Drayage Brokersin Mesa, AZ

MESA, Ariz. - If you go on a trip, you may buy a T-shirt or small knickknack to remember your vacation. But for many younger people, they want a more permanent souvenir. It’s a trend called ‘tattoo tourism,’ and one local artist is cashing in.

For about eight hours at Next Wave Tattoo in Mesa, tattooist Kenneth Shaw works his magic.

"I would describe it as abstract realism and surrealism," Shaw said. "There's realistic elements in it, but then I'm going to add funky shapes or geometrical patterns to it to give it a different look."

Shaw who opened his shop in 2009, was obsessed with art as a kid.

"I was just the type of kid that would go home from school, and I would just draw all day," Shaw said.

Now, he leaves a permanent impression on anyone who books with him. Like Stephanie Yonts, who traveled from New Mexico. This is her second tattoo from Shaw.

"I knew that it would be something I’d be proud of to remind me of where I came from, but also it’s incredibly vibrant and meaningful to me," Yonts said.

For her first tattoo with Shaw, the 30-year-old had to book a year in advance. She is not alone.

AZ artist cashing in on tattoo tourism trend

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"It’s always great having that feeling that someone is willing to wait for your work," Shaw said.

Because Shaw has nearly 130,000 Instagram followers, people from around the world see and want his work. His bright designs stand out. Shaw doesn't travel out of town for work, but about half of his clients travel to him.

Clients, or tat-tourists, from Amsterdam, Canada, Oregon and California travel to the valley just to see him.

Tattoo tourism is a relatively new trend popular with millennials and Gen Zers. Social media easily connects people with an ink master.

"Over the last year, it’s been huge," Shaw said. "I've noticed a lot more people actually plan their vacations around their tattoos."

Regardless of where his clients come from, Shaw wants them to leave with artwork that can be a conversation starter, just like Yonts' finished product.

"When I tattoo people, I want them to have something truly unique to them not just something that some guy down the street can do," Shaw said.

Shaw is booked up through 2024, so clients must wait until early 2025 to get a tattoo from him. The tattoos that take a full day are not cheap.

The city of Mesa has partnered with Local First Arizona to open a new food hall with the aim of supporting local businesses and chefs.

Chandler also recently announced plans for an upcoming food hall, but the two cities' concepts are vastly different. While Chandler's food hall will double as an entertainment venue, conceptual designs for the Mesa project refer to the food hall as a "restaurant incubator" and is described as functioning as a stepping-stone from Local First Arizona's pre-existing community kitchen, which offers aspiring restaurateurs assistance building menus and getting a business up and running.

After "graduating" from the community kitchen, a space in the food hall would provide an opportunity for restauranteurs to gain practical experience before moving on to opening permanent brick and mortar restaurants.

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What to expect at the new Mesa food hall

The Mesa food hall will include one or two permanent eateries, plus four to five rotating businesses, so guests always have something new to try.

Local First Arizona is already accepting applications from business owners who wish to have a stall in the food hall. Owners must be based in Mesa and already have a city business license to apply.

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When and where will Mesa's food hall be open?

The site is inside a 12,000 square-foot historic building on the southwest corner of Main Street and MacDonald near the Nile Theater in Mesa.

Construction on the "food incubator" is expected to begin in early 2024, with a projected opening date of fall 2025.

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Reach the reporter at endia.fontanez@gannett.com. Follow @EndiaFontanez on X, formerly Twitter.

For the first time ever, the Downtown Mesa BBQ Classic, in association with the Kansas City Barbecue Society, will celebrate barbecue culture and bring pitmasters together to compete head-to-head for a chance to win $2,000 on Nov. 3 and 4.

The competition is open to all levels, from those with local barbecue businesses to people who just love to smoke. And applications for the contest are still open for those who want to compete for One-Meat, Masters Series, and People’s Choice awards. The only catch? All contests must be Kansas City Barbecue Society members to participate.

Ticket are on sale now for those who want to sample the goods. Besides Kansas, Texas and North Carolina style, barbecue.

Here’s your guide to the first Downtown Mesa BBQ Classic.

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What is the Downtown Mesa BBQ Classic?

Nancy Hormann, president and executive director of the Downtown Mesa Association, said that the BBQ Classic started with a previous board chair who was a Kansas City certified barbecue judge.

"He was telling us how he went all over the country for the fun of it and judged barbecue contests. Then he said we ought to do one here. So we said, OK, let's look into it," Hormann said.

"We knew that there was one that had been happening up in Payson for years and that one went away and then they had another one in Kingman and that one went away," Hormann said. "They all stopped and didn't do it and they haven't brought it back yet."

