Arizona
Arizona travel: A dazzling winter getaway to sunny Scottsdale
Last summer was so extremely, record-breakingly hot, the very idea of vacationing somewhere toastier — Arizona?! — sounded insane. But now that the Bay Area’s weather has turned drizzly and cold, of course, we’re dreaming of warmer climes. And there you are, sunny Scottsdale, less than two hours by air from the Bay Area. No passports needed. No mittens, either.
We’re talking balmy temps, gorgeous landscapes and a culinary scene that includes more than 800 restaurants, as well as some intriguing Arizona-grown wine. (And spring training, of course.) Here’s a weekend itinerary for what to do, eat and drink this winter in Scottsdale, besides baseball.
Friday: Cactus coolers, incredible art
Scottsdale boasts lodging options at every price point, but if you want to go luxe, check in at the 23-acre Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows, near the base of Camelback Mountain and just two miles from Old Town. The resort’s 185 bungalow-style rooms are clustered along citrus tree-lined pathways, with individual patios and midcentury modern interiors inspired by that era’s desert art scene. It’s a showcase, too, for unique, locally made art, furniture and installations, much of it from the Cattle Track Art Compound nearby.
So finish up that “welcome” cactus cooler cocktail, then head out for a tour of Cattle Track, a 5-minute drive or 20-minute walk — it’s not summer anymore, walking is doable — away. Walking into the arts colony feels like walking onto a movie set, a fantastical place filled with artists studios and living quarters. The 13-acre compound, purchased for $100 in the 1930s by Rachael and George Ellis, has more than a dozen artists-in-residence and much of what is made here goes to museums. Peek into the studios and meet the artists, including, if you’re lucky, Mark McDowell, who has lived at the art compound for the last 30 years and has astounding stories to tell about the artists here and Scottsdale’s art scene.
“We are part of the history of this community,” he says.
Back at the hotel, you’ll likely notice some of the pieces McDowell described, from the custom dinner plates used at the resort’s Weft & Warp restaurant to the spice blends, grown at Cattle Track and sold by McDowells’ granddaughters. The photographs and furniture in your room are the work of Cattle Track artists, too, whose work has been commissioned now for other Hyatt properties around the globe.
Andaz’s Create and Cultivate programs offer a fun way to kick off the weekend, perhaps with a Raise Your Glass cocktail class. Mixology nerds will appreciate the technical tips and savvy thrown down, while more casual cocktail fans will enjoy sipping mini versions off the seasonal drink list. There’s a Pasta Like a Pro class, as well, and a Sweet Escape chocolate truffle class led by the hotel’s pastry chef Morgan Malzahn, with ample tasting opportunities in the restaurant’s glass-walled exhibition kitchen.
After your experiential tutorial, have a seat for a leisurely dinner at Weft & Warp, with a shareable menu of Mediterranean inspired small (and giant) plates. Start with a mezze or two, like the Moroccan eggplant Zaalouk ($15) and the sumac-spiced beet dip with labneh ($15), accompanied by textured laffa flatbread you’ll have a hard time not nibbling all throughout. Don’t miss the pasta — the pappardelle ($34) with pork sugo, perhaps, or tagliatelle ($28) with arugula pesto, heirloom tomatoes, preserved lemon and stracciatella.

Details: Rooms are spendy ($700 and up, plus a $45 resort fee per night) but the stay is luxurious at Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows, 6114 N. Scottsdale Road, www.andazscottsdale.com.
The Cattle Track Arts Compound is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, free admission, at 6105 N. Cattletrack Road, www.cattletrack.org.
Saturday: Aloft and downtown
This morning’s painfully early wake up time will be hard, but what’s waiting won’t disappoint. Head for the rendezvous point for Hot Air Expeditions — rated “best balloon flight in Phoenix” by Fodor’s for 26 consecutive years — then pile into the expedition van and head out into the desert. You’ll witness the incredible set up and inflation process, as a large team of strong folks prep the balloon. Then climb into the basket and head skyward, taking in the vast desertscape and spotting wildlife (and early morning joggers) down below. Finish the adventure with a breakfast spread, sipping mimosas as you celebrate your return to Earth.
