The holidays are coming and so are the relatives!! You’re anticipating a Griswold style holidays and pondering how you’re going to keep everyone entertained. Or, you’re counting the days that all peace and sanity are restored when everyone has gone home and you need a post-holiday mini vacation!
Well, Scottsdale is waiting to be explored! Starting with the dedication of the Soleri Bridge and Plaza activities the weekend of December 10th, 11th and 12th.

There is also ice-skating on Marshall Way in Downtown Scottsdale! No joke, Palavela Home presents Winter Enchantment December 2010  They are installing a skating rink in their front patio and will offer skating for the entire month of December! $15 for a 45 minute skate includes skates and 15% of all rentals and in-store sales will go to 4 charities that they are supporting! You can find out more at Palavela Home

You can also avoid all the airport crazieness by looking no further than your own Arizona roadmap and heading southeast or north where you will find some amazing local getaway destinations! It really is the perfect cure for the soul. Not to mention, very wallet friendly and a great way to keep supporting local. Check out Local First for a directory of local businesses and remember Buy Local Week is November 26-December 5!!

Ultimate Art & Cultural Tours can assist with your local plans too!

If you are fortunate enough to live in Scottsdale or to be visiting Scottsdale the weekend of December 10-12, 2010 you have the opportunity to participate in a little piece of history.  On December 11th the official dedication of Paolo Soleri Bridge and Plaza will take place. Referred to as the “godfather of Arcology” Mr. Soleri has designed many bridges in his lifetime and this will be the only bridge in the world to be built that he has designed! The weekend will be filled with activities including VIP tours, special lectures with architectural experts who will discuss Soleri’s principles and influence on architecture today and tours of Bridges: Spanning the Ideas of Paolo Soleri exhibition at SMoCA The completion of this bridge is a true testament to Scottsdale’s fabulous and world renowned Public Art program!

The VIP tours offered over the weekend promise to add real insight into the work of Mr. Soleri. The Arcosanti tour will include exclusive access to the archives (where mere mortals are not allowed!) to view the myriad of sketches of projects he has proposed over his career as well as a private reception at the bridge that evening with special dignitaries.

ABOUT THE SOLERI BRIDGE AND PLAZA

Scottsdale’s breathtaking Soleri Bridge and Plaza is at once a pedestrian passage, solar calendar and gathering place along the Scottsdale Waterfront. The dynamic architecture of the bridge is an elegant span that narrows from 24 feet to 18 feet as it crosses the Arizona Canal from south to north and is suspended by cables attached from the top of 64-foot-high pylons that are tilted at 80 degrees from the ground to match the angle of the sun at solar noon on the summer solstice. The structure suggests Soleri’s idea that “a bridge is more than a passage along which something moves,” but also is a crossing to connect us aesthetically and experientially.

The bridge’s positioning on the north-south axis allows the sun to cast through a 6 inch gap between the towering pylons, creating a shaft of light across the bridge deck daily at solar noon, the moment at which the sun is at its highest elevation in the sky.  By celebrating solar events, the signature bridge and plaza unify the past and the present. The site of this waterway, rich with historic undertones, mingles with the legacy of present day cultures striving for coherence between man and nature.

On the south side of the Arizona Canal, the Soleri Bridge links to a public plaza that includes a series of totemic Soleri-designed earth cast panels along the southern perimeter. The strong architectural carving on the panels creates a perfect counterpoint for the Goldwater Bell assembly, also located on the south plaza, which Soleri himself cast in 1969.  With the regional Sun Circle Trail, the Soleri Bridge and Plaza will provide access for pedestrians, equestrians and bicycles.

Here is more information on both the Arcosanti and Cosanti tours:

Friday, December 10, 2010

VIP Tour of Arcosanti – Provided by Ultimate Art & Cultural Tours
9:00am – 7:00pm / $150 (includes food & transportation)

Enjoy an intimate guided tour of Arcosanti, Paolo Soleri’s prototype town designed to house 5,000 people. Located in Cordes Junction, just 65 miles north of Scottsdale, the project is based on Soleri’s concept of “arcology,” architecture coherent with ecology.  Arcology advocates cities should be designed to maximize the interaction and accessibility associated with an urban environment; minimize the use of energy, raw materials and land; reducing waste and environmental pollution; and allow interaction with the surrounding natural environment.

This full-day tour also will take you behind-the scenes and into the Arcosanti archive, which contains work by Paolo Soleri not on display for the public. Following your tour, which includes transportation, lunch and snacks, you’ll return to the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art for a guided tour and an up-close look at the special exhibition “Bridges: Spanning the Ideas of Paolo Soleri,” led by the exhibition’s curator.  The tour includes a VIP preview party reception at the Soleri Bridge and Plaza.

