Alright Nomads,

 

I need you.  Next month looking to take a long weekend to beat the weather and get somewhere warm.  ALways went to Florida.  We know what we will get out of Florida.  I have been aching to check out Arizona, do some hiking, catch a cactus league tribe game, and check out the southwest culture. 

 

So, question is.  Should i do it?  I dont want to give up my precious time and disappointed with some landlocked, cookie cutter city.  Sell me on Scottsdale, arizona.  Or, if you think i will be safer doing the norm in Miami...thats safe for me.

Well, everyone on here hates it but I love, love, love Scottsdale. There are many good restaurants, a shitton of art galleries, amazing hiking and views, etc. I am pretty familiar with a number of resort hotels out there and all offer an incredible experience. The Phoenician and Camelback Inn are probably my top recommendations. We actually took our last, child-free vacation at Camelback before I got pregnant and just loved it. Great spa, great pools, etc. The Phoenician is beautiful and Camelback Mountain is directly accessible out the back of the resort. They have great restaurants at that resort as well. There's just nothing like an AZ sunset IMO.

^ awesome.  Thanks for the input.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West in Scottsdale is worth a visit, and be sure to make a side trip up to Sedona. In fact, if I were the one making the trip, I'd stay in Sedona and make the side trip to Scottsdale.

 

Don't bother with Phoenix; if you took Los Angeles and stripped away everything that makes it unique and interesting, Phoenix is what you'd have left over.

I've stayed at the Phoenician (both the Resort and the Suites), the Kierland & the W.  The service that Phoenician is good and based on which property you're at inside the Phoenician it will be top notch.  The W, you'll at least see young people..... and the occasional old dude with open heart surgery scars.

 

I think they are very nice properties, but Scottsdale along with the rest of Arizona is what I term, "Gods waiting room West".  I didn't feel there was anything to do, but if you want to hike there are plenty of trails. 

 

 

Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West in Scottsdale is worth a visit, and be sure to make a side trip up to Sedona. In fact, if I were the one making the trip, I'd stay in Sedona and make the side trip to Scottsdale.

 

Don't bother with Phoenix; if you took Los Angeles and stripped away everything that makes it unique and interesting, Phoenix is what you'd have left over.

 

Sedona was getting too touristed-up the last time I visited -- 1985. I can only imagine what it's like now. But I liked the areas south of Sedona which hadn't been homogenized back then, like Cottonwood, Prescott and Wickenberg. That drive south from Cottonwood to Wickenberg was awesome. Take a look on Google Earth and you'll see why.

 

For another great drive, go east from Mesa and Apache Junction, taking Route 88 northeast into the hills toward Roosevelt Dam and the Theodore Roosevelt Lake behind it. The echoes up there at the dam are amazing. Be sure you bring your wits with you if you go -- the road is unpaved, narrow and winding. Its the wild Arizona that's been lost to so much sprawling development. I just checked Streetview of Route 88 and it hasn't changed a bit in the three decades since we last drove through there.

 

You also might want to check out the Casa Grande ruins in Coolidge, if you're into history like I am. You'll get an appreciation of pre-Columbian civilization that existed in the Americas. These ruins date to the 1300s. http://www.nps.gov/cagr/index.htm

I'll second Taliesen West - I took students there many years ago and was entranced, even though it was July. I'd skip Sedona - some natural areas are beautiful, but I find it too "precious" and new-agey. I'd suggest the former mining town of Jerome, perched on a mountain not too far from Sedona. Prescott is a nice little town, too. If you're looking for cool weather, Flagstaff is very nice, with interesting sites like Meteor Crater, Sunset Crater, and Wupatki Ruins, and only about 90 miles from the Grand Canyon.

I saw Taliesen West in 1982 but I don't remember much. I wasn't yet into architecture then. Jerome is pretty cool, the way it is perched on the steep hillside. But I was still mostly abandoned when we drove through it in 1985. Now it's vibrant little town, but not over-cooked like Sedona.

 

BTW, in case anyone is interested, I have pictures my family took of Phoenix and surroundings in the late 1930s -- when Camelback Mountain was in the desert countryside. They are color slides and in good condition. I'd be willing to sell them.

"Well, everyone on here hates it but I love, love, love Scottsdale."

 

Not true; that's a rather silly remark. Would I live in Scottsdale? No - but I see the appeal it has and I've always enjoyed my times there.

