We stayed at the Hotel Valley Ho in downtown Scottsdale, which is recommended. They did a bang-up job renovating this old Scottsdale hotel, leaving enough of the atomic vibe, but making it comfortable and modern. The bar scene was also much livelier than that at the hotel where we almost stayed, the similarly retro-modern Saguaro.
This was the view from our balcony the first morning in Arizona. Nice, right?
We did our best in Scottsdale, which was definitely not our scene. We were all excited to find a "speakeasy" cocktail bar, which had some rules posted outside, where we had to wait to be escorted in after calling on a private phone. But when we got inside, the decor felt more Residence Inn than Milk & Honey (the OG modern speakeasy). And the "mixologist" (yuck, yuck, quick calling them that!) who came to help us was all, like SHOUTING at us, O-M-G, about the COCKTAILS, you know, you guys, and was she, like, wait... is that one of the Arizona Cardinals...? Yeah, it was gross. And M's cocktail was bad but the cheer-ologist did comp us for it. Still, no. The best meal we had was at a Japanese joint in an outdoor mall run by a James Beard regional semi-finalist. That was a treat!
B turned up in Scottsdale with not only a nasty cold, but a crusty pink eye full of--PINK EYE! Yuck-O! I found I was better at working switches and knobs with my elbows than I'd given myself credit for. (Dear Self, Add new skill to resume?) And I was constantly wiping my hands with straight alcohol wipes, injection prep-style. I am happy to report that due to my vigilance, the pink eye virus died right there at the Valley Ho-tel. Or maybe B left a little in the rental car or perhaps in Jerome, AZ. But know that we did not bring any crusty eyes to fancy Palm Springs. Nuh-uh.
Here I am showing off my new jewelries, purchased at the super super swell Chief Dodge in Scottsdale. Oh, to be head-to-toe in turquoise!
This is my new ring of agate from Montana, made by a Navajo artisan.
And look! My perm is still in effect! Must be that dry desert air.
