Sunny Scottsdale

Overview

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Wide open sunshine and 70* temperatures were a definite highlight for this sun-starved New Englander. Our 2nd Annual New Year’s Eve camping expedition was memorable, once again. Watching the last stars of the old year fade away and the first sunrise of the New Year make its mark has become my favorite way to celebrate. Something unexpected always happens! Quick Tips: There are great hiking possibilities within the heart of the city making a stroll through the desert or a chest thumping hike up Camelback or Squaw’s Peak available at a moment’s notice. Scottsdale/Phoenix is brimming over with arts and cultural events. The Thursday edition of ‘The Arizona Rep...Read More

Wide open sunshine and 70* temperatures were a definite highlight for this sun-starved New Englander.

Our 2nd Annual New Year’s Eve camping expedition was memorable, once again. Watching the last stars of the old year fade away and the first sunrise of the New Year make its mark has become my favorite way to celebrate. Something unexpected always happens!

Quick Tips:

There are great hiking possibilities within the heart of the city making a stroll through the desert or a chest thumping hike up Camelback or Squaw’s Peak available at a moment’s notice.

Scottsdale/Phoenix is brimming over with arts and cultural events. The Thursday edition of ‘The Arizona Republic’ contains an entertainment guide or check it out online at azcentral.com/rep

From Scottsdale you can easily travel to Sedona, Flagstaff, Prescott or Tucson, all in 2 hours or less.

About an hour out of the city you can enjoy the vast wilderness of the Tonto National Forest and traveling a bit further will bring you to the mountain town of Payson. The higher elevations and cooler temperatures of the mountain region make visiting Arizona, even in the summertime, an option.

Las Vegas is about 6 hours away but gamblers will find plenty of casino action right in the valley. Casino Arizona, on the Salt River Indian Community is adjacent to the southern Scottsdale border. A little northeast is Fort McDowell Casino, an enterprise of the Mohave Apache community.

Bring plenty of credit cards. Scottsdale is a shopaholic's dream come true. There are stores everywhere.

Best Way To Get Around:

You will want a car.

Scottsdale/Phoenix is laid out in a grid pattern, making it very easy to navigate. Everyone knows their orientation by the cardinal directions. Natives will say the store is on SW corner rather than right or left side.

Those of you not from the East Coast may not find this unusual and if you want to learn to appreciate the grid system again I invite you to visit Boston & try to find your way around in a rental car.

On the other hand, Boston has outstanding public transportation; something I’ve been told is almost non-existent in Scottsdale. There are buses but they are infrequent and travel, for the most part, on the main streets only. But the buses do have bike racks, making biking & busing an option. If you don’t need a car and just want to get to your hotel or other destination, there are several shuttle services out of the airport that will take you anywhere for a good price. 1-800-258-3826 will connect you with one of the shuttles Read Less

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Scottsdale Camelback Resort

Hotel | "Scottsdale Condominium"

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The Scottsdale Condos are a very well-kept secret that I am about to let you in on. There are 200 units in the complex. Some folks live there full-time but a lot of the units are owned by retired snowbirds from Minnesota who live here just through the winter. And then there are some units, from studios up to 2-bedrooms that are available for rent through the winter months. Depending on size and degree of décor updates, the typical monthly rent would be $800 - $1200 for the in-season months of January thru March. To keep the place from feeling like a motel, there is a minimum one-month rental requirement. At those prices, it’s worth it to rent a condo for the month even if you only sta...Read More

The Scottsdale Condos are a very well-kept secret that I am about to let you in on. There are 200 units in the complex. Some folks live there full-time but a lot of the units are owned by retired snowbirds from Minnesota who live here just through the winter. And then there are some units, from studios up to 2-bedrooms that are available for rent through the winter months.

Depending on size and degree of décor updates, the typical monthly rent would be $800 - $1200 for the in-season months of January thru March. To keep the place from feeling like a motel, there is a minimum one-month rental requirement. At those prices, it’s worth it to rent a condo for the month even if you only stay 2 weeks! Rental availability is made known by word of mouth or a posting on the community bulletin board. Many people come back year after year, staying anywhere from 1-3 months. Rents drop as low as $600 for the months of November, December and April.

