The High Plains Drifters, our other nom de blog, will soon be living for a couple of weeks in our hot, dry timeshare world - Arizona’s desert. We’ve got plans to see a number of long time friends from the Northwest (who have also migrated south seeking sun) as well as some local folks we’ve met in the blogosphere: Jackie Dishner author of the guidebook, Backroads and Byways of Arizona, and publisher of the blog, Bike with Jackie (I love that title!) and David and Carol Porter, known as The Roaming Boomers. (Take a minute and check out those blogs by clicking the blue links.)
Before we settle in to our Scottsdale ‘home-away-from- home’ life, we’ll be traveling some of the back roads and byways,with stops in Prescott and Jerome in the north central part of the state.
We’ll also be taking a four-hour tour aboard the vintage train, the Verde Canyon Railroad, travelin’ 12 miles an hour through the Verde Canyon, once the home of the Sinagua Indians.
Have any recommendations for us in the Scottsdale/Phoenix area? Or north central Arizona? How about recommendations for books set in Arizona?
I have lots of recommendations for you:
ReplyDeleteIn North Scottsdale, a new Mexican-style restaurant just opened across from Kierland Commons called Sol. Good happy hour pricing, and good food. Different than most places. It's kind of hot for a tour through Cave Creek, but take a drive up there anyway. Fun shops. Good food. A big biker crowd on weekends. And you won't want to miss taking a tour of Taliesin West. They should be doing night tours soon, which are very cool. I wrote an app with a few other writer friends called Fun in Phoenix, so you might check that out on iTunes for more recommendations. If you go to downtown Scottsdale, just about any restaurant along the Waterfront (canal) is good. Just park in the garage north of Nordstroms an walk over. Lots of great stops for cocktails.
In Jerome, I mean, it's just a great little town. Walk up and down the hills. Tour the museums. Visit the wine bars. The Jerome Historical Society has a museum where you can pick up the walking brochure and follow the town's history that way. Lots of great little boutiques, history of a once very important copper town, cool and quirky houses. If you get up to the Grand Hotel on Hill Street, that's worth a walk inside. The Asylum restaurant there is also a great choice for lunch outside on the patio. Great views. On the way up or back down the hill out of town, stop off at the historic high school complex, which is now a bunch of artist's studios. All of this is in my book, if you have a copy. Names, numbers, etc.
I'm on my way out the door but will come back later with some tips about what to do in Prescott.