Phoenix Rising: LGBT Well-Being in the Nation's Fifth Largest City

On the desert floor, a jackrabbit darts amongst the saguaro, his ears alert for the sound of a coyote. The ten of us in the hot air balloon above him are as silent as the desert air. It's early morning and the caffeine has yet to kick in - but mostly, we're respectful of the desert's stillness as we float over the Sonoran Desert.

Like a soap bubble on the air, we rise and fall, according to the desert winds - and the whims of our Rainbow Ryders, Inc. pilot (aka "Captain") Brooke Owen who's logged more than 2,400 hours flying at least 15,000 people through the desert sky. The rabbits scurry as a coyote darts through the scrub brush: it's Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote in virtual reality.

All around us are multi-colored balloons, maybe six or ten, their shadows bobbing over the desert hills, while below us, at the desert's edges, stretch the subdivisions of suburban Phoenix. We're sailing over the desert like the Wizard on his way home from Oz.

It's always interesting when you think you know a place because of the media's portrayal - only to find out that you were seeing but a portion of the entire picture. Recent headlines about Arizona, and the resultant jokes rendering Arizona as a punch line, might have made you wonder about the state - and with good reason - and yet to visit Phoenix is to recognize anew that smart and compassionate people are to be found everywhere.

The fifth largest city in the US, Phoenix is also the most populous state capital in the States. Much like ancient Phoenicia, whose civilization was organized in Greek-like city-states, modern-day Phoenix is a collection of urban villages. Think of it as a vast metropolitan area of city-states, much like Los Angeles or Atlanta (or ancient Phoenicia) where a twenty-minute drive takes you into another town that is somehow still connected to and a part of the larger city. And similar to Miami's South Beach, or Atlanta's Buckhead, or any number of LA neighborhoods, Phoenix is a city comprised of various local stereotypes: the Kierland lady and the Tempe bohemian student and the Scottsdale party people (aka "Snottsdales") - as well as the gay cowboy.

Tempe, for example, home of Arizona State University - which, during most academic years, houses the largest student body in the US - is much like many other progressive US collegetowns, with its own LGBT website, providing access to everything gay related to Tempe.

To get an idea of Scottsdale's character, consider that Scottsdale has more destination spas per capita than any other US city - and more AAA Five Diamond hotel-resorts than any other American city except New York.

As for the city's style, you might remember that Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West was established in 1937, thereby inaugurating Phoenix's long-term love affair with Wright's style of organic architecture, which is evinced in numerous buildings and resorts throughout the city.

The one comment that you can expect to hear from nearly every native and transplanted Phoenix resident is about the weather: more than 325 days of sunshine every year. It's a badge of honor for every Phoenix resident. Not one snowflake has fallen in downtown Phoenix since 1939.

And in a city marked by the preponderance of students, hotels, and the hospitality and tourism industries, Phoenix is home to a strong and diverse LGBT community. Nationally-recognized LGBT Phoenix events include Pride, the Rainbows Festival, the Roadrunner Regional Rodeo, and the Cactus Cities Softball league, events which have helped spike LGBT tourism to Phoenix by 80%, making Phoenix the city with the second highest surge in LGBT tourism.

One night, we share dinner with Councilman Tom Simplot, who was elected to the Phoenix City Council in 2003 - as the first openly gay councilperson in Phoenix's history. Simplot was re-elected in 2005, and then unanimously voted by his fellow council members to serve as Phoenix's Vice Mayor. The talk on the street is that it's only a matter of time before we'll be addressing him as Mayor Simplot.

Later, at Charlie's, Phoenix's long-time favorite gay bar, owner John King talks about his 26 years in Phoenix - and how the town has changed and evolved. It's Friday night and the bar is packed - with a dance floor filled with two-stepping cowboys, all of them dancing in perfect line formation, big grins on their faces.

It's hard to resist such unabashed joy - and at that moment, it's easy to understand the belief in Phoenix's future that LGBT leaders like Simplot and King have about their city.

Meanwhile, back in the hot-air balloon, someone is humming, "Up, up and away, in my beautiful balloon," which, at that moment, seems to encapsulate the feeling that, much like the mystical bird for which it was named, Phoenix is rising anew.

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WHERE TO EAT:

St. Francis: Helmed by Chef Aaron Chamberlin who trained under Jean-Georges Vongerichten, St. Francis is the culmination of a lifelong dream for Chamberlin - and every aspect of this contemporary and stylish restaurant co-owned with his brother, David, radiates with the pride and pleasures to be derived from a dream's realization. Both urbane and familial, St. Francis manages to be as serious about its cuisine as it is friendly and warm in its hospitality.

