Phoenix Blog

Benjamin Leatherman

Don't miss your stop, broham.

At last, the train we've wanted to ride is finally pulling up to the station, so to speak.

METRO light rail is becoming a post-midnight express as of tomorrow with service offered until last call on weekend evenings. The trains will run approximately every 20 minutes until 2 a.m. when the last ride of the night departs either the westbound or eastbound termini, ultimately arriving at the opposite end of the line an hour later.

Which means you can possibly stay out later this weekend at tomorrow's First Friday or Saturday's various Fourth of July festivities without worrying about risking the wrath of the cops (and saving a few lives, as well). So order up another round or spend some more time trying to get the digits of that chick that keeps blowing you off, since Valley Metro's got your ride home covered.

Make sure to save a little extra pocket change, however, as fare prices have also recently increased to $1.75 for a single ride and $3.50 for an all night pass.

And if you're looking for some places to debark and drink, be sure to revisit our Night Train bar crawl we published back in December.

I rode the light rail for the first time last night, from downtown Phoenix to downtown Tempe and back again. For my money (which is to say, free, because I have a student pass that allows me to ride public transit to my hearts content) it was a most excellent experience. A few things I learned:

Are you still standing? Hell! That must mean you haven't taken a trip on the Night Train, the ultimate pub crawl for the Phoenix Light Rail. We've spent the last month giving you one stop, one drink and one more reason to ride the light rail every day. Now that the trains are rolling, we're giving you one look back at all the stops right here. 

Take a look at this handy google map or at the links for every stop below to keep tabs on our picks for the pub crawl. Also, if you're crazy enough to actually take up this challenge, send us photos of your adventure and we'll include them in an upcoming slide show. 

All aboard!

View Larger Map

Stop #28: Sycamore/Main Street

Stop #27: Price-101 Freeway/Apache Boulevard

Stop #26: Smith-Martin/Apache

Stop #25: McClintock/Apache

Where: Stop #1, Montebello and 19th Avenue: Oz (1804 W. Bethany Home Road, a five-minute walk from the stop)

Drink: Rolling Rock (or any other domestic beer) for $4-$4.50. Happy hour is from noon to 7 p.m. every day and includes discounts on well drinks, domestic beers, and draught beers (aforementioned Rolling Rocks cost $2.25 during happy hour).

Scene: This stop is across the street from Christown Spectrum Mall, so expect to see lots of fellow transit commuters, families, and holiday shoppers when you first get off the rail. Once you walk down to Oz -- best described as a borderline-dive gay bar -- expect to see lots of good-looking gay men (well-dressed, flamboyantly dressed, and barely-dressed), drag queens, and the friendly face of Booker the bartender, who's known to pour stiff drinks and crack loose jokes. -- Niki D'Andrea

Where: Four Kings Cocktail Lounge (5041 N. 19th Avenue, a two-minute walk from the stop)

Drink: Rum & Coke for $2.75. There are daily drink specials, depending on the day of the week: Mondays - Rum, Tuesdays - Vodka, Wednesdays - Gin, and Thursdays - Brandy.

Scene: The lounge tends to get a lot of retirees during the day, with a younger crowd at night. The club can be selective about who gets in the door, and discourages attire like hoodies and beat-up tennis shoes. In other words, the atmopshere is a tad bit upscale, but the drink prices are not. -- Niki D'Andrea

Where: Stop #3, 7th Avenue and Camelback Road: Charlie's (727 W. Camelback Road, a one-minute walk from the stop)

Drink: $2 Cuervos, Coronas, and Goldschlaggers (on Tuesdays), $3 beer pitchers from 2 to 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays with $1 happy hour drinks from 7 to 9 p.m.

Scene: Charlie's is a country-themed gay bar, so expect to see lots of dudes of all ages (but mostly guys in their 30s and 40s) in cowboy shirts and hats, along with the occasional ball cap, bald head, or tiara. In fact, this stop is in the middle of what's known as "the gay corridor," so you won't be hard-pressed to find another gay bar within walking distance (Bunkhouse is just down the street). --Niki D'Andrea