There are 2 pools; one heated, one unheated and a hot tub. The grounds are meticulously maintained and (this is important) green! I absolutely love the desert but my eyes crave some bold color every now and then.

The regulars are friendly but unobtrusive. There is a mix of ages; it is not exclusively retired folks.

Some of the 2nd floor units have a beautiful view of Camelback Mountain. Small pets are allowed in 1 of the 3 buildings.

The location is nice – 20 minutes from the airport, a few blocks from ‘Old Town’ (tourist shops, art galleries, restaurants) and Fashion Square Mall (2-story mall that spans 2 city blocks) and fairly easy access to freeways. Despite the proximity to all this; the buildings are situated in a way that creates the feeling of being away from it all, especially when lounging at the pools.

Of course there are other lodging options. Scottsdale boasts numerous 5-star resorts, such as The Camelback Inn or the Phoenician Resort.

Or you could get a good room for under $100 just outside of Old Town at the EconoLodge or Ramada Inn. The last time I stayed at the Ramada Valley Ho (I swear to you, they actually call it that!) we got a perfectly adequate double for $68.00. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on January 12, 2001

Scottsdale Camelback Resort
6302 E Camelback Rd.
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
(480) 947-3300

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Tequila Grill

Restaurant | "The Tequila Grill"

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The Tequila Grill is a snazzy, upscale, pleasingly designed place and the food is pretty good too. The first time I ate there I couldn’t help but feel like I was part of a sophisticated scene. I had the Phoenix Cheese Steak Sandwich and it was different & delicious. A friend had the Tenderloin and although it was small & over $20 it was absolutely melt in your mouth. With my next visit, my friend and I had the place to ourselves at 4:30PM. Eventually a few people drifted in to the bar; the start of the after-work crowd. This time I had the Drunken Chicken. It was ‘presented’ beautifully, as they say on the cooking shows. The rolled, stuffed and wine-drenched chicken brea...Read More

The Tequila Grill is a snazzy, upscale, pleasingly designed place and the food is pretty good too. The first time I ate there I couldn’t help but feel like I was part of a sophisticated scene. I had the Phoenix Cheese Steak Sandwich and it was different & delicious. A friend had the Tenderloin and although it was small & over $20 it was absolutely melt in your mouth.

With my next visit, my friend and I had the place to ourselves at 4:30PM. Eventually a few people drifted in to the bar; the start of the after-work crowd. This time I had the Drunken Chicken. It was ‘presented’ beautifully, as they say on the cooking shows. The rolled, stuffed and wine-drenched chicken breasts, mound of spicy rice and grilled vegetables sat on a light green tortilla, which had been cut in a sunburst pattern.

The chefs here appreciate and do right by the vegetables. The carrots, broccoli and miniature squash were crisp-cooked perfectly, and made to feel an important part of the meal, not regulated to a mushy side dish.

There was enough of everything to have another full meal to take home.

The fancy Margaritas were a disappointment; although they are served in a glass the size of a small bucket they didn’t have much punch but did have a hefty price tag. So on the second visit we ordered just water & lemon but our thirst was squelched when we learned that it was tap water! Like Mexico, you don’t drink the tap water in Scottsdale.

Something besides the water left a bad taste in my mouth. We ordered a crème broulee with 2 spoons for dessert. Our waitress brought over a huge plate with 2 dessert dishes of the stuff. When we commented that we had only ordered one dessert she assured us that this was a single dessert. But this was not reflected on the bill unless the going price for dessert is $8.95 these days. And to top it off, the broulee at Tomato’s at Fashion Square Mall was better!