Take a snooze or lounge back at the hotel. (We headed for the Andaz’s Apothecary Pool, an adults-only oasis adjacent to the Palo Verde Spa and fitness center, to relax.) Then catch a ride to Old Town Scottsdale to explore the Entertainment district, as well as the Waterfront and Bridge districts. Browse art galleries, crystal stores, old time saloons and ice cream parlors. The central Fifth Avenue Shopping District — look for its famous bronze horse fountain — is a fun place to shop, whether you’re looking for lovely linen pieces (stop at Conscious Coterie) or designer activewear made in-house at Yoga Democracy.
If you’ve never considered Arizona a wine destination, shift your perspective at Scottsdale’s Wine Collective, where you can taste through some Arizona-grown selections. The shop highlights small producers that don’t have their own tasting rooms, and it’s a great place to sample some things you might not get a chance to try otherwise.
A reservation is a must at chef Charleen Badman’s James Beard award-winning FnB. If you have any time to kill before dinner, go across the courtyard to Citizen Public House, a local favorite for its lively vibe and convivial, cozy ambiance. Barrel-aged cocktails are predominant here, and the layered Instant Gratification ($16), with its cognac, single-malt scotch and amaro, is a great one to try.

Don’t indulge too much, though, because there’s incredible food waiting at the plant-forward FnB. The menu is seasonal and ever-changing, but we enjoyed a beet salad with vadouvan, pumpernickel croutons and goat curds, and fresh pasta with braised lamb and delicata squash. This is another place to sample local wines, and you’ll be well guided by beverage director Pavle Milic, who has his own wine label, Los Milics. The restaurant is set back in the historic Craftsman Court, with dining areas that feel tucked away, like eating at your favorite foodie friend’s home. A cute bar in one room will help satiate your cocktail craving, and the newly finished mosaic glass paneling in the front of the space is a stunning thing to behold.
Details: Hot Air Expeditions’ morning balloon rides are $219 for adults and run 363 days a year. Meet the van at Deer Valley Airport, 702 W. Deer Valley Road in Phoenix; www.hotairexpeditions.com.
The Wine Collective opens at noon daily at 4020 N. Scottsdale Road; www.the-wine-collective.com. Citizen Public House is open from 4 to 10 p.m. daily at 7111 E. Fifth Ave; www.citizenpublichouse.com. FnB is open from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday 7125 E. Fifth Ave.; www.fnbrestaurant.com. Find more shopping and dining information for Old Town Scottsdale at https://oldtownscottsdaleaz.com/.
Sunday: Hikes and barbecue

Some physical activity will be a welcome concept after all this eating, and a hike at the McDowell Sonoran Preserve is the perfect place for all levels. At more than 30,500 acres, it’s one of the largest urban preserves in the world, and it’s 225-plus miles of hiking trails invite you to explore its cacti forests and rugged landscapes.
After your hike, refuel at The Thumb nearby, a Guy Fieri favorite — this gas station-meets-barbecue joint run by a former surgeon starred on an episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”. Come for the hardwood-smoked brisket and barbecue, but check out the impressive baked goods too, including giant cinnamon rolls and churro doughnuts. The coffee counter slings surprisingly legit espresso drinks, and the mega gift shop brims with kitchy finds and curios to take home.

Details: The Gateway Trailhead at McDowell Sonoran Preserve is open from sunrise to sunset daily at 18333 N. Thompson Peak Parkway; www.mcdowellsonoran.org.
The Thumb opens at 7 a.m. at 9393 E. Bell Road; www.thethumb.com.
Arizona
This prominent attorney collects art to celebrate his Mexican heritage
ASU professor talks about writing Day of the Dead book
ASU professor Mathew Sandoval talks about why he wrote “Día de los Muertos: A Chicano Arts Legacy” at the Mesa Arts Center on Oct. 25, 2025.
