Downtown Mesa is a compact stretch along Main Street that has been quietly reinventing itself over the past decade. Where there was once a fairly forlorn row of vacant storefronts, you now find independent restaurants, a good farmers market, art galleries, and the Mesa Arts Center anchoring the western end. It is walkable, unpretentious, and genuinely local.
The Mesa Farmers Market runs on Saturdays from October through April in the Centennial Plaza. It is one of the better markets in the East Valley, with a mix of produce, prepared food, artisan goods, and live music. The arts district stretching west along Main Street has a cluster of galleries and studios, many open for First Fridays events on the first Friday of each month, when the area takes on something like a street festival atmosphere.
Mesa's light rail connects downtown to Tempe and Phoenix, which makes it easy to base yourself here and reach the broader metro area without a car — an unusual advantage in Phoenix-area travel.