Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West (Scottsdale, AZ)

If you love architecture and find yourself in the Phoenix area in the future, you need to take a tour of Taliesin West. Even for myself, who is not that knowledgeable in architecture, I found the tour extremely fun! Taliesin West in Scottsdale was the winter home of Frank Lloyd Wright, but the property also doubles as his architecture school. You can't explore the property on your own, as Taliesin West is still functioning as an architecture school, but the $32 tour ticket is well worth it to not only see Taliesin West but also hear the stories behind the building and the various aspects of it.

During the 90-minute tour, you'll hear about this petroglyph and how the carvings inspired Wright's iconic Whirling Arrow, which actually symbolizes "fellowship".

Or how he came to use these Chinese ceramic sculpture and how each one signifies that you are entering a different area of Taliesin West.

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Five Sweet Stops in Phoenix, AZ

When you live in a city that gets a hot as Phoenix and Scottsdale do, great dessert places are a must. Ice creams, soft serves, donuts ... I was quite impressed at the desserts I ate while I was in Phoenix on my last trip! Some of the flavors are very adventurous, some more than what I'm finding in Boston. Here are the five top spots for sweets and desserts in the Phoenix area:

1. Churn

The list of great ice cream shops in Phoenix goes on and on, but you must stop at Churn. Churn is known for their ice cream sandwiches, with deliciously gooey cookies and creamy, freshly churned ice creams. You can also get a scoop of ice cream and a half cookie as a topping. I had the Vietnamese coffee and Hangover Helper (a whiskey ice cream) topped with half a salted chocolate chip cookie. You can get two different cookies for your ice cream sandwiches, too!


5223 N Central Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85012


2. Rollover Donuts (also at Short Leash Hot Dogs)

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Brunch and Cocktails at Virtu (Scottsdale, AZ)

As I'm heading back to Phoenix and Scottsdale this weekend, I'm looking back to my last trip there. On my last day, I had a lovely brunch at Virtu in Scottsdale. It was a beautiful day, perfect for sitting outdoors and enjoying some good food and drinks.

I had to order this dish, you'll see why: Duck confit benedict, duck fat potato, poached eggs, foie gras hollandaise ($15)

Duck confit! Foie gras hollandaise! I just wished they had put more foie gras hollandaise ...

Virtu is known not just for their food, but also their cocktails. They're at the forefront of the Scottsdale's craft cocktail scene, serving up adventurous and unique cocktails like this Chili infused aquavit, with salted beet syrup, lime, and mezcal

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Phoenix and Scottsdale, AZ

Phoenix
Churn
Nami
Rollover Donuts
Short Leash Hot Dogs
Welcome Chicken + Donuts

Scottsdale
Sweet Republic
Virtu