Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West   (Photo: Judith Bromley)

New York to Scottsdale = 5 hours

Unlike Palm Springs, Scottsdale has never really been known as a hip desert getaway. But the city is bucking its all-retirees-and-cacti reputation with buzzy restaurants, cool consignment shops, and design-focused events. No accommodations capture the retro spirit quite like the swanky Tower Loft Suite (from $449) at the newly restored Hotel Valley Ho (6850 E. Main St.; hotelvalleyho.com), a Sputnik-era pad once frequented by Bing Crosby and Janet Leigh. Another must-see marvel of desert architecture is Frank Lloyd Wright’s onetime winter retreat Taliesin West (tours from $18; 12621 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd.; 480-627-5340), currently celebrating its 75th anniversary with symposia and concerts. Vintage obsessives will unearth opera coats, pillbox hats, and immaculately preserved frocks from Halston, YSL, and Chanel at Fashion by Robert Black (7144 E. First Ave.; 480-664-7770); original Eames and Herman Miller furniture at Antique Trove (2020 N. Scottsdale Rd.; 480-947-6074); and armloads of turquoise jewelry and Fleetwood Mac memorabilia at ­Silver Spring Emporium (6902 E. First Ave.; 480-947-1627), run by Stevie Nicks’s cousin Minette. After dark, the city’s hottest table is at ­Distrito, Jose ­Garces’s barbacoa haunt inside the Saguaro hotel (4000 N. Drinkwater Blvd.; 480-970-4444). If you can’t get in there, aim for one of 26 seats at ­Baratin (7125 E. Fifth Ave., Ste. 31; 480-284-4777), a new European bistro from the mavericks behind gastropub FnB.