SCOTTSDALE TRAVEL NEWS: JANUARY 2012

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SCOTTSDALE HITS ONE OUT OF THE BALL PARK WITH SPRING TRAINING LINEUP
Scottsdale's determined to hit a home run this spring training season with events and specials sure to impress any baseball fan. Kicking off the 2012 Cactus League season is the Feb. 25-26 Spring Training Festival, brought to you by the Scottsdale Charros. The free two-day event at Scottsdale Civic Center Park and the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts includes never-before-seen items from the Buckhorn Baths' resort collection, including candid home movies of the San Francisco Giants from the 1940s and '50s, and the Science of Baseball Festival, a symposium of many of the nation's top sports researchers who will discuss and debate longstanding baseball trends and innovations. Fans will be encouraged to join in on the festivities with quirky interactive activities and real-time scientific experiments. Partake in the fun while digging into ballpark chow from local restaurants, looking at art, purchasing baseball merchandise and listening to live music. With many of the 15 teams that make up the Cactus League represented at the Spring Training Festival, visitors will be able to purchase spring training tickets, merchandise and even possibly take home an autograph from some of the teams' former players, who are expected to make special appearances throughout the festival. Although the event's website has not yet gone live, check www.springtrainingfestival.com later this month for additional details. For media information, contact Megan Neighbor at mneighbor@scottsdalecvb.com or 480-889-2716.

     When you're not at the baseball festival or one of Scottsdale's two spring training ball parks, Scottsdale Stadium or Salt River Fields , enjoy the city's finest hotels and resorts with spring training specials that will make you cheer louder than when the Giants are up to bat. Step up to the plate at the Scottsdale Resort & Conference Center with its Batter Up!! package. In addition to a fresh pancakes breakfast served in-room, the package includes free shuttle service to and from Salt River Fields that plays host to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies. Package rates start at $245 per room, per night, during the month of March. For media information, contact Sally Cooper at sally.cooper@me.com or 480-348-7540.
     Or, if you want to stay and play in Scottsdale's trendy downtown district, head to the W Scottsdale for its spring training package. Attend a Giants game in style with a W Scottsdale baseball hat, box of cracker jacks and a bag of peanuts. This package also provides complimentary transportation to and from Scottsdale Stadium, plus a free spring training ticket when you purchase a second general admission ticket for the same game. Package rates start at $339 per room, per night, during the month of March. For media information, contact Michelle Rykalsky at michelle.rykalsky@whotels.com or 480-970-2128.

RESORTS AND MUSEUMS GIVE VISITORS A SAVORY CENTENNIAL PRESENT
Put on your birthday hats and take out your noise makers because Arizona is celebrating its 100th birthday as a state on Feb. 14, and Scottsdale's hotels, resorts and museums are taking notice. Stay in Scottsdale's Old Town, a place that's reminiscent of the Wild West, when you take advantage of The Saguaro's Centennial Package. Each week until March 1, 2012, the first 100 visitors to book rooms at Scottsdale hottest new hotel will receive a $100 room rate when using the promotional code PROPEN. Take note of the Sonoran Desert's vibrancy, manifested in the hotel's bold color palette of yellows, oranges, pinks, and greens. Celebrate the rustic nature of an old Western town at The Saguaro's Old Town Whiskey, a bar evocative of frontier drink parlors. For media information, contact Lori Lincoln at llincoln@jdvhotels.com or 415-773-1067.

     Check out the boundless beauty of the Sonoran Desert during a stay at The Boulders Resort with its Grand Centennial Tour package, which includes three nights in a luxury private casita, round trip airport transportation, daily breakfast for two, a dinner for two at the resort's signature restaurant, Latilla, a couple's massage, a desert photo tour and a hot air balloon excursion for two. During your stay, you'll find out why Arizona is called the Grand Canyon State during a narrative helicopter tour over Arizona's most recognizable landmark, also part of the package. Your tour includes a pontoon boat ride on the Colorado River, a pit stop at the Glass Skywalk, a visit to a Native American village, a hike and lunch. Package rates are $2,012 for single occupancy and $4,024 for double occupancy. For media information, contact Debi Bridges at db@bridgesmediagroup.com or 480-306-4242.

     Beginning on Feb. 18, the Musical Instrument Museum will add its voice to the statewide centennial celebration through a special exhibition, "I Am AZ Music: MIM Celebrates 100 Years of Arizona Music." The aptly named exhibition includes more than 30 exhibits that tell the story of Arizona's history through a musical lens. You'll be introduced to Phoenix classics such as Canyon Records, which was founded more than 60 years ago by media pioneers Ray and Mary Boley, and specializes in producing and distributing Native American music. You'll get a look at the lives of musical instrument manufacturers based in Arizona, such as the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery, Yaqui drum and rattle maker Alex Maldonado, classical guitar maker Brian Dunn and Apache fiddle maker Anthony Belvado. From cowboy tunes and mariachi music to the traditional social dance music performed by the Tohono O'odham, the exhibition will feature all things synonymous with "Arizona music," including a unique video project in which musicians, instrument makers and community members show off their talents and discuss the role music has played in their lives. Included as part of the general admission ticket, you can experience this one-of-a-kind exhibit through Jan. 6, 2013. For media information, contact Erin Kozak at erin.kozak@themim.org or 480-245-6937.

