It's 4th of July weekend and I have suddenly found myself "kid free". My daughter went on vacation with my sister to SoCal and now I have free time!! What did I do? I went directly to see an independent film!
The Hakins Valley Art is one of those last remaining stand alone theaters. It's located on Mill Ave in Tempe. I would say the only drawback to this theater is it's location. Parking can be an issues since all the parking close by is metered. I went on a Saturday afternoon and parked in a garage on 5th St. The garage was free since it was a weekend. It was a little walk in the 110 degree heat but it wasn't bad.
The lobby of the theater is small. They have a nice concession stand and the bathrooms were super clean with several stalls. The manager assisted me with my drink and popcorn purchase and gave me some backround on the theater. It was built in 1940 and, according to the manager, was Mr. Harkins first theater. They had recently renovated it. The theater itself has one big screen and looks like the inside of any other Harkins theater, comfy stadium seating and lots of leg room.
I will come back again if I should find myself "kid free". My experience here was very enjoyable and the staff were pleasant and friendly.