Gobble from p 15 excellent programming along with a full concert schedule in the performance hall, well-executed food in the cafe, and a neat little gift shop. The MIM’s collection — thousands upon thousands of rare or historic or precious instruments from every corner of the globe — never fails to amaze me with the beautiful realization that music is a language that transcends every division we humans throw up against each other: race, religion, geography, and politics. At the MIM, everyone is in harmony. Salt River Horses As if a kayak trip down the Lower Salt River wasn’t magical enough, if you’re lucky, you’ll see small bands of wild horses as you paddle along. There are rules: Stay 50 feet away from them. Don’t feed them. Don’t touch them. They don’t make much noise as they munch on eelgrass straight from the water or stand motionless on the riverside. So when you come around a bend and see them up ahead, it feels like a gift from the universe, and even if you see three or four or more herds in one morning, the initial feeling of delight doesn’t lessen. Brown horses and white ones, grown and young, they’re a reminder that despite living a relentlessly urban existence, you don’t have to go very far out of town to commune with nature. VNSA Used Book Sale I get up in the middle of the night for two things: air travel and the VNSA Used Book Sale. Even on the years that I make it to the Arizona State Fairgrounds by, say, 3 a.m., I’m still hundreds of people from the front of the line. And why not? A bibliophile’s Wonka Chocolate Factory, the book sale is a giant exhibition hall’s worth of tomes on every possible subject. If I don’t go in with a plan, I quickly get overwhelmed by the options. But I never fail to leave with a treasure, whether it’s a first edition Mastering the Art of French Cooking for $3 or a pristine copy of Phantom of the Opera on vinyl for $1. (Oh yeah, “book sale” is a misnomer — there are DVDs, records, sheet music, games, maga- zines, and plenty of other stuff to look through.) Of all the Phoenix events on my calendar, the book sale is the one I look forward to the most. The Strange Charms of Phoenix The Sprawl There are only a few vantage points from which the true scale of Phoenix can be appreciated. Dobbins Lookout, for instance, where after a winding drive to the summit, you can stare down at the Valley and remember how vast it is. At night, the lights stretch out to the horizon. Most of the time, it’s easy to forget about the extent of the Phoenix sprawl. You just exist within it. When I first moved here from a small town in Vermont, I felt uneasy in Phoenix’s never-ending boulevards and empty shop- ping malls, its vacant lots dressed in barbed wire, its skyscrapers that fade quickly to billboards and industrial wastelands. The sprawl got to me. More interesting are the hybrid events that straddle multiple fandoms. There’s WrestleDrag, for instance, a monthly celebration featuring astounding drag artists strutting their stuff between matches starring local grapplers. And we’ll never not love the nonstop parade of creativity, ranging from the lavishly handmade and amazing-looking costumes and cosplay to the work of artists from a number of mediums, found at local nerd events. We’re not alone in our praise for Phoenix geek- dom’s diversity. Robert Warners, editor of Arizona nerd blog Legion of Sand, says embracing multiple fandoms is what the local scene does best. “It supports a wide variety of fandoms. The geek scene has such a wide taste that we are fortunate enough to have so many different events geared toward specific fandoms … horror films, anime, furries, pinball, comic books, video games, litera- ture, and so on,” he says. And it’s also quite inclusive. Matt and Jen Hinds, co-founders of Lately, though, I’ve been grateful for it: for the dive bars tucked in strip mall base- ments, the late-night aimless drives down empty freeways, the warehouse graffiti, the highway art, the steampunk adobes. Maybe it’s not great urbanism. But Phoenix’s char- acter — its strange charm — is undeniably found here in the pavement and concrete, in the sprawl, once you look out and see it. Oases The sight of water in a desert is, at — JENNIFER GOLDBERG first, not to be believed. The instinct is that it must be a mirage, light bending and refracting on the horizon. There are mirages in Phoenix on hot days, but there is also so much water. This is how I have survived summers in the desert. Floating on a rubber tube down the Salt Ri≠ver in July, watching for the wild horses that graze on river weeds; paddling on Canyon Lake, where jagged cliffs loom down over the blue. The natural beauty of Phoenix is stun- ning in general — from the red buttes of Papago to the lavender skyline of the Superstitions — but I’m particularly grateful for all the desert oases to be found here in the Valley. The canals that snake through the city. The Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert, where pelicans and hummingbirds and stilts flock to all through the year. The lakes: Saguaro, Pleasant, Apache. Even Tempe Town Lake, while perhaps less appealing, deserves a shout out, if only for the shimmering view from the 202. It’s miraculous that a metropolis exists in the scorching center of the Sonoran Desert at all — but even more miraculous that we can go kayaking, too. How much longer will that be true? Well, the wors- ening drought will determine that. But for now, I’m thankful. — KATYA SCHWENK Nerd Mentality: The Diversity and Togetherness of Phoenix’s Geek Scene If watching endless hours of Star Trek taught us anything, it’s that infinite diversity can be found in infinite combina- tions. For proof, look not into the final frontier but instead across the vast range of activities available within local geekdom. On any given weekend in the Valley, there are nerdy events of an interesting, engaging, and unique variety happening. And it’s not just conventions, such as the always popular Phoenix Fan Fusion — although there are also plenty of those happening on a regular basis. You can roll for initiative at board and tabletop gaming nights. Meet authors or comic book artists or learn how to become one yourself. Listen to chamber ensem- bles performing anime scores during candlelight concerts. Hang out at maker- spaces and transform your brainstorms into reality. local geek social group Blue Ribbon Army, say anyone and everyone is encouraged to participate. “I’m thankful for the sheer amount of active geeks in the Valley. I know a ton of transplants and friends who have moved away who say that it’s seem- ingly impossible to connect to a commu- nity that is like the one we have here,” Matt Hinds says. “They’re not afraid to let their geek flags fly.” They’re also not afraid to help out their fellow nerds, like when local Uber driver and geek Chris Pasley offered free rides to attendees of this year’s Phoenix Fan Fusion. “It was an act of total generosity, [and] he gave so many rides without expecting anything in return,” Jen Hinds says. “A true heart for the community.” As the saying goes, some heroes don’t — BENJAMIN LEATHERMAN wear capes. Arizona Offers the Whole Enchilada I’m relaxing after a hard day’s work at Phoenix New Times, gleefully whooping at the television as my Phoenix Suns clobber the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves. I’m alone in my quaint little apartment in Scottsdale, but I’m yelling at that 80-inch screen like I’m sitting courtside. After all, I ran into the Wolves’ star shooting guard, D’Angelo Russell, at Toca Madera the night before and joked that he’s safe here in >> p 18 17 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES NOV 17TH–NOV 23RD, 2022
