When it floods in the Valley of the Sun. . .

. . .you are reminded that travel doesn’t always go as planned.

Even the best researched and well-thoughtout trips and travels can be derailed by events and circumstances beyond our control.  Take Mother Nature for instance. . .

Pinnacle Peak - Wednesday on the left, Friday on the right

On Thursday she packed one whale of a punch in this area of Arizona known as “The Valley of the Sun” by dumping rain –  at a record-breaking pace and quantity – in a two day period.  Media reported that 1.7 inches fell as compared to the last record rain of 0.5 inches back in 1973.

That is steam from the hot tub in the middle of this photo. Chilly? Yes!

It was interesting but after two days, we sun-seekers-from-Seattle were ready for more of those 70- and 80-degree temperatures. The weather reports assure those temps will be back by Tuesday – we’ll be gone by then.

So when it rain dampens your plans you can either sit around counting lemons or make lemonade!  If you find yourself here during inclement weather here are some ‘inside’ tips for ‘making lemonade’ and guaranteed to keep you entertained:

Visit a Museum:

There’s no better place to learn about the art and culture of the American Indians in this area, than the Heard Museums – the original, at 2301 N. Central in Phoenix, or the extension at 32633 N. Scottsdale Road.  www.heard.org
There’s also the:
* Phoenix Art Museum, www.phxart.org,
*Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMOCA), www.smoca.org,
* Musical Instrument Museum, www.mim.org,
* Arizona Museum for Youth, www.arizonamuseumforyouth.com
* Children’s Museum of Phoenix, www.childrensmuseumof phoenix.org

Say SPA-ahhh!

Every major resort in this valley has some drop-dead, beyond-belief luxurious spa. Even  if you aren’t staying at the resort, you can certainly use the spa. Some offer day passes and others offer extra time in the facility with a treatment.

I can tell you a day spent at the Scottsdale Fairmont Princess spa is so pleasant – for both men and women – it could snow outside and you wouldn’t care!

The waterfall therapy spa pool is sheltered but outside at Scottsdale's Fairmont Princess 

I took advantage of a discount package at the Four Seasons where we are staying and had a manicure/pedicure that carried me through two hours of pure pampering (I should have waited until the rains came though – I did it on a sunny day last week).

So popular are the area spas, that Scottsdale Tourism offers a down-loadable spa guide at: http://www.experiencescottsdale.com/spas/

Explore Old Town Scottsdale

Western art lines Old Town Scottsdale

Okay, if its raining you’ll need an umbrella and coat to dash between the galleries, cafes and souvenir shops that line the streets of the old city. But the area is compact. Pick up a walking map and then don’t miss my favorites, the 1933 adobe Mission Church and the olive trees along the route – they were planted back in 1896.  Another favorite -- and a good place to take shelter and spend some time browsing (and buying) books --  is The Poisoned Pen Bookshop, right in the heart of Old Town.

So, which of those ‘inside tips’ did we pursue? None! We spent the morning working out in the resort gym and in the afternoon lit the fireplace, grabbed our books and leisurely did absolutely nothing – another nice option when you travel!

See you back here next week on Foodie Tuesday and again on Travel Photo Thursday! And if you’ve not yet signed up to receive our posts regularly, you can do so right here on the home page, www.travelnwrite.com

Simply ‘Feelin’ Groovy’ in Scottsdale

It never fails. There comes a time – usually as each of our trips is drawing to a close -- that we want to shout, “Slow down, you move too fast!” It is happening again this week in Arizona.

With only a few days left in Scottsdale  Simon and Garfunkel’s “59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)” seems to say it best. . .

“Slow down, you move too fast; gotta make the mornin’ last

Daybreak - 6 a.m.

Just kickin’ down the cobblestones

Old Scottsdale - Art Walk

Lookin’ for fun and feelin’ groovy. . .

Hello lamppost, what’s cha knowin’?

I’ve come to watch your flowers growin’.

Prickly Pear Cactus Blooms

Ain’t cha got no rhymes for me?

