While visiting a friend, who had recently moved from Los Angeles to Scottsdale, Arizona, I explored some of the highlights of the Phoenix Metropolitan area.
Our priority was the Desert Botanical Garden with its Orchid Fever exhibit and the different types of cacti.
We were not disappointed, the orchids felt crowed in the indoor space, but the outdoor views of the majestic saguaros against the sky and the mountains were spectacular.
I saw a great specimen of Organ Pipe cactus.
I discovered the Toothpick cactus that I had not seen before, in my previous travels to Baja California, Joshua Tree and Tucson.
My passion for street murals was satisfied by a walk on the Roosevelt Row Arts District, with works by Tato Caraveo and others.
Caraveo said:” My aesthetic is whimsical and colorful. I always envision how I can bring a wall or canvas to life by playing with perspective and depth to expand our reality.”
Click on underlined words to read some of the articles I wrote and photographed on this subject: Mural Mile, Murals by Rip Cronk, Venice Murals, Abbot Kinney Blvd.
While driving around, I noticed Papago Mountain, that reminded me of the Red Rock formations I had admired in Sedona, also in Arizona. Click here for my article.
In Old Town Scottsdale we noticed the impressive bronze sculptures by Vladimir Kush.
Kush said about Route 66: “The dragonfly steering a motorbike is a metaphor of someone flying through the vast surrounding space and bursting the bounds of the mundane.”
As lifetime foodies we sampled some of the local restaurants. I cannot fail to mention Los Sombreros, and its outstanding Oaxacan dishes. It felt like being back in that Mexican city. Read article I wrote about my last visit to Oaxaca for the film festival.
Traveling invariably expands your perspective on humanity and fills your heart with joy in these troubled times for the world.
Look for my upcoming article about Taliesin West in Scottsdale.
(All photos (c) Elisa Leonelli 2025)