Scottsdale Trails

Weather will have a lot to do in your decisions for activities while you're here. After the tremendous heat of the summer months has dropped, people get back out on the golf course, tennis court or hiking trails. If you do visit in the summer months, then indoor activity will be your focus: the spa resorts have bargain rates around this time of year, museums and indoor shopping are some other ways to beat the heat. If you plan your visit around a major event--business trip, convention, golf or tennis tournament, or major league sports attendance, you'll find there is still time to take in a good restaurant, make sidetrips to museums, nearby reservations or get out into our parks and reserves for hiking or biking.

Quick Tips:

Unless you need to be very near to Phoenix, try to find a hotel or resort in mid to north Scottsdale. These are the segments of town that have undergone the most dynamic expansion in the past 10 years, nowadays they are their own hubs for entertainment, sport, dining and enjoying the outdoors. Scottsdale on the map stretches long north-south, and commutes can sometimes be a little time-consuming if you run back and forth that entire length too many times in a week. So plan your activities by area, for instance do the south side of town with its shops, restaurants and nightlife (this area often referred to as Old Town), or parks such as Papago Park, over one or two days, then take on mid-town and north Scottsdale on other days. These mid to northern sides of town will be where the tennis, resort action, golf tournaments or equestrian events tend to happen, but again there has been a surge in growth of restaurants and nightlife here as well, and many people consider this the best place to be based even if a trip into Phoenix is on the agenda as well. Websites for events/accommodation/activities: www.ci.scottsdale.az.us www.scottsdaledirectory.com

Best Way To Get Around:

Unless you have a car or are visiting locals who can shuttle you around, a car is really a must for a short visit. National and Alamo car rentals at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport seem to have overall the best rates throughout the year, but check others (Budget, Avis or Thrifty) for specials. Parking is usually easy although downtown (Old Town) areas can get congested in the winter and spring months.

World-class resort in the Hyatt tradition, the Gainey Ranch property lies at the end of a palm-tree and cactus lined driveway. The multi-level atrium lobby is a spectacular entrance of dark marble accented with brass, with lower and upper levels in addition to the ground floor level. Artwork you see throughout the public areas of the resort emphasizes Western and Native American styles. The most spectacular area of the resort is probably the 2 1/2 acre "water playground" consisting of ten interconnected swimming pools, an artificial white sand beach, water slides and glass and marble water cascades interspersed with hanging flowers and greenery. Beyond this area is a large lagoon that separates the main hotel from the extensive golf courses.

The resort has a total of 493 rooms, of these there are 25 suites and 7 casitas to choose from. A regular room will typically have a balcony or patio with a view of either the water playgrounds or landscaped areas. Facilities vary from room to room but usually include features such as honor bar, coffee maker and mini-fridge. Decor is contemporary southwestern with large potted cactuses providing the natural touch. There are three restaurants on the premises, one featuring Italian, one American and another Southwestern fare.

This Hyatt resort is great in the off-season (that''s the rate above, by the way) simply because you can do a lot right on-site: aside from large-scale swimming, there is the Regency Spa, eight tennis courts, a golf lover''s paradise of 27 holes of championship greens, plus trails for jogging or biking. Take advantage of the concierge''s desk for any information on off-resort adventures as far as horseback riding or hiking and biking outings into the nearby mountains or reserves.

Originally a Spanish Colonial style mansion built in the 1920''s by a millionaire from the east coast, Royal Palms Hotel sits on the south side of Camelback Mountain which provides a wonderful backdrop to its graceful architecture as you drive into its front courtyard arrival area. Intimacy and tranquility are the key words in the design and creation of this resort, and it''s a refreshing alternative to the huge chain resorts that tend to dominate in Scottsdale. The resort has undergone a multimillion dollar makeover in recent years but with an eye to retaining the Spanish-Mediterranean style in all areas. The atmosphere here retains serenity and old-world style combined with the latest amenities and operational efficiency.

Accommodations consist of 116 rooms and casitas decorated with faux-finish walls, tapestried fabrics, and southwestern handcrafted artificats. If you enjoy a roaring fireplace in your room, then a deluxe casita is the way to go here. Resort amenities include a swimming pool, tennis court and fitness center. The concierge can also arrange off-resort services such as a round of golf at some of the leading courses around Scottsdale/Phoenix, and activities like hiking, scenic bike trails and shopping are all within about a three mile radius of the resort. Royal Palms is also well-tailored to small to medium sized groups, offering intimate boardrooms, a stately library, and outdoor function areas. The resort''s main restaurant, T Cook''s, specializes in Mediterranean cuisine from Barcelona, Spain and the Tuscan region of Italy for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Royal Palms has a couple of different packages, the lowest rates usually occurring during June-September from around $175 per person.