Kaleidoscope planter

Do-it-do-do, feelin’ groovy. . .

~~~~   ~~~~ ~~~~
I’ve got no deeds to do, no promises to keep

I am dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep

Let the morning time drop all its petals on me.

Life I love you, all is groovy!”

That’s it for this Travel Photo Thursday at Budget Travelers Sandbox and Oh,The Places I have Been Friday at The Tablescraper. Click the link to each of those sites for some great armchair travel!

Note: ‘59th Street Bridge’ is the colloquial name of New York City’s Queensboro Bridge. If you’ve never heard them sing the song, click this link:YouTube. Guarantee it will make you smile!

Scottsdale: Where Murder, Mykonos and Mission Meet

We met – I think – on Twitter. . . perhaps two years ago. . .

Since then, thanks to Twitter, Facebook, blogs and email  we’ve become what might be described as modern day pen pals.

The Scout and I have also  become hooked on the murder mysteries, set in Greece, written by our far-away friend.

So, learning that author Jeffrey Siger had a stop in Seattle on his fall book tour was pure delight – until we realized that we would be in Arizona.

The travel gods were smiling on us though, as Jeff  is appearing this week at Poisoned Pen Books, in Scottsdale and had a bit of free time today. . .

Enough time for the three of us to meet and enjoy a long lunch in the heart of historic, artsy Old Scottsdale.  Upon meeting, we agreed it seems somehow as though we’ve known each other for some time.

Jeffrey Siger and the TravelnWrite team

We share a love of Greece; he divides his time between Mykonos and the United States. He gave up a law practice to follow his dream of writing novels much as we quit the 8 – 5 work world to pursue our adventures.

We lunched at the Mission Restaurant (it’s next door to a Mission built in the 1930’s) and is a place you need to add to your bucket list if you’ve not dined here yet.  We will definitely be returning!

Guacamole made tableside, Mission margarita and Torta

I sipped my Mission Margarita while watching our guacamole being made table side. Then it was difficult at best to choose from main courses that included pozole, tortas, tortillas, ensaladas, sopas.  We didn’t dare even peek at the dessert menu!

If You Go:

 
Scottsdale/Phoenix area: Jeff is appearing at Poisoned Pen Books, 4014 N. Goldwater Blvd. #101, 888-560-9919, www.Poisened Pen.com,  Wednesday, Nov. 13,  at 7 p.m.
Seattle:  Jeff will be at Seattle Mystery Book Shop, 117 Cherry St., 206-587-5737,can meet him from noon to 1 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15.
Check his website for a full schedule of appearances.

Jeff also contributes to a blog called Murder is Everywhere. A most interesting read.

Mission Restaurant, 3815 N. Brown Ave., Scottsdale, 480-636-5005

That's it for today, Hope to see you back again on Travel Photo Thursday. We are linking up today with Marcia Mayne’s Foodie Tuesday at Inside Journeys.

An Arabian “Tail” ~ Arizona’s Moroccan Mirage

Mirages, caused by the intensity of the desert’s heat,  are those shimmering images of things that don’t really exist.

Los Cedros USA, (pronounced los said-rows) could be – for the unsuspecting anyway-- thought of as a mirage in the expansive Sonoran desert north of Scottsdale, Arizona between Cave Creek and Pinnacle Peak.

 

Up until June the word ‘Scottsdale’ conjured up images of  the Old West: blue jeans, checked shirts and tablecloths, boots, and cowboys and cowgirls and work horses, of course.

Those cowboys and cowgirls these days are most likely behind the wheel of a late-model over-sized pickup and as for those horses. . . let us tell you. . .

One heat-draped afternoon, during our Scottsdale stay we visited Los Cedros USA; a visit that felt as if we’d walked into one of Scheherazade’s stories from 1001 Arabian Nights.

As we stepped through the enormous intricately carved entry doorway we found ourselves in. . .well, a modern replica of some 2,500 year old  Moroccan citadel right there in Arizona USA.

We’d sought out this Moroccan ‘mirage’ after seeing a cover photo of it on Experience Scottsdale’s tourist publication.  The small print “about the cover” told us it was open to the public – free of charge, in fact. Yet, we were  the only visitors on the week day we visited.



The entryway led us to an enormous (15,000 square-foot ) courtyard.

