Archives for January 2009

Scottsdale Fashion Week

January 28, 2009 szabogroup

Scottsdale is known for its Art Walks. These weekly events give locals a chance to appreciate art in every form; pottery, painting, sculpting, crafts, and the list goes on. Once per year, however, another form of art comes around with an international interest: Scottsdale Fashion Week. Paris may be the home of fashionistas and New York City may be the most obvious choice for fashion in the United States, but no city can compete with the creativity and class of the Scottsdale Fashion Week.

From November 6^th to the 9^th over fifty individual fashion shows take place across two runways. This means that for five days, a fashion show is almost always available for viewing pleasure. Down on the Scottsdale Fashion Square, there are also additional designers to meet and samples to see while the shows take place. Unlike the more recognized cities, however, where fashion shows take place behind closed doors for VIPs only, Scottsdale makes Fashion Week available for anyone who wants to take part!

I may not be of the fashion set myself, but my wife reminds me every year of the amazing opportunities that come with Fashion Week. In addition to the actual shows, purveyors of fashion, design, beauty products, wellness products and activities, and spa treatments make themselves available across the city. Fashion Week is not just about the clothes; it’s an all-body experience.

Scottsdale Classic Futurity and Quarter Horse Show

January 26, 2009 szabogroup

Scottsdale Classic Futurity and Quarter Horse Show

One of the things I love about Scottsdale is how much we appreciate the outdoors. A person can go to any decent-sized city and find a few malls or a couple of noteworthy stores, but Scottsdale is a place to take advantage of nature. On October 2^nd, the

Scottsdale Classic Futurity and Quarter Horse Show will be an opportunity for residents to get back to nature while appreciating a nationwide collection of unmatchable horses.

This annual show brings over a thousand horses from around the country to this one location and provides the locals with the opportunity to appreciate good breeding and well-trained horses at their very best, without leaving the comforts of their own homes. Additionally, this gives any horse rider, breeder, or admirer the opportunity to start the season off right. This show is the first event to get the season started across the nation, so everyone turns out in top form. Whether the horses are the racers that will later be entered in the Kentucky Derby or merely breeders who offspring are sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars, the best of the best in the equestrian set get their start right here in Scottsdale.

A Walk of Art

January 21, 2009 szabogroup

Scottsdale is not just a community of pre-existing culture. Rather, Scottsdale is a city cactus which continues to cultivate new activities and display new artwork at every opportunity. My favorite exhibition opportunity comes with the Scottsdale Art Walks. Often themed, these walks talk place every Thursday from 7pm to 9pm. Whether out with family or friends, children or adults, artists or art appreciators, the Scottsdale Art Walk is a free, fun-filled activity for everyone.

The galleries often open their doors, inviting people to see what lays in their hallowed halls. Individual artists provide street-side demonstrations of how they create, what inspires them, and what becomes of their inspiration. Entertainment abounds in the form of musicians, artists, and dancers. With over one hundred galleries within the city limits, the Scottsdale Art Walks bring about a variety of art for any admirer’s tastes.

Sonoran Desert Days

January 19, 2009 szabogroup

Many people have seen the dry deserts of Texas and the oft-avoided deserts of California, and they associate deserts with desolation and despair. The Sonoran Desert, however, brings about a world of plant life and exotic animals that show how a desert, this desert to be precise, can introduce an interested person to a new world of life and vegetation.

As a sometimes-planter and an admirer of all botany activities, I encourage people most to appreciate the unlikely plants to be seen in the Sonoran Desert. These are not the traditional cacti of cartoons and the like, but instead these plants show new forms of cactus and new varieties of plants that thrive in unlikely areas. The Barrel Cactus breaks away from the typical pitchfork-style cactus, and the Prickly Pear attracts appreciative glances and weary touches. The Century Plant is another Arizonian favorite that attracts people interested in the unlikely and exotic flora of the Sonoran Desert.

A Golfer’s Paradise

January 14, 2009 szabogroup

Scottsdale is known for many things. Art, culture, and shopping are featured items to draw golf attention and attract crowds. Golf, however, is an all-too-often-forgotten activity of rest, relaxation, and entertainment in the Scottsdale area. With over fifty-one golf courses in the greater Scottsdale area, there are difficulty levels and prices to suit any golfer’s desire.