Housed in uptown Phoenix in an historic building with particular meaning for Phoenix's LGBT community, the restaurant is like a downtown loft, with a second-floor dining room overlooking tables on the main floor. Brick walls and corkwood provide a rustic charm that complements the more industrial elements such as a polished concrete floor. The bar spills out onto an al fresco patio - and on weekends, the buzz is intoxicating as locals and savvy tourists chow down on seasonal American food from Chamberlin's well-sourced menu.

The restaurant and kitchen's focal point is the massive handcrafted wood-fire brick oven, which turns out fresh baked breads, and grilled meats, fish, and vegetables. There's a house-made baguette and crispy fingerling potatoes, for starters, as well as a punchy citrus salad, and an aromatic red quinoa salad, and a seven-vegetable rice m�lange with a sweet and spicy dressing. This is homey, comfort food filtered through the mind of a chef who's been fed in Vongerichten's kitchens. Don't miss the sticky toffee pudding, laden with sweet dates and served with vanilla gelato. It's the sort of dessert you might consider ordering twice - because you want the taste to linger on your palate as you dream through the night.

What lingers in the mind after an evening at St. Francis is the conviviality of a community devoted to eating well. In short, St. Francis is precisely the restaurant that makes you anticipate a return visit to Phoenix.

LINK: St. Francis Restaurant

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deseo: Given his widely-accepted status as the originator of Nuevo Latino cuisine, James Beard Award-winning Chef Douglas Rodriguez was almost certain to make an appearance in the American Southwest - and Rodriguez's imprint at deseo (Spanish for "desire") beautifully epitomizes his masterful blending of Latin and American cuisines.

Working with Chef Roberto Madrid, Rodriguez has created a menu at deseo that highlights ceviches in their many mouth-watering incarnations - and all of them burst with flavor and freshness. If you're seated along "the Rail," in front of the open kitchen, you'll be able to witness the chef creating your meal - and few things are as enticing and appetizing as watching someone cook specifically for you.

Suffused with a red glow in the evenings, the two-story room is atmospheric and romantic, somewhat evocative of Havana's heyday as an idyllic playground. The vibrant and colorful work of Cuban artist, Nelson Garcia-Miranda, a Phoenix local, hangs on the walls, bringing Cuba's charms that much closer.

If, at meal's end, after "smoking" Rodriguez's signature dessert chocolate cigar, you find yourself unable to leave, return to the restaurant's Muddle Bar next door where patrons create their own mojitos and caipirinhas from a selection of fresh fruits, herbs, and spirits. Sink back into a chair and toast to the glories of Latin American cuisine.

LINK: deseo

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House of Tricks: For nearly twenty-five years, House of Tricks (named for the owner whose surname is Tricks - and no, her first name is not Trixie) has been serving students and dignitaries, politicos and families from a seasonally inspired menu that is both affordable and innovative (consider the bacon martini (aka Hot Potatotini), if you're bacon-obsessed...).

Located in downtown Tempe, a few steps off bustling Mill Avenue amidst Arizona State University's sprawling main campus, this award-winning local favorite is as romantic and charming as it is popular.

The restaurant's two historic bungalows, which date from the 1920s, have been lovingly restored, complete with vintage stone fireplace and an outdoor tree-covered bar. A canopy of trees shades the verdant gardens that bloom with petunias, lobelias, daisies, and geranium - all nurtured daily by the owner's mother, Mary Trick.

Winner of a Wine Spectator Award for Excellence for two years' running, House of Tricks also houses a splendid art collection, featuring works from artists such as William Wegman. Cats stretch across the garden walls while goldfish swim in a small pond - and House of Tricks feels like a true oasis in the desert.

LINK: House of Tricks

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(Story continues on next pages: Where to Stay, Spa Treatments, What to Do, Where to Play...)

WHERE TO STAY:

The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa: A gorgeous contemporary property nestled at the foothills of the McDowell Mountains in the Sonoran Desert, the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa is perfectly situated for both golfers and shoppers. The golf course is acclaimed (with bagpipers playing at sunset), while Kierland Commons, an upscale outdoor shopping plaza is directly across the street. Opened in 2002, the AAA Four Diamond resort has 732 guest rooms and suites (all with private balcony and seating) outfitted in contemporary furnishings in serene earth tones, befitting a resort that stresses well being and relaxation. The fabled Westin Heavenly Beds are exactly that: as heavenly as floating on a cloud above the southwestern desert.

