Going to Downtown Phoenix
On Saturday, February 22, 2025, I drove my mom to downtown Phoenix, AZ, so she could attend QuiltCon 2025 at the Phoenix Convention Center. Right off the bat, I will tell you that I don't spend nearly enough time in downtown Phoenix. In a region of never-ending suburbs, retirement communities, mushrooming towns and cities, and various tourist-oriented cities, downtown Phoenix just doesn't seem to get a whole lot of respect or love. To many people where I currently live in Maricopa County, downtown Phoenix might as well be a foreign place to visit. It might as well be terra incognita.
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| Poster for QuiltCon 2025 |
The easiest way for us to get to downtown Phoenix from the Sun City-Peoria, AZ area is to take Grand Avenue/Highway 60 right into downtown. Grand Avenue/Highway 60 runs right into Van Buren Avenue, one of the major east-west streets in downtown Phoenix. After driving a couple of miles east on Van Buren Avenue, I made a right turn and headed south on 2nd Street. Fortunately, there was a rather large parking garage near the Phoenix Convention Center. After parking the car and taking the elevator down to the ground floor, my mom and I exited the parking garage and started walking toward the Phoenix Convention Center along Monroe Street. As we walked, we passed by Huss Brewing Downtown Brewpub + TOGO tucked inside the Phoenix Convention Center. We saw people eating lunch outside on the patio and noticed that all of the doors were open. It made perfect sense as the weather was unusually warm for Phoenix in mid-February. The sky was blue without a single cloud. I made a mental note and continued walking.
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| View of 1st Street from parking garage. |
Attending QuiltCon 2025
It turns out that the Phoenix Convention Center is actually a grouping of three buildings. QuiltCon 2025 was located on the third floor of the North Building on 3rd Street and Monroe Street. We didn't actually know which specific building to go to for the convention. Instead, we just followed all of the people that were walking to the North Building. After taking the elevator to the third floor of the North Building, we had our tickets scanned at the entrance and then walked into QuiltCon 2025.
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| Walking toward the Phoenix Convention Center. |
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| Skyway connecting the West and North Buildings. |
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| Exterior of the North Building. |
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| Facade of the North Building. |
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| Exterior of the West Building. |
My mom loves to quilt, so she was very much in her element by attending QuiltCon 2025. A couple of years ago, QuiltCon was supposed to be held at the Phoenix Convention Center. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, QuiltCon in Phoenix ended up getting canceled. Thus, my mom was especially eager to attend QuiltCon.
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| Inside the North Building of the Phoenix Convention Center |
I don't quilt, but there were some amazing quilts on display for QuiltCon 2025. While viewing all of the exhibits, it occurred to me that quilting is very similar to painting. Instead of using canvas and paint, you use various kinds of fabric in various colors. Plus, quilts don't have to square or rectangular. Plus, I was also shocked at all of the vendors present at QuiltCon 2025. There's some serious money to be made in various sewing machines, types of fabric, various patterns, and in-person instruction.
Having Lunch at Huss Brewing Downtown
After spending most of the afternoon at QuiltCon 2025, I had exceeded my minimum step count for the day. As a result, I was starting to get hungry and thirsty. My mom and I had considered going back down to the ground floor of the North Building and getting something to eat from the food court. Instead, my mom and I decided to have a late lunch/early dinner at the Huss Brewing Downtown Brewpub. After taking the elevator back down to the ground floor, we then walked across 3rd Street and briefly walked through the lobby of the West Building of the Phoenix Convention Center. Since we couldn't find a direct route to Huss Brewing Downtown Brewpub through the West Building, we walked north on 2nd Street and then made a right on Monroe Street. We were right back where we had started, at the north side of the West Building.
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| Huss Brewing Company Brewpub at the Phoenix Convention Center. |
The Huss Brewing Company Brewpub at the Phoenix Convention Center offers both indoor and outdoor seating. The brewpub was surprisingly really busy. Customers appeared to be a mix of locals, tourists, and attendees from QuiltCon. It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in February, so I was hoping to be seated outside. Instead, we were seated just inside the main dining area. We were near the bar and near the patio. Plus, there were people constantly walking back and forth. Hey, I understood that it was late Saturday afternoon, and it was starting to get busy.
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| Huss Brewing Company Brewpub from across the street. |
After our server gave us our menus, I ordered a pint of
Scottsdale Blonde, the flagship beer of Huss Brewing. At 4.7% ABV, Scottsdale Blonde is a
very, VERY, V-E-R-Y easy beer to drink. The Scottsdale Blonde is one of the first beers I had to drink when I moved back to Arizona after living in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore area for 13 years. Wherever I am at, if Scottsdale Blonde is on the menu, I will order a pint of Scottsdale Blonde. It's that good. According to Huss Brewing, Scottsdale Blonde has one two major beer awards.
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| Scottsdale Blonde. |
Scottsdale Blonde is a German-style Kölsch beer. Here is a good description of Kölsch beer:
Kölsch is a
pale, top-fermented, and filtered ale beer style originating from
Cologne, Germany, known for its delicate balance of malt sweetness and
hop bitterness, and a crisp, slightly dry finish.
The idea of Kölsch beer is that it is a light and refreshing beer that you would drink on a warm summer day in Cologne as you watch boats sail by on the Rhine River. However, if you like, you can drink Kölsch year-round. For more information about Kölsch beer, check out this article from CraftBeer.com.
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| Scottsdale Blonde from Huss Brewing. |
For a late lunch/early dinner, I ordered "The Bear" Italian Beef Sandwich. My eyes went right to it. I completely ignored the rest of the menu. Here is how Huss Brewing describes "The Bear" Italian Beef Sandwich:
Slowly braised beef, sweet peppers, Italian spices with melted sharp provolone, and giardiniera on a crusty roll. Served with au jus dipping sauce.
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| "The Bear" Italian Beef Sandwich |
Instead of French fries, I ordered the Cole slaw as a side dish. My mother also ordered "The Bear" Italian Beef Sandwich with Cole slaw. "The Bear" Italian Beef Sandwich did not disappoint. The sausage was wonderfully spicy. Before I knew it, it was time to order another beer. This time, I ordered the
Copper State IPA.
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| Copper State IPA from Huss Brewing. |
The Copper State IPA paired rather well with "The Bear" Italian Beef Sandwich. In my experience, IPAs pair well with spicy food. Dare I say, the Copper State IPA was almost as good as the Scottsdale Blonde. It is definitely a beer that I will order again. For additional information about the India Pale Ale style of beer, check out this
article from
CraftBeer.com.
As we ate our Italian beef sandwiches, I noticed that the Huss Brewing Company Brewpub was starting to get more crowded. Interestingly, more people from QuiltCon 2025 started to show up at various tables across the restaurant. After finishing our meal, my mother and I walked around the area near the Phoenix Convention Center before deciding to make the drive back up to Sun City.
