Travel & Leisure

There are few Hollywood types as gracious as one Mr. George Lopez. The extremely successful actor/comedian/all around genuine creature touched down in Phoenix this week for the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Forget everything you think you know about Arizona casinos. If you've had the experiences we've had, they probably don't interest you. Between the standard long drive it takes to reach them, tchotchke-filled gift shops, smoky rooms, unimpressive fare and afterthought hotel rooms tacked on for good measure, these properties can leave a lot to be desired when it comes to creating an upscale guest experience. Well, prepare yourselves for an entirely new, ultra-luxe resort casino many have tried to accomplish in the Grand Canyon state to no avail- The brand-new Talking Stick Resort.

So, the Phoenix Open is finally here and fitted with an ultra-stacked field fresh off the Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson. While the tournament is overflowing with top talent, a new non-Super Bowl-coinciding date and record crowds expected throughout the week, all the talk still on Mr. Woods—who’s private plane is parked at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport as I type.

Pictures of clarinets and trombones and the crashing sound of cymbals resonated when I imagined the April 2010, Phoenix grand opening of the world’s first-of-its-kind global Musical Instrument Museum. A banjo on display. A wall of harmonicas. My interest was not peaked. However, immediately after a little research, while stepping back from snare drum stereotyping, the Musical Instrument Museum is a world beyond just a collaboration of musical instruments intended for college football games, string orchestras or jazz bands.