What’s your vote for the best things to do in Phoenix on a long holiday weekend… or any weekend for that matter?

As a special treat for our anniversary, my husband arranged for us to have a couples massage in our home.  We had looked at the rates for tandem massage at some of the nicer Scottsdale resorts, but couldn’t see paying over $300.  A friend referred us to A Healing Touch Massage, an in-home massage therapy team based in Phoenix.

Roxie Reimer and Dan O’Clair, the owners and our therapists, arrived to our home on time for our evening appointment.  In minutes, they set up their very comfortable massage tables side-by-side in our living room along with everything you’d expect: soft music, sheets, blankets, pillows and aromatherapy oils…. all we had to do was light some candles.  Meanwhile, we filled out a questionnaire about our health & massage preferences.  Dan & Roxie left the room while we each got settled in on our own table.  Roxie & Dan both gave us such relaxing and skilled massages, coupled with the automatic comfort of being in our own home, that we both fell asleep about halfway through the 90-minute session.  Afterward, we didn’t have to discontinue our relaxed state with a drive home.  Roxie & Dan packed up as quickly as they had arrived and we were left to bask in the candlelight and our sleepy good feelings.  For the very reasonable rate of under $200 for both massages, I’d say that A Healing Touch Massage is the perfect choice for in-home massage… professional, polite, customized and an overall outstanding massage without the drive.

Do you have a suggestion for Best Massage Therapy in the Scottsdale area?  We welcome your comments and suggestions!

I came home to Scottsdale wondering: Where the heck is/are our Farmers Markets?

I’m dying to have this experience in my hometown. I want to head out of my house every Saturday morning and drive (or better still, walk) to my weekly hangout – my neighborhood Farmers Market. I’d make a beeline to my first booth to get a steaming cup of organic coffee, then cruise the tents and booths picking up fresh, locally grown organic produce for the week and maybe a loaf of artisan bread and some plants or flowers. People just like me will be pushing strollers, pulling wagons and/or walking dogs and buying the wares of local farmers and cottage-industries. Doesn’t that sound great?

Comment here on Farmers Markets you’re familiar with and we’ll compile a healthy, organic and fresh list… appropos of the Farmers Market, wouldn’t you agree?

Here are some of our favorite places:

• Macy’s Coffee Shop – 14 S Beaver St, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001 (928) 774-2243 www.macyscoffee.net Okay, okay…so this place isn’t in Scottsdale…but nonetheless Macy’s Coffee Shop in Flagstaff got a really cool vibe and is worth writing about. I spent Labor Day weekend in Flagstaff – escaping the seemingly-endless summer heat of Phoenix – and made my way into Macy’s on a Sunday late-morning. Aside from my very large and very delicious mug of steaming European coffee, I had a great brunch-time meal in the Mediterranean plate. Macy’s atmosphere is definitely that of the Flagstaff hippie beat, with Eastern philosophy and the resulting peaceful, alternative attitude permeating the place. Local artists’ work for sale covered one wall and every one of the vintage tables, chairs and stools was occupied, evidence of Macy’s as a Flagstaff favorite coffee spot.

• Cave Creek Coffee Company - 6033 E. Cave Creek Rd, Cave Creek, AZ 85327 (480) 488-0603 www.cavecreekcoffee.com Far and away one of our favorite coffee hangouts. Located in downtown Cave Creek amidst funky western bars, antique shops and mexican/rustic import shops, Cave Creek Coffee Company (or C4) serves home-roasted coffee, pastries, kick-ass breakfast burritos in the morning…and turns into a hip neighborhood lunch and dinner restaurant and wine bar at night. Great specials every day of the week, live music and clearly a popular neighborhood joint, Cave Creek Coffee Company is a Cave Creek/Carefree area local favorite.

