The waiting period at the lab was longer than we anticipated and we weren't out and ready to eat until 11!!! Our plan was to have breakfast and then do the Desert Botanical Gardens. Best laid plans.
Instead we headed into old Scottsdale and lunch at the hotel we stayed at the very first night we arrived in Phoenix/Scottsdale some 45 years ago. I remember it was a really great little hotel beside the Arizona Canal.
The Valley Ho was built in 1956 by architect Edward Varney, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. It changed hands a few times through the years, fell on some hard times but has been restored and rejuvenated, reopening in 2005.
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| Dave walks through glass doors from the outside portico to the lobby inside the outdoor lobby.....its quite a place! |
We sat outside and enjoyed a lovely lunch at their retro and very cool restaurant, ZuZu.
Inside is outside, indoor benches and seating seem to move through windows and continue outside.
It went downhill from there. We wanted to drive around Scottsdale and see how places we'd enjoyed in the "beginning" had changed. What we ended up doing was driving in lots of traffic through areas that were completely unrecognizable to us. My, my, how Scottsdale has grown in these past years.
Too many people, too much traffic, too much!
After a quick stop at the Orange Patch for some fresh orange blossom honey, we headed back to the peace and quiet of home. I had a headache and all I wanted was to take a nap....white wine with lunch is not a good thing I think.....or was it the traffic, or the heavy orange blossom fragrance in the air?
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| one foot down |
Sorry your day didn't workout as planned. At least you did get a nice lunch:) The traffic up this way is not fun and would give anyone a headache. I guess that's why after our stay last spring we said we wouldn't be back. Hope you are feeling better tonight:)
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely hotel! Love the cool retro look -- mosaic tiles, orange lounges and turquoise umbrellas. The traffic sounds like a nightmare, though. Returning to your peaceful home in nature must have felt wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI think I've figured out the portico/lobby transition....they've done a wonderful job with their renovation. All the "mid century modern" brings back wonderful memories of my own - Southern California motels and restaurants with my parents. Scottsdale is still lovely, but avoiding traffic and chaos is nearly impossible now. Nice to have home close-by to make a hasty retreat! Love the duck :-))))
ReplyDeleteI lived in Scottsdale for a year in 1973. When we went back recently it was unrecognizable. It's over built, overgrown and there are too many people. It used to be nice, but now it's not.
ReplyDeleteEven if we parked close by there we never drove to Phoenix or Scottsdale for those very reason. Hope a Tylenol fixes your headache.
ReplyDeleteChanges....hard to fathom, huh! Sometimes the older memories are best left inside us to simmer, reflect upon and enjoy all over again .
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