Day Trip
Praising Arizona
Healthy living comes naturally in Scottsdale, a laid-back city devoted to fresh food, spa days and the great outdoors.
3 cocktails to help you beat the heat
1/ Cranberry Presbyterian
Infused vodka meets ginger ale. fnbrestaurant.com
2/ Prickly Pear Margarita
The sweeter side of cacti. fairmont.com/scottsdale
3/ Thai Grapefruit Martini
Basil and citrus combine with a kick. truefoodkitchen.com
8 a.m Old Town Farmers’ Market Start the day with a morning stroll at this fast-growing farmers’ market. Come with an appetite – vendors are generous with samples – and discover stalls full of organic local produce and unique products, from handmade hot tamales to artisan ice pops in strawberry-balsamic and lavender-lemonade flavors. Afterward, you can check out the neighborhood’s Western wear shops or the more than 100 galleries in the nearby Arts District. azcommunitymarkets.com
10 a.m.Desert Botanical Garden Don’t let the dry desert landscape fool you. Arizona is rich in flora and fauna, and you can learn all about it at this Phoenix-based botanical garden, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Navigate the plants with a docent or audio guide. Among the saguaro cacti you’ll find stunning Chihuly glass sculptures, seasonal live butterfly exhibits and classes on everything from growing agave to tasting tequila. dbg.org
1 p.m. Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Expect more than just manicures and mud masks at the hotel’s Well & Being at Willow Stream Spa. You’ll also find the wellness tools of tomorrow, including TRX suspension training, aerial yoga and the Bod Pod, which uses air-displacement plethysmography to measure your body’s ratio of fat to muscle. Resident specialists will help you set health goals and stick to them long after your visit with follow-up calls and suggested lifestyle apps.
fairmont.com/scottsdale
4 p.m. Taliesin West After a bout of pneumonia in the 1930s, Frank Lloyd Wright made the arid Sonoran Desert his new winter home, as well as the site for his studio and architecture school. Tour the late starchitect’s iconic 550-acre estate and you’ll find the campus still in use by former apprentices and current students. The latter even build their own housing as a first project – they’ve been called the “hippest dorms in the world”– using local materials such as stone and sand. franklloydwright.org
7 p.m.Scottsdale Quarter This shopping district is home to a West Elm and an Apple Store, but you’ll also find indie yoga studios, spas and boutiques such as Verde’ Maison, which only carries natural cosmetic lines like Ren and Dr. Hauschka. For a meal that’s good for you without being too “granola” (think skinny margaritas and bison burgers), make reservations at True Food Kitchen, a trendy restaurant developed in partnership with holistic health guru Dr. Andrew Weil. scottsdalequarter.coM Eve Thomas