Dispatches

Valley Notes

125 long-form field notes on visiting and living well in the Sonoran Desert — trails, routes, rules, itineraries, and the occasional strong opinion. Search them, or pick a topic.

Valley Notes

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The Old Town Scottsdale Dress Code: What the Clubs Enforce, What They Say They Enforce, and What to Wear

Bottle Service in Scottsdale, Explained: What a Table Costs, What You Get, and When It's Worth It

Scottsdale Guest Lists, Explained: How the Free Way Into Old Town's Clubs Actually Works

Every Bar and Club in Scottsdale: The Complete List, District by District

The Bachelor Party Golf Day in Scottsdale: Courses That Take Eight, Twilight Rates and the Beer Cart

The Best Resorts in Scottsdale, Ranked by People Who've Paid for Them

The Best Scottsdale Neighborhoods to Live In, Honestly Ranked

The Best Scottsdale Neighborhoods to Stay In, Ranked for Visitors

Every Fox Restaurant Concepts Restaurant in Scottsdale and Phoenix, With What to Order at Each

The Grand Canyon From Scottsdale: Why We Say Stay the Night, and How to Do It Anyway

Hotels Near Mayo Clinic Scottsdale: Which Campus You Need, and Where to Sleep for Each

Hotels Near Scottsdale Airpark: The Runway, Perimeter Center and the Kierland Edge

Hotels Near Talking Stick and Salt River Fields: Walk to Spring Training, Skip the Lot

Hotels Near WestWorld for Barrett-Jackson: Where to Stay for Car Week and the Arabian Horse Show

How Scottsdale Is Laid Out: The Mile Grid, the Canal, the Greenbelt and the 101

How to Say It: Taliesin, Gila, Saguaro, Cholla, Mogollon and the Rest

Is Scottsdale in Phoenix? The Valley, the City Line, and Why It Matters for Your Hotel

Who Owns Mastro's, Dominick's, Steak 44 and Ocean 44: The Mastro Family Steakhouses, Sorted

The Palo Verde: Blue, Foothill, the Desert Museum Hybrid, and Why Every Yard Has One

Resorts and Hotels Near Old Town Scottsdale: Walkable, Almost Walkable, and a Short Ride Away

Riding Waymo in Scottsdale: The Service Map, the Airport, and What It Won't Do

Scottsdale Events Calendar 2027: Every Date Worth Planning Around

Scottsdale Sports Complex Field Maps: Reata, Bell94, the Sports Complex and WestWorld

Sedona From Scottsdale in a Day: The Drive, the Stops, and When to Turn Back

Moving In: SRP or APS, Scottsdale Water, Gas, Internet and Trash, Set Up in One Afternoon

Wintering in Scottsdale: Monthly Rentals, the Snowbird Calendar, and Health Care for Visitors

Beyond LOVE: A Field Guide to the Other Sculptures at Scottsdale's Civic Center, and Where the Missing Ones Went

Coronado School: The Segregated Classrooms Inside Scottsdale's Little Red Schoolhouse

The Garden Apartments South of the Valley Ho: Scottsdale's Resort-Era Rental District

Health Seekers and the 1918 Flu: The Graves Ranch, the Sleeping Cottages, and the Winter the Sick Came to Scottsdale

The Historical Happenstance Markers: Six Small Monuments to South Scottsdale Road's Floods, Parades and Turkey Farms

Hohokam Agave and the Rock-Pile Fields: The Ancient Crop Still Growing in the McDowells

The Hohokam Canals of South Scottsdale: The Ditches Under the Streets, and the Ghost Names on the Federal Map

Jewish Scottsdale: From a Paradise Valley Living Room to the Shea Corridor

LGBTQ Scottsdale: BS West, the Unity Pledge and the Seven-Year Road to a Nondiscrimination Ordinance

Lost Midcentury Scottsdale: The Modern Buildings the City Tore Down

Lost Scottsdale Events: The Festivals, Races and Parades That Left Almost No Trace

