Tempe Marketplace: A Mall that Doesn't Feel like a Mall

For the most part, I hate malls and shopping with a passion. I don't like the pushy crowds, I don't like the type of people that you find in them most of the time, and I don't enjoy the entire shopping process. (I've got a web site about saving money; why would I go someplace where shoes cost a few hundred dollars?)

I will say that I go to malls occasionally to sneak into a game store, or grab some heart clogging mall food, but that's about it. After a failed attempt to go to zoolights last weekend we decided to swing by the newly opened Tempe Marketplace near the 101 and 202 interchange. Tempe Marketplace (aka. The District) is easy to find but hard to get to. You can't miss it as you drive by, but in order to get there easily I recommend taking the 101 to University, go East on University to Rural, go North on Rural and you'll see the entrance about a mile up the road on your right.

I'll be honest, when I first pulled into the area the only thing on my mind was that this area was going to be full of stuck up little rich girls and obnoxious frat boys, but I was in for quite a surprise. The entire "mall" is outside, there is plenty of room to just casually stroll through the area. Scattered throughout the area are beautiful fireplaces with seats around them, couches, tables, everything you need to just relax and have a bit of fun. The crowd is very relaxed and everyone just seems to be there to stroll around and enjoy themselves, something I've never seen in a mall before.

There are quite a few stores scattered throughout the area, I'm not going to list them because I honestly was not paying much attention to them, but there are plenty of ways to kill time in the area that don't involve shopping. You'll find numerous unique restaurants scattered throughout the area, most with fairly decent drinks and great food. There's is a huge Dave & Busters with food, drinks, and video games, does it get any better? There is also something you can only find in Arizona, a Harkins Cine Capri Theater. It's only 50 cents more to see a movie on the Cine Capri screen and it is well worth the money, the screen is HUGE, the seating is great, and they actually reveal the screen from beneath huge golden curtains (this is one of two screens like this that were built in memory of an old theater in the valley). Lastly, the icing on the cake for me was the fact that right next to the theater can be found my hamburger mecca, CheeBurger CheeBurger, the greatest hamburgers on the planet.