Blog Posts

Holiday Travel Tips

If youre headed out of Phoenix for the holidays, the last thing you want is to do so unprepared! Traveling during this season can sometime bring unexpected weather, delays, and changes in your carefully planned itinerary. Weve decided to round up a few simple tricks and tips to keep you prepared for whatever may come your way! This great list comes from Brownell . 1. Eye Mask & Ear Plugs Drown out the light and sound so you can rest. 2. Scarf Comfort + style join together in a scarf. Plus, it can double as a blanket if you get chilly. 3. Water Staying hydrated is so important when traveling, especially on a long flight. Bring a reusable water bottle through security, and fill it up in the terminal. 4. Hand Sanitizer and Wipes Keep your hands and area clean of germs. 5. Earphones For listening to music or watching movies; noise-cancelling ones are ideal. 6.Snacks The food on the flight is packed with sodium; bring a few travel snacks to avoid bloating. 7. Change of Clothes Bring a comfortable outfit to change into during the flight. Be sure to pack warm socks to wear if it gets cold. (Bonus! If your baggage is delayed, youll have something to wear at your destination.) 8. Toiletries Being able to brush your teeth and hair can make all the difference when its time to land, and lotion will keep your skin moisturized. 9. Eye drops Flying dries out your eyes so refresh them with eye drops 10. A good book A long flight is the perfect time to step away from a screen and read a book (a real book!). If youre traveling with little ones, we also found some good advice from This Fine Day . Their advice mentions to allow yourself plenty of time, too much time. Rushing and the stress of being late causes many melt downs and freak outs (by me!), so providing plenty of lead time, keeps me and everyone else calm. We hope these travel tips will be beneficial the next time you are headed out Phoenix! Safe travels and thanks for reading the Liv Ahwatukee blog!

Upcoming Events in Phoenix November

We know why you love living in Phoenix: beautiful landscapes, warm winters, and little traffic, not to mention proximity to California, Vegas, and Mexico. But you don’t have to go too far from your Liv Ahwatukee apartment to have a good time. Read on for highlights of the many events going on in Phoenix! Dogs’ Day in the Garden Take advantage of this special opportunity to bring the whole family, dogs included, to the Desert Botanical Garden. Go for a walk on Garden trails, meet other dog lovers, and heel for photo opportunities. Learn about local dog-related nonprofits, shop and enjoy samples with your pup, and experience hands-on, canine-themed activities. Don’t miss this tail-wagging good time! Wells Fargo Fiesta Bowl Million Dollar Hole-In-One Would you like to win a million dollars? Who wouldn’t? The Arizona Biltmore Golf Club hosts the nation’s top amateur hole-in-one tournaments. For just $1 a shot, more than 2,000 golfers of varying skill levels aim for a hole-in-one on a 125-yard hole. The top three daily finishers, including anyone who nails a hole-in-one, advance to the final round for a shot at the $1 million hole. It’s free to watch, so go support your favorite golfer! Zoolights Join the Phoenix Zoo at the Valley’s brightest holiday tradition: ZooLights presented by SRP! Celebrating 25 years, ZooLights shines with millions of lights, a three-story-high holiday tree, hundreds of glimmering light displays, and lakeside music-in-motion shows. ZooLights is open to the public Wednesday, November 23 through Sunday, January 8, 2017. NASCAR can-am 500 Race Come and enjoy a weekend of fast-paced NASCAR races. Friday will feature the Lucas Oil 150 and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying. Saturday will feature the DAV 200 Honoring America's Veterans. Finally, Sunday will feature the main event, the can-am 500. What are your favorite activities going on in Phoenix this coming month? Let us know in the comments because we don’t want to miss a thing!

Scary Reads for Halloween

Adventure, action, and romance all make for a great story, but sometimes that’s not what people are in the mood for. Sometimes, we just want to be scared silly in our cozy Liv Ahwatukee apartment. And there are a lot of ways to accomplish that — scary movies, haunted houses, or sitting around a campfire telling spooky stories. But when you’re home alone at night, one of the best ways to creep yourself out is a horror novel. Now, when people think about horror, they often think about slasher films or Steven King. While those are great, there is a whole host of other options out there. In two posts, we’ve gathered together a few excellent horror novels for you to try. The Devil’s Only Friend by Dan Wells From Amazon: “John Wayne Cleaver hunts demons: they've killed his neighbors, his family, and the girl he loves, but in the end he's always won. Now he works for a secret government kill team, using his gift to hunt and kill as many monsters as he can… “...but the monsters have noticed, and the quiet game of cat and mouse is about to erupt into a full scale supernatural war. “John doesn't want the life he's stuck with. He doesn't want the FBI bossing him around, he doesn't want his only friend imprisoned in a mental ward, and he doesn't want to face the terrifying cannibal who calls himself The Hunter. John doesn't want to kill people. But as the song says, you can't always get what you want. John has learned that the hard way; his clothes have the stains to prove it. When John again faces evil, he'll know what he has to do.” World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks From Amazon: “The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.” Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake From Amazon: “Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. “So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead — keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay. “When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home. “But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life.”

