Introduction to Phoenixby FROMMER'SNovember 20, 2006 Forget the stately cacti and cowboys riding off into the sunset; think Los Angeles without the Pacific. While the nation has carefully nurtured its image of Phoenix as a desert cow town, this city in the Sonoran Desert has rocketed into the 21st century and become the sixth-largest city in the country. Sprawling across 400 square miles of what once was cactus and creosote bushes, the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun (or, more commonly, just the Valley), is now a major metropolitan area replete with dozens of resort hotels, fabulous restaurants, excellent museums, hundreds of golf courses, world-class shopping, four pro sports teams, and a red-hot nightlife scene. (read article)
36 Hours in Phoenixby RANDAL ARCHIBOLDNovember 30, 2008The city may be an inferno in the summer, but the other nine months of the year are a perfect time to visit its top-notch golf courses, fashionable resorts and cool night life.(read article)