Inset: Feasting at Barrio Café, Phoenix.
Reclining poolside with an icy beer in a cool 32 degree October heat, my ears pricked at a familiar sound more commonly associated with the canopies and forests of Costa Rica. Slowly turning my head, I was amazed to see the fuschia and green feathers of a tiny hummingbird hovering nearby. Arizona, I was reliably informed days later, is the hummingbird capital of the USA, with 12 species of these marvellous creatures buzzing round Phoenix’s sprawling streets. This ornithological discovery was just one of many delicious and unexpected joys I found while exploring this sprawling southwestern city.
Capital of the state immortalised by The Orb