Prominent Arizona attorney Jose Cardenas loves to show off his vast collection of Mexican and Mexican American art.
But he once made a fool of himself arguing with the legendary Mexican journalist Elena Poniatowska over a piece of artwork on display in his spacious 4,000-square-foot Chandler home.
Cardenas was giving Poniatowska a tour of his art collection during a reception he hosted for the writer. She was in town giving a lecture at Arizona State University.
“This is a self-portrait of Siqueiros,” Cardenas remembers telling Poniatwoska, referring to David Alfaro Siqueiros, one of Mexico’s three most famous muralists.
Poniatowska took a look at the sketch and shook her head, “No it’s not.”
The two got into a back and forth, with Cardenas continuing to insist the man depicted in the painting was Siqueiros.
“That’s what they told me when I bought it at the gallery in San Francisco,” Cardenas remembers telling the Mexican author.
Finally Cardenas backed down, thinking, “She’s getting up in years. I’m not going to embarrass her and argue with her.”
A few days later, Cardenas was flipping through TV channels. He came across a PBS documentary about the 1970 Chicano riots in East Los Angeles. The documentary highlighted a portrait Siqueiros had painted in homage to Ruben Salazar, the Los Angeles Times journalist killed by a tear gas canister fired by a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy during the protests.
Poniatowska was right. The figure in the painting was not Siqueiros, the Mexican muralist. It was indeed Ruben Salazar, the Los Angeles Times journalist, as painted by Siqueiros.
Cardenas tells this story when he gives tours of his art collection to visitors. They break out in laughter.
“You were mansplaining” one visitor told him. “No, I was being an idiot,” Cardenas said, “because why would you argue with her, of all people. She knew (Siqueiros). She wrote about him. She interviewed him. Not the person to say, ‘No, you are wrong.’”
Cardenas built prestigious career from humble roots
The personal art tours Cardenas hosts weekly at his home are peppered with similar stories that showcase his self-deprecating humor and highlight his enormous pride in his humble upbringing and Mexican heritage.
Cardenas comes from modest working-class Mexican immigrant roots. But he rose to become one of the most prominent and successful attorneys in Arizona. He has used his considerable wealth to amass what artists say is the largest collection of Mexican and Mexican-American artwork in the state, which he shares often with visitors during various events at his home, from personal tours to his annual post-Christmas bash.
Born in 1952, Cardenas is the son of an immigrant dad from the Mexican state of Sinaloa, and a Mexican-American mom. Cardenas grew up in Vegas Heights, a working-class Hispanic neighborhood west of Las Vegas that was still segregated. His father, Fortunato Cárdenas Sánchez, had a sixth-grade education. He worked as a foreman for construction company that laid pipelines. He was killed in a work accident when Cardenas was 15.
His mother, Gloria Frances Gómez Vigil, was born in a small town in northern Nevada to Mexican immigrant parents who eventually moved to Las Vegas. She only attended school through eighth grade.
After his father died, Cardenas, the second-oldest of four children, wanted to quit school and work to help his family with finances. But Cardenas was a good student, and his mother insisted he stay in school and encouraged him to attend college.
Cardenas became the first person in his family to graduate from high school and then college. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and then a law degree from Stanford.
After law school, Cardenas clerked for a federal judge in San Francisco and then moved to Arizona in 1978 to work for the powerhouse law firm Lewis and Roca. Cardenas mostly handled commercial litigation but also did pro bono work on death penalty cases. In 1999, he was named managing partner, becoming one of the few Hispanic managing partners of a major law firm in the nation.
In 2009, Cardenas left Lewis and Roca to serve as chief legal adviser and senior vice president at Arizona State University, a position he held until 2022.
For nearly 20 years, Cardenas also hosted Horizonte, a public affairs show focusing on Arizona issues through a Hispanic perspective on Arizona PBS (KAET-TV Channel 8). He stepped down in 2023. Now semi-retired, the 73-year-old Cardenas continues to serve as special senior university adviser at ASU.
