Designated as a Unesco World Heritage Site, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West was built by the architect and his apprentices in the 1930s using desert rock. The building, which comprises Wright’s personal home, studio, and architectural laboratory, is considered one of his greatest masterpieces.

Technically a separate city from Phoenix, with which it shares a border, Scottsdale is the Valley of the Sun’s slightly more Wild West outpost. It’s got posh resorts, pools for days, lots of desert hiking, vintage and Southwestern boutique shopping, and world-class dining. Here’s where to stay and play in the shadow of Camelback Mountain.

Do/See

Space Explore

The “desert laboratory” that Frank Lloyd Wright intended to create with Taliesin West—balancing the built and natural worlds—has achieved an apex of use. With film nights, happy hours, and wellness classes, guests can expand the tenets of organic architecture. With wine. “We want people to look at Taliesin West differently,” said Alexandra Freyermuth, the manager of cultural programs at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

The home and studio of the master architect, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is enmeshed in Scottsdale’s cultural fabric, with 100,000 visitors annually. This spring, a new monthly book club allows page-turners into beloved interior spaces like the Garden Room and the rarely-seen Sun Cottage while yoga and meditation are held amid serene pathways and gardens. Sunsets and Sips is the most popular event, naturally, with visitors soaking up live music and sunsets, broadening their own vision of Wright’s West.

Granite Mountain’s lupins and California poppies in bloom.

Into the Wild

Wildflower season is sweeping the West after a record winter rainfall, and Scottsdale is in full volume. Two places spring to mind. The Desert Botanical Garden boasts a vivid display along the Harriet K. Maxwell Desert Wildflower Loop. More stroll than hike, this is where one leisurely “oohs” at thousands of blooming cacti and flowers overflowing with poppies, penstemon, desert milkweed, and buzzing wildlife.

Meanwhile, McDowell Sonoran Preserve offers true grit with more than 200 miles of trails. The most reliable wildflower hotspots are Granite Mountain, Brown’s Ranch Trailhead, Lost Dog Trailhead, and Tom’s Thumb Trail. Tom’s more challenging 5.1-mile round-trip rises to 1,000 feet in elevation, taking hikers past massive granite formations, prickly teddy bear cholla cactus, and vibrant wildflowers to its namesake summit. The panoramic sunset perch affords city views and your Instagram shot.

Les Paul at the Musical Instrument Museum.

Listen Up

Jimi Hendrix’s Black Widow electric guitar and the world’s first ukulele have one commonality beyond strings alone: their location. The newest exhibit at the Musical Instrument Museum, “Rediscover Treasures: Legendary Musical Instruments,” features 28 new acquisitions alongside some biggies. There’s Black Power, Prince’s bass and purple grand piano, and Brownie, Eric Clapton’s famed 1956 Fender Stratocaster.

Also among the treasured 6,000 instruments: a Japanese emperor’s 14th-century flute, an Erard grand piano, and an Amati violin. Sure, you can look. But listening is way better with high-tech audio and video options for guests to hear the sounds and watch them being played in their original contexts. Catch a live show in the acoustically superb 300-seat theater.

The opulent collection at the Robert Black boutique.

Treasure Hunting

Chunky turquoise. Fiery opals. Lots of fringe. Shoppers can load up on Western goods and jewelry in Scottsdale’s shop- and gallery-filled Old Town. But if it’s vintage you seek: The curation here is wildly enviable. Make an appointment to peruse Fashion by Robert Black, the Grand Poobah who has been slinging vintage to A-list stylists around the globe for a decade and counting.

From Givenchy and Ungaro to a dizzying collection of costume jewelry (and a secret room for don’t-touch pieces), the store feels more art gallery than boutique. Thankfully, the knowledgeable staff is helpful when approaching the dressing room. “I love the research and the stories the pieces tell,” says Black. “We believe you should start collecting with your heart, not your mind.”

Designer label or not, if a piece speaks to you, Black’s advice—bring it home. There’s little chance of finding another. Meanwhile, Y2K and streetwear are covered by the newest kid on the block, Change Clothes, featuring hard-to-find sneakers from Nike, Ice Cream, and Adidas alongside a curated selection of streetwear brands like Bape, Chrome Hearts, Palace, and Supreme. There’s also Gen Z “vintage” items like moto jackets, Coogie sweaters, and the next big thing rotating back in style.

Mountain Shadows’ pool glitters under the Arizona sun.

Stay

Paradise Found

Paradise Valley is a ruggedly beautiful landscape where the hotels are refined enough for Beyoncé and Jay-Z to honeymoon. Back in the day, Mountain Shadows upgraded the era’s elite guests like Bob Hope and Lucille Ball.

Ensconced in floor-to-ceiling glass, this luxury resort recaptures the glamor and playfulness of its midcentury Hollywood heritage through a modern lens. Design elements achieve the greatness of its Paradise Valley setting with butterfly roofs and an abundance of outdoor spaces to bask in the dramatic panorama during golden hour.

