When visiting the Greater Phoenix Area, one of the destinations that simply must be on your top 10 list is the Desert Botanical Garden, in Phoenix, Arizona.
The desert Southwest contains many fascinating plants that are found nowhere else in the world, with the Saguaro perhaps being the most famous of all.
The Desert Botanical Garden was founded in 1939, and is the only botanical garden in the world that is solely focused on desert plants.
The Desert Botanical Garden sits on 145 acres and has more than 50,000 plants on display. The Living Collection contains over 21,000 accessioned plants representing 3,931 taxa in 139 plant families. The collection is especially strong in Cactaceae (Cactus), Agavaceae (Agaves), Aloaceae (Aloes) and the flora of the Sonoran Desert.
Note: make sure to watch the video in 720p HD after you click on the play button.
The Desert Botanical Garden has five thematic trails that illustrate a variety of topics. The Garden’s Desert Discovery Trail showcases desert plants from around the world. The Plants & People of the Sonoran Desert Trail explores how desert plants are used for nourishment and tools. The Sonoran Desert Nature Trail illustrates the relationship between desert plants and animals. The Center for Desert Living Trail covers topics such as water and energy conservation. The Harriet K. Maxwell Desert Wildflower Trail showcases desert wildflowers.
Further showcasing the community’s love of this “Phoenix Point of Pride” was a $17.8 million face-lift in 2008, which transformed this desert jewel into a destination in which local residents, and guests alike, have rewarded the Desert Botanical Garden with very strong attendance numbers.
We highly recommend a visit to the Desert Botanical Garden. You will simply be amazed with the unusual desert plants, and are certain to come home with many stories to share with family and friends.
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When we are giving consideration to the restaurants, hotels, hiking trails, museums, and all matter of travel and leisure adventures that we will feature in our roamings, we put forth a considerable amount of research into our choices.
We figure that discriminating baby boomers are in search of great experience.
As I began to peruse their website, I immediately noticed that they have some really incredible properties in their membership. Here are a few items that caught my attention:
Members of Historic Hotels of America represent the heritage and development of America. One of the earliest hotels, Hotel El Convento in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico is a former Carmelite Convent dating to 1651. Another, The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, dates to 1773 and was originally established as a stagecoach stop.
200 hotels and resorts belong to their membership.
Member hotels are located in 42 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Hotels range in size from the 15-room Smith House in Dahlonega Georgia to the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago with 1639 rooms.
Hotels are situated in settings that range from rustic to refined, in locales as diverse as the mountain wilderness, manicured country sides, the center of small towns and bustling metropolises.
Hotel rates range from $69 per night the LaSalle Hotel in Bryan, Texas; to $12,500 per night for a suite at The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.
Being from Michigan, we have had the opportunity to stay in The Grand Hotel (A Historic Hotel of America), as well as a few of the other historic properties around the country, and I find the experience of these grand old hotels/resorts to be rather remarkable.
Each year, the Historic Hotels of America puts out a beautiful 250+ page color directory that we now have in our possession to help find extraordinary places to visit.
We asked them if they might send along three extra copies to give away to our subscribers, and they said, “sure!”
While making the fourth stop on our Arizona AAA Five-Diamond Resort Tour at The Four Seasons Scottsdale Resort at Troon North, we were privileged to enjoy the cuisine of their fine dining restaurant, Talavera.
Talavera is named for a type of brightly colored hand painted Mexican pottery, and is inspired by the colorful look and feel of their dining room which incorporates the vibrant palate of the Sonoran Desert in full bloom.
A beautiful focal point of Talavera is a dramatic fire element framed by glass, positioned for both indoor and outdoor diners to enjoy, which is greatly complimented by the elevated desert and city light views. In other words, the place is stunning and a highly romantic place to dine.
It was a little cool, and windy the night of our visit, so we chose to sit at an inside table with this view of Pinnacle Peak, accompanied with city light views available with just a slight turn of the head.
To start our dining experience, Carol chose a Hydro Bibb Lettuce Salad (spring vegetables, feta, avocado), while I greatly enjoyed the chilled Soup Quattro (asparagus, sweet pea, watermelon, and tomato). What a delightful, and colorful presentation. I might also add that these various chilled soups were also refreshing, and very delicious.
To continue our gastronomical journey, Carol chose for her main course; the 20 oz Prime Bone-In Ribeye (the house specialty with potato, cipollini, and hollandaise), while I went with a Chilean Sea Bass (potato risotto, artichoke, and braised oxtail).
Carol w/ Chef Evan Goldstein
Carol adores a good ribeye steak, and from all the oohs and aahs coming from her side of the table, as well as a wonderful shared sample, I can tell you that this was certainly a steak to write home about!
My Chilean sea bass was an interesting combination of healthy sea food, with a dash of comfort (braised oxtail/risotto) thrown into the mix. It was so good, in fact, that upon another return visit to Talavara I would likely hunt this dish down, and forgo sampling another. A wonderful dish!
I am an easy mark for a dark chocolate soufflé, and when we first ordered our selections, our waitress warned that if we desired this most desirable of all deserts, we had better let her know up front. I immediately succumbed to the seduction, and all throughout my meal found myself anticipating the hot, molten, dark chocolate taste of all tastes.
Oh! How I love dark chocolate soufflé, with a side of double espresso!
As we were attempting to finish our soufflé, out marched our waitress with yet another desert? “What’s this?”, we reverently protested, knowing that another bite might completely do us in. Well, as it turns out, the pastry chef had no intention of letting us leave without sampling her own sweet creations, and so we gleefully, albeit somewhat concerned for our growing waistlines, sampled her delicious fare. The desert to the left is a Nutella Panini! What fun!
Well, what a wonderful evening!
We can both, without any reservation what so ever, proclaim that this is a most wonderful place for a romantic gastronomic interlude with the one and only person that makes your heart go pitter-patter.
The food was outstanding, the ambiance was dreamy, the staff very attentive, all of which combines to make Talavera one of the Valley’s most desirable romantic dining destinations.
Disclosure: this romantic dining experience was provided by The Four Seasons, and Talavara Restaurant.
I’m currently working on the video for our article from the AAA Five-Diamond Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North. In the meantime, enjoy this moon shot through the lens of our Four Seasons suite’s telescope.
The Roaming Boomers
