Background: originally a math major in college after an extended and bizarrely inexplicable love affair with my calculus classes in high school, I stumbled into a introductory level computer science class and decided that my best bet at finding a post-grad job would be to double major, even though computers were never my favorite thing (growing up I learned the importance of financial independence and getting yourself a well-paying job, so I put that above my own personal feelings about the industry, and now here I am, a slave to the computer screen for 40 hours a week). My senior year I went to a conference in Minneapolis, met with several recruiters, and before I knew it, had a job offer from a credit card company in Scottsdale, Arizona.
When I first told my friends that I was going to be moving to Scottsdale for a job right after I graduated, a very common response was “Isn’t that where people go to retire?” Or, “Is there anything to do there besides play golf?” OR, “WOW, you are going to die in that heat!” It turns out, they were wrong about 2/3 of them (yes, I did die in the heat. Every day just walking from the parking lot into the office was cause for massive pit-stains and beads of sweat tickling me as they rolled down my spine into my underwear. However, lots of people love the heat, or at least handle it better than a particularly whiny 2-year-old from northern Russia, like I did).
Arizona is known for being a popular destination in the wintertime for “snow birds,” or retired people from the northern states. Because of this, there is a reputation that Arizona does not have a lot to offer to recent college graduates (at least amongst people who know nothing of Arizona). However, there is a ton of stuff to do while you’re in Scottsdale; yes, even if you’re younger than retirement age. There is a mentality among college grads that the only thing to do after school is run to the biggest city they can find and spend $1500 a month on half an apartment the size of a shoebox. Not true at all. In fact, a place like Scottsdale is actually an ideal place to start right after school, and I am more than happy it is where I chose to be.
Affordability
Scottsdale is absurdly affordable. I don’t think I realized just how affordable until I moved to Washington DC and started paying $1400 for a studio several miles outside of downtown with no more than a square foot of kitchen counter space. My apartment in Arizona was beautiful: I lived in 750 square feet at $895 a month, all mine. I had a separate bedroom, a huge bathroom, a full-sized kitchen, including a dishwasher and microwave, and my own covered parking space. AND the property I lived on had three pools, a hot tub, and a brand new fitness center. All for less than $900 a month. I have a Arizonan friend who is currently living in a two-floor townhouse with two massive bedrooms for $800 per person per month, FOR AN ENTIRE HOUSE. I could go on and on, but basically Arizona is one of the best places to live in the country if you want a nice place with new appliances, working air conditioning, and tons of amenities, without breaking your bank.
Things to Do
Scottsdale and the surrounding areas are a ton of fun, and YES there is much to do, especially if you are into outdoor activities (like Colorado, Arizona draws a ton of young adventurers).
Salt River Tubing
Based in Mesa, Salt River Tubing is an extremely popular warm-weather activity in the greater Phoenix area (LOL jokes. Get it? Because warm weather is almost ALWAYS in the greater Phoenix area, save about a week in January where I actually needed to wear a jacket and could see the puff of my breath in the semi-chilly winter air). I went with some friends and rented people-sized tubes and one smaller tube for our cooler (for water bottles, for the very important and healthy task of hydration in that hot Arizona sun, but actually more for beer, which we consumed in copious quantities). Depending on how you’re feeling, you can opt for a 2 hour ride, 3 hour ride, or 5 hour ride, for only $17 for a tube and the bus ride to the starting point. Pretty good deal for a whole day of joy!
Hiking
I am a fan of the East Coast of the United States, but there is no denying that the West is where the good hiking is. It just is. The Appalachian Mountains have nothing on the elevation changes of the Arizona mountains. Camelback Mountain is one of the more well-known mountains in the Scottsdale area, known for being challenging and not for the weak-willed (or for anyone who forgets to bring a water bottle. Seriously, bring a water bottle). There are easier climbs all around as well, including Pinnacle Peak, Tom’s Thumb, and Brown Ranch. This is what living in Arizona is all about. Take advantage of it.
Greenbelt
GB and I got to be good friends during my time here. According to the City of Scottsdale’s website, it is an “oasis of parks, lakes, paths, and golf courses traversing 11 miles” through Scottsdale. Oasis is a good way to describe it. It is the perfect place to go for a run (at 4 am in the summer months, since most other times are too hot), a bike ride, or a leisurely stroll to enjoy the palm trees and mountain backdrop. Plus, it is separated from the road so you are safe from traffic, and there are restaurants and coffee shops along the way if you get a hankering for ingesting some kind of food or beverage.
Papago Park
One of the coolest places in Scottsdale that for some reason took me forever to explore and that I regret not exploring more while I had a chance.
Old Town Scottsdale
A good option for nightlife with an abundance of bars, plus VERY cute. The Old Town aspect really shines with the Western feel of the buildings and the streets. Don’t let the cuteness fool you though; I have heard it can get wild if you are into wild nightlife. It is also a good spot for the daytime if you want to wander or eat or drink or shop. Additionally: free parking. Free parking is one of the best perks of Arizona. Washington DC hears “free parking” and cackles in your face before charging you $30 to leave your car in a rundown garage.