With high ceilings and sleek décor, the rooms feel closer to urban lofts than Sonoran suites. The signature restaurant, Hearth ’61, is a destination thanks to top culinary talent Chef Yulissa Acostathe crafting new Americana fare. A lobby gallery features rotating exhibits while outdoor pursuits archive their own high art status. There’s an 18-hole golf course, two 75-foot pools connected by waterfall features, and countless perches to wish on a star for late check-out.

The ZuZu Lounge at Hotel Valley Ho.

Center of Attraction

Honestly, we’d be happy just to hang out in the lobby all day. Since 1956, Hotel Valley Ho has been the center of downtown’s action, laying the groundwork for the buzz surrounding it. Nostalgia runs deep at the property. The vision of architect Edward L. Varney, an acolyte of Frank Lloyd Wright, has been restored to reflect an urban resort that feels like a dreamland of architecture, landscape, historic Hollywood, and convivial luxury.

Varney developed a curving, concrete porte-cochère that opens onto a brilliant lobby space and configured the hotel around a central courtyard and pool. As such, the resort unfolds organically to a buzzy bar, airy patios, and ZuZu Lounge, the hotel’s indoor-outdoor dining hub.

The interiors of the hotel’s 241 rooms and suites retain the midcentury atmosphere, mixing poppy 1950s styles with contemporary furniture and terrazzo tile. Luxury suites are finely appointed with modern amenities and sprawling balconies that open to the din of downtown. Architecture buffs: Book the hotel’s Magical History Tour, an exploration of its legendary design and Hollywood lore led by local expert and hotel historian Ace Bailey.

The post Great Scottsdale appeared first on San Diego Magazine.

An aerial shot of Carlsbad Village.

Courtesy of Carlsbad Village

Having garnered national acclaim for its alkaline water, it seems fitting that Carlsbad Village is now a wellspring of development, too.

Innovative architecture, biotech start-ups, and unparalleled walkability to shops, restaurants, and other attractions have collectively transformed Carlsbad Village into a sleeper hit of pedestrian hubs—something notable for car-centric North County.

Transplants from the Bay Area to the Midwest are migrating to the coastal city between Oceanside and Leucadia for more than beachy proximity alone. Unlike the downtowns of, say, Encinitas or Solana Beach, Carlsbad boasts an extremely walkable gridded network of widely spaced streets, offering developers—and developments—more room to scale and play.

The walkable timeline starts in 2016, when Cardiff-based architect Brett Farrow teamed up with Chris Miller, the visionary Vuori co-founder and former pro skateboarder, to transform an old garage and former home of the Dragmaster into a mixed-use project. It houses Campfire—restaurateur John Resnick’s Carlsbad debut—still burning brightly alongside tenants Baba Coffee and Carruth Cellars.

A redeveloped electric supply warehouse is now where Jeune et Jolie and the neighboring co-working space are housed.

Courtesy of Fabric

In 2018, Resnick teamed up with local development firm, Fabric, for a ballyhooed follow-up, the vintage-luxe Jeune et Jolie just one block north as a part of a mixed-use project. The French-tinged SoCal fare earned its star in the 2021 Michelin Guide California and has since become a calling card for the culinary scene.

Today, cups runneth over. A new wave of design is underway for players, old and new. For Farrow, there’s Laguna Row, featuring 13 residences perched on the southerly edge of the Buena Vista Lagoon. Meanwhile, Resnick has a dual concept yet to break ground that will feature Wildland, an all-day neighborhood cafe, and Lilo, a fine dining experience. There’s talk of a Japanese garden, too. Add a drumroll for local namestay, Fabric, too: It has created a tapestry with seven projects in a four-block radius.

“There’s still lots of blank canvas here,” says managing principal Brendan Foote as he ambles along State Street. “The topography here orients itself toward the ocean.”

Laguna Row is a residential masterpiece, inspired by Sea Ranch, by visionary architect Brett Farrow.

Courtesy of Brett Farrow

Behind Fabric’s alluring mixed-use façades, the group has carved out serious achievements in Oceanside, Carlsbad, and Little Italy. The urban infill development and redevelopment company has punctuated its portfolio with adaptive reuse, architectural integrity, and innovative design that prioritizes community.

Former Carlsbad Antique Mall now home to Lofty Coffee and Warner Bros.

Courtesy of Fabric

A custom clock at State Street Commons pays homage to the Carlsbad Train Station across the street.

Courtesy of Fabric

Take State Street Commons, which transformed the decrepit antique mall into a vibrant project that houses Lofty Coffee, Nick’s, Pure Taco, Pacific Sotheby’s, and Warner Bros. Games. There’s a buzz from sunrise to sunset. Out front, an old-school clock keeps time for the nearby train station where the group is one of three finalists vying for the redevelopment of North County Transit District’s Carlsbad Village Coaster station in partnership with Sea Breeze Properties.

