A full day driving on the
Interstate 10, the straightest road in the universe through all of Los Angeles
and into the dessert and to Palm Springs although we are sure someone will tell
us differently.
Great hotel, dreadful
food; think the chef must have gone on holiday.
More driving the next
day, again on the I-10 all the way to Phoenix and nearby Scottsdale, only two
kinks in this interminably straight road through a most amazing desert
landscape; we were fascinated all the way by the mountains, the huge Sequoa
cacti, how green and how cultivated it was in places; it was not as expected.
We arrived at our hotel,
the Westin Kierland, and were awe struck; it is massive, spread over many acres
and has a golf course just outside. There’s massive water features inside, some
running down steps and when lit up at night look amazing. The bathroom is fantastic as is the huge
bedroom.
We took the shuttle to a
fish restaurant [Ocean Club] where they served this amazing cold fish on a
tiered stand all steaming cold. Lemons
were served in a net so that when you squeezed them the pips didn’t go onto the
fish; they think of everything here!!
Diana had scallops which were 2.5 inches wide and 1.5 inches thick and
absolutely delicious. Malc had a huge
piece of swordfish. When we decided we
couldn’t eat any more, the waiter announced that our Concierge Kevin had
treated us to a dessert which turned out to be a most amazingly delicious warm
sponge [whole one of course] surrounded by the most massive strawberries ever
seen by us and a whole bowl of whipped cream.
Malc ate nearly half of it so wasn’t as full as he thought. We brought a doggy bag back with us as we
couldn’t finish it.
Tomorrow, both read the
guidebook so what did we do?
Diana thinks: must see the
Desert Botanical Gardens and the shops and galleries in Old Scottsdale
Malcolm thinks: there’s a place at Chandler called Rawhide a
western town set up like an 1880s frontier town with wild west live action ie shoot
outs, must visit that.
REALITY
Botanical Gardens amazing
but it rained. Rawhide western town
closed [sound familiar] Old Scottsdale fascinating.
Enjoy the pictures.
