Winslow, AZ & La Posada

Journey on and pass through Winslow, Arizona. 

You’ll be humming the Eagles’ hit with the rest of us;

 if you have to find the corner, it’s located in the historic downtown and marked with a life-size bronze statue and murals. 

Take it easy and enjoy a bite to eat at the spectacular La Posada Hotel & Gardens onsite restaurant The Turquoise Room. www.theturquoiseroom.net

La Posada Hotel & Gardens:

Walking into LA POSADA is like entering a dreamland, where old world charm and modern convenience mesh in the most intriguing way.

A beautiful mirage in the midst of an otherwise worn out town, La Posada captures the imagination and fancy of all who enter. 

Whether for a night's rest or a meal to remember, La Posada has it all--including a first-class gift shop selling gorgeous Native American wares and an open library/game room with cozy reading chairs, a blazing fire in winter and live music most evenings.

Wander her halls and you'll be amazed by Mary Coulter's attention to detail--from graceful, wide arches connecting each space and drawing you from room to room, to the heavy, rustic beams and rich colors accentuating the walls and ceilings.

Dogs and their owners ramble through the spacious halls; it's a pet-friendly environment and after two weeks without my own favorite canine companion, I am going through withdrawals. I meet every dog I can, enjoying the opportunity to pet and talk to the sweet, furry family members who are enjoying a vacation with their humans.

The meal at TURQUOISE ROOM will be one of the most memorable you will ever have--delivered in style by servers well trained in the Harvey Girl tradition (more on Fred Harvey and the famous Santa Fe station restaurants later). While La Posada was rated #3 in the U.S. for bargain hotels by Trip Advisor, the Turquoise Room was rated second best hotel restaurant in the entire U.S. by Condé Nast Traveler. Go ahead and splurge; you will not regret a single calorie!!! If it's not a special occasion, it will feel like one. Keep in mind, you're paying for an experience, and you're in good company. Locals celebrate their largest life events here, and travelers come from continents away to enjoy the award-winning meals created by Chef John Sharpe.

You can't go wrong with the Signature Soup, a creamy sweet corn and spicy black bean blend. But I can't recommend highly enough the Grilled Chicken Breast with Sweet Corn Tamale--which will  literally melt in your mouth and is seasoned to perfection. Pair it with the Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc or the St. Francis Merlot from the nearby Sonoma Valley.

And just so you don't miss out, make sure you partner orders the Wild-Wild Platter because it is so amazingly unusual!

But whatever you do, save room for the Double Chocolate, Grand Marnier Soufflé for two. Period.

With a cup of the best house coffee blend Late for the Train Coffee.

Ok, you won't have room for anything else. But you'll be fortified for the well-worth self-guided tour of La Posada using the hotel guide which you can pick up in the gift shop.

If you're like me, you'll want to know more about Fred Harvey and the architect Mary Colter who designed the hotel to look like an old Spanish hacienda. Colter, a talented artist with demanding standards, based her design for La Posada on a legend she created--of a ranching family who built the hacienda based on their Basque heritage and then lost their fortune in the stock exchange crash of the 1930s.


They sold off their acreage to the Santa Fe Railway in order to keep the house, and the Doña--now too old to travel--requested that the "shiny trains pass the front door of La Posada and bring the world to her, a parade of steel and steam, passengers marveling at the grand hacienda on their way to fortune in California." A grand story, to be sure, and another example of Colter's fine imagination and creative genius.

The hotel was based on a fantasy, a cast of characters and setting imagined by Colter.

It was her masterpiece--a dream setting with an enchanting legend to create the feel she wanted, an imaginary history that is so believable you're almost disappointed when you find out its not true.

 

Though La Posada was not a successful railway hotel, and almost fell into disrepair, an inspired couple snatched it up just in time, breathing new life into the hotel while honoring its history with an amazing restoration that is even yet ongoing.

Allan Affeldt purchased La Posada in 1997 and brought the hotel back from the brink, spreading his vision far and wide to gain investors willing to forge the journey with him. "I believe we save great buildings in the same way we save families, cities and nations ... I believe in the sacredness of place, and in the power of great architecture to inspire creativity, kindness and civic responsibility." He and resident artist Tina Mion have joined with other craftsmen and artists who have made Winslow their home--to not only restore historic treasures like La Posada, but to provide a catalyst for the revival of their community.

I've always admired people who walk by faith--and this was one giant leap! Build it and they will come. Follow your heart/passion and others will take note. Spend a night at La Posada, and you will experience the magic that Mary Colter imagined and Allan Affeldt's team recreated.

As you sit in the Turquoise Room savoring an unforgettable meal, watching the trains pass by just outside the window, you will feel just as Colter knew you would--that you are exactly where you want to be, and the world just outside your window, passing by.

 
www.laposada.org
Rates from $119
#928-289-4366

Just down the road, you’ll run into one of the most fascinating meteor impact sites on Earth. The Barringer Crater

—a remarkable natural wonder and approximately 50,000 years old—

is over a mile wide and almost 600 feet deep. 

You can’t miss it; it’s the huge circular depression yawning out of the brown, desert floor, and only a few miles from the interstate.

 There are several interesting exhibits onsite and an entertaining short film on the big screen every half hour. Take a short walk along the rim; well worth a brief stop!

www.barringercrater.com

Two Guns, once a popular tourist attraction along Route 66, is a not-so-old ghost town. But creepy does well describe it. If you need to know more, visit website listed here:  www.legendsofamerica.com/az-twoguns

While the Painted Desert has wilted to a drab brown around you, the welcome site of alpine woods awaits as you climb up out of the dusty, dry plains.