“We are finding ways to develop what the neighborhood needs,” says Foote.

Over on Roosevelt, he points out two forthcoming mixed-use projects underway. The live-work-play Roosevelt—located next to Resnick’s double vision—includes offices, retail, and 17 apartments anchored by a plaza. And the live-work Beech House is inspired by an East Coast Montauk surf style.

An original Quonset hut now home to Nick’s.

Courtesy of Fabric

There’s an easy familiarity to Fabric’s projects. Instead of cookie-cutter, buildings are designed to reflect the soul and identity of the location through a new-era lens. Take the HQ for TYRA Biosciences, which feels more residential than clinical with its rough-hewn wood exterior sourced from an Oregon grain silo. In January, construction began on the HQ expansion next door with an additional 9,500 square feet of creative office and lab space.

An office and lab HQ for TYRA on State Street, clad in reclaimed wood from an old grain silo in Central Oregon.

Courtesy of Fabric

In 2021, Carlsbad’s economy grew by $1 billion to $14.6 billion, second only to the City of San Diego, according to a report presented to the City Council. In addition, the city’s seven miles of beaches attract over 3.5 million visitors annually, supporting over 6,300 brick-and-mortar businesses. San Diego Start-Up Week chose to kick off its 10th annual event here, with Fabric playing host in its own Carlsbad HQ—an old car wash. The more polished office space? That’s The Reserve, Fabric’s 17,000-square-foot commercial office building located near the lagoon.

The Reserve is in good company with Laguna Row. Recently earning headlines in the international design magazine, Dezeen, Farrow’s project is a study in organic architecture with distinctive exterior symmetry giving way to interior diversity with five different floor plans. Farrow says he called upon Sonoma County’s Sea Ranch for his dramatic use of cedar.

“I chose the materials for a reason,” says Farrow, standing on a rooftop deck. “Cedar will age and arrive at its final color—a deep silver gray that will achieve that moody beachiness.”

The Reserve, a creative office building overlooking the Buena Vista Lagoon and Pacific Ocean on north end of State Street.

Courtesy of Fabric

As both the architect and developer, Farrow was able to maximize the lot (former home to an old medical building) and methodically tap into the lagoon’s natural beauty throughout the design with unfolding decks and surprise-and-delight views chiseled into unexpected rooms.

“This site presented a unique opportunity to offer a private life facing onto nature while also offering a very public, urban lifestyle with restaurants, mass transit, and the beach all within walking distance,” he said.

Next up? Environmentalists celebrated the December news that a generous $3 million donation to the Buena Vista Audubon Society will transform the 220 acres of lagoon from freshwater to a native saltwater habitat. The saltwater option would reinvigorate the lagoon, killing off invading vegetation and adding more species of fish and birds while reducing problems with mosquitoes and flooding.

On State Street, the award-winning Safdie Rabines is getting in on the action. The new saw-toothed Seaglass consists of eight breezy townhomes featuring elevators, garages, double decks, and ocean views.

“Carlsbad surprised us with its urban village feel,” says founding partner Taal Safdie. “The train is very much part of the city activity here.”

Award-winning architecture firm Safdie Rabines designed the new Seaglass complex, which consists of eight townhomes featuring elevators, garages, double decks, and ocean views.

Courtesy of Safdie Rabines

As such, the architects created floor plans that tapped into the street energy, connecting residents to the village action—not separating them from it. That philosophy also strongly influences the NTCD station development proposal, where they teamed up with Fabric.

Located in the heart of Carlsbad Village, the station draws hundreds of thousands of riders annually. Redevelopment could accommodate more than 300 residential units and offers the potential for some 40,000 square feet of commercial space while providing parking for transit riders, residents, and patrons. The other two finalists are Sea Breeze Properties run by father-and-son developers Gary Levitt and Darren Levitt, who brought North City to San Marcos, and Holland and Raintree.

The new Carlsbadians, according to architect Mark Benjamin, are from New York, Colorado, Chicago, Germany, and the Bay Area. At least that’s the tenant mix between his two multi-family luxury lofts, the LEED gold-certified Railyard, and the new Townhouse. They’re attracted to the accessibility and proximity to both the train and the beach.

“The big bonus here is connectivity,” says the Rancho Santa Fe-based architect. “It’s inevitable that Carlsbad will be the next Manhattan Beach.”

The front door of Townhouse by architect Mark Benjamin of Archipelago Development is a favorite local selfie spot.

Courtesy of Archipelago Development

Until then, the artful metal doors outside Townhouse, custom-made by Forms+Surfaces, will remain a prized local selfie spot.

“We had a band doing an album cover out front one day,” says Benjamin.

Consider it the new postcard.

The post Walk This Way appeared first on San Diego Magazine.