Our Neighbor South Mountain Park

Did you know that the South Mountain Park is one of the largest municipal parks in the United States? In its 16,000 acres the park boasts 51 miles of primary trails for horseback riding, hiking and mountain biking, no matter what your ability level is. From the park's main entrance, you can drive up the Summit Road 5.5 miles to Dobbins Lookout and spectacular valley wide views or you can continue to the Gila Lookout for a view of the Gila River Valley. This scenic road is shared by bikers and hikers and there are many steep sections and blind curves, so maximum speed is 25 mph and 15 mph on curves. You might find yourself going slower, though, because everything is so beautiful! The ancient Hohokam Indians, and potentially other prehistoric peoples before them, roamed this area . There are petroglyphs carved into rocks almost everywhere you look. As you travel through the park, try to imagine what life was like thousands and thousands of years ago. Just remember not to touch the petroglyphs. They have been worn down through human touching and we all want to protect these relics to be enjoyed by future generations. South Mountain Park is also home to the world-famous Phoenix Mystery Castle . The castle stands as a testament of love from a father to his daughter. We don’t want to spoil the whole story for you, but the castle is open for tours from October to May so be sure and check it out! The castle is listed in the Arizona Historic Register and is a Pride of Phoenix Award winner. It takes just under a half hour to get to the main entrance of South Mountain Park from Liv Ahwatukee Apartments. Have you ever been? Give us the inside scoop in the comments!

Summer Eats, Part II

Last week the Liv Ahwatukee Blog featured five dishes for you to bring to your next summer picnic or party. This week we’ve got five dessert recipes perfect for the summertime. If it’s too hot to get outside for a picnic (and since we’re in Phoenix in August, it might be) get your friends together for a summer party indoors to eat these tasty treats. Banana Splits On A Stick from Frugal Coupon Living This dessert is great for a casual picnic or party with friends. It’s kind of messy — the melted chocolate tends to get everywhere — but the fruity flavors make this the perfect summer treat. If you would like to take these “banana splits” to a party, we’d recommend chilling or freezing them overnight. Salted Caramel Pretzel Brownies from The Brick Kitchen Salted Caramel Pretzel Brownies are pretty perfect. The blend of chocolate, salted caramel, and the salty, pretzel crust make for a unique (and many-layered) dessert. This treat is gooey, sticky, and crunchy. It’s everything a dessert should be and more. Triple Chocolate S’mores Bark from A Kitchen Addiction Usually, when we think of chocolate bark, we think of the wintertime. Frozen chocolate bark is our go-to December treat. Triple Chocolate S’mores Bark gives this classic dessert a summer makeover. If you can’t make it to a fire pit this summer (or if it’s just too hot!) make this dessert. Summer Berry Cheesecake Salad from The Slow Roasted Italian This cool Summer Berry Cheesecake Salad would taste great with fresh fruit from a local farmer’s market. This dessert tastes just like cheesecake, but it doesn’t take too long to prepare, and you don’t have to worry about it cracking on you. Strawberry Pretzel Dessert from Sugar Apron What is a picnic, really, without a good Strawberry Pretzel Dessert? We’ve included a few pretzel-based desserts in this post, but this classic has to be our favorite. Strawberry Pretzel Dessert is a great finish to any summer picnic, party, and barbecue. You won’t regret ending a meal of sandwiches and burgers with this light dish. What are your favorite picnic desserts? What desserts do you make every summer? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Upcoming Events in Phoenix October

We know why you love living in Phoenix: beautiful landscapes, warm winters, and little traffic, not to mention proximity to California, Vegas, and Mexico. But you don’t have to go too far from your Liv Ahwatukee apartment to have a good time. There is so much to do this month right here! Oktoberfest in Tempe Okay, so this isn’t in Phoenix, but it is so worth the trip! Oktoberfest is a free, three-day outdoor festival put on by the Tempe Sister City Corporation, held at Tempe Town Lake each year. The event is scheduled for the first weekend in October. Since 1973, the Tempe festival has grown to become the largest all volunteer-produced event in the state of Arizona. Join the party as Tempe celebrates its 43rd annual Oktoberfest. Dia de los Muertos Phx The fourth annual Dia de los Muertos PHX Festival will take place on Sunday, October 23rd at Steele Indian Park on 3rd Street and Indian School Rd in Phoenix, AZ, from 1 to 6 pm. The festival aims to instill a sense of history, pride and knowledge of Mexican culture to the community at large through culturally relevant programming and activities. Masked entertainers and musicians will greet everyone with amazing performances in music, dance, and theater. Celebrate Mexican heritage and traditions at this beautiful gathering of artists and families. Arizona State Fair The Arizona State Fair is back for its 131st anniversary, and it's better than ever. For three weeks, the Fairgrounds transform into a spectacular community celebration with all the sights, sounds, smells, and flavors you crave. From grandstand events to concerts, entries competitions to livestock, and all the thrills of the midway, make the fair the backdrop of your most vibrant memories. What are your favorite activities going on in Phoenix this month? Let us know in the comments because we don’t want to miss a thing!