Art Tour

forGuyFieri,theMayorofFlavortown himself.

You’ve paid the check, you’ve loaded up on carbs and now it’s time to hit the road again and visit another crater just north of town. Sunset Crater and the Cinder Lake Crater Fields, though not created by anything from outer space, were used during the initial steps of the Apollo mission to help prepare astronauts for their walk on the moon. It’s an interesting and often untold chapter of the Apollo story, but it’s one that you can participate in by visiting the crater and walking along the lava flows

You’ve done a lot of walking today, perhaps more than you expected,sowhydon’tyoutake a load off and have a cool drink at one of our favorite spacethemed watering holes, Dark Sky Brewing . Flagstaff is, among many things, famed

COURTESY OF OLIVE THE BEST

ABOVE: Olive the Best is an excellent place to grab some quality olive oil for yourself and loved ones

GABRIEL GRANILLO

ABOVE: Pato Thai’s Tom Ka is a warming coconut-base soup with chili, mushrooms, cilantro, lemongrass and your choice of meat, shrimp or tofu.

ABOVE: Ceramic mugs by Joni Pevarnik are on display at The Artists’ Gallery in downtown Flagstaff.

RACHEL GIBBONS, ARIZONA DAILY SUN

LEFT: Karma Sushi Bar Grill’s 6 E. Route 66 location includes a long bar located right in front of where the sushi is prepared

JAKE BACON, ARIZONA DAILY SUN for its delicious craft breweries, and Dark Sky is one of the best. Recently, they expanded their downtown location to feature a beer garden and a kitchen that serves up some fresh hors d’oeuvres that will keep you satisfied as you sip down your favorite microbrew. If drinking isn’t your thing, downtown o ers a lot of cool boutique shopping spots and art galleries for you to peruse, including Shoes & Such , Olive the Best and the Artist’s Gallery .

For dinner, we’d recommend something fresh and a little bit lighter. Pato Thai (BOF) is a delicious, informal Asian restaurant, o ering curries and noodle dishes that you can spice to your preference. Another option along those lines is Karma Sushi

, which o ers a variety of sushi options and grilled Japanese fare. They are both ex- cellent choices as you prepare for your final stop of the day at Lowell Observatory

First established in 1894, Lowell is one of the oldest observatories in the United States and has seen the discovery of many famous astronomical bodies including the dwarf planet Pluto. There are so many ways to experience Lowell from taking a tour to learn about the observatory’s rich history of discovery to wandering around the facilities, sitting in on science talks and looking through historic and high-tech telescopes. Lowell is the perfect place to spend the evening of your day-long astro-venture. Once your eyes adjust to the dark sky, the universe will open up to you, and you will truly understand why visiting Flagsta is one of the best things for space fans to do while in northern Arizona.