The staff at the resort is respectful and courteous - and alert to insure that their guests are comfortable. (One caveat: when are hotels going to realize that the majority of gay men do not wish to be placed in a room adjoining a family with children? A preponderance of the Kierland's 732 rooms are adjoining, which is, no doubt, lovely for bridal parties and perfect for baby-sitting the kids, but for most LGBT people, listening to children squeal with delight at the antics of television cartoons is no picnic. Does the front desk actually think that we're desirous of becoming uncles and aunts to the children of strangers? Please, front desk people, place us in rooms without adjoining doors.)

The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa celebrates Arizona history with an all-resort exhibition of artwork and photography that can be experienced on a self-guided walking tour. In addition to commemorating Arizona's Native American antecedents, the Westin Kierland also honors its Scottish heritage, specifically those Scots who helped build Arizona's railroads, mines, and towns - hence the bagpipes at sunset and the Saturday night Scotch tastings. A respite at the Kierland Resort & Spa is as enlightening as it is revivifying.

LINK: The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa

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The Phoenician: A Luxury Collection Resort: One of the first multi-million dollar luxury resorts to be built in the American Southwest, the Phoenician opened in 1988 and almost immediately because universally recognized for its breathtaking setting and plush surroundings. Visionary Charles Keating sought to make the Phoenician a work of art, not unlike Hearst's San Simeon - and it took more 900 workers nearly three years to complete the 250-acre resort. Carrara marble was imported from Italy and the lobby ceiling was etched in 24-karat gold, and more than 22,000 trees were planted, including a two-acre cactus garden. Almost as mythical as the bird for which the city of Phoenix is named, the Phoenician has, for better than twenty years, figured prominently in the nation's collective imagination about the lives of the rich and the famous.

Recently, President Obama was in residence - his presence kept top secret throughout his sojourn, which is in keeping with the Phoenician's high regard for privacy and discretion.

As celebrated as the Phoenician is for its $25 million art collection and its nine pools, including the Mother-of-Pearl serenity pool, with genuine Mother-of-Pearl tiles, and its 27-hole golf club, and nine restaurants, including Jean-George Vongerichten's J&G Steakhouse, the Phoenician also boasts one of the more seductive spas in an area well-known for well-being.

Located near the base of the resort, alongside the private casitas, the Centre for Well-Being is a two-level facility with 24 private treatment rooms, as well as a Meditation Atrium and the new Salon Mila offering medi-spa services. Book an early morning appointment for the Desert Serenity Scrub, Wrap, and Massage, a blissful signature treatment that commences with a salt scrub, followed by a mineral-rich clay wrap, an infusion of essential oils, before ending with a full-body massage. The nearly two-hour long treatment removes layers of dead skin cells, while reinvigorating your body - and soul - and leaves you as radiant as a desert flower.

LINKS: The Phoenician
The Centre for Well Being at the Phoenician

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Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch: If the southwestern style of Frank Lloyd Wright is your architectural fantasy, then you might consider settling into the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch. This magnificent double-H shaped, 27-acre Scottsdale resort is a contemporary classic - and after a recent $55 million renovation, the impressive property looks better than ever.

Immaculately landscaped, the property's five garden courtyards are soothing oases, while flowering cacti and colonnades of palms frame breathtaking vistas of the McDowell Mountains. Apart from the 493 guest rooms, there are eight casitas with either two or four bedrooms. So soothing is this resort that it's easy to understand why Phoenix locals sometimes check in for an off-season or celebratory weekend. Native American culture is highlighted throughout the four-atrium building, and there's the brand-new Canyon Market, open 24/7, to meet your late-night noshing needs.

Completed in 2005, the 21,000 square foot Spa Avania replaced a set of underutilized tennis courts - and as soon as you step onto the premises, you realize what a smart trade it was. Avania is the Greek word for tranquil - and this indoor/outdoor spa is a veritable definition of a sanctuary. The primary philosophy of Spa Avania is its holistic approach to the body's diurnal and nocturnal cycles, which means that you choose your treatment, your massage oils, and your tea based on your own body's internal needs.

With nineteen treatment rooms (including five garden treatment rooms with their own private entrance), Spa Avania also features an indoor/outdoor French-Celtic mineral pool and lotus pond, a yoga room, a gentlemen's suite, steam and sauna. In short, you could spend an entire weekend at Spa Avania. Named one of the nation's Top Thirty Spas by Spas of America, Spa Avania is reason enough to check into the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale - but then there's also those twenty-seven acres of southwestern desert bliss.

