Travel & Visitors Guide - March 21, 2009
Golfing Arizona's finest courses, 2009
The 2009 edition of Phoenix area golf getaways is a bit shorter this year than last, as a jam-packed Brewers Spring Training schedule didn't allow for every waking minute to pursue par under pleasant but overcast skies. We did hit Grayhawk, the Phoenician and Kierland, however, and all three are all spectacular courses.
Tags: arizona, golf, scottsdale, spring training, Grayhawk Golf Club, Phoenician, Kierland, Phoenix, Raptor, Talon

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 9, 2009
Tan, somewhat rested and very ready to be home
Another Spring Training trip is in the books, and I'm pleased to report it was a good one. In some ways, five days are not nearly enough to see everything you need to see in the Phoenix area. But in other ways, it's long enough to really miss home and everything that comes with it, and I'm eagerly awaiting seeing my family in a few hours.
Tags: spring training, arizona, scottsdale, phoenix, hanny's, intercontinental montelucia

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 8, 2009
If you have the means ...
This trip keeps getting better. Yesterday afternoon, we checked into the Intercontinental Montelucia, which is, quite literally, the nicest hotel I've ever visited.
Tags: scottsdale, arizona, phoenix, intercontinental montelucia, spring training, brewers

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 7, 2009
Slowing down and soaking in the desert sun
Yesterday turned out to be one of those perfect vacation days I dream about in the middle of January. We had few things on our agenda, so that allowed us time to soak in the scene without rushing from destination to destination.
Tags: spring training, arizona, scottsdale, xona, brewers, coach house

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 6, 2009
Hope springs eternal
It was another fun but hectic day in Arizona, and I expect today will be the same. It's a lot of running around, but I'm hardly complaining. This is a life I could get used to.
Tags: Arizona, scottsdale, xona, westin kierland, spring training, brewers

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 5, 2009
Back in the saddle in Scottsdale
It only took one whiff of that fragrant Arizona air -- it smells really different here -- for the travel stress to evaporate. Life is good. This is my 12th annual Spring Training trip, and I must be more giddy than I thought I'd be, since my eyes popped open this morning at 7 a.m., after only six short hours of sleep.
Tags: scottsdale, phoenix, spring training, westin kierland, deseo

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 3, 2009
Insider tips for enjoying spring training in Phoenix
Earlier today, OnMilwaukee.com publisher Andy Tarnoff posted a comprehensive guide to spring training in Phoenix. Here is another collection of tips, gleaned over nearly 15 years of Cactus League visits.
Tags: spring training, cactus league, scottsdale, nightlife, bars, maryvale baseball park, autographs

Sports - May 11, 2008
Golfing Arizona's finest courses
A golf trip is a worthy-vacation any time of year. But after a brutal winter in Milwaukee, the best time to hit the links in Arizona has to be late March. We reviewed Vistal Golf Club, The Raven at South Mountain, The Westin Kierland Golf Club and the TPC Scottsdale.
Tags: golf, Vistal Golf Club, The Raven at South Mountain, The Westin Kierland Golf Club and the TPC Scottsdale, arizona, phoenix, scottsdale

Dining - May 10, 2008
Scottsdale's Deseo defines "Nuevo Latino" cuisine
In Milwaukee, you'd be hard-pressed to find a restaurant at a golf resort so good that you'd actually travel all the way across town just for dinner. But if you ever find yourself in Phoenix, make the trip to Deseo, a "Nuevo Latino" restaurant inside the Westin Kierland.
Tags: deseo, nuevo latino, westin keirland, travel week, scottsdale

Bars & Clubs - May 8, 2008
A green and gold oasis in the middle of the desert
In the middle of affluent Scottsdale, amid the luxury condos and high-priced art galleries, Packers fans gather for hero-worship at Mabel Murphy's.
Tags: mabel murphys, scottsdale, arizona, packer bars

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 29, 2008
One last look into Spring Training luxury, Four Seasons style
Think you've stayed in nice hotels? You haven't seen luxury until you've experienced the Four Seasons in Scottsdale, Ariz. Here's one Milwaukeean's story.
Tags: four seasons, scottsdale, spring training, luxury

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 26, 2008
"Groundhog Day," and the waning hours of Spring Training
I promised to be groggy while writing today's blog, and that's the reality after another long, hot day in the sun yesterday that extended late into the night.
Tags: scottsdale, arizona, phoenix, spring training, westin kielrand

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 25, 2008
Living the good life, Scottsdale style
After the game, we moved our base of operations to the Westin Kierland Resort, on the northern side of Scottsdale. A top-notch hotel, it’s quite different from our experience at the Hotel Valley Ho.
Tags: phoenix, scottsdale, spring training, westin kierland, deseo

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 24, 2008
More on the coolest hotel ever
I figured that since I was up, I might as well check out the pool at the Hotel Valley Ho again. And that’s where I spent an hour doing something I rarely do on vacation: relaxing.
Tags: hotel valley ho, phoenix, spring training, scottsdale

Travel & Visitors Guide - March 23, 2008
Baseball, awesome hotel, hot tub take the edge off
Wow, it’s nice to be back in Arizona. My morning began at 5:30 a.m., when I left Milwaukee for O’Hare. And we came at a great time. It was about 85 degrees and perfectly cloudless. This is what I spent the last 11.5 months dreaming about.
Tags: scottsdale, phoenix, spring training, hotel valley ho