19. Phoenix and Scottsdale (Desert Road Trip Part 1)

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I'm Johnny Mack, and travel is
back. Let's do a desert road trip

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for the next few weeks. We're
gonna drive around Arizona and make our way

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in New Mexico. Let's start in
Phoenix, referred to as La without the

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Pacific. I love that description.
I remember the first time I landed in

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Phoenix, and I remember I was
like, this looks like the boring parts

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of Los Angeles, longstreet streets and
strip malls. I'm telling you, the

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first time I did Phoenix, I
did it wrong. I was there for

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work and I didn't leave the downtown
area and I went home, and I'm

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like, I don't get it.
The second time I went, I ventured

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a little bit more to the places
i'll tell you about today, and oh

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my goodness, I love Arizona.
In Phoenix, instead of golden beaches and

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palm trees, you'll encounter vibrant red
mountains and cacti line boulevards. It is

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very pretty. Now the fifth most
populated city in the US. Probably not

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a good idea. I don't know
if you guys know how climate change and

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water works. We probably shouldn't have
built Phoenix up. But it's there now.

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The Valley of the Sun also lures
adventurous travelers with its unique desert landscape

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and numerous hiking trails. Spring,
winter, and fall visitors spend most of

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their time outdoors. The summer gets
a little hot. I've walked around when

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it's one hundred and ten. Totally
get it. So let's get outside and

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head to one of my favorite places. It is Camelback Mountain. One of

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the highest peaks in Phoenix. Camelback
is among the most scenic hiking spots in

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the city. Staring more than twenty
seven hundred feet in elevation. Camelbacks Summit

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offers spectacular views of Phoenix and Scottsdale, and if you reach from the one

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point two mile incredibly steep Echo Canyon
Trail. If you're looking for an easier

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trek, try the one point five
mile Schola trail on the east side of

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the mountain. I did this with
young kids. We were fine. You

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know. It's also like, hey, let's go and maybe the little kids

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will like I'm tired, but it's
very doable. Don't be scared off by

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this. You can also try one
of these several beginner friendly trails that circle

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Camelbacks based such as the Bobby's Rocket
Trail. Hiking Camelback Mountain is best attempted

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earlier in the morning or later in
the afternoon when the desert heat is bearable.

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I vote morning, trust me,
no matter when you climb, lots

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of water, lots of sunscreen.
When you get up there, the view

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is awesome. And it's not in
the middle of nowhere. It's like in

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the middle of town. As I
start to talking about this, Phoenix has

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this street grid and the street grid
connects to Scottsdale street grid, and it's

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very Los Angeles, like just big
long straight streets and you go down one

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of these big long street avenues and
all of a sudden, there's a mountain

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there. So it's not like you're
heading out to the mountains. Camelback is

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kind of not quite in the middle
of everything, but it's not out of

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the way either. Trails are open
from sunrise to sunset. Entry is free.

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Public parking exists, but it's a
little limited. But it's in a

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residential neighborhood, believe it or not, And if you walk a couple of

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blocks you can find a spot unless
they've changed the sign since I've been there.

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Now one thing I did not do
that I was unaware of until I

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did my research for this podcast.
The Desert Botanical Garden. I'm sad I

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missed this. The Desert Botanical Garden
is home to thousands of species of cacti,

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trees, and flowers from all around
the world. The gordens brightly colored

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plants contrast the cinnamon red of the
Sonoran Desert. Numerous hiking trails allow you

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experience the regions and that wonders the
way early settlers once did. Some reviewers

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suggest visiting after the sun sets to
see the garden illuminated. That sounds cool.

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The garden is four miles south of
downtown Scottsdale, which sounds far and

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is not at all Again Phoenix,
Scottsdale, big long streets. This is

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an unpopular opinion, but Chase Field
with the Arizona Diamondbacks play. I think

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it's a great baseball park. The
roof is so high. It's an indoor

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stadium, a domed, retractable stadium, and even when the dome is closed,

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the roof is so high you feel
like you're outside. I think all

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stadiums should have a dome. I
like Chase Field. I know a lot

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of people don't. Now. I
wouldn't sit in the upper deck because the

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upper deck is quite high, but
it's Phoenix. You could afford a seat

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in the lower deck, do it. I found the food there to be

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pretty good. So if you've got
time to get in a baseball game,

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let's do it. All right,
I kind of already covered Phoenix. You

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could stay in Phoenix at a resort, but let's head over to Scottsdale.