Cardenas and his Mexican-born wife, Virginia, were childhood sweethearts. When Virginia turned 15, Cardenas was one of the escorts in her quinceañera coming-of-age celebration. The two then began dating in ninth grade. They married when Cardenas was 19 and Virginia was 20 by one month. She worked as a counselor at Chandler High School. She died in July 2012 of kidney cancer.
Cardenas and Virginia bought their first artwork when he was still a financially struggling law student at Stanford. The two prints Cardenas purchased from a fellow student are now among the thousands of pieces of artwork that adorn his home.
Couple made frequent trips to purchase art
Cardenas said he and Virginia were introduced to the world of Mexican and Mexican American art when they moved to Arizona and met artists Zarco and Carmen Guerrero at a party. They are the founders of Xicanindio, the original name of Xico, a nonprofit organization that promotes Latino and Indigenous art and culture.
The couple became deeply involved in the organization. Virginia became the program director for several years and Cardenas served on the board of directors, including a stint as president.
Over the years, Cardenas and Virginia traveled frequently to Mexico City, Sante Fe and San Francisco to purchase paintings, crosses, ceramics, prints and pottery that cover practically every inch of Cardenas’ ranch home in Chandler.
Cardenas said he considers the collection an embrace of the Mexican heritage he and Virginia shared.
“It’s pride,” Cardenas said during an interview at his home.
“Virginia was born in Mexico. She came here when she was eight,” Cardenas said. “And I never considered myself Mexican American because when I was growing up, those terms weren’t used. So we were Mexicans.”
After Virginia died in 2012, Cardenas commissioned East L.A.-born artist George Yepes to paint a portrait of her. Yepes is best known as the artist who painted the cover of the 1988 Grammy Award-winning album by Los Lobos, “La Pistola y El Corazón.”
At first, Yepes turned down the commission after Cardenas showed her photo of Virginia, who was known for her dazzling smile.
“I can’t do it,” Cardenas recalled Yepes saying. “She’s always smiling. I don’t do smiles.”
A few weeks later, Yepes emailed Cardenas. “I think I can do it.”
The 7-foot-tall portrait Yepes painted of Virginia now hangs in Cardenas’ living room, where it dominates one of the walls. Cardenas considers it his most treasured piece, along with a portrait by a different artist of his three grown sons when they were young.
“The funny thing about this is she was pretty short, she was barely five foot tall. This painting is seven feet. And she’s sitting down. So talk about bigger-than-life-size,” Cardenas told a group of visitors during one of his tours.
Home is an art gallery, with frequent visitors
Cardenas frequently opens his home to visitors, serving as docent as he escorts visitors from room to room, telling stories along the way about various pieces of artwork.
In addition to the personal tours, Cardenas hosts an annual open house to showcase the ofrendas he creates in honor of Dia de los Muertos. At his Day of the Dead open house in November 2025, during the Trump administration’s ongoing mass deportation effort, one of the ofrendas focused on immigration. The ofrenda included photos of Cardenas’ relatives from Mexico, along with numerous quotes by Pope Francis that Cardenas printed out and framed.
“Migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity,” read one quote.
“It is necessary to respond to the globalization of migration with the globalization of charity and cooperation, in such a way as to make the conditions for migrants more humane,” read another.
Cardenas also hosts an annual Los Tres Reyes Magos party every January in honor of Three Kings Day, a Christian holiday that is popular in Mexico and Latino America and marks the biblical visit of the three kings to the baby Jesus. This year’s party, attended by some of the most influential people in Arizona, will be Jan. 10.
One of the most powerful pieces on display in his home is a painting Cardenas commissioned as a tribute to the victims of the 2022 mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The shooting killed 19 students and two teachers, and injured 21 others. The artwork, which Cardenas displays in his dining room, also was painted by Yepes, the artist who painted the portrait of Virginia.