If you''re on an accommodation budget for a trip to this part of the world, but still want to be on the north side of town near all the entertainment and golf action, then consider this Fairfield Inn. It''s located on the main drag, near a convenient major cross street (Thunderbird Rd.), and is far enough north to be at locations like the Phoenix Open or the Scottsdale Princess within minutes.

Fairfield Inn Scottsdale/North has 132 newly renovated guestrooms. Rooms feature such amenities as desk area, and remote control TV with free cable. There''s both a laundry valet and self-service laundry services. And there''s also a complimentary continental breakfast, free local calls and a convenient fax service, outside there''s a swimming pool and spa area outside. Parking is complimentary. The hotel is a three story structure and if you can, get a room facing away from the main parking courtyard entrance. Overall, an excellent deal for the quality and location, with summer group rates as low as $40-50.

Jilly's owners have created a clean and contemporary layout featuring bar, pool and game area, together with open dining and booth dining sections. The sports motif begins right at the entrance, with giant black-and-white blown-up photography of American sports legends of the twentieth century filling the walls. Inside, the emphasis is on a clean and sleek look with butcher block light woods and metallic surfaces, subdued techno lighting over the dining areas and black and red tones in the furnishings. You can either dine in the open floor space adjacent to the bar, outside on the patio, or in one of the nine individual dining booths, which are equipped with their own TV for a private sports viewing occasion. You can also view the monitors from the centrally placed bar location while choosing from the extensive lunch menu. Altogether, the restaurant has 45 televisions positioned throughout its interior, along with a full-time deejay monitoring operations from an audio-video booth. Weekends and evenings also see a lot of the younger crowd taking advantage of the pool area. There is also a dance floor in a back room section on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights after 11 p.m. with a live deejay and a selection of 70’s, 80’s and 90’s favorites.

With its menu for both lunchtime, dinner and takeout dining, Jilly’s reflects a blend of traditional sports fare and more sophisticated culinary adventure. The lunchtime menu, for instance, offers Prime Rib Splitters, featuring shaved prime rib with grilled onions and Muenster cheese, served with cracked pepper au jus and creamed horseradish, for those who enjoy a well-turned out beef plate, while for seafood lovers there is Jilly’s Bayou Shrimp, prepared in Jilly’s own herb wine sauce and served with grilled dunk bread, or Ahi Tuna Roll, served with greens in a herb tortilla and sesame dipping sauce. Even here, the sports touch stays in play with items such as Smokin’ Joe’s Steak Sandwich, Pasta Lombardi and The Babe’s Hot Apple Pie. Both lunch and dinner menus offer a wide selection of salads, "big plate" main course and sandwich and desert fare. The dinner menu’s "big plate" main course ranges from chicken plates such as Lemon Herb Chicken and Jilly’s Roasted Chicken to fresh seafood selections like Grilled Salmon and The Catch to Diamond Back Ribs and Grilled Filet of Tenderloin. If you have the room for it after all that, then consider one of Jilly’s updates on classic dessert favorites in the form of Fried Cheesecake or Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae.

Jilly’s opens for lunch at 11:00 a.m. every day, with a fully-staffed bar offering pre-dining drinks. There is also a "reverse" happy hour on Sunday through Thursday evenings from 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. The kitchen prepares any item til midnight, and there are also $6 appetizers for light eaters available til 12:30 a.m. There is a take-out menu (Monday-Sunday, from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.) featuring many of the items found on the regular lunch and dinner menus.

Located in McCormick Ranch in mid-Scottsdale, Buster's is a great place for either casual dining with friends and family or for a lunchtime business dinner. The restaurant sits right by Lake Margherite, a placid but pretty man-made lake in my neighborhood, and I like taking visitors or associates to lunch or dinner here in the spring and fall months and sit in the outdoor dining area overlooking the lake.

Buster's serves a wide variety of fresh seafood, steaks, chicken, prime rib, pasta and baby back ribs grilled over pecans. There is a full-service bar and there is seated dining here too, so on occasion when I only wanted a snack at lunch I've just dropped in here and ordered something small like the breaded zucchini to fill up on. The mood is light in here with pictures of Charlie Chaplin and W.C. Fields covering the walls.

The range on the lunchtime and dining menus is extensive, however, with everthing on the seafood side from chilled shrimp, shucked oysters and smoked salmon to meat dishes such as the sirloin steak, prime ribs and baby back ribs which the restaurant seems to have a stellar reputation for in this part of town. And while a-la-carte pricing often seems to bite you hard in the wallet in many eating establishments, this one can work out very well value-wise for you: for instance, a home-made soup (clam chowder, French onion or daily selection) or salad (spinach, garden or Caesar) won't add to your tab at all. Same for the fresh vegetables, choice of potatoes or rice pilaf on the menu. The wine list is predominatly California vintage and by the bottle priced in the $30 range. Casual but elegant, a great menu and service, a dreamy lakeside view, Buster's provides a great taste of contemporary urban southwest.