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McCormick Stillman Railroad Park right in the
center of Scottsdale. If you're in aficionado

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of trains and rails, Numerous models
and delightful exhibits are scattered in the vicinity.

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The Model Railroad Building is home to
a fifteen inch Gage railroad, a

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Magma Arizona Railroad locomotive, and four
clubs from model Railroads. The building covers

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ten thousand square feet. There's also
an interactive railroad museum. You can hop

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on a ride on the Paradise and
Pacific Railroad and antique carousel to hop on.

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You know, I love carousels.
If you listen to this pod at

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a park with picnic areas, playgrounds, some live music sometimes Butterfly Wonderland I

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did not do this in Scottsdale,
but I did this down in the Blue

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Mountains of Australia. Butterfly places are
amazing. I've got some pictures of butterflies

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landing on my hat. If you've
never been surrounded by butterflies, you have

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not lived. Do it. Butterfly
Wonderland, a beautiful glass atrium, serves

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as a tropical rainforest habitat for all
sorts of butterflies, numbering in the thousands.

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They freely fly around and may even
land on your arm or head.

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That was my Australian experience. Trust
me. Do it. If you haven't

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done this, do it. Trust
me. The McDowell Sonoran Preserve a permanently

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protected desert habitat design to be sustainable
and host one of the planet's most diverse

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animal environments, thirty thousand acres on
the east side of Scottsdale. I've driven

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around there. It's fun. One
hundred miles worth of trails while at varying

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levels of difficulty. Yeah, believe
it or not. Even though you think

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it's the desert and it's hot,
you're gonna be want to be outside.

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It's just gorgeous. There are six
trail heads that serve as good starting points

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for everybody. All Right, you
need a break, Let's see Old Town

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Scottsdale. Old Town Scottsdale is packed
with galleries, restaurants, shops, souvenir

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stores, and unusual locations to pursue, says the description. Very easily walkable,

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some old fashioned attractions like the Rusty
spur Saloon, the little Red Schoolhouse,

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the blacksmiths Shop. That's where we're
gonna eat. I'll come back to

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that, but let's hit the Penske
Racing Museum. George Gastanza, please get

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out the Penske file. The Penske
Racing Museum is located in the car dealerships

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the Penskey Automotive Group, nine thousand
square feet across two floors, showcasing memorabilian

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items that color the history of Penske
racing. Penske has won over four hundred

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times in the history of racing,
and a museum has a bunch of the

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cars used to win and the trophies
won over the years. You may recognize

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certain replicas, such as the nineteen
sixty three Pontiac Catalina, that one nineteen

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sixty three Riverside two fifty driven by
Rogerbanski himself, the Zasso, the two

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thousand nine Dallara Honda. That car
won the two ninety five hundred, and

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don't forget Rusty Wallace's Miller Light Dodge
Stock car. That car Rusty Wallace won

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his final and thirty seventh win in
his racing career. You're gonna feel all

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Western while you're in Scottsdale. In
Phoenix, Scottsdale's Museum of the West,

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you can learn how Arizona factored into
the rich and vibrant heritage of the region.

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The museum makes use of interactive and
interpretive arts, exhibits, events,

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and experiences, including a multisensory theater
that screens the work of artists of Arizona

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and the rest of the world.
You're gonna want to get on a horse

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back. I did it. I'm
from Queens, New York City. I

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never saw a horse unless it was
at Belmont. I went horseback riding in

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the desert. It was awesome.
Please do this as well. Maybe McDonald's

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Ranch in Scottsdale. The premier horseback
riding stable of Scottsdale. McDonald's Ranch offers

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fun, family friendly experiences for those
of all skill levels. The horses are

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known for being quite agreeable. Believe
me, it matters. You don't want

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to get in one of those horses
that's like I don't want to move because

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they're like, you gotta kick the
horse. And you're from Queens. You're

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like, I don't want to kick
the horse, but you gotta kick the

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horse. The horse isn't gonna move. A nice, simple ride taken casually

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from the ranch will show you a
lot of the animals and plants they call

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the sun Oran Desert home. It
is a good time Arizona outdoor fun all

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terrain vehicles. The Desert Tour takes
you towards the beautiful Bradshaw Mountains while driving

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through stunning vistas of the desert,
canyons and more. Each tour crosses over

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the Agua Fria River, through Indian
ruins and even the Tip Top, which

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is a former mining town. And
while you're getting your speed on Octane Raceway,

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an indoor and outdoor racing venue that
operates full time casual cart racing.