For Tour reservations, please call 480-994-ARTS(2787)

Saturday, December 11, 2010

VIP Tour of Cosanti
9:30am – 5:00pm / $130 (includes food & transportation)
The first stop on this full-day tour is Paolo Soleri’s Cosanti, where an expert guide will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the renowned Italian architect’s unique arcology concept. You’ll also witness a pouring of Soleri’s beautiful bronze wind bells. This special event also includes a driving tour showcasing selections from the Scottsdale Public Art collection, special access to the Soleri Bridge dedication, a private talk with the Soleri Bridge project manager, a private tour of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art exhibition “Bridges: Spanning the Ideas of Paolo Soleri,” and a guaranteed seat at the panel/lectures. This tour includes transportation, lunch and snacks. Purchase tickets by calling the Box Office.

For Tour reservations, please call 480-994-ARTS(2787)

Official Public Dedication of the Soleri Bridge and Plaza
11am – 2pm (remarks begin at 12pm) 
Come to downtown Scottsdale and be among those to walk the Soleri Bridge and Plaza on the day of its official dedication.

Join Mayor Jim Lane, artist Paolo Soleri, representatives from Cosanti Foundation and Scottsdale Public Art in celebrating the completion of this new landmark at Scottsdale Waterfront. Speakers, live music, children’s activities, educational information, and artists from Scottsdale Artists School painting live. Ceremony takes place at Scottsdale Waterfront, just west of Scottsdale Road just south of Camelback in downtown Scottsdale.

Panel/Lecture at SMoCA
2:30 – 5:00pm / The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art is pleased to partner once again with ModernPhoenix.net in bringing relevant and lively discussions about architecture to the public. Admission is free, but seating is limited so reservations are required. Reserve free tickets by calling the Box Office.

Organic Architecture and the Work of Paolo Soleri:Keynote lecture by Alan Hess, architectural critic and author of “Organic Architecture: The Other Modernism”. Soleri’s body of work will be discussed in the national context of the organic architecture movement. The fragile yet beautiful Paolo Soleri Amphitheater at Santa Fe Indian School (currently endangered), will be addressed as international effort galvanizes to save this important and rare structure.

Soleri’s Principles in Action:A Panel Discussion Using slides and illustrations, Phoenix Architect Will Bruder, AIA and three other architectural experts will discuss Soleri’s principles and influence on architecture today. The conversation will be facilitated by Tim Rodgers, PhD, Director of Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

VIP Tour of Cosanti
9:30am – 2:30pm, $110 (includes food & transportation)
The first stop on this full-day tour is Paolo Soleri’s Cosanti, where an expert guide will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the renowned Italian architect’s unique arcology concept. You’ll also witness a pouring of Soleri’s beautiful bronze wind bells. This special event also includes a driving tour showcasing selections from the Scottsdale Public Art collection, a private talk with the Soleri Bridge project manager at the new bridge and an exclusive tour of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art exhibition “Bridges: Spanning the Ideas of Paolo Soleri.” This tour includes transportation, lunch and snacks.  Purchase tickets by calling the Box Office.

For Tour reservations, please call 480-994-ARTS(2787)

It’s that time of year again! Get to know where you live. No need to battle security at the airport, crying babies (you don’t know) in the seat next to you and the pesky summer surcharges! (what’s up with those anyway??) Stay and play where you live! Visitors pay thousands of dollars to travel here to do what you can do for much less!

Let’s start with one of my favorites, Hotel Valley Ho. This mid-century property is one of the best examples of preserved mid-century architecture in a hotel property in the country! Home of the original Pool Party their OH Pool was voted “One of the World’s Coolest” by Travel and Leisure magazine! They have mid-week rates starting at $99 and weekend rates from $129. Check back often for specials!

Be sure to indulge in an wonderful meal at Cafe Zu Zu. Executive Chef Chuck Wiley has taken comfort food to the next level! His beef stroganoff is beyond amazing!

While you are at the Valley Ho explore the it in depth on the “Magical History Tour“, a fascinating 90 minute walking tour of the hotel. You’ll go up on the roof, into a condo, into Trader Vic’s (they have one of the happiest happy hours around!! ) and learn about the stars who have stayed and played there!

At the “Ho” you are within walking distance of Scottsdale’s famous arts district, historic Old Town and  DownTown where you will find great local shopping. If you don’t feel like walking the free downtown trolley stops right in front of the hotel and will take you all around downtown!

Remember if you want to get a group together Ultimate Art & Cultural Tours will custom design a art event to your specifications!

So come on!! Start vacationing and exploring where you live!!

We’ll be back with more!

Ace Bailey, President
Ultimate Art & Cultural Tours LLC