A day out in Agritopia

We decided to take a little tour into Mesa for the day, in an area called Agritopia. In 1927 Agritopia was a homestead where which 90 years later morphed into a thriving village centred around an urban farm. Imagine a world where you know your neighbours and they know you. Imagine a barrier-free lifestyle, where low fences encourage small talk, porches welcome lounging, parks promote playtime, and shady sidewalks connect your home to schools, gardens, restaurants, and shops. A slower pace. A shared life. A connected existence. This was the dream of the Johnson family who bought the original homestead in 1960 to raise their family, and has now spearheaded the growth and development of this little area of Agritopia.

Barb and I toured the shops and restaurants around the farm area. We were happy to purchase a few items and happened to stumble upon a place called Undertow. We thought it was a cool store……..we were wrong. It was a VERY cool bar. You had to book your seat and you only had 90 minutes to visit. Well a bar with a timeline?! We had to go!

First off you walk down a short hallway which is all ship themed. As you walk down and turn the corner it is getting darker. Once we walked through the small passage to the bar, we couldn’t see a thing! Our eyes adjusted but yikes it took a bit. We sat at a small table by a porthole window that showed we were on the rolling seas. The bar is small, but very cool interior. The drink menu is extensive (and not a cheap date) and there are NO SUBSTITUTIONS to any of their cocktails. The service is fast, and the ambiance is effective. On the hour a thunderstorm rolls in and you can see the rolling seas pick up through the portholes and the rain streaming down on the walls and wooden barrels that adorn the back of the bar. The thunder is loud and scared the crap out of us when it first started (we were NOT expecting a show) as we were not prepared for what was about to happen.

Here are some photos of the place. Glad we went!

After this little experience we decided to go for dinner next door to a fusion restaurant called BELLY The Kitchen. We ordered crispy pork spring rolls, which were so good, we ordered them again. We then ordered orange chicken and rice, which was OK.

What was so good about the spring rolls? They came with lettuce wraps. A little thing to add to a very popular dish, and one that made it stand out more than any other crispy spring roll we have ever had.

Well that is going to be about it for Arizona as we will be heading out towards Texas soon. Sad faces as we start moving our way East to then head North back into Canada by the end of the month. Another season under our belt!

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