64 MEGALOPOLITAN LIFE matic nostalgia without sacrificing modern convenience. Gone are the days of tinny speakers hanging from your car window, manually rolling the glass down with a crank and crunching over gravel while trying to figure out how everyone else managed to park crooked. Today, movie audio streams through your car’s FM radio and the parking lot is smooth, well-marked asphalt. About the only thing unchanged since the drive-in opened in 1979 is the octagonal ramada, where the smell of fresh popcorn mingles with the sounds of classic arcade games. The nine screens are crisp, the surrounding neighborhood stays surprisingly dark and visibility is excellent — unless some butthole leaves their headlights on. Plus you’re watching first-run movies for about $5 less than you’d pay at a traditional theater. i i i BEST COMMUNITY SPACE STARLIGHT MEMORIAL PARK 1986 E. UNIVERSITY DRIVE, TEMPE 480-772-6867 STARLIGHTMEMORIAL.COM Hidden behind the bustle of University Drive is one of Tempe’s most surprising gathering places. Starlight Memorial Park transformed the historic Casa Chavez ranch — an adorable 1886 homestead that remained in the same family for nearly 140 years — into a vibrant, two-acre hub of history and creativity. Check their calendar and you might find an outdoor Shakespeare performance, a Kitchen Witchery workshop, a book brunch, a farmers market or a live music performance. The solarium offers free coworking space, a library and a quiet place to recharge, while the refillery stocks locally made sundries and household goods. It’s equal parts history lesson, arts venue, neigh- borhood living room and delightfully weird community experiment. i i i BEST GUARDIAN OF LOCAL HISTORY JULIA TAGGART SUNNYSLOPEHISTORICALSOCIETY.ORG Growing up, Julia Taggart wasn’t much of a history buff. She aced AP history in high school, then promptly forgot most of it. Becoming a historian or preservationist was never a career goal. Funny how things worked out. Over the past five years, Taggart has worked tenaciously to protect pieces of Valley history. And she keeps stacking wins. Her first save came in 2021, when her research for a college documentary on Para- dise Valley Mall helped preserve its carousel. She was hooked. Then came a job as presi- dent of the Sunnyslope Historical Society and Museum, where she secured historic designation for the area’s landmark Rock Garden. Her most visible efforts have involved beloved TV personalities Wallace and Ladmo, whose namesake show enter- tained generations of Valley kids. Last year, Taggart helped convince the Phoenix City Council to rename a downtown street after the duo. In April, thanks to her efforts, Phoenix Public Library honored them with a commemorative library card. This year, she led the effort to get historic status for the Acacia branch of the Phoenix Public Library and helped keep the iconic Mystery Castle away from the wrecking ball. i i i BEST FREE TOUR ORPHEUM THEATRE 203 W. ADAMS ST. 602-262-6225 ORPHEUMPHX.COM Even better than a behind-the-scenes glimpse at a downtown Phoenix historic building? Getting it for free. On select Tues- days from September through May, The Orpheum Theatre hosts two midday tours. You should make reservations if you can, but walk-ins are welcome. You’ll revisit the history of the almost century-old Spanish Baroque theater that held the last days of vaudeville and the golden age of cinema, and meet a working Mighty Wurlitzer organ, a mainstay accompaniment of the special Silent Sundays film screenings. You may even hear rumors of spectral sightings, as the building is allegedly haunted AF. Hollywood history, Phoenix lore, noteworthy architec- ture — this tour deserves a standing ovation. i i i BEST COMEDY CLUB MIC DROP COMEDY CHANDLER 51 E. BOSTON ST., CHANDLER 480-564-1844 MICDROPCOMEDYCHANDLER.COM You can tell a great comedy club by how many standup comics go there just to hang out. Of the comedy clubs that pepper the Valley, the only one that hosts a proper hang for the working-class comedian is Mic Drop Comedy Chandler. The room is small — just over 100 seats — so it’s the kind of place to see the next big thing on their way up. Owner Casey Currier is serious about scouting comedians who are either undiscovered or haven’t bent the knee pumping out slop for the algorithm to pad their followings. (Rarely will you see an act here and go home thinking a headliner was funnier on Instagram.) It’s also priced right. Mic Drop doesn’t hit you with the stan- dard two-item minimum just to get in. If you’re here, and you’re laughing, that’s honestly great. BEST CONCEPT COMEDY SHOW ‘WHAT’S YOUR BAGGAGE?’ INSTAGRAM.COM/WHATSYOURBAGGAGEPHX Ever wanted to go on a date with someone matched to you based on your biggest, reddest red flags? Comedian Hannah Henrie thought the same thing. Monthly at The Grand in downtown Phoenix, she hosts a dating comedy show in which contestants get to know each other by revealing some of the worst things about themselves in hopes of finding love. Desperate bachelors spill about cheating, having kids and other rejec- tion-worthy facts about themselves. At stake, perhaps: winning a night out on the town with their future ex. As one commenter on Instagram put it: “No real healing/courting happens at these things.” Probably not, but you’ll get a good laugh out of the antics. i i i BEST PLACE TO COMMUNE WITH THE SPIRITS EAST VALLEY PARANORMAL HQ/ MESA’S HAUNTED MUSEUM 130 W. MAIN ST., MESA 480-330-1544 EPINVESTIGATES.COM It takes a lot to creep us out. Hearing the word “blood” come through the spirit box while we were blindfolded in a haunted bank vault did the trick. Such scares are routine at East Valley Paranormal HQ, also called Mesa’s Haunted Museum. Its historic building already had rumored ghosts. Then co-owners Heather Rhyneer and Michelle Vincent stocked the place with haunted dolls, cadaver tables, cursed Ouija-style boards and other spiritually charged objects. The result is a thrilling brush with the super- natural, which you can hit up at nighttime programs such as a haunted objects investi- gation or an EVP session. The space also hosts ghost tours of Downtown Mesa, tarot classes and other activities to help you better understand the paranormal. i i i BEST LECTURE SERIES THE SYMPOSIUM CLUB THESYMPOSIUMCLUB.COM Glance at any Facebook comment section, and it becomes clear: The level of discourse in this country has devolved into a tire fire. The anti- dote to the stupidity is The Symposium Club. Attendees meet at a bar or restaurant and sit in groups. There are drinks, or sometimes dinner. The speaker, often an ASU professor, talks for a while, then asks a question. Each group gets several minutes to discuss among themselves, after which people are invited to share their thoughts with the room. It’s a way to meet other smart people and think and discuss high-level topics. The upcoming season includes topics such as “What Makes Us Really Happy?” and “Can Humans and AI Achieve More Together?” i i i BEST SUPERSTITION MAKING A WISH IN THE DECK PARK TUNNEL We were probably 10 or 11, newly arrived in the Valley, when the topic came up. In the backseat of our mom’s van, the friend sitting next to us took a big, gulping breath right before we hit the I-10 tunnel that goes under Downtown Phoenix (also called the Deck Park Tunnel). Confused, we watched as she turned red, then made a gasping exhale and breathed deep once we returned to the light. She explained that it’s a superstition: You inhale right before entering the tunnel, make a wish, hold your breath through the whole thing, then exhale on the other side. Boom, your wish gets granted. We’ve been doing it for decades now, and we can’t say that we’re billionaires or married to a movie star, but somewhere along the way, it just became a thing Phoenicians do, like gently touch a cactus needle just to make sure it’s still sharp. There’s no harm in it, and the ritual adds a little magic to driving on the freeways. Just don’t do it during rush hour, unless your wish is to cause an accident. i i i BEST REPOSITORY OF TREASURES RARE BOOK ROOM BURTON BARR LIBRARY 1221 N. CENTRAL AVE. 602-262-4636 PHOENIXPUBLICLIBRARY.ORG Don’t get any “National Treasure”-type ideas. Sure, Burton Barr Library’s rare book collec- tion contains artifacts that are literally thou- sands of years old, but they’re happy living at the flagship location of the Phoenix Public Library system and that’s where they’re going to stay. The library collection spans centuries and includes marvels like a cuneiform tablet, an early folio of Shakespeare’s works, pains- takingly illustrated religious texts from around the world and first editions of classic