New House!!

Wandering in the Desert

My darling fiancé surprised me with a series of fun dates around the holidays. One Friday night, we bundled ourselves in scarves and winter coats and went to see the Chihuly Nature of Glass exhibit at the Desert Botanical Gardens. It was a spectacular night with live music, and warm beveages! There were thousands of luminaries lining the paths to each installation. We bought spiked hot chocolates and spent the next 2 hours strolling hand in hand through the gardens taking in the sights and listening to the music.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye

You'd be hard pressed to find a Phoenix foodie who doesn't worship at the wood-fired oven of Chris Bianco. After hearing countless people rave about Pizzeria Bianco, I HAD to try it. With my mom (visiting from San Diego) and fiancé in tow, we made our way over to Heritage Square hoping to be one of the first few in line. Friends suggested we arrive around 4PM, purchase a bottle of wine next door at Bar Bianco, and relax while waiting for the restaurant to open at 5PM. We got there closer to 4:30PM and there was already a substantial group of people waiting.

The two buildings, Pizzeria Bianco and Bar Bianco, are charming, restored craftsman houses. In addition to a cluster of smaller tables out front, there is a long, communal picnic table between the two houses. It's a fantastic way to encourage patrons to mingle.

As we sat there, I noticed this great little herb garden lining both houses. Bay trees, rosemary, basil, mint, thyme etc... It was so inspiring, I'm on a mission to start my own.




We were SO hungry we ended up taking the first available spot at the bar. Regardless, our food was AMAZING, and well worth the wait. The caprese salad with Bianco's handmade mozarella was one of the best that I've had! I will be back again (hopefully soon)!

Secret Garden

I am in love with the Royal Palms Resort in Scottsdale! Just when I was feeling depressed about a lack of foliage, my fiancé took me to this place for brunch. Heaven on earth! Literally a stunning place tucked away off Camelback Road.

I can't get over the beautiful landscaping --it looks lush and wild--overgrown but it's obviously very well thought out. Fushcia bouganvilla crawls over honeysuckle, and creeps into jasmin. Beautiful morning glories tumble over balconies. There are fountains and citrus trees. My favorite is this little bench off the beaten path...I imagine this is the perfect way to escape with a good book and a tall glass of iced tea.

Leaving Los Angeles....

I'll admit it --I am depressed at the thought of leaving Los Angeles. Leaving all of the things I love: my darling apartment with its hardwood floors, crown moulding and vintage charm; the amazing group of friends that have shared EVERYTHING with me over the years; the kooky, hole in the wall, ethnic restaurants that I've hand selected (one for each cuisine: Ethiopian, Lebanese, Korean, Indian, Mexican, Greek, Thai etc...); my kick ass job as a celebrity publicist; the perfection in a Spanish Latte at Urth Caffe; the vintage modern stores on Pico; the cupcakes I crave from La Provence; the Farmer's market on Third and Fairfax; Stella, my waxing guru who still only charges $25 for a brazillian. I even had a freakout about green landscaping and grass. How on earth would I survive in the land of desert rocks and cacti?

and then it hit me....

I think I'm depressed because I KNOW Los Angeles like the back of my hand. True, not a day goes by where I don't discover something new, but for the most part, I always know exactly where I'm headed when I leave the house and I always have a perfect solution for everything. I also have this mental image of Phoenix as a shiny, new homogeneous city --where everything is taupe and beige.

That is why I'm starting this blog: as a challenge to myself to Find Phoenix and learn the intricacies of this new city.