SAVOR THE FLAVORS OF MEXICO
This winter, Scottsdale is turning the heat up with the addition of two Mexican culinary concepts headed by chefs whose reputations precede them. Usher in Iron Chef Jose Garces, whose downtown Scottsdale restaurant, Distrito, opened at The Saguaro in December 2011. The expansive menu of small plates draws on the bold flavors of Mexico City, paying special attention to Mexican Barbacoa, or barbecue. Bite into mouthwatering slow roasted meats such as Suadero en Adobo, black angus beef brisket, dry adobo rub; Costillas, Berkshire pork spare ribs, chipotle-cider mustard bbq; and Pollo a la Brasa, Yucatan-style rotisserie chicken, orange-guajillo glaze. Sip on more than 100 varieties of tequila from The Margarita Bar while watching staff prepare house-made tortillas and guacamole at Distrito's made-to-order station. This spring, sit at the outdoor "patio kitchen" to savor the smell of the custom smoke pit and grill, where chefs will prepare pork, brisket, lamb chops and chicken in front of guests. For media information, contact Jan Bracamonte at jan@seredipitconsulting.com or 480-540-3842 .

     If you're in the mood for "Euro-Mexican" check out SouthBridge's newest tenants - Barrio Queen Tequileria and Silvana Bistro - which opened in December 2011 and January 2012, respectively. At the helm of the restaurants is the highly acclaimed Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza, who also spearheads Barrio Cafe , a Phoenix favorite. Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late dinner, Barrio Queen Tequileria, the more casual of the two restaurants, offers all of your traditional favorites, such as tacos and tortas, and a few twists. There's a panaderia (bakery) inside the restaurant featuring savory eats such as Mexican bread, pastries, empanadas, Mexican ice cream and Mexican candy. Also on the menu: tequila. With more than 350 varieties, you'll want to try a few as you fill up at one of Scottsdale's newest hotspots. Barrio Queen's upscale sibling, Silvana Bistro, has a short menu of seven appetizers, five main dishes and three desserts, and features unique starters such as roasted poblano soup stocked with a chile-rubbed prawn; delectable main dishes such as red snapper in a traditional Veracruz sauce of capers, tomato, white wine and olive oil; and scrumptious deserts such as vanilla ice cream topped with sweet potatoes and guava sprinkled with cinnamon and piloncillo. For media information, contact Heidi Hubbell at hhubbell@rosenfieldrestaurants.com or 720-351-4674.

SHOP UNTIL YOU DROP AT THE SCOTTSDALE QUARTER
The ever-expanding Scottsdale Quarter added over 20 new merchants during the past year, about half of which are Arizona based. The nearly three-year-old shopping venue has caught the eye of health conscientious visitors with the debut of local shops such as Blissful Yoga, and Verdé Maison, a retailer specializing in organic skincare and cosmetic products. Arizona-based high-end boutique Mina's Obsession and retailer Galicia Fine Jewelers has women and men alike springing for their wallets, while Make Meaning challenges children and parents' creativity with over 50 different activities that include making soap, candles and jewelry. After a marathon of shopping, grab a bite at True Food Kitchen, one of the Fox Restaurant Concepts, or sip on a latte at Press Coffee before hitting the mall for another round of shopping. For media information, contact Lynita Johnson at Lynita@Olsoncomm.com or 480-368-7999.

TAP INTO YOUR INNER VAN GOGH WITH ME THE ARTIST
Make a Me'sterpiece at Scottsdale's newest interactive art studio, Me the Artist, where true to its namesake, you're behind the brush. During a two-to-three hour session, your instructor walks you through how to create a 16"x20" acrylic-on-canvas replica of a painting, allowing you to take home a painting that people will think you've purchased at an art studio. Get your creative juices flowing with a glass of wine or a beer that you bring to the art studio. Let your artistic inhibitions go by adding your own flair with colors, shapes and designs that make the painting uniquely yours. With different guided paintings offered every day, you can opt to take home a saguaro depiction or a martini glass rendering. In-studio sessions start from $40, and special packages are available to groups who partake in guided paintings outside the studio, starting from $50. For media information, contact Ruby Farias at rubyfarias@metheartist.com or 602-295-5244.

Remember to log onto www.ScottsdalePressRoom.com for additional tourism news, press kits and releases, media tour information and more. And, you can always turn to our public relations team for additional assistance, from photo needs and story ideas to help customizing an individual media tour. To keep up with Scottsdale's latest news and happenings, follow @scottsdaleaz on Twitter or at www.Facebook.com/ExperienceScottsdale.
Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau Contacts:
Laura McMurchie, VP of Communications
Direct: 480-429-2253
lmcmurchie@scottsdalecvb.com
Twitter: @AZTravelGirl

Tatum Luoma, Director of Public Relations
Direct: 480-889-2719
tluoma@scottsdalecvb.com
Twitter: @Luv2ShopAZ

Megan Neighbor, Communications Coordinator
Direct: 480-889-2716
mneighbor@scottsdalecvb.com