There wasn’t a sound to be heard as we continued our explorations, but it didn’t take long to realize that’s because the Los Cedros ‘residents’ were resting . . . they took little note of their visitors.

Los Cedros USA is an elegant multi-purpose development,  first and foremost, a luxurious home for performance  horses. Those large open spaces when not being used by horses and their trainers, are cleaned up and used for  hosting human events that can range in size from 50 – 500 people. 

We were winding down our self-guided tour of the horses (petting is allowed) and their ultra-luxe accommodations which include a modern spa-like shower room and therapy pool, (pictured to the right) when we went in search of someone who could tell us about the place.

Dawn M. Green, the general manager, upon learning that I planned to write about Los Cedros USA, said, “Well, then you need to see the Throne Room!” and led us down a hall, to this: 

I couldn’t help but think as I wrote today’s post, just what Scheherazade could have done with this Arabian ‘tail’! 

That’s it for this week’s Travel Photo Thursday; check out Budget Travelers Sandbox for more photo journeys.  And thanks for your visit – we appreciate the time you spend with us and hope you’ll be regulars here!

If You Go:
Los Cedros USA, 8700 East Black Mountain Road, Scottsdale, www.loscedros.com

Summer in Scottsdale? Say, Spa-aahh!

The  air was thick – a 111-degree blanket enveloped us – as we made our way across the expansive grounds of the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess to the resort’s Well & Being at Willow Stream Spa, an air-conditioned 44,000 square-foot oasis of health and beauty. A place so large, there’s a greeter who escorts you to your destination within its spacious confines. It’s like a resort within a resort.

 

The Well & Being concept -- introduced just last January -- combines health, wellness, nutrition, integrative medicine, skin care and fitness. Folks here say they are the first luxury resort in the United States to implement such a comprehensive approach.

So health-serious are they, there’s a full-time doctor (a real M.D.) on staff at the spa. 

We toured the facility that offers a demonstration kitchen and workout areas as well as some 30 treatment and consultation rooms, (some of which open  to the patio pictured above). We watched a class doing exercises on surf board machines while a video of waves was projected on a large screen behind them.

 

One feature neither of us were inclined to try was the Aerial Yoga where yoga poses are done (think upside down yoga) with the support of these suspended cloth slings (which, they say, allow for greater stretching).

Say Spa-ahhh. . .

Following the tour I headed to the large and luxurious dressing/locker room and, while sipping some Prickly Pear lemonade, suited up in a fluffy robe and slippers. I was about to have my first-ever facial. Rose Marie, an aesthetician who’s worked here for 11 years, introduced me to its wonders.

Because I’d never had a facial before  I chose it over a list of seemingly endless spa treatments.  Mine, a 90-minute treatment, began with an up-close and personal face photo (Brace yourselves! The images on that computer below are me and quite frightening). The two images, Rose Marie said, show sun damage and capillaries – I think they showed age as well!

The ‘reality show’ was followed by applications of  the ‘lotions and potions’. It was a botanical bonanza that included, but not limited to, an aloe cleansing, mists of lavender honey and rose geranium, a sweet cherry enzyme peel and a carrot seed soothing serum.  . .you get the idea. . .

 

One thing to keep in mind about spa treatments in resort settings like this one, is the cost of the treatment gives you access to all the other spa amenities and features on the day of your treatment (come early, stay late; a resort within a resort). 

Here those amenities include: steam rooms, saunas, a eucalyptus inhalation rooms, a private rooftop pool, and a three-story therapeutic waterfall, inspired by the real thing in the Grand Canyon, Havasupai Falls.

If you are like The Scout and not ‘in to’ spa treatments,  you can purchase a day pass here to use the non-treatment facilities.  (Free access is included with those booking the Fairmont Gold option).

TravelnWrite regulars will recall we nabbed a good deal on November’s Black Friday for our stay here last December. The new spa concept was introduced about a month after our visit. Now that we’ve tried it, we can’t imagine a stay that  didn’t include significant time at their Well and Being Willow Stream.