Despite all this I do enjoy the Tequila Grill for a ‘fancy’ night out. Just have a Margarita somewhere else first and make sure to ask for bottled water. Better yet, make a statement and bring your own bottled water. Then check your bill carefully to be sure they don’t charge for a glass of ice. Make a fuss if they do. This young, not-a-chain (yet) restaurant has possibilities but we must do what we can to keep it from becoming overly ostentatious! Read Less

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on January 12, 2001

Tequila Grill
4363 North 75th St
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
+1 480 941 1800

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5 & Diner

Restaurant | "5 & Diner"

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Can you recall how the masses dined out pre-MacDonald’s? If you do, you’ll love the 5 & Diner. If not, you’ll love it too. The 5 & Diner is a fun place to eat. There are 9 of them scattered throughout the metropolis. I ate at the location on N. Tatum Boulevard near the Paradise Valley Mall. The whole place is vintage 50’s right down to the swivel stools at the counter and the functioning tabletop jukeboxes at the booths. (2 plays for a quarter!) Even my waiter played the part with his slicked back, impeccable blond hair and all-American boy looks. Like any diner worth its salt you can order breakfast all day. The food is pretty good – ranging from traditio...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on January 12, 2001

5 & Diner
12802 North Tatum Boulevard
Scottsdale, Arizona 85032
(602) 996-0033

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Squaw’s Peak

Attraction | "Squaw Peak"

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Having arrived back in the city by late morning on New Year’s Day I was twitching to do something else. My local buddy suggested Squaw’s Peak. By mid-afternoon I jumped in the car and headed northwest from the condo. About 15 minutes later I found the entrance to the Park. My plan was to scope out the area and come back the next day. What happened was… a parking space presented itself. This was nothing to slight. The place was jammed with people trying to keep their New Year’s Resolution of more exercise. The car rolled smoothly into the space and I sat there watching the steady stream of people following or returning from the Summit Trail. Usually, ...Read More

Having arrived back in the city by late morning on New Year’s Day I was twitching to do something else. My local buddy suggested Squaw’s Peak. By mid-afternoon I jumped in the car and headed northwest from the condo. About 15 minutes later I found the entrance to the Park.

My plan was to scope out the area and come back the next day. What happened was… a parking space presented itself. This was nothing to slight. The place was jammed with people trying to keep their New Year’s Resolution of more exercise.

The car rolled smoothly into the space and I sat there watching the steady stream of people following or returning from the Summit Trail.

Usually, I am the kind of person who doesn’t like to hike trails that have as much traffic as a city sidewalk but something was pulling me. And, the hiking shoes had slid out from under the front seat and were nudging me. So up we went.

It’s 1.2 miles to the summit. The trail begins with a wide, meandering, fairly smooth path with some rocky areas. As it gets steeper it gets rockier with some big rock ‘steps’. The views all along are great for stopping to catch your breath. There were a lot of very fit people who jog up and back! Another impressive sight was a man coming down the trail with his 8 or 9 year-old daughter, sitting on his shoulders – a stunning portrait of balance, strength and teamwork.

There was quite a variety of people hiking. From the very fit to those who quite obviously had no idea what they were getting into. Everyone observed excellent trail protocol, which means downhill traffic always yields to the upcoming, no matter the speed.

The summit is a jagged crag, 2600’ above the valley floor where folks rest, scan the views and silently pat themselves on the back.

The sun was just setting as I headed back down and I was rewarded with a magnificent, fiery crimson sunset to cap off the 1st day of the New Year. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on January 12, 2001

Squaw’s Peak
Phoenix
Scottsdale, Arizona

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New Year's Eve Under the Stars

Story/Tip

The Bobbitt Throw Photo - Scottsdale, Arizona

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Arizona has a vast amount of wilderness areas and free, primitive camping is allowed on most of it. Primitive means no facilities; you carry in what you need and bring everything back out with you, leaving no trace that you were ever there. There are plenty of full-service campgrounds too for those requiring restrooms, showers and other amenities. We like to ‘car camp’. That is to find a primitive spot that we can drive to with our trunks loaded up with most of the comforts of home. This year, to allow for everyone’s hectic schedule, we chose a campsite just an hour outside of Scottsdale in the Superstition Wilderness Area of the Tonto National Forest. About 20 minutes past ...Read More

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Scottsdale Journals

Sunny Scottsdale