A round of golf can take somewhere north of four hours, so here’s an idea: Make a date for play that doesn’t involve a 45-minute freeway excursion to the first tee. This issue we’re profiling four golf courses fairly close to the middle of town. They’re among the courses the city grew up around. They’re easy to get to, fun to play and beautiful to look at. They also peek out at some of the best views in the city. So swing away without a long drive! 

In a tense scene from the 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale, Daniel Craig climbs inside an elegant and frighteningly fast Aston Martin DBS in hot pursuit of his enemies. The chase lasts for about 20 seconds before the car flips end-over-end in a terrible accident, and the same vehicle is demolished throughout the opening scene of 2008’s Quantum of Solace. All that senseless destruction left view- ers with none of the car worship available in the older 007 films, and for those of us that yearned for a few more chances to see an Aston Martin in action, salvation may come in the form of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster.  

Tequila. Does the mere mention conjure up that crazy college night where “I got sick on that one time” stories surface? Most love tequila or really, really hate it. Well, get ready to give this liquor with the image problem a second chance. The Phoenician and El Tesoro have teamed up to offer an exclusive, eight-year-aged, 100 percent agave, private label Paradiso Tequila to guests of the famed Valley resort. Yep. You have to visit The Phoenician to get a taste. The only barrel made produced 330 bottles, and all of them can only be found here in the Valley.