The Scottsdale Spa Experience

Whether a long-time spa enthusiast or a newbie to the spa world, summer in Scottsdale is the time you’ll find both great hotel rates and good deals on spa packages and treatments.

To see a few of this summer’s deals: click on Experience Scottdale’s link:  Summer Spa Series

For information about the Well & Being at Willow Stream Spa, www.scottsdaleprincess.com or call 480-585-2732.

An example of their Seasonal Offerings is this, one of  their June specials:

• 45-Minute Treatments Monday - Thursday
  Need a quick mid-week spa fix? Choose from these 45-minute energizing spa treatments designed for the person on the go. Available Monday – Thursday all day long. 45-minute Energizer Massage or Customized Facial. $129 each

That’s it for this week’s Travel Tip Tuesday!
If you have a tip about spa treatments or where to find deals that you’d like to share with other readers, please write a comment in the section below or send us an email to travelnwrite@msn.com   Small print: We want to thank the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess for hosting our spa visit and treatment.

If you’ve not yet signed up to receive TravelnWrite posts, please do so on the blog’s home page, top right hand corner.  If you want to follow us on Facebook, click this link!  And, as always, thanks for stopping by today!

Travel Tuesday: Scottsdale’s “Club Grub”

Whew! We just crossed the finish line after a nine day eat-a-thon in Scottsdale, Arizona. Let me tell you. . .

There is just something about the food in Arizona's 'Valley of the Sun' that makes us throw our Diet2Go out the window. And this trip,contributing to the culinary temptations that snugged up our clothes, is what we’ve dubbed, “Club Grub”.

Not “Pub Grub” –  “Club Grub.”  I am talking a whole new food source:  eateries tucked away in golf courses; some in clubhouses and others in freestanding restaurants.


We don’t even play golf – but we spent a lot of time ‘at the course’ this trip!  Note: these aren’t the members-only places -  all three of our recommendations below are open to the public!

The Grill at the TPC Scottsdale

While munching lunch at The Grill, we had this view over the 18th hole of the Stadium Course at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Hotel. 

Tucked away in a corner of the clubhouse, this place has more than 50 craft beers, cocktails, a gastro-pub style menu, patio (with fire pits – not needed this time of year) and a Happy Hour.

The Grill is located at 17020 N. Hayden Road.




Troon North

Our Seattle/Scottsdale friends, Mike and Joanne, told us to try Happy Hour at the Troon North Golf Club and for that we owe them big time!

We had some of the best- tasting and best-priced margaritas in this restaurant (also tucked away in a beautiful clubhouse), that we’ve had anywhere in Scottsdale. The HH price $4.50 (as compared to the Happy Hour $10 margarita at the nearby Four Seasons).

Troon North also offers full menu options but there were so many temptations on the Happy Hour list we never got beyond it. 


The photo below is of Dynamite Flatbread, $6, a mouthwatering chicken, cheese combo on  focaccia bread, just one of the HH offerings.




Troon North is located at 10320 E. Dynamite Blvd., Scottsdale.

Tonto Bar and Grill at Rancho Manana

The interior of this restaurant has such a wonderful Spanish/Old West feel to it, that it is difficult to choose between sitting inside or on the patio. Both provide beautiful views of this Cave Creek golf course. 

The menu also has so many choices that it should be difficult to choose between them but I have become so enamored with their Southwestern Cobb Salad that I always order it.  (Going there for lunch means I will take enough home  for dinner as well. As you can see from the photo below. . .it is rather large).

This place, like we've noticed at other restaurants, offer a choice of protein toppings for the salad. Mine was chicken and The Scout chose roast pork from the half dozen choices; price depends on the protein chosen.

Tonto Bar and Grill is located at the golf course at 5736 E. Rancho Manana Blvd., Cave Creek.

If you go:  A good source of Arizona golf course information is: www.arizonagolf.com

Your turn!  Do you have any “Club Grub” recommendations for the Phoenix/Scottsdale area?  How about any for golf clubs near where you live or in places you’ve visited?  Tell us about them!

