Holocaust Memorials

In Miami. In Tucson. In Hungary.

ARIZONA: WINTER VACATION 2008.

We rented a one bedroom apartment in the ANASAZI gated condominium complex for two monnts. The apartment was OK after we did some cleaning and re-supply shopping. The location was not good, because of the building #6 was facing the VERY busy and noise Cactus Road. The bedroom, the living room and the balcony, facing the swimming pool were quieter.

I rented a nice red car; beside everything was close-by, like Wall-Mart, Target, T.J.Max, Albertson supermarket, even the Whole Food too. Not far was the Paradise Valley Shopping Mall with Macy, J.C.Penny, Dillard's Ann Taylor and many restaurant.

The driving was easy on the long and straight busy roads. The drivers were good, no honking or cut-inns.Phoenix, Scattsdale is a very busy place! We enjoyed the Red Lobster and the Olive Garden.

I didn't have a computer in the apartment, but I was able to use one in the well organized Phoenix Public Library, free of charge.

In the complex every 3 building has a small, heated swimming pool. We used the larger one beside the Building #14, facing the Stone Creek Golf Club. Almost every day we walk on the long and well kept walkway and watching the the golf players, old and youg, and enjoy seeing in the back the Camelback and other mountains behind the golf course.

It was the worst winter in Phoenix, we had many cold and rainy days, even we have to heat the apartment some time. We used the nicest days to travel, to see many places, many art galleries. In the Main Street in Scottsdale we visited more than 20 galleries: the Simic, the Heritage, the LeKae, the Russian and the PHX ART MUSEUM. There was a "CELEBRATION OF FINE ART" event in Scottsdale with 100 artist's studios. It was open for the public for 3 months. The artists were working there. We spent almost a whole day there seeing many beautiful objects of art and to talk to many artists

Our good friend Judy Laufer was our "adviser" about shopping, sightseeing eating places. She introduced us to the Community Centre and for a few of her friends. We enjoyed Kati, her mother's short visit in their beautiful home in Paradise Valley. She invited us for dinner in their home to meet some of her friends and to celebrate my 84th Birthday with a candle and a musical cake. Four days later we celebrated Judy's Birthday with Nathan, her charming, friendly famous husband and his parents and of course with their son Andrew in the exclusive Royal Palm Hotel's restaurant. There were a large Birthday cake, candle and happy people singing all around us.

Our son George, our daughter-in-law Joanie and our youngest grandson Alex came to visit us from Toronto. They were staying in the close-by Embassy Suite Hotel, and celebrated my 84th and Alex 15th Birthdays in the P.F. Chang restaurant, downtown Scottsdale. They visited many interesting places and spent 3 days in Sedona.

HERE IS A SHORT LIST ABOUT OUR TRIPS IN ARIZONA........

ARIZONA: INTERESTING PLACES

INTERESTING PLACES.

SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUERE at Camelback Road is the biggest and interesting place to dhop, walk, eat and/or go to the movie. The well kept center consist Neiman Marcus, Gucci, Burberry, Tiffany and many high and medium quality stores. The lower level has lots of food, movie and an interesting water fountain behind the Concierge Desk. From here we took the DOWNTOWN TROLLEY. It is free and took us all around the MAIN STREET, the MARSHALL WAY. There are full of excellent art galleries. We had a nice walk in the WATERFRONT and checked the stores in the 3rd Avenue and the in the historic 5th Avenue too.

The KIRKLAND COMMONS, corner of Scottsdale Road, is an upscale outdoor center, where shopping, dining, offices and urban residents artfully bend. Many high-end stores keep the doors open: BCBG, MAXX, AZIRA, BANANA REPUBLIC, CRATE & BARREL, and many others. In one corner there is the busy CHEESECAKE FACTORY. We tried the strong coffee and the large cake. We loved it!

The BORGATE MALL, located in the corner of Lincoln and Scottsdale, is an interesting mall with a few, very high quality art gallery. The elevation in the CAREFREE village is 2.389 feet, clean air with the population only 4.800 people, but the place full of visitors all the time. The Spanish Village in the Easy Street has 6 art studios and many art galleries, specialty stores and good restaurant. We had a nice lunch in the Black Mountain Coffee Shop.

FOUNTAIN HILLS is the place to see. It is almost the end of the Shea BLVD, going East. We visited the EAGLE NEST gated resort. They have one of biggest golf cours in the area. The newly built houses overlook the mountain and the Fort McDowell Regional Park. In the middle of the city there is a huge fountain, and in every hour the water shoot up sky high. The parks is full of nice object of art, mostly around the Library, the Community Center and front of the River of Time Museum.

ARIZONA: RESORTS AND HOTELS.

There are many resorts and hotels in Phoenix. Only Scottsdale (part of Grater Phoenix) more than 71! We didn't visited all of them, only a few with 5 (or more stars). The most interesting part of every hotel wasn't the lobby, but the designs of the landscape, the swimming pools and the background of the mountains.

