Posts by Suzanne Wright | Stories

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Suzanne Wright

Suzanne Wright first stepped into the Sonoran Desert some 30 years ago and was immediately smitten. She has written for national publications such as National Geographic Traveler, USA Today and American Way, but she’s happiest exploring and writing about Arizona for regional outlets like AAA Arizona Highroads, Arizona Highways and the Official Travel Guide to Greater Phoenix.

The Wigwam Resort

PHX Stories: The Wigwam Resort

By Suzanne Wright on Sep. 27, 2021

A resort built on cotton has a soft spot for families, neighbors and loyal employees. By Suzanne Wright I strode across the hardwood floors at The Wigwam Resort, the heels of my cowboy boots making…

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Southern Comfort

PHX Stories: Southern Food in Phoenix

By Suzanne Wright on Sep. 27, 2021

A transplanted Southerner satisfies her hankering for the tastes of home. By Suzanne Wright I’m an adopted daughter of both the South and Southwest. After living more than 35 years in the Deep South…

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Pizzeria Bianco

PHX Stories: Slices of Heaven

By Suzanne Wright on Sep. 27, 2021

One pizza lover eats her way through the upper crust of Phoenix’s formidable pizza scene Most pizzas are consumed quickly and then forgotten. But the part of my brain that catalogs food memories is…

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spur cross ranch wilflowers

PHX Stories: Spur Cross Wildflowers

By Suzanne Wright on Sep. 27, 2021

400 species of desert grow in this tiny county park, and ranger Kevin Smith knows (almost) all of them. I fell in love with flowers in Phoenix. Before I moved here, I liked the plastic-wrapped, cut…

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catalina pool arizona biltmore

PHX Stories: The Catalina Pool

By Suzanne Wright on Sep. 27, 2021

The Catalina Pool, circa the 1930s This Arizona Biltmore pool is where Marilyn Monroe preferred to sunbathe, and Irving Berlin first dreamed of a ‘White Christmas’. By Suzanne Wright Pools have…

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Linger Longer Lounge

Dark Bars

By Suzanne Wright on Sep. 27, 2021

Phoenix’s summer sunshine compels local barflies to step out of the light and into the darkness. By Suzanne Wright In Scandinavia, where winter days are short and the sun sets before 3 p.m., some…

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Japanese Friendship Garden

PHX Stories: Japanese Friendship Garden

By Suzanne Wright on Sep. 27, 2021

Less Din, More Zen: A Secret Garden Above I-10 Creates a Cocoon of Placidity in Downtown Phoenix. By Suzanne Wright When you think of Phoenix, a Japanese garden isn’t the first (or fifth) thing that…

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Wild horses on the Salt River

PHX Stories: Paddling the Salt River

By Suzanne Wright on Jun. 19, 2020

Float trip douses desert stereotypes and puts paddlers up close and personal with wild mustangs, blue herons and bald eagles. In Arizona, encounters with wildlife are frequent yet never commonplace…

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The Teapot

PHX Stories: The Teapot, Kid-Friendly Coffeehouse

By Suzanne Wright on Jan. 31, 2020

The Teapot lets parents retain their latte-sipping sensibilities while their kids frolic in a backyard playground. By Suzanne Wright As someone who’s child-free by choice, I admit that I tend to…

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Watson's Hat Shop

PHX Stories: Watson's Hat Shop

By Suzanne Wright on Nov. 15, 2019

At his shop in the cowboy town of Cave Creek, Eric Watson crafts hats that last a lifetime. By Suzanne Wright In the town of Cave Creek, north of Phoenix, cowboy hats are commonplace. “It’s not…

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