Fire in the McDowells: The TP Fire, the Rio Fire, the Diamond Fire and a Desert That Wasn't Built to Burn

The Geology of the McDowell Mountains: A Field Guide for Hikers

Rock Climbing in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve: The 36 Legal Crags, the Rules, and Where the Names Came From

Midcentury Scottsdale's Historic Districts: A Field Guide to the Register Neighborhoods

Our Lady of Perpetual Help: The Parish That Outgrew the Old Adobe Mission

Rock Art in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve: What's Out There, and Why We Won't Tell You Where

The Gooseneck and the Field Science of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Ralph Haver's Scottsdale: What the Valley's Everyman Modernist Built Here, and What's Left

The Ranch Schools of Camelback: Judson, Jokake, Brownmoor and the Boarding Schools Where the Rich Sent Their Children to Winter

Saguaro Season: From the May Bloom to the O'odham Fruit Harvest and New Year

Scottsdale and the Color Line: Pumpsie Green, the 'Restricted' Resorts and the Club Built in Answer

Scottsdale's Birthdays: How the City Has Celebrated Itself at 10, 25, 50 and 75

First 100, First 110: Scottsdale's Heat Calendar and the Records Behind It

Scottsdale's Midcentury Churches: Concrete Shells, a Drive-In Sanctuary and a Copper Spire

Scottsdale Public Art on the Road: A Drivable Field Guide From the Crime Lab to Pinnacle Peak

Scottsdale Public Art on the Water: A Field Guide to the Art Along the Canals, the Greenbelt and the Water Campus

Scottsdale's Quiet Calendar: The Holidays the Visitor Guides Skip

Scottsdale's Sister Cities: Álamos to Killarney, and the Volunteers Who Keep Them Going

The Barrio Under the Civic Center: How Scottsdale Cleared Its Mexican Neighborhood, 1966–1975

The Women Who Organized Early Scottsdale: Sewing Circles, the PTA, Liberty Loans and the Woman's Club

Why Scottsdale's Schools and Parks Have Native Names: Tonto, Kiva, Paiute, Apache and a 1950s School Board Rule

Yaqui Lent and Easter in Guadalupe: How to Be a Respectful Guest

Line Dancing and Country Bars in Scottsdale: Free Lessons, Old Town Saloons, the Cave Creek Bull Ring

Haunted Scottsdale: The Ghost Stories, the Real Crimes Behind Them, and the Tours

Horseback Riding Near Scottsdale: The Ranches, the Rides, and the Moonlight Option

Hot Air Balloon Rides Over Scottsdale: Operators, Prices, and What Sunrise Is Actually Like

Late-Night Food in Scottsdale: What's Actually Open After Midnight

Live Music in Scottsdale: Where the Bands Actually Play, Night by Night

Pickleball in Scottsdale: Every Public Court, the Resort Courts, and the Indoor Clubs

Scottsdale Dive Bars: The Rooms That Open at 6 A.M. and Never Redecorated

What Happens in Scottsdale Every Week: The Standing Calendar Locals Run On

Scottsdale Public Art on Foot: A Self-Guided Walk From the Jackrabbit to the Canal

Scottsdale's Public Pools: The Four Aquatic Centers, What Each Does Best, and What They Cost

Scottsdale Speakeasies: Every Hidden Bar, the Old Town Ones, and How to Get In

The Best Coffee Shops in Scottsdale: Where Locals Actually Drink It

The Best Mexican Restaurants in Scottsdale, Sorted by What You're Actually Hungry For

Scottsdale Rooftop Bars and Sunset Patios: Cocktails With Camelback Mountain Views

The Romantic Scottsdale Weekend: A Couples' Itinerary from People Who've Run It

Scottsdale Bachelor Party Weekend: The Golf Day, the River, the Steakhouse and the Night

The Scottsdale Trolley: Yes, It's Free, and Here's Where It Actually Goes

Scottsdale Happy Hour: The Local's Guide to the 3-to-6 Window