Thanks for visiting today. If you’ve not yet signed up to receive posts in your inbox, please do so! Use the form on the right hand side of www.TravelnWrite.com

Aboard The Southbound Polar Express

When the High Plains Drifters set out on our Winter Road Trip early Thanksgiving morning, I’d silently decided we were taking a holiday from the holidays (like that John Grisham book/movie a few years ago about a vacation from Christmas).

As the Pacific Northwest forests gave way to the barren Southwest high plains, I ticked off the list the things I wouldn’t be doing: seasonal decorating, shopping and cooking, cards and gifts, ahh, yes. . .no holidays for us this year!

What I didn’t realize at the time was that we weren’t escaping from the holidays; we were hurtling toward them aboard our own  Polar Express, (it’s the other book/movie that convinces the Scrooge in all of us that the magic of Christmas is alive and well).

We were headed to Arizona - Christmas Central -  the best place in the world to experience this season, …well,. . . with perhaps the exception of the North Pole.

The Sugar Plum Stations along our route left holiday visions dancing in our heads . . . visions like those in. . .











Prescott



Christmas Spirit enveloped us within hours of our arrival in Prescott, “Arizona’s Christmas City”.  This is its Courthouse, a centerpiece in the downtown, which by now is lit up each night just like the Christmas Tree next to it.

Phoenix



We had a week-long stay in Marriott’s Desert Canyon Villas, five-minutes from the J.W. Marriott Hotel where Christmas decorations began appearing the same weekend we arrived.

With each day the decorations seemed to expand throughout the hotel’s massive lobby. Poinsettias lined the stairways, festive green and red decorations seemed to sprout – as if magically – during the night.

I didn’t think the Land of Oz could be made any more wonderful than the Emerald City that welcomed Dorothy and her friends. But thanks to the Marriott’s culinary team this land of Oz was a Confectionery Convention Center where gingerbread pavers lined the Yellow Brick Road.

We spent three nights – thanks to a Cyber Monday deal – at the Fairmont Princess Hotel in Phoenix –a place that in December could be mistaken for the North Pole.

Scrooge would have had a difficult time here but not those who are still kids-at-heart. 

Much time was spent watching their four-story tall Christmas Tree change colors; the changes synchronized to the Christmas Carole’s that ring out over the hotel’s plaza, located just outside its elaborately decorated lobby. 



Then, down a path to the skating rink. . .yes, real ice, six-inches deep, in the heart of the desert. A large truck/generator  hidden behind one of the buildings brings this frozen wonderland scene to life.  (The rink is open to the entire community, not just hotel guests.)
They rent skates at the hotel.










After a bit of time at the rink it was time to follow a luminaria-lit path through a fairy land of lights and scenes that appear each evening. Any other time of year, the same pathway leads through a beautiful – but not particularly magical – lagoon area.

And if the kid within you allows you to do it, you can hop aboard a miniature train to tour this enchanted land.

In Arizona where everything seems big – even the Christmas decorations are enormous.  The tree below at  the Desert Ridge Shopping Center towered over the palm trees around it.



Scottsdale

At Scottsdale’s iconic Pinnacle Peak Patio restaurant we found Santa’s sleigh being hauled by cattle.



And just down the road this big ol’ bronze mountain lion was decked out for the season as well.

Each evening at the Troon North Four Seasons the pathway between the Hotel and Residence Club wound through a daytime-desert that each evening gave way to a seasonal showcase.


By the time we reached the Four Seasons I was much like the kids on the Polar Express – I was a believer again.  We may have left the holiday hustle behind, but we’d re-discovered the Magic of Christmas!
 
Have you visited any magical places this year? What made them magical?

Where ever your travels take you this holiday season we hope you’ll also find some Christmas Magic ~ it’s Travel Photo Thursday – don’t forget to visit Budget Travelers Sandbox for more armchair travel.  I’ll resume the High Plains Drifters tales this weekend with a stop in Ely, Nevada . . .