In addition to finding the course that best suits you, golfers from across the nation come here just for the opportunity to claim they played on a world-famous golf course. The Grayhawk Golf Club, the Legend Trail Golf Club, and the Troon North Golf Club are just a few of the dozens of renowned attractions with lush green hills, gorgeous ponds, 330 days of sunshine per year, and attentive staff to make Scottsdale every golfer’s paradise.

Scottsdale 2

January 12, 2009 szabogroup

For great shopping right in town, Scottsdale offers some of the finest boutiques and fashion centers to be found anywhere. For an upscale shopping experience, start with Borgata of Scottsdale where you will find yourself meandering through an old Tuscan Village. Hilton Village boasts designer boutiques where you can find high-end fashions. If you’re looking for exclusive bath products and accessories, Essentials & More carries products by DDF, Kai, Sarah Shaw and Lily Starr. Gainey Village is the newest of fashion centers in Scottsdale offering the finest of fashion, beauty and entertainment. Fashion Square has more than 220 stores including Macy’s, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Dillard’s and Robinson-May.

To meet all your fashion needs, Desert Ridge is an enormous outdoor mall where you will find all your favorite stores and entertainment centers. Kierland Commons is yet another larger outdoor shopping center that also includes local boutiques and some trendy dining. And not to forget, Paradise Valley Mall, which is the place to bring your kids for a happy, friendly shopping and dining experience. There are lots of additional shops within the city of Scottsdale for your enjoyment including Mandy’s, Denim Bar, HUB, Arden B, Blush, Nouvelle Armoire, and Red Velvet. If you’re looking for a trendy, hip city to shop in, Scottsdale is the spot for you. Not only will you look good, you’ll feel good too. For more information about living in Scottsdale, Arizona, check out www.scottsdalerealestateteam.com.

Scottsdale 1

January 7, 2009 szabogroup

Known all worldwide for its art and culture, Scottsdale is an exciting destination when you’re in the mood to be out and about. The adventure begins with a museum tour starting with Heard Museum North at El Pedregal Festival Marketplace. Heard Museum is known for its unrivaled exhibits highlighting the culture and art of the Native Americans of the Southwest. Here you will experience traditional and contemporary Native American Art. Then move on to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West Museum located at 114^th Street and Cactus Road. This spectacular destination is a beautiful complex of interesting buildings, serene garden courts and lovely terraces just at the base of the McDowell Mountain Range. If you’re in the mood for more, you can also visit the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art at 7374 East 2^nd Street as well as the Scottsdale History Museum at 7333 Scottsdale Mall. And a must-see is the Scottsdale Center for the Arts at 7380 East 2^nd Street. Here you will find various outstanding exhibitions, festivals and other events to meet your fancy. If you are a lover of the performing arts, the center offers year-round musical theater productions ranging from the dramatic to the comical.

In Scottsdale alone, you will find over 125 galleries, museums and art events throughout the year. As you stroll throughout the city, you will see art on display wherever you go. If you want to learn more about living in Scottsdale, Arizona, visit www.scottsdalerealestateteam.com for more exciting information about this spectacular city.

Scottsdale Sports Teams

January 6, 2009 szabogroup

Our home team, the Diamondbacks, play at Chase Field which has a retractable roof and a natural grass playing field. Oh how I love the smell of freshly mowed grass!

The warm Arizona weather attracts several major league teams for Cactus League spring training. A few of the teams playing in the valley are Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Oakland A’s, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners. The Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies train in Tucson.

My favorite team is the Phoenix Suns! I love to go to dinner then head over to catch a game at the US Airways Center. It is an awesome stadium. Our own WNBA team the Phoenix Mercury also play in this stadium June through August. Arizona State university’s Sun Devils are a part of the Pac 10 Conference. There is never too much basketball for me!

The Arizona Cardinals play in the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. It was built in 2006 and seats 67,000. In 2007 the Fiesta Bowl was played here.

Some more entertaining sporting events and teams in and around Scottsdale are the Arizona Sahuaros soccer team, Horse racing at Turf Paradise, Greyhound racing at the Phoenix Greyhound Park, and plenty of professional golf tournaments.

No matter what kind of sports enthusiast you are, the Valley of the Sun has an incredible variety of activities to enjoy the great outdoors!