Stoner Phoenix
The vibe
Glass towers, wide sidewalks, a lot of white linen. The Camelback Corridor is Phoenix's version of a business district that also wants you to come for brunch. Office buildings line Camelback Road from roughly 16th Street east to the 40s, and in the middle sits the Biltmore area: the historic resort, the outdoor mall and the gated streets with golf course views.
It's the one part of town where people actually dress up for dinner. But under all that, it's still Phoenix. There are palm trees everywhere, the Arizona Canal cuts through, and Piestewa Peak sits right behind it all like a bouncer. Get a little baked and the whole place feels like a movie set from 1962.
Who lives there
Condo people. Lots of condo people, from young professionals in the towers to retirees and snowbirds in the golf communities around the resort. Finance and law types who walk to work. Families in the older ranch houses south of Camelback, around 20th to 32nd Streets, which is more mellow and neighborhood-y.
It skews older and richer than most of our neighborhoods. That's fine. Rich people get the munchies too, and they've built some very good restaurants to deal with it.
Best munchies
Pizzeria Bianco at Town & Country
Chris Bianco's pizza helped put Phoenix food on the national map, and the Pizzeria Bianco location at Town & Country, on 20th Street just off Camelback, is the easier way in than the downtown original. Wood-fired pies, a small room, no nonsense. Order the Rosa if you like red onion, pistachio and rosemary. You will think about it for a week.
Hillstone
Hillstone on Camelback near 26th Street is the Corridor's dependable dark-wood dinner spot. Big booths, low light, a menu built for comfort. Great for a stoned date where you want everything to just go right.
Biltmore Fashion Park eats
Biltmore Fashion Park at 24th Street and Camelback is an open-air mall with a lineup of restaurants that keeps changing as new tenants move in. Walk the grounds, see what's open, and pick whatever patio has a mister going. For cheaper or later food, check our munchies guide and the Phoenix late-night food rundown, because the Biltmore goes to bed early.
Things to do baked
Gawk at the Arizona Biltmore
The Arizona Biltmore, now a Waldorf Astoria resort, opened in 1929 and its textile-block design was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. The lobby, the patterned concrete blocks, the gold-leaf ceiling. It's gorgeous. You can book a meal or a drink there and take a slow lap of the grounds. Don't light up on property; hotels set their own smoke rules, and you know this.
Wrigley Mansion
Up on the hill just north of the resort, the Wrigley Mansion was built with chewing gum money around 1930 and now hosts dinners and tours. The view of the valley from that hilltop, especially right at dusk, is a good reason to put on real shoes.
Canal walk
The Arizona Canal path runs right through the area, behind the resort and the golf courses. It's flat and easy and connects east toward Arcadia's citrus streets. A post-dinner canal walk is the best digestif in Phoenix. For more ideas, browse our list of things to do high in Phoenix, or our guide to Phoenix movie theaters if you'd rather sit in the dark with popcorn.
Best mountain or sunset spot nearby
Piestewa Peak is the neighborhood mountain, a few minutes north just off the 51. Old-timers still call it Squaw Peak, and you will hear it. The summit trail is short and steep and the view at sunset takes in downtown, Camelback and the whole east valley. There are gentler trails around the base in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve if your legs disagree.
It's a preserve, so it's smoke-free year-round and closed to fires in summer. Hike clear-headed, carry water, and do not drive yourself there or home if you're high. Rideshare is fine. Our Phoenix mountains guide ranks every peak for sunsets.
The good and the annoying
The good. Excellent restaurants. Pretty architecture. The canal path. Piestewa Peak right behind you. It's walkable in the core, and everything is clean and shady. Quick access north to Sunnyslope and its hillside desert streets.
The annoying. Light rail does not come here. It runs up Central and turns west on Camelback, which is the wrong direction for you. Camelback Road traffic at 5 p.m. is a lesson in humility, and the 51 backs up in both directions. Stuff closes early. Parking garages cost money. And some nights it feels like everyone around you is talking about a quarterly report.
If you want the light rail and a looser crowd, go west to Uptown and North Central on Central Avenue.
