I ended up staying through until Friday night. USWest airlines was about as unhelpful as can be. They did absolutely ZERO to help me resolve the problem. Forget about comping me for their part of the screw up.
The good news is I made the most of my stay. It was in the 70s and sunny-No reason to get back to Wisconsin in a hurry.
I rented a PT Cruiser convertible-No I didn't ask for it. It was the only car they had. It's kinda like the old fat girl/moped joke-fun until your friends see you on one. I ended up checking in at the Camelback and going to restaurants and shops in the mall area Joe mentioned-very nice. I can't say I experienced much nightlife because I burnt myself out each day so I was sacked out by 10 pretty much every night. Thursday I rented a Road Glide from Top Spoke/Hacienda Harley in Scottsdale. The people there put our Milwaukee dealerships to shame with top notch customer care. I was very impressed. I took their advice and headed for Apache Trail. Very scenic! Now I know where the AZ P-car guys go to hit the twisties! That night I ate at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse-fantastic as always. I wrapped up my stay with a long visit to the pool area friday. A refreshing break for a Midwesterner right about now!
Overall I'm very glad the foobar happened. I found Scottsdale an excellent place to be stranded. The people were lots of fun and really friendly. As a matter of fact, my wife and I are planning a trip there in a few weeks to see more. I highly recommend it as a destination.
A few highlights-
the view from my room at the Camelback Resort.
Me at Tortilla Flats
part of the Apache Trail
