I was having such a great time in Scottsdale, that I forgot to send this!!!
Despite many visits to Scottsdale, we never tire of the “Valley of the Sun” and its many activities. In particular, we enjoy Spring Training with the Giants, some of the outlet malls, the interesting southwest food, and the plethora of plastic surgery, not necessarily in that order.
So, in the name of review and to make sure you know what to do, here is a list of tried and true places to visit.
- Old Town Scottsdale (always a treat, no matter how many times we visit)
- TPC Scottsdale golf tournament (most attended sporting event in the world)
- Barrett-Jackson Car Auction
- The Sugar Bowl (order the cream puff with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge)
- Taliesin West (Arizona home of Frank Lloyd Wright)
- Pinnacle Peak Park
- Carefree Desert Gardens
- James Beard Dinner
- Cactus League Spring Training (my favorite event)
- Fort McDowell Adventures
- Fountain Park
- Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
- Rusty Spur Saloon
- Scottsdale Artwalk
- Museum of the West
- Buffalo Chip Saloon
- Scottsdale Music Museum (very interesting)
- Camelback Mountain (worth a climb for the great view)
- Mayo Clinic (yes, Scottsdale has a branch of the famous Minnesota clinic)
- McCormick-Stillman Railroad
- Penske Racing Museum (small, but historic)
I realize that going to a Spring Training game takes up the better part of a day, as does a round of golf. Can you believe we actually did both on most days when my kids were young? We would tee off in the early morning, then get to the baseball stadium around 1pm for a nice day of spring baseball. Then, in the evening, we would go out for a nice dinner, where my kids hoped to see a baseball, basketball or hockey star eating dinner.
Fast forward to 2021: It became price prohibitive to attend a Giants game here. So, I opted for a game in Phoenix, between the Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers. It was easily about one-fourth the price of a Giants game! But some good news, Buster Posey is back this year, after taking a year off.
Other than this change, I hope the Valley of the Sun trip will be about the same as previous years. It remains to be seen how many venues are open, and where I can go.
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