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Taliesin West

When I think of Scottsdale, Arizona, spas, golf and swimming pools come to mind. But now, after having spent some time there, I know that art — in all forms — is just as integral to the city’s identity.

I had the opportunity to visit two of Scottsdale’s cultural centers: the Musical Instrument Museum and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West. I would go back to either in a heartbeat. Each was a unique experience that left me wanting more.

The Musical Instrument Museum, which is actually in neighboring Phoenix, houses more than 6,000 instruments from 200 countries and territories. This collection makes for hours of fun education for anyone interested in music and world culture. The upper level is categorized by region of the world, and the lower level features special collections, including an exhibit of self-playing instruments and an experiential gallery. There’s even a concert hall with live performances. Allow at least half a day here. Our two hours were not enough!

Guitar exhibit

Chinese instruments

This fall, on Oct. 18 and 19, the museum will host an outdoor, two-day music festival celebrating musical traditions from all over the world, with musical performances, dancers, street performers and food trucks.

We also toured Taliesin West (pictured above), architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s West Coast home, studio and instructional campus. We took the 90-minute tour of the grounds and house that includes a lot of historical information from informed docents who clearly enjoy what they do.

I’ve also heard that the Museum of Contemporary Art is a must-see as well. This fall and winter, from Sept. 28 through Jan. 11, 2015, the museum will house the Donald Rumsfeld-inspired “Covert Operations: Investigating the Unknowns,” an exhibit from 13 international artists based on the idea of expansion of federal power and infringement of constitutional rights in the wake of 9/11. Given Arizona’s Republican leanings, this should be an interesting show.

So next time you’re thinking about taking a trip, especially one within driving distance of Los Angeles (6 hours by car), then consider Scottsdale. You can relax at the spa, play the links and take in some culture.

Note: These visits were hosted.

Harveys, the company that makes those cute seat belt bags including the “hipster” bag I mentioned recently, hosted a fun event last Friday at its Melrose Avenue boutique. With multicolored Sharpies (official sponsor) in hand, guests were encouraged to put their mark on nearly blank canvases while sipping on cans of PBR (get it? “Open Canvas”?) and munching on bags of chips. There were even two plain white Harveys bags for us to decorate, too.

Keep Reading

…check out Fear and Loathing: The Board Game.

I love Hunter S. Thompson’s work. I have multiple HST-inspired posters by Ralph Steadman (they’re framed, mind you – I’ll get real ones some day) on my walls, and I spent a semester in grad school writing a research paper on the image of the Gonzo journalist in film (yes, I am a dork). So when I saw the Fear and Loathing: The Board Game on UrbanDaddy, I was intrigued. Apparently players draw “dosage” cards that tell you how much of a particular “drug” to ingest. Sounds kind of fun, I guess. But looks like it’s more of a mixed-media art piece than a board game because it costs $3,500. I better start saving now!

By the way, I haven’t yet made it to Tony’s, Cedd Moses’ newest bar in downtown’s Arts District. I wonder how HST-inspired it really is…