I've got some leads on tickets so not too worried. Knowing they started to go down after New Years weekend last year, I'm going to give it a few more days. Any can't miss places to eat? Or Phoenix suburbs you'd recommend for hotels? I have one booked in the Happy Valley area which I booked because it was refundable. It looked like a relatively straight-forward trip down 101 to get to the stadium.
I think you will be OK with Happy Valley if the hotel is close to the highway (loop 101, Bethany Home Road exit for the UOP stadium). There are hotels that are close to the Coyotes Hockey arena (just one exit away). There is Renaissance (expensive) or Hampton Inn (less expensive) and others within 5 miles. Quite possibly the ones close to the arena/stadium are sold out.
If you are going there a few days before the game, you may want to take a tour of the UOP stadium. I took one last weekend and it was pretty good. You can find the dates and tour times on their website.
One exit north of the UOP stadium (Glendale Exit) there is Westgate Shopping center. Actually it's almost walking distance from UOP stadium. There are many restaurants there. Only a limited number of shops though. However, there are shops near the AMC theatres that are in the same area. I was there just last weekend. There is a Yard House, a Greek restaurant (I went there last weekend but can't remember the name), a Japanese, and many others. If you want to eat Mexican food, there are many Mexican restaurants in all parts of the Phoenix metro area. My favorite is Macayo's - there are several of these in the valley. A friend recently told me that there is a good Mexican restaurant on 35th avenue, close to the highway (I don't remember if she said I 17 or loop 101, but I can find out).
If you have the time, and if the weather is clear, I recommend visiting Sedona for at least one day, and if you have not been to the Grand Canyon, this could be your opportunity. However, the weather is unpredictable at this time of the year and there could be snow/ice on the mountain passes, so I would caution you about going there unless the weather is clear.
If you want activity, central Phoenix is the place to be (unless you want to go as far as Tempe which is nice, but then it's a very long drive to the stadium). From Central Phoenix, it's an approx. 15 miles drive to the UOP stadium, and traffic can get congested on game days, but there may be better options for hotels there, if you don't want to stay in Happy Valley. It depends on how much time you want to spend away from UOP stadium. If you are going there just for game day, it may not matter if you are in central Phoenix (very nice, full of activity) or Happy Valley (quiet, natural surroundings). If you want to stay for several days, perhaps central Phoenix is better. There could be buses to go to the game, so you don't have to deal with the messy parking conditions at the stadium.
In central Phoenix, there is a Hard Rock Cafe' across from the Suns arena. Majerle's is pretty good (sports bar) as well as Hyatt's restaurants have good food. If you want to eat Mexican food, there are many places.
I don't know how the weather is where you are, but it's gorgeous here right now. I hope you will enjoy your visit and Go Clemson Tigers!
Just kidding.