Cafe Terra Cotta bills itself as offering "innovative Southwestern cuisine", and indeed this is a fine place to come and sample creative renditions on the cooking of the Southwest. Let me tell you about some of the things I've had and enjoyed, and recommend that you stop by here if you're in mid-town Scottsdale and in the mood for Southwestern fare at a very reasonable price for either lunch or dinner.

Soups & Salads: Spinach Salad with Grilled Jicama, Roasted Red Bell Peppers, Cherry Tomatoes, Dried Apricots, Ajenejo CHeese and the house Vinaigrette.

Starters/Small Plates: Grilled Shrimp Tostada with Black Beans, Baby Greens, Red Onion, Tomato, Avocado, Pico de Gallo, Orange-Chipotle Dressing and Cilantro-Lime Crema

Sandwiches: Grilled Eggplant, Portabella Mushrooms, Red Bell Peppers, Basil & Tomatoes on Foccaccia with Herbed Goat Cheese

Signature Plates: Large Prawns Stuffed w/ Herbed Goat Cheese on a Southwestern Tomato Coulis; also...

Angus Fillet Wrapped in Bacon Over a Gorgonzola-Sage Sauce. Served w/Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Ribbon-Cut Vegetables.

Desserts: Chocolate Moussie Pie - but I don't usually bother with the desserts, I'm too full. Instead, an Espresso or Iced Mocha Latte is fine to end this experience. Beers? There are lots from Dos Equis to the house ale to "Sonoran Ale" and, of course, margaritas.

When you've done with the downtown of Old Town Scottsdale and are ready for something a little more refined than imitation Western, or if you're looking for a shopping area that's easier driving and you're staying in north Scottsdale or headed that way rather than way downtown, then consider a stopoff at The Borgata. Very conveniently located on North Scottsdale Road between east/west McDonald and Lincoln Roads, The Borgata is an interesting mix of merchants including art galleries, women's, men's and children's apparel, home and luggage supplies, jewelry and accessories, lots of specialty apparel, leather goods, personal care and beauty establishments, and of course some excellent food and restaurant locations (including two of my personal favorites, the southwestern style Cafe Terra Cotta and News Cafe with its great sandwiches and coffees).

Aside from the actual merchants on the premises, The Borgata provides something different in the way of atmosphere. By atmosphere I mean both the actual design of the complex--which recreates the style of a medievial Tuscan village complete with turrets and towers, thick stone walls and fountains, and arched walkways, along with courtyards where you can have a leisurely lunch or drink--but also the more relaxed and cool ambiance of the place, which is pleasant on a roaring hot mid-summer day when you will appreciate the absence of the sun and crowds. There's also a farmer's market which takes place in The Borgata every Friday during October through April. On such a Friday afternoon (between about 1 and 6 p.m.), over 30 vendors turn out to offer everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to exotic fresh and dried flowers, fresh baked breads and local wines.

If one of the more famous resort facilities is out of your travel budget, then McCormick Ranch Golf Club is certainly a more than adequate alternative during a visit to Scottsdale. Location-wise, it's much more central than some of the premiere locations several miles northward, and more convenient as a mid-town quick day's golf session.

McCormick Ranch Golf Club offers any level of player two spectacular resort golf courses which are open to the public. The lush, well-manicured greens are located amidst desert mountain vistas and surrounding palm trees and lakes. The "Pine" and the "Palm" championship tees are over 7,000 yards long each, in addition to some challenging men's and ladies' tees. Maintenance crews keep the courses in immaculate condition making golf available year round here: many's the time I've driven by on either a blistering summer day or just after one of our winter storms, to see the faithful back out on the green with hardly a day missed. The Club has over 100 sets of club and shoe rentals, and a great teaching staff. The Pro Shop offers a wide selection of all the essentials, along with clothing and shoes. The dining areas are a popular meeting point for either after-play get togethers or casual meals.

Located in north Scottsdale, the Fleischer Museum's location seems an unusual one at first glance--set on a side street in a district dedicated to golf courses, new business parks and vacation condos. However, the plus side of this is that you don't have to leave north Scottsdale if you're already staying in this town on either business or at a northside resort or here for a golf or tennis event, the Fleischer Museum is no more than a few holes further down the fairway.

