Riding along the streets of Scottsdale in the mid-morning Arizona sunshine it’s hard not to notice the blue sky contrasting with the green cacti dotting the landscape. I was one week removed from snow and ice at home in Tennessee, and a long weekend of sunshine and temps in the 80s had a nice ring to […]
Scottsdale, Arizona, known as “the West’s most Western town,” takes pride in its rich cowboy heritage. While the Phoenix-adjacent city cherishes its past, it also strives to offer modern indulgences in cuisine, accommodations, and activities. I recently spent three days absorbing all I could about Scottsdale and its offerings—and already I can’t wait to return.
Scottsdale is a strange and beautiful hybrid flower of modern architecture, outrageous culinary treats, and Cactus League Spring Training with accompanying nightlife and wild entertainment—all in bloom as I type. Like a silk moth attracted to the Sonoran desert early blossoms, I flew to Scottsdale to worship my idol, Frank Lloyd Wright, at his Taliesin West but got […]
As the rain moved in to Seattle in September, I began thinking ahead to a sunny winter escape. I recruited three friends—Lusan from Los Angeles, Alexandra from Seattle, and Karin from Washington, DC—for a girls’ getaway to Scottsdale in early December.
More than 15,000 men and woman were dressed in plaids, pinstripes, and seersuckers. There was an unsurpassed lineup of Ferraris and Porsches. Bottles of Penfolds were poured, and Veuve Clicquot was sipped. Add to that mental picture a field of galloping horses under a blue sky and 75-degree weather and POOF! Welcome to the Scottsdale […]
Day Three There is only one reason I would ever wake up at 4:45 a.m. on a Saturday: a hot air balloon ride over the desert. Hot Air Expeditions sent a van to the Four Seasons to pick us up, and our driver, Jim, drove us into the Sonoran Desert. As we drove, Jim served […]
Summer is when Seattle weather is at its best. Arguably, summer is also when Scottsdale weather is at its worst. I had never visited the city so I had no preconceived notions beyond the ambiguous “dry heat” and a few choice comments by friends about being crazy for trading Seattle for Arizona in July. I ignored the […]
When it’s warm desert air you crave, there’s no better place than Scottsdale. Once filled with citrus groves and cotton fields, now it’s a mix of modern and Old West in this Sonoran Desert locale. Scottsdale is a little more than two hours from San Francisco (near the Phoenix airport). Find shops, galleries and restaurants, […]