|
Things to do in Glendale
-
University of Phoenix Stadium
This stadium is the home of the
University of Phoenix, and is a multipurpose stadium used mainly
for football, since it's also home to the Arizona Cardinals of
the NFL, and the yearly Fiesta Bowl, which was played here in
2007-2009. The 2009 championship game was one of the most
exciting games ever played since it went down to the finish
between the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes. The
Longhorns won, beating the Buckeyes 24-21 and it was a very
exciting finish. This stadium is next to the Jobing.com Arena,
which is home to the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes, and the first fully
retractable natural grass covering in the nation. The stadium
was the place where Super Bowl XLII was played and the 2007 BCS
National Championship game held. There are 63,400 seats, that
can expand to 72,200 when needed, and it opened on August 1,
2006. Business Week called it one of the most impressive sports
facilities in the world, because of its retractable roof and
playing field. The Phoenix stadium is the only American stadium
on the list, and cost $455 million. The first game that was
played there was on the 12th, when the Cardinals beat the
Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-13 in preseason play. The first official
game was on the 10th of September and the Cardinals beat the
49ers, 34-27. The Cardinals moved to Arizona in 1988, and with
the added benefit of the new air conditioned stadium were able
to play at home on the first weekend of the season, something
they hadn't been able to do since coming here. In February of
2007, it held the biggest attended soccer game in Arizona
history, with the US team beating the Mexican, 2-0. This
exciting new venue was able to host 91 events in 110 days during
the August 2006 period to January 2007; and included the regular
Cardinal games, motor sports events, shows, expositions, the
various state high school football championships, a Rolling
Stones concert, the Fiesta Bowl National Band Championship High
School Marching Band competition, the Fiesta Bowl, and the BCS
National Championship between the Buckeyes and the Florida
Gators, with the University of Florida Gators winning the game,
41-14. There are 88 luxury suites, with room for 16 more in the
future if needed, and on the 25 acre site, there is a special 8
acre tailgating area; named the Great Lawn. It is shaped like
the many barrel cactuses around the state, and the retractable
roof is built on an incline; taking only 12 minutes to retract
or open. In February of 2008, it hosted Super Bowl XLII, when
the New York Giants beat the undefeated New England Patriots
17-14 and was considered to be one of the most awesome upsets of
football history. This was the second time that Phoenix hosted a
Super Bowl, the other was the 30th in Tempe's Sun Devil Stadium
where the Cowboys beat the Steelers. It was named as the arena
that would hold the World Wrestling Entertainment's Wrestlemania
XXVI, in March of 2010, and is the first time that this exciting
event will be held in the state.
-
Cerreta Candy Company
The Cerreta Candy Company is
family owned and operated, starting out over forty years ago by
Jim Cerreta Sr. after he had learned about candy making from his
father-in-law back in Ohio. Jim moved to the southwest, started
his family and business; which now includes his four sons and in
the summers his two grandsons. Jim Jr. handles the caramel
operation, Joe does the cream centers, Jerry covers them all
with that wonderful silky chocolate, and Joner handles the sales
and web site business. Some of their wives help out, making this
business all family members which show you the kind of love and
spirit that goes into each piece of chocolate. Making chocolate
is quite a business, since it does involve more than just mixing
ingredients to create that smooth and delicious delight that
melts in your mouth and creates such a marvelous sensation among
your taste buds. The cocoa tree grows the bean, which is
collected from the fields, then put into containers to age and
dry, which takes anywhere from 2 to 6 years. After drying for a
while, they are cut into halves and spun fast to get the beans
out of the shells. Once out, they are further dried and then
shipped to the various companies that make chocolate. The beans
are roasted here to get the color and aroma that will make the
most incredible smells and tastes that we all love. Once the
beans are roasted, they are deshelled of their outing coating
and ground into what we know as cocoa butter. The butter and
bean is mixed together to make the thick gooey stuff we call
chocolate, but in liquid form, which then is sent to a press
machine that squeezes the butter off and solid cocoa is left.
The solid chocolate is broken into powder form which is used for
all the various recipes for the final chocolate candies.
Chocolate powder is added to the cocoa powder with sugar, and
the paste is then mixed until the master chocolatier decides it
is ready for the molds. These finished bars are then sent to the
many small chocolate companies like Cerreta's. The Cerreta's get
their best chocolate bars from a company on the west coast
called Guittard Chocolate Company; which is the oldest one
there. The Cerreta's are very proud of their chocolate candy
varieties and have always strived for perfection. Their candies
are sold in grocery stores and on the internet with the mission
to make the best candies for an affordable price so that
everyone can enjoy their magnificent candy all the time and not
just on the holidays. They seem to have succeeded and their
factory is always open for tours and tastings.
-
White Tank Mountain Regional Park
The park is located in the
west central area of Maricopa County, Arizona, and contains
almost 30,000 acres of desert and mountain lands, with the White
Tank Mountain range being almost exclusively located in the
park. Many areas have been developed for recreational
activities, with numerous picnic areas, ramadas or
covered/shaded tables, and campgrounds; which include grills,
picnic tables and restrooms. The area is famous for its
wonderful hiking trails that meander through the park for almost
26 miles. Some are harder than others, with the hardest being
moderately challenging, and the favorite is the Waterfall trail
that is almost a mile, that comes to an end where a waterfall
can be found if there has been enough rain that year or period.
You can find some horseback riding and bike trails which
includes a ten mile area that is for racing and high speeds. It
has also been a favorite of night sky watchers and astronomists
with many organized events being held there throughout the year.
Guided health walks, youth-oriented events and interpretive
nature walks are also available at the park. It contains a big
area of desert, as well as mountain range, that allows it to be
a natural preserve. The vast majority is wilderness, where
motorized vehicles are not allowed, except on a few roads, as is
hiking allowed only on marked trails and hunting in certain
areas at specific times of the year. Soon of the magnificent
animals that can be seen here include the mountain lion, various
rodents, javelinas, mule deer and coyotes. Many beautiful and
unusual birds are seen here including the roadrunner and cactus
wren. Many kinds of reptiles can be found here as well, and the
park does offer guided tours that will inform you of the many
flora and fauna that thrives quite well here. This
is a riding stable located within the park that will rent horses
if you are so inclined, and also guided rides. During the summer
months, there are possible flash floods that create many
beautiful waterfalls, attracting many visitors, and is
considered dangerous in some of the areas around the small
canyons. Eleven archaeological sites have been uncovered in the
park, which include seven Hohokam village ruins. On the Black
Rock trail, one of these can be found if you know what you are
looking for, with numerous petroglyphs on rocks throughout the
area. You can photograph these fantastic drawings, and other
remains, but are asked not to touch or otherwise disturb them.
The park is found on the west side of Phoenix, close to the
encroaching Buckeye and Surprise communities, which has caused
some anxiety among the region's environmentalists since they
could cause irrevocable damage to the ecology. Future plans has
included a greenbelt buffer zone to isolate the park from the
infringing developments, but may also cause the entire region to
become an ecological island.
|
