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Mesa

Table of Contents: .22Mormon Mesa.22 / Travel to Mesa, visa requirements / Get around / Mesa attractions and sightseeing / City tours / Shopping, Mesa souvenirs / Good restaurants and cheap meals / Hotels, youth hostels, lodging More from Greater Phoenix: Mesa souvenirs, Phoenix culture, Scottsdale (Arizona) culture, Tempe tourist attractions More from Arizona: Camp Verde travel tours, Greater Phoenix travel tours, Lake Havasu City culture, Northern Arizona souvenirs, Petrified Forest National Park travel tours, Picacho Peak State Park culture, Seligman souvenirs, South Central Arizona souvenirs, Topock souvenirs, Western Arizona tourist attractions, Yuma travel tours More from Southwest United States of America : Arizona travel tours, Lake Mead National Recreation Area tourist attractions, Navajo Nation travel tours, Nevada tourist attractions, New Mexico souvenirs, Utah hotels and youth hostels More from United States of America: Alaska culture, Blue Ridge Mountains culture, California hotels and youth hostels, Florida hotels and youth hostels, Great Basin culture, Great Plains (United States of America) travel tours, Gulf Islands National Seashore hotels and youth hostels, Hawaii tourist attractions, Mid-Atlantic (United States of America) souvenirs, Midwest (United States of America) travel tours, New England (United States of America) tourist attractions, Pacific Northwest (United States of America) souvenirs, Rocky Mountains (United States of America) souvenirs, Southwest (United States of America) souvenirs, South (United States of America) souvenirs, Texas travel tours, United States National Parks hotels and youth hostels More from North America: Canada souvenirs, Caribbean souvenirs, Cascade Mountains tourist attractions, Central America culture, Great Lakes hotels and youth hostels, Greenland souvenirs, Mexico hotels and youth hostels, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon tourist attractions, United States of America tourist attractions, Waterton Glacier International Peace Park travel tours More from Travel Tips 24: Africa tourist attractions, Asia souvenirs, Europe travel tours, North America tourist attractions, Oceania culture, South America culture Popular destinations Istanbul (Marmara region ) souvenirs, Barcelona (Catalonia) culture, Rome (Lazio) travel tours, Singapore (Southeast Asia) souvenirs, Western Europe (Europe) hotels and youth hostels, South Africa (Southern Africa) culture, United Kingdom (Western Europe) hotels and youth hostels, Europe (Home) hotels and youth hostels, Vancouver (Greater Vancouver) souvenirs, Morocco (North Africa) souvenirs

Mesa, population 440,000 (2004 est.), is in Maricopa County. It is Arizona's third-largest city, and is part of the Greater Phoenix urban complex.

Unfortunately, Mesa, despite its size, is a near-nonentity. A benighted city council focuses on redevelopment of a dreary downtown that died 35 years ago; library service is barely adequate, only 3 branches for a city of nearly half a million; "virtually nothing of interest to the tourist exists since Jack Adams' Alligator Farm closed" unless you count great scenery (the Superstition Foothills Mountains on the way to New Mexico via Payson) and excellent arts centers (including the Broadway Palm West Dinner Theatre) that attract top-notch talent from all over the globe.

A decaying urban core features a decaying 1970's megamall whose time has come and gone, and the city's far east side features what must be America's greatest assemblage of mobile homes. (It is featured in a Canadian "snowbirds'" musical entitled, appropriately, Mesa by Doug Curtis: “Brilliantly written...Mesa is a warm, wonderful and funny play.” —St. Thomas Times-Journal[1])

The affluent portions of the city -- which are considerable -- constitute many square miles of cookie-cutter upscale homes, known colloquially as "McMansions." (You'd think they'd have run out of red roof tile and stucco by now.)

Like Gertrude Stein's Oakland, in Mesa there is no there there.

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"Mormon Mesa"

The Mormon Temple grounds are nice[2]. Mesa has the largest population of Mormons outside of Utah.

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Travel to Mesa, visa requirements

• SkyValue offers scheduled charters to/from Gary/Chicago International Airport in Gary, Indiana, only 25 miles southeast of Chicago.

Otherwise, you drive or fly into Phoenix. If you happen to be coming from an "Easterly" direction (a.k.a. New Mexico), that means you'll probably be taking the State 60 highway right through the 17 exits that comprise Mesa, as part of the Greater Phoenix metropolitan area.