LINK: Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch
Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Spa at Gainey Ranch

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WHERE TO PLAY:

Charlie's Phoenix: For those who live in Chicago, Denver, and Vegas, where Charlie's has outposts, this bar might seem familiar - but then, as always, there's nothing like the original. For twenty-six years, Charlie's has anchored the intersection of Camelback and 7th Avenue in downtown Phoenix. Not even city opposition and venal backroom politicking could get the beloved bar to move, and owner John King is a fount of local folklore about the changing mores of Phoenix and its evolving LGBT community.

Head to Charlie's on a Friday night and if you're there before eleven, you'll witness a scene out of "Urban Cowboy": a dance floor filled with two-stepping, line-dancing cowboys - and all of them having way too much fun. You might think you're too big for your britches, too hoity-toity to join in - but you'll be tempted, and with the right lubrication, you'll probably find yourself in the thick of the party. There's little or no attitude in this bar - just a bunch of happy boys letting loose, and when Sundays roll around it's 3-4-1 at Charlie's, so be prepared. You might end up with more than just a cowboy hat to call your own.

LINK: Charlie's Phoenix

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(Story continues on next page: Where to Play, What to Do, How to Get There...)

Roscoe's on Seventh: Phoenix has fanatical sports fans. For one thing, Arizona State University often has the largest student body in the nation - and those alums are dedicated to their teams. Then there are the Diamondbacks and the Suns and the Coyotes - and with 13 televisions on premises, Roscoe's on Seventh covers them all. Even if you don't know the difference between the NBA and the NHL, you'll find someone to hang with at this convivial, local watering hole that's been voted Best Gay Bar and Best Sports Bar for numerous years.

LINK: Roscoe's on Seventh

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WHAT TO DO:

Hot-Air Balloon Rides with Rainbow Ryders, Inc: There's no question that the sunrise over the desert is inspiring - and yet watching that desert sunrise from a hot-air balloon is one of those unforgettable experiences you recall all through life. Sailing a couple thousand feet above ground in a rainbow-colored balloon, you feel like the Wizard heading home from Oz - and as the balloon gently rises and falls with the winds, you watch jackrabbits darting below you, and coyotes slinking between cacti, and cloud formations just above your head.

Rainbow Ryders has been in business for twenty-eight years, and Brooke Owen, Pilot (aka "Captain," if you want to curry favor with him) has been ballooning since he was six. Owen has recorded more than 2,400 hours of flight time in thirty states, while sailing more than 15,000 passengers across the desert sky.

While you might balk at the early sunrise departure, that's when the desert's thermal activities and winds are the calmest. The Rainbow Ryders crew takes you to the launch site in the Sonoran Desert - and then meets you an hour or so later at the chase site where you land softly on the desert after your cruise across the sky. A Champagne toast follows, in honor of the first hot-air balloonists and the gods of the sky. The truth is, it's all slightly mystical and magical, floating above the earth in a hot-air balloon - and you'll love every moment of it.

LINK: Hot-Air Balloon Rides with Rainbow Ryders, Inc

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Desert Botanical Garden: If you didn't grow up in the desert, if you grew up in a town where the streets were named Elm and Oak, Pine and Locust, the Desert Botanical Garden is bound to be one of the more eye-opening environments you're likely to encounter. Spread out over 145 acres, Desert Botanical Garden has more than 50,000 plants, many of them as surreal and fantastical as a Tim Burton hallucination - such as the Boojum tree, a marvelous horticultural chimera named for Lewis Carroll's "The Hunting of the Snark."

Established in 1937, Desert Botanical Garden hosts more than half a million visitors annually - and it's easy to understand why. The docents are as enthusiastic about the garden as the jackrabbits that happily hop amongst the cacti. A repository for more than 139 endangered species of desert flora, Desert Botanical Garden is also an opportunity to witness the blooming of resplendent desert flowers. Learn about the majestic Saguaro cactus (which produces the state flower of Arizona) and fall in love with the adorable bunny ears prickly pear.

On Thursday evenings, Avant-Garden (formerly known as Spiked) showcases the best of Phoenix fashion, art, dance, and music amidst Desert Botanical Garden's splendid backdrop.

LINK: Desert Botanical Garden

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GETTING THERE / OUT AND ABOUT:

Most major airlines fly into Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport - with non-stop flights from more than 100 cities.

Phoenix is spread out over 519 square miles (without intercity train service) so it's best to either rent a car - or else hire a driver.

The METRO light rail train runs for 20 miles through downtown and north central Phoenix - but don't even think about waiting for the train in the desert heat.

LGBT LINKS: Gay & Lesbian Convention Visitors Bureau Phoenix
LGBT In Tempe
Visit Phoenix
Phoenix Gay Rodeo Photo Album