A city on fast-forward

destinations

Phoenix once again feels like the Wild West—only this time opportunities, not six-shooters, are driving its transformation.

With swaths of blue sky, sun 300 days a year and a desert that stretches beyond the horizon, Phoenix has always been about the big picture geographically. More recently, that view also applies to the city’s future.

Phoenix is on fast-forward. It’s making up for lost time: For decades, the city itself was neglected, while its suburbs spread like a pancake across the griddle of the desert. That spectacular growth helped transform the Valley, as Phoenix and its environs are known, from a modest postwar boomtown into the fifth largest city in the country.

Now the Valley’s heart, named after the mythical bird that resurrected itself from ashes, is doing likewise. Phoenix’s long-ignored downtown is springing back to life, with a bigger convention center, a splinter campus of Arizona State University and the arrival of TGen, a genomics research institute that will anchor what city leaders are betting will become a burgeoning biotech industry.

Phoenix once again feels like the Wild West—only this time opportunities, not six-shooters, are driving its transformation.

Hotels

Although there are more and more reasons for people to visit downtown Phoenix, there are not yet enough rooms to keep them there overnight—just a handful of large hotels and a smattering of smaller ones. The city is working to rectify the situation, with a 1,000-room Sheraton slated to open by 2009.

Midtown Phoenix, however, seems made for the business traveler, with its proximity to the downtowns of both Phoenix and Scottsdale, and its concentration of financial services and business-friendly restaurants. Hotels near Camelback Road, midtown’s main artery, range from historic resorts to contemporary luxury chains.

Scottsdale boasts the Valley’s highest concentration of resort hotels. Some have an historical cachet, like the refurbished Valley Ho, which used to be a favorite for visiting movie stars like Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner. Others are of newer vintage. The further north you go, the more the resorts take advantage of the desert scenery. If your business isn’t in North Scottsdale, however, you’ll trade the gorgeous setting for a lengthy commute.

Restaurants

The lavish resorts that have made the Valley a winter haven house the most talked-about restaurants. Mary Elaine’s at the Phoenician is the ne plus ultra in elegant dining. It has European-style decor, a Modern French menu (featuring dishes like rack of lamb and cream of lobster soup), a legendary wine list and panoramic city views.

One of the newest and most lauded resort restaurants is Kai at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass, located in the Gila River Indian Community about 20 miles from downtown Phoenix. Kai’s chef uses Native American ingredients to craft items such as buffalo tenderloin with smoked corn purée and cholla buds.

Durant’s steakhouse, in downtown Phoenix, has been a local institution since it opened in the 1950s. The menu is classic, from the relish tray to the prime rib; the tuxedo-clad servers are top-notch; and the bartenders make the best martini in town.

Even in a city where every resident swears allegiance to a favorite Mexican restaurant, Los Dos Molinos stands out. Housed in cowboy star Tom Mix’s former hacienda near South Mountain, Los Dos (as locals call it) is famed for its fiery chili-inflected fare. Expect to wait for a table, but the colorful patio has plenty of places to park with a margarita while you do.

______________________________________________

Inside the Phoenix Guide

Explore and share travel advice on:

• Getting there, getting around
  
• What to see and do in Phoenix
• Recommended hotels in Phoenix
• Restaurants in Phoenix

_______________________________________________

Melissa Morrison is a freelance writer based in Phoenix.