Arizona in Spring: Greater Phoenix

By Emma Krasov, photography by Emma Krasov

The state of Arizona turns 100 years in 2012, and I happened to mark the centenary of its statehood by visiting the city of Phoenix and its environs this spring. Guess which of Arizona’s five “C”s impressed me the most? Out of Copper, Cattle, Cotton, Citrus, and Climate it’s the latter, of course. Arizonian desert climate is dry, sunny, and endlessly endearing, especially when it’s wet and windy in the rest of the country.  

I was also impressed with the brazen amount of copper everywhere. Copper cocktail mugs at Hanny’s – a sleek modern bar in its namesake former department store; copper salt and pepper shakers at various restaurants; copper door handles, railings, and banisters in public buildings, etc., etc.

I even engaged in making a copper jewelry piece at the Mesa Arts Center – the largest in the state – with four theatres, five galleries, and 14 visual and performing arts studious on its seven-acre lovingly designed campus.

And don’t get me started on Arizona citrus! Better get a fresh-squeezed orange or grapefruit juice at The Breakfast Club, located in downtown Phoenix, in a constantly growing oasis of ambitious architecture, public art, and fine dining establishments.

District American Kitchen & Wine Bar occupies the first floor of the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel – the largest in the state – with a thousand guestrooms and enviable modern art display in its soaring atrium.

The state-of-the-art restaurant serves local delicacies, like bacon-wrapped Arizona-grown dates, Singh Farms (Scottsdale, AZ) chicken wings, and the freshest herbs and vegetables from the hotel’s own rooftop garden. The locavore movement in Arizona gains more and more followers and grows fast.

The property implemented a triple-filtered water system that uses ultra-violet light to help purify water that then fills out Sheraton logo water bottles used at the restaurant.

On a regular weekend, families with children and bachelorette parties alike travel to Queen Creek Olive Mill just outside Mesa for some wine, beer, oil, or stuffed olives tasting. It is the only surviving family-owned farm and olive mill engaged in growing and pressing its own fruit, and producing an endless variety of infused oils, sauces, preserves, and jams.

Four Peaks Brewery in Tempe near Arizona State University is extremely popular due to its highly original hand-crafted ales, like Scottish-style “Kilt Lifter” and Arizona Peach Ale.

Dinners Down the Orchard are in high demand at Schnepf Farms – the largest peach grower in Arizona. Open to the public and served in the peach orchard of the family farm several times a year, dinners are prepared by the famous guest chefs and include seasonal ingredients and fruit-based desserts.

Fresh gourmet trends make their way into a more relaxed area of diner and bar food in the historic neighborhoods of Phoenix. Red-brick Windsor with casual outdoor seating, besides traditional bacon cheeseburger, grilled chicken, and Rueben sandwiches serves novelties like kale Caesar, mixed grain salad, and grilled shishito peppers.

Its next door sister property, Churn, boasts several delectable flavors of ice-cream and old-fashion candy of all sorts.  

There is no shortage of upscale eateries in Greater Phoenix with its many high-end hotels for business travelers and snowbird vacationers.

Deseo (meaning “desire”) at The Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in Scottsdale is one elegant venue of the sort, serving sophisticated drinks, like muddled strawberry mojito; delectable ceviche with lobster, crab, shrimp, and tuna; Kobe beef on Cuban flat bread, and signature lamb cutlets with truffle chimichurri. 

The best place for a royally-luxurious Arizona experience is also located in Scottsdale (not-surprisingly) and is easily recognized by its royal title.

The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is a rose-colored dream equipped with rose gardens; green lawns with resident rabbits; tranquil guest villas; enticing shops and restaurants; a swanky outdoor Stone Rose bar with fire pits over a pool; elite Fairmont Gold Lounge, and “a sanctuary within a sanctuary” – Willow Stream Spa.   

If the last time you felt like a princess happened to be on some long-gone day of sheer happiness, you surely have a chance to bring back the magic by having the ultimate spa experience at the Willow Stream’s rooftop pool or under a waterfall that cascades from it to the therapy pool below. The multi-level spa design was fittingly inspired by Havasu Falls within the Grand Canyon.

During my Hacienda Retreat body treatment I was scrubbed with yellow corn and lime body polish, massaged with sunflower oil mojito body butter, and polished with desert rose moisturizer.

Good enough to eat, I was also hungry, and happy to join the signature Snakebite Tequila Tasting at one of the hotel’s restaurants – La Hacienda.

Fine dining at La Hacienda leaves a lasting impression, and not only with rattlesnake head taxidermies that serve as decorations for the top-shelf tequila flights.

Prickly pear margarita is made with a juice of a cactus fruit, and tastes absolutely divine.

The freshest guacamole is prepared tableside, same as the flaming coffee of various flavors. Hot from the oven cinnamon churros are served with chili chocolate fondue.   

Of course, if you must stay and play in downtown, The Westin Phoenix Downtown is brand spanking new, and already one of the top ten new hotels in the country.
Its modern minimalist décor, clean lines, noble color scheme, and overall sophistication in ambiance and service are only rivaled by the amazing views of the high-rises outside its glass walls and from its rooftop open air pool.

Downtown Phoenix unfolds outside the Westin walls with all its old and newly added attractions, like the expanded Phoenix Convention Center; light-rail system, recently added to the city scene; urban campus for Arizona State U; a retail, dining and entertaining district named CityScape; and newly renovated performance art venues and museums.

One of the not-to-be-missed venues is the Musical Instruments Museum (MIM) which offers much more excitement than its name implies. Opened only two years ago and occupying a two-story 190 000 sq. ft. building, the museum boasts a mind-boggling 5 000-piece collection of musical instruments from around the world and from different time periods. There are drums, guitars, and pianos owned and used by world-renowned celebrities; hand-made folk music treasures adorned with mother-or-pearl, etchings, and elaborate designs. There are ceremonial costumes and stage outfits; live recordings of the Beatles and the best opera performances. But the most fascinating experiences are offered through the wireless headphones and hi-res video screens that come to life whenever you enter their zone without you pushing any buttons or searching for explanations. Prepare to be amazed, and – to spend much more time here than you usually spend at a museum.     

The Heard Museum is all about history and art of the Southwestern Native American tribes and their unique contributions to the cultural quilt of Arizona.

Maps, narratives, historical artifacts, and hundreds of pieces of traditional basketry, pottery, and jewelry are on display here. Alongside the permanent collection of arts and crafts the museum hosts traveling exhibitions. An important new show, “Through the Lens: Diné Photographers,” will open on June 12.

On loan from the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock, Arizona, this exhibition presents contemporary Navajo photographers, their land and contemporary life.

Thanks to relatively short distances and lighter traffic all sites in Greater Phoenix are accessible by car. Arizona Outback Adventures (AOA) offers daily transportation for vacationers and business travelers as well as guided hiking and biking tours, bicycle rentals, and trips to Grand Canyon, Northern and Southern Arizona, and Utah. 

More information at: www.visitphoenix.com,