4 Sept 25th-Oct 1St, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Feature t Living Lodge From desert escapes to roadside kitsch, a look back at Phoenix’s most iconic hotels, motels and resorts. BY BENJAMIN LEATHERMAN PAGE 14 Food & Drink t Heating Up The 10 hottest new restaurants opening in Phoenix this fall. BY TIRION BOAN PAGE 16 E D I T O R I A L EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sam Eifling SENIOR EDITOR, CULTURE Jennifer Goldberg NEWS EDITOR Zach Buchanan FOOD EDITOR Tirion Boan MUSIC EDITOR Amy Young STAFF WRITERS Sara Crocker, Morgan Fischer, Benjamin Leatherman, TJ L’Heureux SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Itzia Crespo CONTRIBUTORS David Abbott, Asonta Benetti, Cassie Brucci, Nikki Michelle Charnstrom, Noah Cullen, Cassie Hepler, Mark C. Horn, Brendon Kleen, Geri Koeppel, Stephen Lemons, Mike Madriaga, Ashley Naftule, Adrianna Nine, Melissa Parker, Zach Oden, Rudri Patel, Mr. P-body, Timothy Rawles, Tom Reardon, Lauren Topor, Allison Trebacz, Georgann Yara, Allison Young A R T ART DIRECTOR Eric-John Torres P R O D U C T I O N PRODUCTION MANAGER John Hunt GRAPHIC DESIGNER Adam Lasko, Eddie Villa M U LT I M E D I A A D V E R T I S I N G 602-271-0040 OUTSIDE SALES ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Jennifer Rockstad ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Ellis Alvarez OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Jennifer Huber ACCOUNT MANAGERS Grant Wade, Brooke Manahan, Lisa McDanel SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Hotchy Kiene, Grace Somers ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Matthew Gibbons, Alexandra Lynch INSIDE SALES ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Jennifer Rockstad ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Ellis Alvarez SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Cameron Boyes, Ronnie Cote ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Rafael Gil SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Cheryl Edwards MULTIMEDIA ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Josh Hauskins, Joshua Valenzuela D I G I TA L M E D I A SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALISTS Jordan Carter, Stella Penfold SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Kara Vahe DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL SALES Andrew Meister M A R K E T I N G PROMOTIONAL COORDINATORS Kristin Buldan, Ashley Blair C I R C U L AT I O N CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Brian Scharer B U S I N E S S DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS & OPERATIONS Brian Scharer SENIOR FINANCIAL ACCOUNTANT Seth Ewald ACCOUNTS PAYABLE COORDINATOR Kristina Smith ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE MANAGER Dante Battista ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT Tom Rodriguez EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Kennedy Jones PUBLISHER Kurtis Barton Voice Media Group EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Chelsey Dequaine-Jerabek EDITORIAL OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Bridget Thomason DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP/COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Jennifer Robinson AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Dallon Adams AUDIENCE STRATEGIST Allison Stephenson CORPORATE CONTROLLER Beth Cook LEGAL COUNSEL Steve Suskin CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Jeff Mars CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Scott Tobias EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF DIGITAL SALES Stuart Folb WEB SUPPORT MANAGER Michael Uchtman VICE PRESIDENT OF CORPORATE MARKETING Jenna Corday I N F O R M AT I O N T E C H N O L O G Y EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF DIGITAL OPERATIONS Gerard Goroski PRODUCT DIRECTOR James Hamilton IT DIRECTOR Dave Marcon OPERATIONS MANAGER Brian Heimert INFRASTRUCTURE ARCHITECT David Fearn DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS SYSTEMS Lee-ann Dunton NEW TIMES MAILING ADDRESS: 1201 East Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034 FOR GENERAL INFORMATION CALL: 602-271-0040 FOR LOCAL ADVERTISING INFORMATION CALLS: 602-258-1073 FOR CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING CALL: 602-254-3177 FOR NATIONAL ADVERTISING INFORMATION CALL: 602-238-4800 Phoenix New Times (ISSN#0279-3962) is published weekly by Voice Media Group, 1201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix, Arizona 85034. New Times is available free of charge in Maricopa County, limited to one copy per reader. Additional copies of the current issue of New Times may be purchased for $1, payable in advance at the New Times office. Outside Maricopa County, the single-copy cost of New Times is $1. New Times may be distributed only by New Times’ authorized independent contractors or New Times’ authorized distributors. No person may, without prior written permission of New Times, take more than one copy of each New Times weekly issue. For back-issue information, call 602-271-0040. The entire contents of New Times are Copyright 2025 by Phoenix New Times LLC. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means including electronic retrieval systems without the express written permission of the publisher, New Times, 1201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix, Arizona 85034. Our paper is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled product. t Contents 7 News 14 Feature 16 Food & Drink 20 Music 26 Concerts 28 Cannabis On The Cover: Illustration by Miki Rose IG: @MikiRoseArt (McCulloch Brothers Photographs/Arizona State University Library) VOL. 56 | NO. 39 | SEP. 25-OCT. 1, 2025 The legendary Hotel San Carlos, which opened in 1928, became a glamorous centerpiece in downtown Phoenix. Celebrities, dignitaries and socialites graced its lobby and ballrooms, while stories of various hauntings have added to its mystique. It’s still around today, ghosts and all.