonsense warning. The Dax robots went viral earlier this year thanks to Tempe’s Adam Pioth, who filmed himself hanging out with the droids and blowing marijuana smoke in their faces. The clips racked up 9 million Instagram views before Pioth was banned for trespassing. Still, he can count himself lucky. Unlike ED-209 from “RoboCop,” these security bots didn’t respond with deadly force. Yet. e e e B E S T P L A C E T O S E E C H R I S T M A S L I G H T S MOON VALLEY MOONVALLEY.ORG When Santa brings presents to the children of Moon Valley in the dark hours of Christmas Eve, he has to wear sunglasses. That’s how bright and overwhelming the Christmas lights are in the north Phoenix neighborhood. Every
