Lauren Wise

I have over seven years experience as a freelance writer, magazine writer, Web site copywriter and editor. I love to travel locally and around the world and share my experiences with others. I write about travel to Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia and Taipei), Europe (over ten countries), and within the United States, especially the Southwest. I also like to focus on writing about travel with cuisine or local fare, outdoor

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Desert Botanical Garden Phoenix, AZ

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Lauren Wise submitted on Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ.
over 1 year ago

If you could take just one photo: Towering Cacti Wrapped in Holiday Lights

The Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix is unique by many accounts—it has been thriving with exotic desert vegetation for more than 75 years and displays around 50,000 outdoor plant displays. But around the holidays, during La Nochas de las Luminarias, it is nostalgically and almost eerily magical. Wander among winding paths lined with 8,000 hand-lit lanterns, under Saguaro and looming organ pipe cacti that almost seem to encase the desert pathways you walk upon. Live musicians ranging from a caroling quartet straight out of a Dickinson novel to a blues band sink back into corners while wanderers purchase spiked hot cider and hot chocolate. The air sits still and warm in the garden, while cool breezes sweep vegetation back and forth overhead, like seaweed on the ocean floor. But always be on the lookout—you never know when you will have to step over creeping cacti fingers tailing the trails, or get a glimpse of nocturnal wildlife.
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Lauren Wise has been to Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ.
over 1 year ago

Metal flowers — Like Rachelle Tomlinson

Butterflies landing on your shoulder, hummingbirds sipping nectar from wildflowers, cacti, and succulents of every form; this is Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. The garden boasts more than 50,000 plants and the seasonal Butterfly Pavilion. Hundreds of butterflies flutter in the enclosed exhibit, allowing an up-close encounter with the tiny beings. Not only are the Sonoran Desert’s cacti displayed throughout the 145-acre garden, but succulents and wildflowers from around the world unleash their beauty on the landscape. Each distinct trail features a walk through a diverse mix of desert plants—and they are are wheelchair accessible, though the dirt paths can require some muscle on the part of the one pushing. Soothing herb and medicinal gardens invite you to stop and stay awhile. When you sit still, you'll catch the woodpeckers and bunnies at home among the plants; everyone spending a leisurely day in the Arizona desert.
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Lauren Wise has been to Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ.
over 1 year ago

Metal flowers — Like Rachelle Tomlinson

Butterflies landing on your shoulder, hummingbirds sipping nectar from wildflowers, cacti, and succulents of every form; this is Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. The garden boasts more than 50,000 plants and the seasonal Butterfly Pavilion. Hundreds of butterflies flutter in the enclosed exhibit, allowing an up-close encounter with the tiny beings. Not only are the Sonoran Desert’s cacti displayed throughout the 145-acre garden, but succulents and wildflowers from around the world unleash their beauty on the landscape. Each distinct trail features a walk through a diverse mix of desert plants—and they are are wheelchair accessible, though the dirt paths can require some muscle on the part of the one pushing. Soothing herb and medicinal gardens invite you to stop and stay awhile. When you sit still, you'll catch the woodpeckers and bunnies at home among the plants; everyone spending a leisurely day in the Arizona desert.
Like Add a Comment
Lauren Wise has been to Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ.
over 1 year ago

Metal flowers — Like Rachelle Tomlinson

Butterflies landing on your shoulder, hummingbirds sipping nectar from wildflowers, cacti, and succulents of every form; this is Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. The garden boasts more than 50,000 plants and the seasonal Butterfly Pavilion. Hundreds of butterflies flutter in the enclosed exhibit, allowing an up-close encounter with the tiny beings. Not only are the Sonoran Desert’s cacti displayed throughout the 145-acre garden, but succulents and wildflowers from around the world unleash their beauty on the landscape. Each distinct trail features a walk through a diverse mix of desert plants—and they are are wheelchair accessible, though the dirt paths can require some muscle on the part of the one pushing. Soothing herb and medicinal gardens invite you to stop and stay awhile. When you sit still, you'll catch the woodpeckers and bunnies at home among the plants; everyone spending a leisurely day in the Arizona desert.
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Lauren Wise submitted on Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, AZ.
over 1 year ago

If you could take just one photo: (wood) Fired Up

There always seems to be a line, so it seems like the restaurant should be larger. Maybe it's because the name, Pizzeria Bianco, is on the lips of every notable pizza lover—it was even rated in Food and Wine magazine's Top 10 Best Pizzas in 2010. Upon entry, tables are not further than 30 feet away. A large wood-burning pizza oven is nestled in the back corner, corned by a bar where patrons sip drinks and nibble antipasto salad. Pizzas are pulled out regularly from the oven, and almost immediately served to eager patrons at the tight-knit simple tables. Upon first bite, the crust is crispy, charred, thin, chewy. There usually aren't more than 10 pizzas available, ranging from the fresh mozzarella, tomato and wilted basil (tangy, gooey, with herbs grown on-site), to proscuitto, pine nut and caramelized onions (sweet, savory and deliciously nutty). For 15 years the pizzeria has brought a slice of Sicilian charm to Phoenix's Heritage Square; so be sure to toast the cultural marriage with a local beer from Bianco's bar.
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Lauren Wise has been to Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, AZ.
over 1 year ago
Lauren Wise has been to Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, AZ.
over 1 year ago
Lauren Wise has been to Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, AZ.
over 1 year ago