AZ88 - Old Town Scottsdale

Address: 7353 E. Scottsdale Mall, Central Scottsdale, Scottsdale, AZ
Phone: 480/994-5576
Price range: ¢-$$
Cuisine: American
Location: Old Town Scottsdale

A great spot for people-watching, this sleek, 20 year old, glassed-in restaurant serves some of the Valley's best cocktails and food at affordable prices. Large portions of tasty salads, sandwiches, sumptuous burgers (try the Au Poivre II), and perfectly poured cosmopolitans never fail to satisfy. If you're seeking quiet, dine outside on the beautiful patio overlooking Scottsdale Mall. Keep in mind: Reservations not accepted.

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Museum of the West - Old Town Scottsdale

By Peter Corbett - Mar. 27, 2008 12:27 PMThe Arizona Republic

SCOTTSDALE - Plans for a $60 million Scottsdale Museum of the West will face public scrutiny for the first time early next month with a pair of meetings. A non-profit foundation plans to open the museum northwest of Marshall Way and First Street on Arizona's centennial, Feb. 14, 2012. But foundation must first raise about $53 million in private funding to go along with the city's $7 million commitment to the project.
"I hope that it will be seen as a real special amenity and asset to this historic downtown area," said Michael J. Fox, the museum director. At the upcoming open-house meetings, members of the museum board, city planners and architects from the Jones Studio Inc. of Phoenix will present the museum's conceptual design and a model of the proposed cultural facility. Two 90-minute open-house sessions are scheduled at 9 a.m. April 9 and 6 p.m. April 10 at the Scottsdale Artists' School, 3720 N. Marshall Way.

Building includes solar energy
The four-level building with three stories above ground is a modern design with solar energy features. It is intended to be a green building that meets the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED standards. The museum's windows would be shaded by vertical slats made of a wood composite board that will weather naturally. Museum director Fox said the design concept plays off the idea of sunlight streaming through the aged wood of a barn or a straw cowboy hat. As with any design, there are bound to be critics. But the open house will give the architects and museum officials a chance to explain the design and the building's connection to the West. "We want to visit with the public about what we see as our mission and vision for this project," said Fox, 62, who took over as museum director about two months ago.

Near Scottsdale's art galleries
Built on top of a public parking garage, the Scottsdale Museum of the West would be adjacent to the Main Street Plaza condominiums and near the Main Street galleries. The project must get a rezoning approval by the Scottsdale City Council to amend the development standards for the site, which is about three-quarters of an acre. Initial designs for the museum were revealed late last year but the open-house sessions will be the first to get public feedback on the project. Scottsdale civic leaders have long been pursuing development of a Western museum for Scottsdale, which for a half-century touted itself as the "West's Most Western Town." "We should have the West's Most Western Museum" Fox said. His resume includes $90 million in fundraising and development of the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky. Fox also held top leadership roles at the Heard Museum, Phoenix Art Museum and Museum of Northern Arizona, and developed two museums for the University of California at Berkeley.

Next stage needs: $15 million
The Museum of the West will need to raise about $15 million to get to the next stage of the project, doing the final designs for the facility. It will take about 18 months to build the museum and the goal is to start construction by Feb. 14, 2010, two years before the centennial, Fox said.
That would give the museum a chance for a soft opening before the centennial. "We just now have to raise some serious money to meet our objective," the museum director said.

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Apple Store - North Scottsdale

Scottsdale Store Finally Pinpointed
October 26th, 2008

The location of the future Scottsdale (Ariz.) retail store has been pinpointed by local media–the Scottsdale Quarter shopping mall now under construction near the airport. The mid-sized development will eventually include office space and condos, but will open its retail space in Spring 2009, when the 7,857 square-foot Apple store will also probably debut. It will be the fifth store in the Phoenix area.

Information provided by http://www.ifoapplestore.com/

Kazimierz World Wine Bar - Old Town Scottsdale - Food/Drinks

Kazimierz World Wine Bar

(it's Kaz-MEER-ehz, but you can call it Kazbar, Kashmere or whatever other pronunciation you devise)

Kazimierz world wine bar is downtown Scottsdale's hidden jewel, offering live entertainment, signature cocktails, global small plates and over 3200 wines. Kazimierz is Arizona's only wine bar awarded the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence annually (2001-2007).

History: When the space next door became available, owner Peter Kasperski planned a lounge to complement his neighboring restaurant, Cowboy Ciao. Named for Kasperksi's father, Kazimierz pays tribute to him through family photos, coin & stamp collections, and menu quotes worthy of a curmudgeonly, Schlitz-drinking, Chicago stone mason.

Atmosphere: comfortably plush sofas & chairs in vineyard colors, stone walls softened by candlelight; wooden wine casks evoke the feel of a European wine cave; subtle lighting; interesting mix of jazz, latin & world beat music at levels that don't strain conversation!
Hours: nightly, 6 pm - 2 am (kitchen open until closing)

Reservations: accepted for 6 or more guests, sofa areas may be reserved with a credit card guarantee and do require a food & beverage minimum. To request a reservation, phone 480-946-3004.

