Denver Colorado Luxury magazine Holiday 2023

Downtown at the Sheraton Phoenix The carefully selected wines truly enriched each course, and brings to mind the longstanding cliché, “Wine is best enjoyed with food.” The space is small and intimate and a dress code is required for dinner. A collared shirt for men, and active wear clothing not appropriate.

The following morning we visited Kahvi Coffee and Café in the Roosevelt Row Arts District, and what a wonderful way to start the day. Owners Jordan Taylor and Julian Wright have created a chic coffeehouse and meeting place for Phoenicians, offering high quality beans, a tasty menu, and live music. My Kahvi breakfast was several yummy pastries, a perfectly prepared French Toast plate sprinkled with tangy berries, and topped with a spoon of whipped cream, and lastly a vanilla latte coffee.

Fortified, we browsed the Roosevelt Row Arts District with scads of shops, restaurants, cafes and boutiques, and the MADE Art Boutique with a hundred or more handmade items created by local artists. Via Uber it was a 10 minute drive from Roosevelt Row to downtown Phoenix and Pomo Pizzeria. We quickly learned that the pizzeria is Arizona’s first and only APN (Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani) and VPN (Verace Pizza Napoletana), meaning the pizzas are made in the traditional methods of Napoli, Italy, where pizza was born, using a Blast-Cooking process in a wood burning oven. I adore pizza and ordered a small Burratella, made with mozzarella, burrata, hot soppressata, chili threads, honey drizzle and basil. It was divine with a soft crust and bursting with flavor.

A Driverless Ride Riding in a vehicle without a human driver was a first for me and it’s certainly not for those who like to be in control. Regardless, it was strange and at first I was a bit tense wondering if the driver ever becomes confused or bored, but it was a short and flawless ride back to the Sheraton. Later I realized why no one was staring at us. Weymo in 2022 began serving the public with driverless rides from Phoenix Sky Harber International Airport to downtown, the first and only autonomous airport service of its kind in the world, and has expanded to the Greater Phoenix area.

Via Uber we explored the Melrose District, an established and popular one-mile-long LGBTQ neighborhood located on Seventh Avenue between Indian School and Camelback Road, and in my observations with some of the city’s best antique and art shops, bars, dining opportunities, patio cocktailing, and dancing scenarios. Tagged The Curve by Phoenicians, rainbow flags flying, the Melrose atmosphere reminded me of Key West, with the many unique and high-end boutiques.

Sealife at The OdySea Aquarium Peter, my Sales and Marketing Director, was remarkably excited about the upcoming Phoenix trip when he researched our itinerary and was surprised to find a huge aquarium in the desert. Peter loves everything about the ocean, is an excellent swimmer and snorkeler, a huge fan of aquariums, and in his home is an 800 gallon reef tank with fish that are friends. It was an entertaining and informative blast sharing the fifth largest aquarium in the country with Peter, gazing at 370 distinct species and some 70 exhibits. A highpoint was sitting in theater-style seats while slowly revolving past sea life. OdySea is the world’s only revolving aquarium and with a helpful narration it’s something not to be overlooked, and ideal for the entire family. It was a busy and enlightening day and time for dinner at the hotel’s Carcara restaurant, orchestrated by Executive Chef John De Souza and Chef de Cuisine Angy Dykstra, their menu influenced by the Southwest and Sonoran regions. We started with a loaded guacamole that offered layers of taste with a finish like a fine wine, and a side of lightly charred tomato salsa with a slight kick and tangy on the tongue. Peter ordered a Fork Tender Short Rib with ancho chile jus, queso chihuahua, a rich and buttery Mexican soft white cheese,