They decided to launch the event at the beginning of November and hope to host the event annually.

What to expect at the Downtown Mesa BBQ Classic

Attendees can learn about different barbecue styles, cooking techniques and the art of barbecuing by interacting with competitors and experienced judges as skilled pitmasters compete in various categories like chicken, pork, ribs, and brisket.

"They're still signing up," Hormann said. "We have, I believe, 14 competitors at the moment, but it's still early. They all seem to sign up at the last minute. So at that point, there are about 10 judges per table and one table captain. So there's a lot of eating to do."

The judges, including local community members who underwent training, will evaluate the entries based on taste, texture, and technique.

In addition to the barbecue competition, the event includes a craft festival featuring a variety of artisans and people selling sauces, rubs and barbecue essentials.

"We're doing this in conjunction with craft festival," Hormann said. "It's all different kinds of crafts and one of the crafts is craft Q, so we're bringing in local barbecue people from all over the Valley and the public is gonna get to vote on who's their favorite barbecue."

There will be live music from local musicians throughout the event, adding to the festive atmosphere and enhancing your overall experience. And there's a possibility there may be a small beer garden near the barbecue area, but this detail had not yet been finalized.

Attendees will also have the chance to sample plenty of barbecue.

Attendance is free, but attendees will be able to purchase a $20 people’s choice ticket with coupons for 10 samples.

"You buy a ticket, you go through and you get a taste from each of the competitors and then you have one token and you put that token in that barbecue person's jar and the one who has the most tokens is who wins," Hormann said.

Guests can also purchase full-size and tasting portions of bbq without a people's choice ticket.

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How to compete in the Downtown Mesa BBQ Classic

The number of judges for the barbecue competition can vary based on the number of competitors and the specific setup of the event. Hormann said there are typically 10 judges per table, along with one table captain. The judges are responsible for evaluating the barbecue entries in different categories such as chicken, pork, ribs, and brisket.

"It's not as much about the sauce but about the cook," Hormann said. "It's taste and texture and how the rib meat falls off the bone or do you bite it off the bone? You know, those are different things. It's very intricate the way they judge them."

All contest awards will be presented following the conclusion of judging and voting, in categories including:

Masters Series Prize:

4 Meat Competition Prize (Chicken, Pork Ribs, Pork Butt, Brisket):

1 Meat Competition Prize (Pork Ribs):

Those interested in competing can apply through the Downtown Mesa BBQ Classic website.

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How to attend the Downtown Mesa BBQ Classic

Attendance is free. Food and beverage will be available for purchase.

When: 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3 and 9 a.m. to 4 pm. Saturday, Nov. 4.

Where: 100 N. Center St., Mesa.

Details: 480-890-2613, bbq-brews-blues.squarespace.com.

Got a story you want to share? Reach out at Tiffany.Acosta@gannett.com. Follow @tiffsario on Instagram.

CenturyLink/Quantum Fiber - Best fiber internet provider in Mesa

T-Mobile Home Internet - Best alternative to wired home internet in Mesa

High-speed fiber internet service is on its way to Mesa -- but it isn't widely available just yet. Until then, most residents have a choice between Cox and a slew of slower wireless providers.

Last year, AT&T Fiber announced it was coming to Mesa in 2023, but it’s still yet to go live. Though Google Fiber started delivering internet service to Mesa in late March, it isn't yet widely available. Along with CenturyLink’s fiber service, that means Mesa will soon be home to the three highest rated internet providers in the American Customer Satisfaction Index's annual survey. For now, though, about 10% of Mesa households are wired up for fiber.

Our team considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service in Mesa across a variety of categories. Our evaluation includes referencing a proprietary database built over years of reviewing internet services. We validate that against provider information by spot-checking local addresses for service availability. We also do a close read of providers' terms and conditions and, when needed, will call ISPs to verify the details.

Our process has some limitations you should know about. Pricing and speed data is variable: Certain addresses may qualify for different tiers of service, and monthly costs may vary, even within a city. The best way to identify your particular options is to plug your address into a provider's website.

Note that the prices, speeds and other information listed above and in the provider cards below may differ from what we found in our research. The cards display the full range of a provider's pricing and speeds across the US, according to our database of plan information provided directly by ISPs, while the text is specific to what’s available in Mesa. The prices referenced within this article’s text come from our research and include applicable discounts for setting up automatic payments each month -- a standard industry offering. Other discounts and promotions might be available as well, for things like committing to a contract or bundling with a cellphone plan.

To learn more about how we review internet providers, visit our full methodology page.