The painting depicts a woman draped in an American flag, her arms and hands outstretched in the shape of a crucifix, with swords piercing her exposed heart, while doves flutter around her head, wrapped in a crown of thorns.
‘Everything they have in the collection was for them’
One of the most striking pieces is a massive Talavera ceramic jar created by artist and restauranteur Gennaro Garcia, a native of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, who now lives in Phoenix. Garcia created the piece in Puebla, Mexico, where he studied the hand-painted Mexican ceramic artform that blends Spanish and Indigenous influences.
Cardenas had the piece shipped to his home, where he had to remove the table from his kitchen to make room for the artwork, which towers over six feet in height.
Garcia said he strived for years to have his artwork included in the Cardenas’ collection.
“As an artist, you want you want to be in in collection that you admire,” Garcia said. “His collection was already so good, and I wanted to have my name associated with those other artists” and with Virginia and Jose Cardenas as collectors.
Garcia describes the collection as a love story between the couple.
“Everything they have in the collection was for them,” Garcia said. “I always remember them standing in front of the art, talking about it, and then deciding to buy it” as a couple.
Garcia said he was not aware of a larger personal collection of Mexican and Mexican American artwork in Arizona.
“It’s the biggest one. Easy,” Garcia said.
Cristina Cardenas, a Mexican-born artist based in Tucson, agreed.
“In Arizona, to tell you the truth, I haven’t met anybody else with a bigger or more rich collection” especially of Mexican-American and Arizona artists, said Cardenas, who is not related to Jose.
She has sold numerous paintings to Cardenas. The collector also has commissioned her to paint several murals at his home, including a mural of a smiling Virginia that adorns an outdoor wall in the home’s sizable patio, and a mural of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo that greets visitors to his home.
The artist said Cardenas and Virginia have supported many artists through their collecting. They have played a role in opening the door for Latino artists to sell their work to other collectors, Cardenas said, noting that she once sold a print to former Arizona governor and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano through an introduction by Cardenas.
“It’s a commitment to represent our people, our communities, and to represent Mexico and the really highest rich cultural history that it has,” the artist said.
She noted that visitors will notice that Cardenas and Virginia have had a strong interest in collecting female figurative art. They were influential in shifting Xico artists away from depictions of low-riders and other traditional Chicano symbols toward prints and paintings that celebrate female figurative art.
Cardenas the artist, and others, often wonder what will happen to the massive collection after Cardenas is gone.
“It has to be preserved and it has to stay together. That’s my recommendation,” Cardenas the artist said.
Collection is a priceless legacy
Jose Cardenas said he isn’t sure what will become of his collection. He knows that some of the pieces will be passed down to his children and family, including the portrait of Virginia. The rest may go the Hispanic Research Center at Arizona State University, he said.
In the meantime, his collection continues to expand. He recently mounted two new pieces by renowned contemporary American artist Ayana Jackson, who reconstructs the portraiture of the 19th and early 20th centuries to, according to her bio, “assess the impact of the colonial gaze on the history of photography.”
The two pieces Cardenas acquired depict the artist suspended in midair in a battle stance while in character as Adelita, the Mexican female revolutionary soldier.
Arizona
Multiple freeways closed as snow moves into northern Arizona
A snowstorm hits Flagstaff in early January 2026
People play in snow, build a snowman, sled and a dog gets the zoomies in Flagstaff, Arizona, on Jan. 8, 2026.
Provided by Discover Flagstaff
A winter storm sweeping across the state was dumping snow and whipping up gusty winds in northern Arizona, forcing multiple highway closures and travel advisories throughout the region.
Snow moved into the high country early Jan. 8 and was expected to continue through the afternoon and evening. Flagstaff had picked up 2 to 4 inches, with snow reaching lower elevations, including Prescott and Sedona, according to the National Weather Service in Flagstaff.
“In our area we expect it to come to an end here later this afternoon and early this evening, with only an inch or two more here in the Flagstaff area,” said Brian Klimowski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Flagstaff. “It’s going to continue this evening and overnight to our east.”
