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• Classic-Fiction

TIME

3 – 4 days

DISTANCE

225 miles

BEST TIME TO GO

Oct – Mar

START

Tuscon, AZ

END

Phoenix, AZ

ALSO GOOD FOR

* * *

The journey begins as you leave Tucson and dodge tumbleweeds on Hwy 77 for about 30 miles toward Oracle. Entering Biosphere 2, you might think you’ve been transported to the future, or maybe Oz. In a way, you have. This 3-acre enclosed structure was built to be sealed off from the earth (aka Biosphere 1). In 1991, eight biospherians were sealed inside for a two-year tour of duty. A few snafus showed the ecosystems weren’t completely self-sustaining, but the participants emerged intact.

After several changes in ownership the site found new life as a university-run earth science research institute. The highlight of the one-hour tour is the huge metal-floored room with a fabric ceiling that acts as an artificial lung – without it, the domes would heat up during the day and burst.

From here, head up to Phoenix via Hwy 79 and I-10 for 115 miles and watch the desert disappear under urban sprawl. To get to Scottsdale’s Taliesin West and see the desert again, overshoot central Phoenix by taking the Loop 101 north to the Cactus Rd exit.

Taliesin West was Frank Lloyd Wright’s desert home and studio. Still home to an architecture school and open to the public for guided tours, it’s a prime example of his much-imitated organic architecture. The style depends on the environment – desert browns and greens with buildings sunk into the ground to keep them cool, but in a tropical environment a structure would mimic the dense foliage and stands of bamboo.

No matter which tour you’re on, be sure to notice the effects of Wright’s “embrace and release” method. For effect, Wright liked to put small rooms at the entrance of a building (embrace) that then open up to large, airy rooms (release).

About 9 miles southwest of Taliesin West via Cactus Rd and 64th St is another architectural oasis, Cosanti. The home and studio of Wright student Paolo Soleri, this is where Soleri’s signature bronze and ceramic bells are crafted. You’re free to walk around – Star Wars fans will feel like they’re on Luke Skywalker’s home planet.

After all this touring, spend the night in Scottsdale’s historic Hotel Valley Ho, a fine example of midcentury modern, with huge windows and lots of uninterrupted space. Gazing over a poolside martini at the sleek, straight lines of the hotel, it’s easy to forget that the Rat Pack days are long gone.

While in Scottsdale, be sure to grab a meal at the velvety Canal at Southbridge. In June 2008, the Scottsdale City Council approved funding for the Soleri Bridge and Plaza, likely the aging architect’s last major work. Canal at Southbridge should have great views of the project and dishes like a $30 lobster sandwich seal the deal.

After filling up in foodie heaven, head to the glass-and-steel coolness of AZ 88, a typical example of upscale Scottsdale style and home of the coldest, tastiest martinis in the area. This is a great staging place for seeing some Scottsdale public art, and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art is next door.

The next morning, head to downtown Phoenix for a visit to the copper-and-glass monolith that houses the Burton Barr Central Library. Designer Will Bruder – the unofficial dean of Arizona architects and designer of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art – says that the strong shape of the library was inspired by Monument Valley. The views of downtown Phoenix from the 5th floor – especially around sunset – are great.

After studying Bruder’s masterpiece, call ahead to check the 18-room Mystery Castle is open and running tours that day. Equal parts Spanish mission, oversized sand castle and psychedelic mansion, it’s eccentric architecture at its best. Fashioned with mostly found material by the late Boyce Gulley, his daughter says he was fulfilling a promise he made to build his princess a castle.

Head to Arcosanti, which by design plays by the rules of the desert surrounding it, to spend the night.