The Phoenix Traveler

If you’ve never read any of Michael Engelhard’s essays, vignettes in his books, or even his anthologies, you’ve been missing a lesson in how to observe the natural environment like a poet, particularly as it relates to the American West.
This river runner, rock climber and wilderness guide, who came to America from Germany to study cultural anthropology in Fairbanks, Alaska, has been writing about his adventures long enough to attract the attention of editors at internationally-known magazines, including Outside, Utne Reader, Backpacker, and of course Arizona Highways.
I was happy to discover that, like me, this author of several non-fiction books …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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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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They call the main drag High Street, and it cuts through the center of Phase I of the new controversial shopping plaza east of Desert Ridge Marketplace. It’s called CityNorth and just opened this week, north of the 101 Freeway at 56th Street. (I didn’t bring my camera, so, sorry, no pictures.)
In a deal with city of Phoenix, developers reap profits from the sales taxes paid by consumers who will be shopping and dining here–50 percent of the profits, I read online. That’s a lot of dough to give away, and I can see why people are upset, what with …read more

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Last month, I overlooked an important date–August 25–or, in other words, National Banana Split Day. But, really, who needs a special day to honor this delicious treat? Most ice cream parlors I know serve them whenever you want, and that would include a special little place in Old Town Scottsdale (located in the Valley of the Sun, otherwise known as Metro Phoenix) called the Sugar Bowl.
Owned by the Huntress Family, the Sugar Bowl has been serving ice cream, including its famous Banana Split, since opening day on December 24, 1958.
The shop has been featured many times in the nationally syndicated …read more

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I was headed to Kierland Commons to meet my boyfriend for breakfast at the Corner–a breakfast and lunch counter that we’d been to before. Located in this upscale mall at the northwest corner of Scottsdale and Greenway roads, you can actually get a cup of coffee for 25 cents at the Corner (formerly The Counter). Unusual in this day and age, I know. But, it was closed at 7:30 a.m., wouldn’t open till 9 a.m. So I opted to meet him in the Cave Creek/Carefree area where he’d just finished an early morning run.
Perfect day to drive up north, I …read more

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Every big city has its unique neighborhoods, or the neighborhoods that define a specific culture or two. Being so close to the Mexican border, we have our fair share of ‘hoods that define the Hispanic culture.
One of them is in South Phoenix–not necessarily the safest place to play. But tucked away in a hidden corner, is something you might want to see–El Gran Mercado. For a little adventure and a place to practice your Spanish verbs, pick a weekend afternoon to drive over to 35th Avenue and Buckeye. That’s where you’ll find this secret gem. On the south side …read more

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You’ve probably been hearing the word, staycation. It’s the new buzz word for folks who decide to stay closer to home for that next vacation. Rather than taking off to Europe or investing in a sea cruise, they plan a trip in-state, or even at a resort near the hometown. Summertime is the perfect time to do that in Phoenix. Valley resorts offer great deals at high-end properties. You can find a list of them here.
To make this kind of long weekend even more affordable, book a suite or a room with a mini kitchen and stock up on …read more

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Members of the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau offer discounts and special offers throughout the year. If you’re headed to Scottsdale any time soon, you can check out what’s available now by clicking here. On the page, you’ll find a checklist. Check off what you’d like and print out your own coupon booklet.
Some of the savings you’ll see include discount travel packages at various hotels, free appetizers at participating restaurants, dollars off on massage therapies, discounts on theater tickets and tour packages, shopping incentives at upscale malls, and even a free lunch.
It might be worth a visit.

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