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I was gonna say go cart,
I'm supposed to not say go cart.

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They are carts with a kay Obtane
Raceway has a track that's a third of

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a mile. European electric race carts
produce no emissions and reached speeds of forty

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five miles an hour. If you've
never been in a cart, not a

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go cart, a cart doing forty
five, you have no idea how fast

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that seem, especially on a turn. My kids zip past me and make

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fun of me, and I'm like, I'm anna old man here in the

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right lane. Don't care. Take
a break, We'll come back and eat.

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We are not going to eat in
Phoenix. We are going to eat

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in Scottsdale. If you can't find
somewhere to eat in Scottsdale, you are

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not trying. How about a z
Eights eight Tucked away in the heart of

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Scottsdale Civic Center Park. It's an
upscale gastro pub known for its changing art

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displays and sleek design. In daytime, Florida ceiling windows and a sun drenched

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patio provide gorgeous views of the parks, lush lawns, and public art installations,

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But at nights, Azy eight transforms
into a hip, artsy hangout with

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dja, spuntoons, burgers, sandwiches, chicken wings, fresh farms, salads,

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don't miss the hell Fire Chips,
which are homemade potato chips topped with

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crumbled blue cheese and a z gun
slinger sauce. Citizen Public House features barrel

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age libations and tasty small bites.
The menu fair trade coffee, short ribs,

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Togarashi, spiced filet mignon, and
seared sea scallops. How about Kraft

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sixty four. This neighborhood eatery features
housemade mozzarella, fresh produced from local organic

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farmers and more than thirty Arizona Kraft
beers on tap done. How about the

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Age Pizza Aji, Fennel sausage,
sauceed onions, three kinds of cheese,

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and spicy hollopanio sauce serve piping hot
right out of the wood fire oven.

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I would want to get that,
and my wife and kids would be like,

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can we get pepperoni? No,
We're getting that one. Wash it

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all down with Graft sixty four,
z Own Rocky Point Blonde Lager or Amber

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Schmamber red Ale. Yeah, Amber
Schmamber. How about FNB a veggie forward

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menu craft from locally sourced organic ingredients. The menu also includes seafood, locally

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made pasta, and decadent desserts if
you're in the mood for tacos the mission.

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The mission started with fondness for authentic
Mexican street food, then became a

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backyard pig roast for the chef's friends
and family, and then became the Mission,

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which has two Scottsdale locations. Modern
Latin cuisine that includes to lights like

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spicy grilled street corn, pork shoulder
tacos, and pineapple habannaro glaze. If

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you want Mediterranean fair veer two as
a variety of pasta, seafood and beef

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dishes to round out your options.
It's also got a like really cool looking

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patio with some lights. You'll like
it all right. If I had one

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day in Phoenix, and I've done
one day in Phoenix, Cammelback Mountain for

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sure, Then drive over to Scottsdale, grab some lunch, then take the

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car and head east. Go horseback
riding. Then drive around the parts of

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Scottsdale in the mountains they are.
You'll find this really cool lake that I've

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gone swimming in. I forget on
the lake. There's this really cool bar.

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Just head out that way. You'll
see what I'm saying again. It's

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the desert. So when I say
like east of Scottsdale, you're not gonna

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be like, which way do I
go? There's not all that much.

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You're gonna head over there. You'll
find what I'm talking about. So I

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would do that at night if they're
home, I'll hit the diamondback game.

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So enjoy Phoenix and Scottsdale. And
then when we meet up next week,

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we're going to head north. We're
going to make our way on this desert

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road trip towards the Grand Canyon.
We're not quite there yet. See here next week