The pink sandstone building housing this museum is quite unusual, a circular affair (although you may only notice a curving front as you drive in from off old Bell Rd. onto Perimeter) and inside a multi-level circular structure houses its exhibits. The Fleischer's permanent collections consist mostly of the California School of American Impressionism from 1880 through about 1930, which hangs in one gallery, and also a Russian Impressionist collection in another gallery with works from the 1930's through the 1970's. When I visited, there was also an interesting collection of bronze and metalic sculptures of western legends and animals installed on the immediate outside grounds, which will make for an ideal photo op for you too.

The Fleischer Museum is open daily except holidays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and there's no admission fee. Tel: (480) 585-3108

Taliesin West is located in the western foothills of the McDowell Mountains in northeastern Scottsdale. This is home to the school of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, and a fascinating place to pay a visit if you're in northern Scottdale. You don't have to be an architect or even have any formal background in architecture to find this former home and ongoing school dedicated to the design principles of one of the world's greatest architects interesting--you just have to have lived in the twentieth century and have had eyes in your head when looking at the structure of buildings around you.

Year round (check ahead for variations in summer/winter schedules), there are tours of the architectural studio which is set amid some 600 acres of the neighboring Sonoran desert. If you've had the chance to see either the PBS bio-documentary on Frank Lloyd's life--his personal and professional triumphs and tragedies--or read up on his life a little, you might find visiting Taliesin even more interesting. In addition to touring the studio and grounds with docent guides, you get to see examples of Wright's work in models, photos and a video presentation. There is a visitor center with a good selection of books and gift items. There's also a cafeteria with indoor/outdoor seating.

Getting there: from central Scottsdale go north about 10 miles on Scottsdale Rd. to Cactus Rd., turn right going east and continue as far as 108th St. You'll start to see signs for the turnoff road to Taliesin before you turn onto 108th

Scottsdale has some 40 miles of city-maintained multi-use trails for bikers, hikers, riders and runners. Much of this is in the public parks that dot the city. Look for stretches of extensive green as you travel the major north/south streets such as Hayden or Scottsdale roads or east/west crossroads like Via Linda or Cactus with names like Cactus, Chaparral, Indian School, McCormick Railroad, or Mountain View Park. These are mostly flat, well-cultivated mid-sized parks, some with a lake area, frequently ideal for activities such jogging, biking, rollerblading. If there's a body of water, you'll sometimes see boating and fishing. In addition to the public parks and lakes, there are some privately maintained ranch association ones as well, such as the lake and park area near my home (on McCormick Ranch) called Lake Margherite. Just off Hayden Road in mid-Scottsdale, this lake has a multi-use bike/jog/inline pathway, and connects with other green areas that stretch quite a way, so you can get in a considerable running workout or skate for miles here.

So you want to explore the desert or uphill terrain? There are preserve and park areas where you can get to quite easily either adjacent or even within Scottsdale, for instance: my favorite, at Camelback Mountain Park. Entry here is off McDonald Rd. from the north side of the mountain. Trails lead up the mountain, which will take you no more than 15 minutes, but the ascent is steep and popular along the stepped routes with cardio workout enthusiasts. The views of neighboring Paradise Valley and Scottsdale are spectacular from the upper levels of the mountain, as is the mountain surface itself which derives its name from its somewhat unique shape.

For getting out into the Sonoran and natural desert areas, you can check conditions/routes/trails with:

McDowell Mountain Preserve - Tel: 471-0173

McDowell Sonoran Land Trust - Tel: 998-7971

Maricopa County Parks & Recreation Dept. - Tel: 506-2930

Camelback Mountain Park - 256-3220

The best aspect of Scottsdale is its low-key atmosphere, even though there's a lot of activity you can always seek out throughout the year. Urban density in Scottsdale doesn't exist in the usual sense, because even though real estate may be worth prime prices and southern and mid-Scottsdale are now quite heavily developed, the development is lateral and not vertical--no buildings over a couple of stories hit your eye for many miles. Additionally, major ranch properties like Gainey Ranch and McCormick Ranch create an even more countrified atmosphere by having their own public areas from lakes to parks to the wide stretches of green along major routes. Having lived in several major cities in different parts of the world during my life, even after three years of living full-time in Scottsdale, I find it still a refreshing change to wake up in the morning to the sound of birds singing--or nothing at all--rather than cars backfiring or even worse, guns firing.

Living in Scottsdale doesn't require commutes into the next major adjacent area, namely Phoenix, since Scottsdale has its own municipal center, business facilities, entertainment, and actually more world-class events and resort facilities than Phoenix itself. Scottsdale is a wonderful place to decompress, whether you're escaping the pressures of large scale urban population with all its usual problems, or just retreating here part-time for the peaceful environment. There is growth here too, and controversy about the sustainability of growth, there are issues like anywhere else on our planet today. Still, I catch my breath at the end of a typical day, looking at the surrounding mountains turning from ochre to purple in the early evening shadows, and I know what won't change about Scottsdale and why I came here.