rise of the Phoenix

This past week I traveled south to the Phoenix, Arizona. Being the kidnapping capital of the USA (second to Mexico City on a global scale), I was weary of city quality. To my surprise, it was a heck of a lot nicer than expected. Of course all cities have their slums but for the most part, Phoenix and Scottsdale (East of Phoenix) are fascinating places to visit.

Here's a visual tour of some of the highlights + must sees of the P-S area:

Old Scottsdale: North on Scottsdale Road is this touristy part of the region. The area is designed in the old-timey southwest style of way back when. The streets are filled with cowboy paraphernalia stores, Souvenir shops, restaurants, and art galleries. If you don't mind the kitsch, it's a nice place to walk around in.
Within this area, there are a number of different sub divisions. One can take a free trolley ride through all of the different areas too. Pretty cute. I'd recommend the Fashion Square for those who need a shopping fix. It's a large mall with the usual chains one would expect in an American Shopping mall. Across the road from it is an Urban Outfitters and some Boutiquey stores that are a bit pricey.

Around Main St. in Old Scottsdale is the hub of activity. What surprised me about Phoenix and Scottsdale in general is the central role of art in the design of the cities. There are a number of reasons for this. First of all, one of the first groups of settlers in Scottsdale was artists. The scenery and climate attracted the bohos way back in the late 1800s. As influenced by the fairly large art community, a law was put in place demanding that for every building built, a portion of that budget must be for public art. In doing so, one can see a large selection of sculptures throughout the cities. I absolutely love this. I think that every city should celebrate local art in such a fashion.


Desert Botannical Garden: Not your typical gardens. This is one of the most enjoyable places to visit. We went here in between 4 and 8--the prime time to go. This way you see the garden in sunlight, sunset, and nightfall. Every kind of cactus you can think of is on site along with some other flowers and plants. The flora and fauna is situated next to a number of small mountains (or large hills?) making it an ideal place for sexy wildlife photoshoots.
Also in the garden is an incredible art exhibit by Dale Chihuly. The artist implanted giant glass installments throughout the garden creating an incredible synergy between art and nature. At night, the pieces were illuminated. It's nice to see art in different contexts outside of galleries.

Here are some pics from the garden:





Heard Museum: The only place worth going to in downtown Phoenix. There is absolutely NOTHING to do downtown otherwise but get to Heard because its pretty amazing. The museum is a collection of historical artifacts and art from Native communities across North America. It's nice to see that there is a celebration of Native culture. This makes sense within Arizona since there are currently 22 tribes living in the state. I find modern native art to be fascinating because it has many traditional elements while containing contemporary influences as well. A temporary exhibit entitled "Mothers & Daughters" featured clay sculptures by native women and their daughters. It was deeply personal and extremely interesting. Here are some pieces from the gallery (we were allowed to take pictures without flash...exciting!)


Tea in Carefree: North of Scottsdale is a little town called Carefree. With an intersection of Ho Hum Road and Easy Street, one cannot resist the charm of this little community. The highlight of the town is the Red Rose Tearoom; a little English tearoom equipped with an eclectic collection of British memorabilia, art, tea accessories and a trunk of classy hats for those yearning for the girliest tea drinking experience possible. My family and I are chronic tea drinkers. We will search far and wide for places to have tea and scones so finding this tea room was simply mahhhhvelous.



Mystery Castle: Hands down the most incredible place in Phoenix. So there's a little bit of history surrounding this house. If you don't want to read the whole story, here's the gist of it:

The castle was built by Boyce Luther Gulley in the 1930s after finding out he had TB. He abandoned his wife and daughter Mary Lou Gulley in Seattle in order to build an elaborate estate for them in Phoenix. Most of the house is made out of scraps and recycled materials which adds to the quirkyness of the house. Each room has a distinct function and meaning infused with a bizzare sense of humour (i.e. a room with a bar with uneven floors for drunks to stumble around in equipped with a bed to pass out on and a gravestone for those who don't make it out alive). Well into her 80s, Mary Lou still lives in the house today.

Everything about this place has a story--Every pot, painting, teddy bear, and pair of jeans (a pair was given to Mary Lou by John Wayne!!).

Here are some bits and pieces of the Mystery Castle in all of its glory



Right on the Castle's doorstep is South Mountin Park where you can drive through the winding mountain roads to find the best view of the city.

Get over there!

...But not in the summer because It's unbearably hot. The coolest places are those you find on your own accord. You don't need to stick to travel guides religiously. We wouldn't have found South Mountain park otherwise AND we saw a coyote as we drove through residential areas.

And there you have it.