• Big Daddy Mojo Espresso Bar & Soda Fountain - 6141 E. Cave Creek Rd, Cave Creek, AZ 85331 (480) 575-7889 Just up the road from Cave Creek Coffee Company is Big Daddy Mojo…a local favorite coffee hang-out with a completely different vibe than C4. An old converted gas station, Big Daddy Mojo has a crowd of regulars gathered around outdoor seating (where the gas pumps used to be) and has a very casual style. Just this month (September 2006) Big Daddy Mojo/Big Earl’s Greasy Eats was transformed into a real Hollywood movie set. The place was rented for one day by a film crew shooting a scene for “Joleen,” directed by Donald Sutherland. A location scout was passing through Cave Creek a month ago and thought Big Earl’s would be perfect for the pivotal scene in which leading lady Jessica Chastain meets bad guy Dermot Mulroney, said Eric Westerlund, owner of Big Earl’s. The restaurant was turned into a drive-up burger joint with carhops on roller skates, said Westerlund, who added that one of his employees, 21-year-old Kari Johnson, will have a role in the film as a skating carhop. Westerlund would not say how much he’s being paid for the gig. “But I can’t complain,” he said. Scenes for “Joleen” are also being shot at a tattoo parlor in downtown Scottsdale and in Prescott to simulate North Carolina.

Here are some of our favorites:

For the Fancy…
LON’s at the Hermosa - 5532 N Palo Cristi Road, Phoenix, AZ 85253 (602) 955-7878 www.lons.com LON’S is Arizona’s only remaining authentic hacienda. Its elegant adobe dining room is surrounded by some of the most spectacular scenery Arizona has to offer. Enjoy award winning artful American cuisine on a spectacular patio, or by one of the glowing fireplaces discreetly located throughout the property. All the foods we serve including those grown in the Hacienda gardens are natural, organic, humanely raised or are from ecologically sound sources.

For the Casual…
La Grande Orange Grocery – 40th Street & Campbell (602) 840-7777 www.lagrandeorangegrocery.com On the innovative corner of 40th Street and Campbell in the heart of what used to be an Arcadia Orange grove, sits one of the inspired concepts in convenience stores. La Grande Orange Grocery opens its doors not only as a neighborhood grocery but a cafe and caterer all under one roof and brings together a fraternity of chefs and other artists to serve the community. As a café, La Grande Orange offers the finest in French inspired yet simple American food that tastes good and travels well. Executive Chef Doug Robson has developed a breakfast menu filled with favorites like poached eggs on toast, French pancakes, house granola and yogurt, fruit with crème fraiche and homemade English muffins as well as several lunch items. Dine in at one of the indoor tables nestled within the store or outdoors in the Java Garden, or you can take the food to go. You can even call the order in and someone will deliver it out to your car.

For the Traditional…
The Marquesa at The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess – 7575 E. Princess Dr, Scottsdale, AZ 85255 (480) 585-4848 www.fairmont.com The Marquesa at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess is one of the Valley’s most elegant restaurants, thanks to gilt-framed oil paintings, plush furnishings and décor accents that bring the kitchens of Spain to mind. The Mediterranean-inspired menu (which draws heavily on Spanish traditions) changes every year, after Executive Chef Reed Grobana and his staff spend time in Spain. The crab-stuffed red peppers are a popular mainstay, however, as is the Paella Valencia with saffron. Lovely, unusual desserts include a tiny chocolate replica of a Salvador Dali painting. Service is excellent. Set as a Mediterranean marketplace, both indoors and out, the Sunday brunch offers a bounty of delicious fruit, vegetables and breads and is outstanding in its choices of meats, eggs and Catalan specialties.

Got a suggestion on the best place for brunch in Phoenix? Please leave a comment and let us (and other locals) hear all about it.

Here are our two favorites:
Postino Wine Bar – 3939 East Campbell Ave (602) 852-3939 www.postinowinecafe.com Located in a historic post office building, Postino sits right in the middle of the Biltmore, Arcadia and Paradise Valley neighborhoods. Initially created as a casual winebar, Postino has evolved into an award winning restaurant and favorite spot for the community to meet.

Kazimierz World Wine Bar – 7137 East Stetson Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 (480) WINE-004 www.kazbar.net From the Grapevine… THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC: “What does the Valley’s newest wine bar do right? Absolutely everything. See the staggering wine list; for breadth, accessibility & value, it has no equal.” WINE & SPIRITS MAGAZINE: “Kazbar blends the plush interior of a speakeasy with the rough edges of the Southwest while it sports one of the most entertaining wine lists in the country.”