Scottsdale, Arizona – A Quick Peek

We welcomed in January 2025 with a visit to Scottsdale, Arizona, a place we had not visited before. Excited to escape the cold harsh northern weather and travel south for the weekend, we had a short list of our must see; however, there are various activities to do in Scottsdale.

First, we picked up the rental car and then drove to our lodging arrangements. The landscape and the weather were a nice change. Interestingly, everywhere we looked was saw the different cactus in the area. Each was different. Some cacti were short and some were tall. Some cacti had sticks (2×4 beams) holding them up, while others were dead. We could also see small mountain ranges around us.

In fact, historical locations and people can add value to any trip. Each place has their own unique story. Although the United States is a fairly young nation, it is still rich in its history. One of the historical places we wanted to visit was the Taliesin West.

“Taliesin West is a World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark nestled in the desert foothills of the McDowell Mountains in Scottsdale, Arizona” quoted from About Taliesin West – Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

For those unfamiliar with Taliesin West, it is the desert laboratory of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright (born June 8, 1867 and died April 9, 1959.) His designs were cutting edge in his 70 years of workmanship. See this link to learn more about Mr. Wright and his designs Frank Lloyd Wright Houses by State | Frank Lloyd Wright Sites. We have seen a couple of Frank Lloyd Wright’s homes, but have not seen “Falling Water” yet, but that is on my bucket list to see.

The picture above depicts the view from the road leading up to his house. The large cactus shown are called Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) cactus which are native to the Sonoran Desert (The Sonoran Desert – Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)) in Arizona and can grow up to 40 feet tall! Additionally, these are the types of cacti that we sometimes saw the 2×4 beams holding up the arms of. Click the link to learn more about these fascinating plants in Arizona- Saguaro – Saguaro National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Scottsdale has a plethora of hiking, walking trails and outdoor activities to do. They have the perfect climate, in the winter of course, to take a hike, have a picnic and see the scenic views. Hot air balloon rides are very popular in the mornings, only if you are an early bird and want to get up that early. Many companies offer their services.

We opted for a walking trail nearby called Pinnacle Peak Park. Its peak is 3,169′ and it has several photo spots to admire the views. The trail one-way is only two miles, but walking the entire trail is four miles roundtrip. Benches are situated throughout the trail, making it suitable for any age groups. It is an easy walking trail overall. These are a couple pictures from the trail. View the Pinnacle Peak home page for more information Home.

The trail was abundant with a variety of plants, bushes, and cacti. I did not take hardly any photos on the walk (I will keep that in mind for the next adventure!) We were happy to miss seeing any snakes or any other reptiles of the sort! I wondered what the landscape would look like at a different time of the year, but it is a desert! Probably not a big change except a few splashes of color in the spring.

An interesting flower that I spotted were red firecracker looking flowers. “Fairy Duster” or (Calliandra eriophylla) for you scientific nerds, is the name of this flower. They typically bloom in late winter which is why we probably saw them when we did. Check out this site for more desert blooms local to Arizona 50 Native Arizona Wildflowers and Plants – Petal Republic

Finally, let’s talk about food and shopping! Although, they are two different topics, usually they go hand in hand while visiting a new area. Mexican food was the winner for this trip. We visited a couple of local restaurants and enjoyed each one of them! Sol Mexican Cocina was a hopping place with live music. It is a chain restaurant serving the California Baja flavors. Our favorite Mexican food restaurant was El Carbon Mexican Restaurant | Scottsdale, AZ 85258 | El Carbon. Although it did not have live music, the atmosphere was pleasant and the entrees were unique in their presentation, and the food was delicious! Foodies will love this Mexican food experience!

Sometimes we are not very good stewards of our bodies, and we must sample the local pizza and donut shops. Bosa Donuts and The Original Donut Cafe both had yummy donuts. A local gentleman encouraged us to try Paul Martin’s American Grill and recommended the meatballs. The meatballs were served as an appetizer, in addition, I ordered a side of mac n cheese. The meatballs were great; however, I think they put too much cream in the macaroni, it was lacking in flavor. See the pictures below from Paul Martin’s.

Walking downtown and along the shops was interesting. They have plenty to choose from. Local artesian shops as well as the high-end department stores and the mall are available for all your shopping needs. We wandered for a while and then ended up stopping at a local pizza shop, called “Sauce Pizza and Wine” which was quite tasty. The walk along the riverwalk was nice. Depending on the weather, it is a great spot to go for a run, if you are into that. The picture below was taken overlooking the main bridge downtown.

In conclusion, I recommend a visit to Scottsdale, Arizona, in the winter for the many outdoor activities and good food. But don’t be surprised when you see cars driving around without drivers, Waymo is popular in Scottsdale! While we were in Scottsdale, we saw a news article how a person was “trapped” in a Waymo while it was stuck in a roundabout and circled it for about 5 minutes. The story made us laugh. Fortunately, no one was injured. The course was corrected and the man made it to his destination. Throughout the day we heard other people talking about the story and laughing as well. Would you drive in a vehicle without a human driver?

I hope you enjoyed this story!

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