Best internet providers in Mesa

There are three main internet providers in Mesa worth considering: Cox, CenturyLink Fiber and T-Mobile Home Internet. We've also included an overview of some other internet providers serving the area, though most of them don't measure up, or they come with significant drawbacks.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What other internet options are there in Mesa?

The three providers listed above are the best choices for internet in Mesa, but if none of them serves your address, you do have a few other options:

Pricing info on Mesa home internet service

The average price for internet service in Mesa is approximately $45 per month. CenturyLink’s 200Mbps fiber plan starts at just $30, but most plans start at around $50 per month. Worth noting: If you’re a Verizon or T-Mobile cellphone customer, you may qualify for a considerable monthly discount.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Mesa broadband speeds

Mesa residents have their choice of three different internet providers that offer "gig" speeds, defined as service that starts at 940Mbps: Cox, Verizon 5G Home and CenturyLink. CenturyLink is currently the only provider in the area that offers symmetrical upload and download speeds -- a significant benefit if you're looking for a connection that can support high-quality videoconferencing or online gaming on multiple devices simultaneously.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What’s the final word on internet providers in Mesa?

Internet in Mesa is a mixed bag. Some addresses will have several great options, while others will have only one. Fiber is only available to about 10% of households in Mesa, so online gamers and people who work from home may need to opt for a more expensive cable plan if they're looking for faster upload speeds. Cox's plans fit that bill -- it's available almost everywhere and its fastest plans provide enough speed for almost any home.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Mesa

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it's impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So what's our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary database of pricing, availability and speed information that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

This guide leverages an in-house artificial intelligence tool called RAMP, which is trained on our own writing and uses our database to generate content about specific internet service providers that our writers can use in determining and presenting our picks for a given guide. Check CNET’s AI policy for more information about how our teams use (and don’t use) AI tools.

Because our database is not exhaustive, we go to the FCC’s website to check the primary data for ourselves and make sure we’re considering every ISP that provides service in an area. Plans and prices also vary by location, so we input local addresses on provider websites to find the specific options available to residents. To evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP's service, we look at sources including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of the time of our prepublication fact-check.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:

While the answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.

Internet providers in Mesa FAQs

Nestled amidst the rugged beauty of the Southwest, Mesa, AZ is so much more than just another city on the map. It's a cultural haven, a place where history, modernity, and nature collide in the most harmonious ways. But the magic doesn't stop there. Dive a little deeper, and you'll uncover a thriving community with a love for sustainable innovations like astro turf. And speaking of which, there's one name that stands tall in this arena: Always Green Turf AZ.

The Charm of Mesa, AZ: A Journey Through Time

Walking through the streets of Mesa, the echoes of the past are evident. Ancient petroglyphs etched on rocks, centuries-old adobe structures, and a rich tapestry of Native American, Spanish, and Anglo cultures make this city a historian's dream. But it’s not all about the past; Mesa also has its pulse on the future. As one of the fastest-growing cities in the US, it's pioneering some of the most innovative solutions in sustainable living.

Enter astro turf.

Astro Turf: The Green Revolution

In the searing heat of the Southwest, maintaining a lush, green lawn can be quite a challenge. Water is precious, and natural grass can be a resource hog. This is where astro turf comes into play. It’s not just about having a green lawn anymore; it's about being responsible citizens of the Earth. Astro turf gives residents the lushness of natural grass without the need for excessive watering, mowing, or fertilizing.

And when we talk about astro turf in Mesa, we talk about Always Green Turf AZ.

Always Green Turf AZ: The Best in the Business

In the heart of Mesa, Always Green Turf AZ has been transforming landscapes and lives. It's not just about selling a product; it's about selling a dream, a vision of a sustainable future. With years of experience under their belt, they have mastered the art of installing and maintaining astro turf that looks as good as the real thing.

But what truly sets them apart?

Quality: Always Green Turf AZ doesn’t compromise on quality. They understand that a lawn is an investment, and they ensure their customers get the best value for their money.

Professionalism: From consultation to installation, the team exudes professionalism. They understand the unique needs of every client and tailor their solutions accordingly.

Community Involvement: Being based in Mesa, Always Green Turf AZ is not just a business; it's a part of the community. They have been involved in various community projects, showing their commitment to the city they love.

Mesa, AZ - A City with a Heart and Vision

Mesa isn't just another dot on the map. It's a city with soul, history, and a vision for the future. The adoption of sustainable solutions like astro turf by its residents and the unparalleled services offered by companies like Always Green Turf AZ showcase the spirit of this city. So, the next time you think of the Southwest, let your heart wander to Mesa, AZ, and discover the magic for yourself.

Always Green Turf AZ

204 S Mesa Dr, Mesa, AZ 85210

(480) 571 0285