Directions: from Scottsdale Rd: Stetson is the first right turn South of Camelback. Look for the faux stained glass windows on your left and the two black columns next to them. Head down the outdoor corridor --sign above says Stetson Plaza. Valet parking also available, access from Stetson or 6th. (like all good speakeasys, the entrance is located at the rear of the building!)

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Digestif - Downtown Scottsdale - Food

A lively, urban vibe contrasts the soulful, old-world food and the paradox results in a delicious, mood-lifting experience. Digestif is both ‘big city’ and a comfortable, neighborhood spot.
the lookDining Room meets Living Room! Designer Cory Golab of Cal Designs and Ron Ackerlund of Desert Design created a 1960’s suburban beatnik basement with low ceilings, brick walls, exposed ductwork, dark wood and stainless steel. Reserve a table in the dining room or catch the cooking action at the Charcuterie Bar. Dine al fresco on two patios or sip a post-ArtWalk cocktail at the Digestif bar.
the musicKeep an ear open to the eclectic musical mix – Digestif’s CD collection includes everything from Radiohead and Amy Winehouse to Arcade Fire and Spoon. Local music heroine Kimber Lanning of Phoenix record shop stinkweeds has collaborated on a listening station where diners can preview indie (and often, local) CD’s available for purchase. All proceeds go to local first Arizona, a grassroots organization encouraging Valley residents to help maximize economic benefits for the state and our local communities by patronizing locally-owned businesses whenever possible.

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Silverstone - North Scottsdale

A 160-acre former Rawhide site at Scottsdale and Pinnacle Peak Roads will become a planned community called Silverstone. The community will include a health care facility, residences, a public library, offices and commercial areas. Silverstone will have 976 housing units and an assisted living facility that will rise 45 feet. The developer of Silverstone, RHVT Limited Partnership, will be responsible for widening several roads in the area due to the increased traffic the project will generate in the North Scottsdale area that it is located in.

Palisene-WestCor-North Phoenix

Dillard's to anchor new center with retractable roof by Peter Corbett - Sept. 18, 2008 04:40 PMThe Arizona Republic

Dubai. Salt Lake City. Northeast Phoenix.
All three areas have uneven weather. They also may be the only three cities in the world planning major outdoor malls with retractable roofs.
Move over, Chase Field.

Westcor, the Valley's largest mall operator and developer, said Thursday that Palisene, a million-square-foot luxury center planned for the corner of Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road, will have a retractable roof. The company also announced that Dillard's is the first of four expected anchor tenants to sign at the center. No other tenants have been announced, but Scott Nelson, a Westcor vice president of development, said the roof will be a reason retailers will want to sign on. "Palisene is going to be a streetscape," he said. "It will have an outdoor feel, with pavers and concrete. The difference between it and other outdoor centers is that we can use the roof during the four months of the year we want to control the climate." Erin Hershkowitz, media-relations specialist for the International Council of Shopping Centers in New York, said, "It's a great idea. I don't think it is very common. What we have been seeing a lot of nationally is centers being built without the roof. But, in certain climates, you don't want to deter a customer from going shopping on a day that is very hot or very cold." At least two other sites have malls with retractable roofs in the works right now.
The Grove, a 5.3 million-square-foot center planned to open this year in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is said to have an indoor-outdoor streetscape that will be enclosed with a retractable roof in hot or rainy weather. City Creek Center, a 25-acre project planned in Salt Lake City, also has plans for a retractable roof. Salt Lake's Desert News reported earlier this year that the cost of the roof could reach $1.5 billion. Nelson said Westcor is still mapping out ideas for Palisene's roof, so he has no cost estimate. "We are very aware that it can be done and have planned it as such. But we are not very far along on the technical aspects," Nelson said. "There are two ways it could be done. It could run lengthways along the pedestrian mall. Or it could back away over the roof of the retailers." The retractable roof is not a new idea for Westcor. Scottsdale Fashion Square has skylights that open. But Palisene's roof will be done on a far larger scale, Nelson said. "We will be able to take advantage of the best of both worlds," Nelson said. "The idea is providing an atmosphere that both the retailer and the shopper want to be at, . . . an environment that can perform to the highest level year-round." Palisene is planned to open in 2010 or 2011, according to Westcor. "We're making great strides in realizing our vision for this high-profile Scottsdale Road intersection," Art Coppola, chief executive of Macerich, Westcor's parent company, said in a statement. Palisene will add yet another large shopping center to the Loop 101 corridor in the northeast Valley. CityNorth is set to open its first 10 buildings Nov. 13, northwest of 56th Street and Loop 101. Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's and Macy's plan to open department stores at the 144-acre, mixed-use project in late 2010. Westcor and DMB Associates Inc. are partners in One Scottsdale, which is under construction just east of Palisene on the Scottsdale side of Scottsdale Road. Dial Corp. is completing its headquarters at One Scottsdale, and a luxury shopping center is scheduled to open there in 2010 or 2011, Westcor spokeswoman Anita Walker said. Palisene will be built on a site that Westcor acquired in April. The company paid $99 million for 112 acres of state trust land. Initial plans call for the shopping center to occupy roughly one-half of the site with offices, residential and hotels filling up the remaining land. It will take 18 to 24 months to build the shopping center, Nelson said.
Westcor has been planning a regional shopping center at the site for nearly 20 years.

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