 

I have in-laws in Phoenix (north Phoenix and Scottsdale proper) and have been there about 4-5 times in the past few years. The first thing is - Phoenix proper is pretty much like how Living in Gin described and not worth your time, imho. Sure there are a handful of interesting older buildings in the downtown core but that's not saying much. Seeing the endless sprawl of Phoenix as you make your way into Sky Harbor - that helps put things in perspective aka whatever notions of how a 'city should be/look like' you have from living in the eastern US need to be temporarily ignored. And don't get me started on the overall political mentality there.  :roll:

 

Second - when someone recommends 'staying in Scottsdale', keep in mind that it's a suburb of Phoenix that covers 184 square miles - more than twice the area of the city of Cleveland. The resorts that have been mentioned *are* beautiful and the scenery is great but I prefer staying in/near 'Old Town' (aka downtown) which is at the southern end of Scottsdale. That's about as walkable as it gets for Greater Phoenix - the 'historic' part north of Indian School and along Scottsdale Road mostly consists of a few blocks of 1-2 story retail with a lot of galleries (some good, others just absurd) and restaurants. There's a great Mexican joint (Frank and Lupes), a Yardhouse (100+ beers on tap - a small chain in Scottsdale Fashion Square) and of all things, a fantastic little French bistro one block from the W.  North of that is the aforementioned mall (gasp!) that has a lot of stores not found in the Cleveland area - basically a Beachwood Place on steroids in the desert, but it's right next to Old Town. Again, who goes to Phoenix for a walkable environment, but I don't like being isolated in a compound-like resort - I'd rather get out and check out the local stuff. A few hotels are tossed into the mix - I recommend the W for its proximity to Old Town and Scottsdale Fashion Square and it's a pretty sleek hotel, but as a 40+ traveler, I made sure to ask for a room away from the pool where all the parties are held. I love a good drink and and a good time but nowadays I love my sleep just as much. Here are some Scottsdale-centric photos for you:

 

W Hotel

 

 

Urban-ish infill:

 

The pool at the Biltmore (worth a visit even if you're not staying there):

 

Old Town area during Art Walk:

 

With that, if you want to see the natural environment that will make your jaw drop, it's best to get away from Phoenix and up toward Sedona. It's about a 2ish hour drive but completely worth it. Sure the place has its share of touristy crap but that's to be expected. Btw, those spots that KJP mentioned *are* amazing but if you're like me and not a fan of remote, dangerous 'switchback' curvy roads, I would let someone else enjoy them ;-)

 

 

 

 

Finally - as rockandroller mentioned, maybe it's the pollution, maybe it's the higher temps, I don't know - but I think they put *something* in the sky come sunset time:

 

From Troon North golf club (northern Scottsdale near Pinnacle Peak):

 

 

 

And it doesn't end with sunset (also from Troon North):

 

From the W Hotel in Scottsdale:

 

 

Not trying to sell you on Arizona/Scottsdale but for something different and just to get away for a little bit, I like it and if you'd like, I'm happy to give some suggestions.

 

 

 

 

I think that Arizona is a good choice, but IMO almost the entirety of metro Phoenix is essentially cookie-cutter.  The most interesting parts of the state (Prescott, Flagstaff, Sedona, Grand Canyon), which are further north, are also the most likely to be chilly (if not downright cold) this time of year.

 

I lived in Scottsdale for about a year and I don't think it's anything special.  I guess Old Town Scottsdale might be sort of fun to explore while you're soaking in the sun.  Tempe might be worth checking out, too.

Wow. Thanks for the great analysis. It'll b a  tough decision. If I do pick Arizona i will follow up with some of your recommendations

arizona or florida?  one of the most fun vacations I had was last year at Key West.  Everyone you meet is friendly, fun, getting loose.  The place is relatively cheap, surrounded by water, safe, lively, plenty of shopping, dining, some cool culture, history & architecture to explore also

^just talked about key west tonight...I have to ask my neighbor if he'll watch my dog while I'm gone

I was in Key West for Christmas 2011 and yeah, lots of fun with lots of bars and great places to eat. About the only drawback - the beaches; they're small and very rocky once you set foot in the water. Even so, I'd go back in a heartbeat.

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,26752.0.html

I was in Key West for Christmas 2011 and yeah, lots of fun with lots of bars and great places to eat. About the only drawback - the beaches; they're small and very rocky once you set foot in the water. Even so, I'd go back in a heartbeat.

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,26752.0.html

 

Gotta love the Conch Republic!  You like the campy-ness of "KiKi West" as I lovingly call it?

I'm just glad I got to the Pink Pony before it closed. That place was an institution. MayDay, did you ever go there?

KJP, maybe you should offer to sell those photos to one of the resorts near Camelback, like the Phoenician?

I really Like Ft. Lauderdale Beach, if you want Art Deco and wild bars, then S. Beach.

 

Ft. Lauderdale Beach Hilton is where I stay. Great Ocean, coastal waterway and views of Donwtown.

Very popular with the Euros.

 

City View,

 

 

Best Restaurant down there is Casablanca Cafe

 

If I were vacationing in Arizona for the first time, I would stay in Sedona. It's interesting in its own right, and it's 2 hours from Scottsdale/Phoenix, 2 hours from the Grand Canyon.

 

I am going to Phoenix in a month to see my boyfriend and HE doesn't even like it. (He lives in Tempe.) I would never go there otherwise. Everything everyone has said here about it is pretty accurate.