tOP: PHOtO cOUrtESY Of ScOttSDALE cOnVEntiOn & ViSitOrS bUrEAU OctObEr 2016 BCBusIness 95
TRAVEL
Wheel of
Fortune
The golf-wear set gives way
to spandex-clad cyclists in
Scottsdale's two-wheeled
renaissance
by Amanda Ross
If Phoenix didn't invent the freeway, it
certainly perfected it. Deplaning at
Sky Harbour airport, I'm faced with
myriad multi-lane options spreading
like a circulatory system to carry me
into town. But unlike most visitors, who
make a beeline for the rental counter to
sign up for the unlimited miles option,
I'm doing what was not too long ago
considered inconceivable in the Valley
of the Sun—I'm going car-free.
I let my cab driver navigate the may-
hem of the highways that take us into
the heart of Scottsdale, that tony part of
the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, where
I'm deposited in front of the Bespoke
Inn, my two-wheel HQ for the next
few days. The eclectic four-room inn—
another revolutionary concept in a place
better known for its mega-resorts—is a
hybrid bed-and-breakfast-style boutique
hotel with the amenities of a luxury
resort—all organized around an al fresco
twinkly lit courtyard with a fountain that
seems lifted straight from Umbria rather
than part of the U.S.'s sixth-biggest
metropolis. It's also become ground
zero for those who eschew the internal
combustion engine, thanks to its diehard
cyclist owners, Rob Taynton and Kate
Hennen. Rob explains that a combina-
tion of Scottsdale's recent downtown
regeneration mixed with the local
government's commitment to expanding
environmentally friendly bike paths has
made their once unthinkable enterprise
now viable: "People now come from all
over the world here to cycle."
Kate outts me with a shiny new
British handmade Pashley bicycle, a
heavy bank vault of a bike that will be
my trusty stainless-steel companion
over the next few days. She presses a
cycling map into my hand and gives me
a few basic pointers on the city's emerg-
ing 27-kilometre bike loop connecting
it to Tempe and Phoenix. Anxious to
CaCtus Club
The lush Sonoran desert
is the unlikely heart of
Scottsdale's cycling grid
EAT
the uPton /
Chinese char
siu ribs, smoked
peanuts, cilantro pesto
or American mussels in bourbon broth are
only some of the creative American cuisine
at this Old Town Scottsdale hot spot replete
with perfect outdoor-courtyard sanctuary.
theuptonaz.com
Posh / One of the most original dining expe-
riences in the valley: tell chef Joshua Hebert
what you like and don't like, and he'll craft a
wildly creative, personalized menu based on
what's fresh and local. Every Tuesday, the
restaurant converts to Posh Ramen Shop
from 5 to 9 p.m. poshscottsdale.com
fnB / James Beard-nominated chef
Charleen Badman elevates local fare and
vegetables to rhapsodic status (hakurei
turnips, piri piri and peanuts; simmered
chicken thighs and chicken fat rice) and
pairs it with a dynamite wine menu spot-
lighting local selections. fnbrestaurant.com