Mill Ave
This is also a bit outside of Scottsdale but still within the greater Phoenix area in Tempe, adjacent to the Arizona State University campus. So yes, it is the main stomping grounds of ASU students, but there are so many bars that overall most of them don’t have that distinctly uncomfortable college-bar feel. Coming from Dickinson College, with all of 2500 students and exactly one bar that was brimming with drunken students running around barefoot and spilling their vodka cranberries on people, this scene is actually pretty refreshing.
I took my friend Alyssa here when she came for a weekend to visit, and our favorite bar was Moonshine, complete with men trying to perform some seemingly-correographed swing dance with you and a mechanical bull (below you can see my terrified face right before I flew off of the bull in my very short dress that was definitely not the right attire for bull-riding).
Shopping
One of the benefits of Scottsdale: many of the people living there are retired and the area has some wealth, which means there is a big market for retail. In Scottsdale alone there are four different shopping malls, both inside and out, with some of the nicest high-end stores in addition to plenty of more affordable shopping. I haven’t been much of a mall rat since seventh grade when I went to peruse Hot Topic t-shirts and cubic zirconia earrings at Claire’s with my friends, and then later to walk around awkwardly holding hands with my first boyfriend, but Scottsdale made me a bit of a mall rat. I stopped any of the (admittedly little) online shopping I used to do and drove to the mall to buy what I needed instead. These malls are NICE. The fact that these trips also almost always included a visit to Wetzel’s Pretzels for a cinnamon sugar soft pretzel may also have been another motivation. Maybe the main motivation.
Wildlife World Zoo
For my 23rd birthday, all I wanted was to go to the zoo. We bypassed the Phoenix Zoo and instead went to the lesser-known Wildlife World Zoo. The main attraction? The giraffe feeding station. Anyone who knows me knows about my obsession with giraffes and my modest but not-too-shabby collection of stuffed giraffes and giraffe-shaped kitchen gadgets. I did have to shove some small children to the side so that I could get to the feeding station, but all was forgotten once I felt the warm, rough, loving tongue slurping at my fingers.
Besides the giraffes, this zoo has lots of exhibits, especially considering its smaller size. It was a bit of a drive, but more than worth it for a more intimate and low-key feel without the exorbitant prices and massive crowds of big city zoos.
Road Trips
Southern CA
My ex-boyfriend used to live in Long Beach, California, and our entire relationship was a long distance one, with me stationed in Scottsdale. I made more than my fair share of trips out to see him, less than 400 miles and 6 hours, which, if you leave right after work, you can get there in time for a couple of beers and a walk on the beach. San Diego and Los Angeles are also within a similar driving distance. It is a perfect place to go for a easy weekend vacation, especially in the summer when you need to escape the heat from hell encasing all of Scottsdale.
Las Vegas
Just four scenic hours of driving away, Las Vegas is calling your name. A guy I worked with in Phoenix seriously was in Vegas at least once a month. He knew everything there is to know about Vegas. It was a fascinating obsession. Big gambler or no, everyone needs to do a Vegas weekend at least once, and piling into a car and driving is much preferable to waiting until you’re across the country and looking for a pricey flight.
Read here about some important Vegas lessons I learned during my last Vegas weekend.
Sedona
My biggest regret is not having had come here sooner. It is literally two hours north of Scottsdale and I only went once, on my way back to the East Coast on my Route 66 cross-country road trip. Better late than never, though, and MAN OH MAN this place did not disappoint. Arizona is truly something else.
Antelope Canyon
This is a place that you have probably seen circulating around the Instagram sphere as of late, and I can tell you it is not underwhelming in person. The drive to Antelope Canyon is about 4 hours north of Scottsdale, and a good tour guide can teach you a lot about Native American history, in addition to walking you through one of nature’s most gorgeous creations.
Read more about visiting Antelope Canyon here.
Grand Canyon
The GRAND CANYON. The most Arizona thing of all Arizona things I have mentioned thus far. A place that not only most Americans want to visit at some point, but many people all around the world want to visit. And the South Rim being only a three hour drive from Scottsdale, this giant hole is practically right in Scottsdale’s backyard. And guess what? The winter is a great time to go, and yes, it is cold.
Read more about visiting the Grand Canyon in the wintertime here.
Though I have complained endlessly throughout this post about the heat of Arizona (I just reread it and realized I may have been ruthless), it is not really all that bad. It is a dry heat, so that feeling of drowning in your own sweat that you have in the humidity is absent, and 120 degrees doesn’t feel nearly as bad as it sounds. I personally am not a big hot-weather person, preferring a maximum of 75 degrees at all times, so I am a little biased on the topic. But don’t let my own bias dissuade you. Arizona is beautiful, it is almost always sunny, the heat dissipates after October and until April, and it is really is a lovely place to be as long as you hydrate like your life depends on it.
The year I spent in Arizona was one of the best of my entire life, despite the ups and downs, and writing about it makes me miss it. I’m glad I made some lifelong friends there so I have couches to crash on when I decide to go back for a visit!
