The Phoenix Traveler

Come to Phoenix during the holidays and you’ll see a familiar sight: the saguaro cactus lit up with Christmas lights. The above photo of one was taken at sunset at the Four Seasons Resort in north Scottsdale.
You’ll see others like it in front yards of private homes, at shopping centers and malls. I’ve seen them before at the Desert Botanical Garden and also on other resort properties. You’ll see some with more lights, some with less, and some with a Santa hat on top or a cowboy handkerchief tied around the ribs of the cactus.
Since we don’t get enough …read more

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The woman who pioneered doggy daycare in Phoenix has launched her new blog, The Top Dog’s Blog.
“Top Dog” Eileen Proctor, who opened It’s a Ruff Life in north Phoenix in 2000 and has “bestowed biscuits, balls and bellyrubs” on thousands of the Valley’s K9 kids since then, begins with important words–holiday safety tips for you, your friends, family, and pets.
From now till the end of the year, she’ll run her top ten tips, beginning with what to do with the Christmas tree to help make it safe to be around your dogs. You can also see video from her …read more

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What are they saying about travel in Arizona? Here’s the latest news to update you:

The Arizona Republic reports bonuses for US Airways‘ employees for on-time travel.
Tempe, Tucson and Prescott get top votes for quality of life, according to this poll.
It’s the economy, stupid. That’s why Ohio State fans may not fly to Arizona for the Fiesta Bowl next year (January 5).
Here’s a good reason that using a travel agent makes sense–a live connection with someone if something goes wrong with your travel arrangements.

Technorati Tags: news about Arizona travel,quality of life,Tempe rated tops for quality of life,US Airways,US Airways on …read more

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Holiday Cocktails
The Rim Lobby Lounge at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa (north side of Greenway Parkway past 68th Street) is the place to go this winter if you want try what the mixologist (fancy name for bartender) has created for you. Ask for the new Organic Mexican Macciato, made with organic coffee and organic tequila, or the Caramel Apple-Tini pictured here. It’s made with applesauce (Really?), Bailey’s Caramel liquor and Smirnoff Apple Vodka–quite a twist on a classic treat. Make sure they dip your apple slice in caramel sauce, like they do for the picture.
Champagne and Ice Wine …read more

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Who knew tequila, bourbon and rum could ring in the holiday cheer. They will if you mix them with ingredients such as Eggnog, chocolate and hot apple cider, as does the Four Seasons Resort in Scottsdale at Troon North, 10600 E. Crescent Moon Dr. (Map it.)
Between now and January 1, 2009, get your “Seasons” Greetings by the glassful with these three holiday cocktail specials. At $16 each, they’re sure to warm you up as the weather cools down.
For those of you who won’t be in town or get to the resort in time, here are the recipes to try …read more

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The Phoenician Resort offers the solution to that timeless holiday gift that no one really likes. No matter how you wrap it, fruitcake is still, well, fruitcake. Instead, how about giving something even you would eat? Think chocolate…and bread.
But not just any old chocolate bread. This one, the Chocolate Cherry Sourdough bread pictured here, was created by the resort’s own Master Baker Ben Hershberger.
Made fresh daily at The Phoenician (6000 E. Camelback Rd., Scottsdale), you can purchase yours on-site at either the Café and Ice Cream Parlor or at Il Terrazzo, a classic Italian-style restaurant. At $3.50 a loaf, it’s not …read more

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A fellow blogger here at b5media recently posted at Traveling the Green Way a how-to on greening your Christmas travels. She shared tips she learned at Responsible Travel. I thought I’d localize her post and let you know how you can follow those tips in Phoenix:
1)  Buy local. The blog post referred to produce, but you can extend that further to buy local produce as well as purchase gifts, services and other products sold right here in the Valley of the Sun by small business owners who live here. Look for the red symbol you see pictured above, or find …read more

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It’s all lit up in Prescott for the holidays. The Yavapai County Courthouse (pictured above), Whiskey Row behind it, the gift shops, boutiques and restaurants downtown–they all take part in the holiday festivities that have helped turn this former territorial town into Arizona’s official “Christmas City.”
With a heritage dating back to Victorian times and earlier, they know how to do Christmas here. Phoenicians drive the 90 miles north to see what’s been billed as the world’s largest Gingerbread Village. This year, more than 100 gingerbread structures decorate the lobby of the Prescott Resort now through December 28. The resort is …read more

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You’ve probably heard about the recent store closings (Mervyn’s, Circuit City, Linens & Things), but this economic downturn is affecting other Metro Phoenix venues as well, especially the young ones. 
MOSS WELLNESS SPA
I didn’t even have time to write about Scottsdale’s first luxury eco spa–less than a year old–at the Scottsdale Waterfront. It was LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, a unique place for the socially conscious. I had made a mental note to go and try out the coffee wrap treatment. It sounded like a much better way to start a day than at Starbucks. But, too late. …read more

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Mill Avenue in Tempe hustles and bustles with pedestrian traffic year-round. It’s not the place to go if you want peace and quiet. And though I’d say the majority of the people you’ll see milling around are Arizona State University students, urbanites from all over the Valley of the Sun head over on evenings and weekends to shop, dine at the many restaurants, hang out in the taverns, and walk, ride bikes or rollerblade over to Tempe Town Lake.
This coming weekend, however, pedestrians will flock to Mill Avenue–one of America’s “ten great streets” (American Planning Association, 2008)–for one of …read more

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