Snow levels dropped as a cold front moved into the region, falling from about 6,000 feet at sunrise to as low as 4,000 feet by late evening. Forecasters say heavier snow was likely this afternoon and evening as the system moves through.
“Roads are bad right now,” Klimowski said. “The highways will be very slick, and we expect conditions will remain in a deteriorated state here this afternoon to this evening, especially along and east of the I-17 corridor.”
Which highways are closed in northern Arizona?
Several major highways across the high country were closed on Jan. 8 due to winter weather and related crashes, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
As of the afternoon, the following closures were in place:
- Interstate 40 eastbound at US 93 (milepost 72)
- Interstate 40 eastbound at State Route 89 in Ash Fork (milepost 146)
- Northbound Interstate 17 at State Route 169 (milepost 278)
- State Route 64 (both directions) between mileposts 244-264
ADOT said there is no estimated reopening time for any of these highways.
Drivers can check the latest road closures and travel conditions through ADOT’s AZ511 system, with an online interactive map and mobile app. Information is available at AZ511.gov or by calling 511 from within Arizona.
Snow, wind and cold persist
Flagstaff could see snow totals around 2 to 5 inches, with more at the higher elevations. Snow will continue across eastern Arizona into the evening Jan. 8 and early on Jan. 9, including parts of Black Mesa, the Chinle Valley and the Chuska Mountains.
Gusty winds could reduce visibility, especially in areas with blowing snow. Winds will shift northerly overnight, summoning colder air as the system departs.
“It’s going to dry out,” Klimowski said. “It’s going to be cold and blustery tomorrow and then a slow warming trend through much of next week.”
Lows on Jan. 9 will be 10 to 15 degrees below normal, with wind chills near zero in the High Country. While snow will cease by Jan. 9, slick roads and hazardous conditions could remain,
“Be careful if you’re traveling tonight,” Klimowski said. “It’s going to be slick out there.”
Why does it snow so much in Flagstaff? Here’s what to know
Flagstaff may be in a state known for its scorching summers and years-long droughts, but it is one of the snowiest cities in the United States.
Hayleigh Evans writes about extreme weather and related topics for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email her with story tips at hayleigh.evans@arizonarepublic.com.
(This story has been updated to add a new video).
Arizona
Arizona, career nights from Burries, Krivas beat K-State
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Brayden Burries scored 28 points, Motiejus Krivas added a career-high 25 and No. 1 Arizona remained unbeaten with a 101-76 win over Kansas State on Wednesday night.
Arizona (15-0, 2-0 Big 12) is off to its best start since winning the first 21 games of the 2013-14 season. Arizona won by at least 18 points for the 10th consecutive game, matching a mark Michigan had earlier this season that tied for the longest such run since 2003-04.
Burries had his fifth 20-point game and matched his career high by going 12 for 16 from the field while adding nine rebounds. It was his 10th straight game in double figures, including at least 20 points in five of those, after just one over his first five.
Krivas was 7 of 10, making 11 of 13 free throws, and had 12 rebounds.
Koa Peat had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Tobe Awaka added nine and 11 as Arizona outrebounded Kansas State 55-32. Arizona shot 49.3% from the field but was just 3 of 16 from 3-point range.
Kansas State (9-6, 0-2) went 8 for 36 from deep and shot 33.8% overall. PJ Haggerty led the way with 19 points on 8-of-20 shooting, while Nate Johnson added 15 and Dorin Buca 12.
Down 15 at the half, Kansas State pulled within 58-49 with 16:09 left on a 3-pointer by Johnson. Arizona responded with a 6-0 run and kept the margin at least 12 the rest of the way. Back-to-back dunks by Burries and Peat and a corner 3-pointer by Jaden Bradley keyed a 13-0 run to put Arizona ahead 92-65 with 3:31 remaining.
It built a 10-point lead less than six minutes into the game and upped it to 20 with 2:52 left in the first half. Burries had 16 before halftime.
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