The PHOENICIAN on the Camelback Road is the best. They have 647 rooms, 8 restaurants, 9 pools, 27 holes in the golf courses and 12 tennis courts. Also have 35 indoor and many outdoor meeting places.Around the pools are many cabacan, bar and towel services and a children water-slide. The resort is like a city with many side streets with individual villas for rent. The high water fountain is facing the hotel and in the high mountain is in the background..

THE ARIZONA BILTMORE opened in 1929, and it is part of the Waldorf-Astoria Collection.The resort is nestled on the 39 acres of land at the foot of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. The hotel had many famous guests: Predisents, Vice-presidents and many other well known people: Now Vera is included on the wall display. The resort inspired by Frank Lloyd Wrright"s designs inside and outside of the buildings.

The BOULDERS RESORT AND GOLDEN SPA, North of Scattsdale, just South of Carefree city has the most unique location in the desert, overlooking the extension of the Black Mountain with giant rocks, like falling down in every second.In every one of the 6 restaurant and 4 pools the guests can see the adventurous climbers and the innovative architecture of the newly built houses. The hotel has 214 guest rooms and 54 very luxury casitas (villas), located around the resort. Very impressive place.

The HYATT REGENCY HOTEL at Gainey Ranch has 2.5 acres of water playground; one of the is a sandy beach for the children. The landscape is beautiful and the 490 rooms and 25 suites located all around the ranch. There are flowers, trees, little lakes and lots of benches in the well kept garden.

The FAIRMONT PRINCESS HOTEL has a beautiful central garden with a dramaticwaterfall, inspired by the Grand Canyon's HAVASUPAI FALLS. The hotel has 651 rooms spread all over in the resort, giving the most privacy to their guests. The 7 tennis court and the 5 decorative swimming pools are very busy.

ARIZONA: TUCSON

Two and a half hour drive South of Phoenix, there is a unique city: TUCSON. Danny Gasch, the son of our good friend in Montreal and his family invited us to visit them. The weather was very nice that day, and we went there under the very blue sky. All around the busy citywe saw many high and cactus-covered mountains. After a good lunch in their elegant Golf Club, the gave us a "Royal Tour" in and around the city. We saw the very expensive houses built in the golf courses, and many high up on the side of the mountains. With water bottle in our hand (it was hot) we went in the SUGUARO NATIONAL PARK. Wetook the Canyon Shuttle tour deep inside the park, passing deep canyons, high mountains and three water passages. There were many hiker along the way, some of them with children. Because of the heavy rainfall few days before, the shuttle was not able to drive over other flooded dams.

ARIZONA: SEDONA.

The elevation of see level in Phoenix about 700 feet, but after two hours drive to North the red rocks of SEDONA is higher than 4.500 feet. The population is only 12.000, and more than a million tourist arrive all year round.On the way we took a short detour to see MONTEZUMA CASTLE MONUMENT, where the natives lived for many years in the carved-out rooms high up the mouintain.
Sedona is surrounded with 300 million years old formation. When the ocean dried up, the water left many different types of sediment: white, grey and brown and in the last 70 million years bright, real red.

We saw the BELL, the CATHEDRAL, the COFFEE POT, the SNOOPY and a few other RED rocks. The view is fantastic from every angel, before or afternoon. We visited many of the city's Art galleries, the ART MUSEUM, the TLAQUEPQUE, and the EXPOSURES galleries. Both side of the Main Street are the variety of good restaurant, art and souvenier shops. We were not able to go to further North to see Flagstaff, it was winter tha time and in the high, more than 7.000 feet elevation was snowing and was vey cold. SEDONA IS A VERY INTERESTING CITY TO VISIT!

ARIZONA: DESERT BOTANICAL GARDEN

East of Phoenix City, in the PAPAGO PARK we wisited the Desert Botanical Garden. This garden is home of SAGUAROS, the PRICKLL PEARS, the AGAVES, the OCTUPUS, and many, many other cactuses. They display also wildflowers from all ove the word. It is like a "museum" of 50.000 plants: small, medium, large or giant sizes.

Everyone is different, one has only one trunk, others two, or more branches waiting for the rain. The birds like to make their nice, cool and wet nest inside the branches. Flowers both side of the many walkways with signs about their names, and their origins, like Arizona, Mexico, California and many other tropical places. The mountains are visible in every turn on the walkways.

The garden also an education place for student. They learn not only the plants, but the culture and history of the Indian people, they see how they lived in the desert long time ago.

ARIZONA: FRANK lLOYD WRIGHT

The original structure of TALISIEN WEST in the North-East side of Scottsdale, in the end of Cactus Road, now is a National Historic Landmark. It was designed by the 20th Century greatest architect: FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT as a winter retreat. He visited the Sonora Desert and fell in love with the mountains. He bought 600 acres of rugged desert land in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains in 1920.

By 1937 he decided to build his permanent home, a studio and architectural campus for a few selected and talented local and foreign students.

We took the organized 90 minutes tour to see every studio, every room and all the furniture designed by Mr. Wright. The gift store is a library of many books written about him by students or others. The place is full of small and large posters, lots of books, games, CD/DVD or other souvenirs to take home.