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Get around

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Mesa attractions and sightseeing

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City tours

• Starting the second weekend in February, and for eight weekends and Presidents' Day, take U.S. 60 east through Mesa and Apache Junction to Gold Canyon, to the Arizona Renaissance Festival. Jousting, juggling, Ded Bob, music, mirth, mayhem, turkey legs, cinnamon almonds, birds of prey, Scratch the Village Lout, Three Guys and a Bunch of Drums, beer, onsite ATMs, and indoor plumbing! http://www.royalfaires.com/ARIZONA/
• Mesa Historical Museum.
• Jesus the Christ (Mormon Passion Play/Musical) Billed as "Mesa Arizona's Easter Pageant," this free "community Easter celebration" is (apparently, according to its promoters[3]) the "Largest Annual Outdoor Easter Pageant in the World." You might want to get your seats or spots on the lawn well in advance of its April showtimes.

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Shopping, Mesa souvenirs

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Good restaurants and cheap meals

• Rosa's Mexican Grill,328 E University Dr, Mesa, AZ 85201; Tel. (480) 964-5451. The original Rosa's. Everything on the menu is excellent, a family favorite. Best shrimp tacos anywhere.

• Ned's or Steve's Krazy Sub, Ned's: 1927 N Gilbert Rd, Mesa, AZ 85203; Tel. (480) 464-0033.,1356 S. Gilbert Rd. Suite B-1 Mesa, AZ 85204 Phone: 480.898.8894. Steves: 1211 N Country Club Dr Mesa, AZ 85201 Phone: (480) 835-0330, 6853 E Main Street (Power and Main next to Greenbacks)Phone: (480) 924-SUBS Best subs in Mesa. Cant beat the lunch special. Try the Poorboy.

• Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill, 1744 S Val Vista Dr, Mesa, AZ 85204; Tel. (480) 633-8226. Homemade tortillas, huge burritos, addicting taco salads with spicy avocado ranch dressing. Ahh the sweet pork.

• Pete's Fish and Chips, 22 S. Mesa Dr., Mesa, AZ 85210; Tel. (480) 964-7242, [4]. Eight other locations in the Phoenix Valley. Forget the tartar sauce -- "Pete's special sauce" is to die for. Family owned and operated since 1947. Only cash is accepted.

• Waldo's BBQ, 4500 E. Main St., Mesa, AZ 85205; Tel. (480) 807-6475. Located in the eastern portion of town, Waldo's serves up everythng you could ask from a BBQ place, all with a great atmosphere.

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Hotels, youth hostels, lodging

• Arizona Golf Resort, 425 South Power Road, +1 480 832-3202, Toll-free: 800 528-8282, [5]. Located 30 minutes from Phoenix, it feature a championship golf course, meeting facilities, onsite dining as well as many other amenities.

More from Greater Phoenix: Mesa tourist attractions, Phoenix hotels and youth hostels, Scottsdale (Arizona) hotels and youth hostels, Tempe culture More from Arizona: Camp Verde tourist attractions, Greater Phoenix hotels and youth hostels, Lake Havasu City culture, Northern Arizona travel tours, Petrified Forest National Park culture, Picacho Peak State Park souvenirs, Seligman hotels and youth hostels, South Central Arizona tourist attractions, Topock hotels and youth hostels, Western Arizona culture, Yuma souvenirs More from Southwest United States of America : Arizona tourist attractions, Lake Mead National Recreation Area souvenirs, Navajo Nation hotels and youth hostels, Nevada hotels and youth hostels, New Mexico tourist attractions, Utah souvenirs More from United States of America: Alaska culture, Blue Ridge Mountains culture, California tourist attractions, Florida souvenirs, Great Basin hotels and youth hostels, Great Plains (United States of America) souvenirs, Gulf Islands National Seashore tourist attractions, Hawaii travel tours, Mid-Atlantic (United States of America) souvenirs, Midwest (United States of America) travel tours, New England (United States of America) travel tours, Pacific Northwest (United States of America) souvenirs, Rocky Mountains (United States of America) travel tours, Southwest (United States of America) travel tours, South (United States of America) travel tours, Texas souvenirs, United States National Parks hotels and youth hostels More from North America: Canada hotels and youth hostels, Caribbean travel tours, Cascade Mountains travel tours, Central America travel tours, Great Lakes hotels and youth hostels, Greenland tourist attractions, Mexico travel tours, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon souvenirs, United States of America tourist attractions, Waterton Glacier International Peace Park culture More from Travel Tips 24: Africa souvenirs, Asia travel tours, Europe tourist attractions, North America souvenirs, Oceania travel tours, South America hotels and youth hostels Popular destinations Istanbul (Marmara region ) travel tours, Barcelona (Catalonia) culture, Rome (Lazio) souvenirs, Singapore (Southeast Asia) tourist attractions, Western Europe (Europe) souvenirs, South Africa (Southern Africa) hotels and youth hostels, United Kingdom (Western Europe) souvenirs, Europe (Home) tourist attractions, Vancouver (Greater Vancouver) tourist attractions, Morocco (North Africa) tourist attractions

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