2 DAYS NIGHTS
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.— This is Val Tolero’s place, and his time of year.
Every March, the 38-year-old paralegal gathers friends and family from around California and heads to Scottsdale for baseball’s spring training. He’s been organizing these annual treks since 2003. Last year he brought seven baseball buddies to the place he calls “a great little town.”
“It’s pretty amazing,” Tolero says. “I’m hooked on it.”
It’s more than watching games in warm, dry weather while other cities are soggy with rain and snow. There’s a sense of promise.
“It’s a new beginning,” Tolero says. “No one team is better than another. Even if they won before, none of that counts. Everybody is even. I think that’s what makes it so special. Everyone is asking, ‘Is this the year?’ Everybody’s happy, because everybody feels like they have a chance.”
Scottsdale culture thrives on this optimism, he says.
“Everyone is so friendly. They’re very welcoming. It’s definitely a different vibe — people are pretty excited.”
Spring training drew a record 1.6 million fans to Scottsdale last year for 233 games. Tolero’s fave — 2010 World Series champs the San Francisco Giants — joined 14 other teams, among them Arizona’s Diamondbacks, the Colorado Rockies and the Chicago Cubs, at two stadiums.
Fans see games up close in small stadiums, meet players and get more autographs than they would in regular season.
“These are the real, true baseball fans,” Tolero says. “They’re there, no matter who’s playing, because they just love baseball.”
Sports, from Super Bowl to golf, have helped Scottsdale grow into a popular spring destination for resorts, art/architecture and food. In this city of only 218,000, there are 200 golf courses and an astonishing 600 restaurants.
The city logged 7.5 million visitors last year, including a 16.5 per cent increase in Canadians. And, as Feb. 14 marks Arizona’s100th anniversary as a state, it’s a great time to visit.
FRIDAY
4 p.m. Lots o’ liquids
Although spring in Scottsdale is as perfect as it gets, it’s best to ease your body into the desert climate.
Start at the retro Hotel Valley Ho pool, in a cabana. West-facing rooms and a rooftop lounge offer sunset views of Camelback Mountain. Roam the halls for B&W photos of its Hollywood heyday. (Natalie Wood and Richard Wagner held their wedding reception here.) 6 p.m. Desert water
Catch the free trolley or walk a few blocks to the waterfront — a canal enlivened by tropical flowers, public art (Soleri bridge, “Pony Express” bronzes), shops and patio restaurants. 7 p.m.: Cactus blossom sips Drink the $9 Cactus Blossom (house-infused cactus blossom gin, sparkling wine, elderberry) at Olive & Ivy, overlooking water and real cacti. Compare how little people wear for a night out here, compared to layers back home. Later, hit the rooftop lounge at nearby Casablanca for water and mountain views, next to fire pits. 9 p.m. All-arizona gastropub Find FNB a block away, where the wine list is all-arizona and most food, in season, is local, organic and sustainable. Owner Pavle Milic explains the origins of world fusion/ comfort food at this open kitchen. Nibble on “crackle” and other Mediterranean street food while watching chef Charleen Badman grill and
shovel mesquite into her openflame workspace. Says Milic: “We think it imparts smokey love.” Expect a night of one-liners.
SATURDAY
10 a.m. Rhinestone cowgirls
Take the trolley or walk a few blocks to the 5th Ave. Shopping District for authentic native art and fine silver and turquoise jewellery at Gilbert Ortega, founded 60 years ago by an “Indian trader” whose family still runs the place. Find rhinestone jeans, the tiniest vintage skirts and — only in Arizona — a pink belt with rhinestone gun at Viziato. 1 p.m. Artsy lunch
Follow the street art to Old Town, where some artists, like Michael Pabst, work in their studios.
Only steps from the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art is the glass-fronted AZ 88, where hot meets cool. Try shrimp ceviche with Arizona Gunslinger hot sauce and “Hell’s Fire” homemade chips with jalapenos.
It would take days to see all the high-end art — 500-plus galleries and shops — so just stroll (or take the trolley) through the Downtown Arts District. For liquid artistry, stop at Outrageous Olive Oils to sample aged balsamic vinegars from Modena, Italy, and specialties such as 12-year-old Tuscan herb olive oil. Recommended combo: Dark chocolate balsamic and blood orange olive oil. 5 p.m. Desert wine
Taste the desert at Scottsdale’s only winery, Su Vino, a boutique with bar, wine tanks and label-your-own parties. Says winemaker/co-owner Cory Whalin: “We want wine to be fun.” 6.30 p.m.: Dessert before dinner Lee’s Cream Liqueur serves the only alcohol-infused ice cream in town (“lucky lover” has vodka; “cinnamon bun” brandy). Non-spiked flavours for under-21s include PB&J and banana/oreo. 8 p.m. Cowboy chow Scottsdale has all the meat you can eat, yet it’s the “six-colour” chopped salad that steals the show — airdried sweet corn and pepitas as performance art — at Cowboy Ciao. This Stetson Dr. eatery is so popular it offers rides for hotel guests partying at its Kazimerz World Wine Bar, known to locals as “The Kaz.”
SUNDAY
Go beyond downtown with a rental car or by taking a tour. Highly recommended: Ace Bailey, at Ultimate Art & Cultural Tours, shows you places missed by most visitors, such as Cattletrack, a working artists’ compound with master printers, photographers, book designers and artists of all kinds. 9.30 a.m. Mountainview brunch Lemon, orange and grapefruit trees grace Hermosa Inn, where brunch at Lon’s patio means mountain views in adobe style. The chef selects organic greens and herbs from the hotel garden and serves them with house-smoked salmon, organic yogurt and house-made granola. Or just order a big sirloin burger. 11 a.m. Hot bells Watch artisans at Cosanti melt bronze for the unique bells of famed Italian architect Paolo Soleri. Architects come from all over the world — including Vancouver — to study with Soleri, 92, who built this earth-friendly studio and has a desert village, Arcosanti, still in progress. 12 noon Wright this way
Drive past mansions, horse ranches, dressage arenas and “horse crossing” signs, to Taliesin West, a U.S. national historic landmark. Learn about Frank Lloyd Wright’s home/studio/campus and see how it meshes with the desert landscape. Tours only, 1-3 hours each. Reservations are recommended. 3 p.m. Cool music
Scottsdale’s newest showplace, the Musical Instrument Museum, has more than 10,000 instruments and music from around the globe — including Canada’s Far North. Culture is more prominent than celebrities but you still can see John Lennon’s piano and rockers’ guitars. Kathleen Kenna is a freelance writer based in Portland, Ore., who blogs at tripsfor2. Her trip was subsidized by the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors’ Bureau.