Finance and Fun in Scottsdale

We drove down South Mountain and into Scottsdale, stopping at an In-n-Out near the hotel for lunch. We checked in, and after leaving our bags at the cool air-conditioned bell desk, we went down the road to ride bumper boats, race go-karts, and play mini-golf while we waited. The mini-golf in the heat just about did me in, so we went back to the hotel hoping our room was finally ready.

It was, and it was lovely. The finance conference that would run from Sunday to Wednesday—and the ostensible reason for our trip—was held at the Scottsdale Princess hotel, and when I’d read, back in January, that it was a Princess hotel, the memories of my Princess cruise to Bermuda and the Princess hotel in Hamilton came back very vividly. This Princess did not disappoint: the entire grounds were beautiful, and with the exception of the burning sun, the terrible heat, the unbreathable weather (now 102 or so), the lack of indoor hallways, walkways, eating areas, or seating areas, and the lack of so-called “outdoor air-conditioning” misters (as in Las Vegas and Los Angeles) in those outdoor areas, everything was perfect. At right, I stand on a lawn under some blue-blossom trees cheerfully dropping their petals. At left, Robert reclines on a hammock in one of the pool areas. We never did get to avail ourselves of their catch-and-release fully stocked fishing pond, for which they’d lend you rod and reel (a step up from shuffleboard, though they had that too, for hotel entertainment), but I managed to spend many, many hours at one of their pools over the next few days, and we loved the huge, well air-conditioned rooms that were made up with fresh towels twice a day.

On Monday morning we attended a conference-sponsored desert Jeep tour---this was bumpy, very warm, and not very interesting or informative after our recent foray into the botanical gardens. The highlight was probably not getting heatstroke in the desert--either that, or attempting to ignore Howard's endless questions about bathroom facilities and desert equivlents of toilet-paper. Below, Robert snaps a picture of me next to an extra-tall red-tinged barrel cactus, and I take a picture of a large group of very warm people staring at a saguaro cactus while one of our Western-attired guides lectures.

Monday afternoon, Tuesday afternoon, and Wednesday morning found me in my favorite spot back at the hotel: lying on the slanted floor of the Sonora Splash pool, my head in about an inch of water (just enough to lap about my hairline and ears), my feet in five or six inches, my knees bent and a book in hand.

Monday night was the black-tie dinner, and Robert had a crisis when he realized he'd only brought along his "real" bowtie, not his pre-fab one. Howard had to tie Robert's tie, which was difficult because Robert is so tall and Howard said it was an inferior bowtie to start with. Still, Howard was much in demand because he was one of the few men who could do anything at all with a bowtie; at right he ties another attendee's tie, this time taking advantage of their similar heights.

 

On Tuesday night, after dinner, we ran out for a brief pass at a nearby driving range, and then returned to dabble in the pool (open all night) and sit, listening to music and talking, with friends outdoors until midnight. Friend Bob, exhausted and content, enjoys the late-night 85-degree weather.

On Wednesday, after a not-brief-enough panic over a misplaced rental car key (since found safe and sound), we drove back to the airport after lunch to catch our plane. Along the way, we stopped at Carolina’s, the atmosphere-less atmospheric taco place we had tried to go to on Sunday—and which we now knew perfectly well where it was. We bought a chorizo burro to eat on the plane (delicious: perfectly charred tortilla, homemade, greaseless chorizo, perfect amount of spice) and a dozen tamales to bring to Chicago with us.

Phoenix Sights | Scottsdale Conference
Downtown Chicago (Kids) | Family Pictures (Party, Etc.)