Fun fact: I've gone to the airport to shop for touristy stuff for Christmas presents. And to ride the Sky Train. Just for a goof, when I don't have any pressing plans for an evening. And you don't need a ticket for that.
PHX is a great airport. I've never had any glitches when flying out, haven't had any major issues returning. I'd imagine if PHX was a connecting airport, it could be a bear to navigate. It's hard to remember the time before Sky Train was installed, but I used their cell phone lot when picked up friends from the airport.
Because baggage always seems to take forever to arrive, I'll normally step out by the Bone Yard to smoke a Welcome-Home cigarette before grabbing my suitcase the training home.