Arizona, Day 6

Well, let's keep the last day brief. I had come back from the gym and getting a little bit more of a lift in. 

I had started packing up my new suitcase, not too worried, our nonstop flight back to Raleigh wasn't leaving until 4:30 PM. So at this point, it was maybe 10 in the morning. Mom was still laying in bed checking her phone with the morning news on the TV in the background.

All of a sudden, a word came from my mother's mouth as loud as I can ever remember hearing it in my four decades of life.

And that word was "FUCK!"

I knew exactly what it had to be in reference to. The flight had gotten all screwed up. Just the night before, there were about 20 or 22 seats available and all of a sudden, the flight was booked even. I didn't even know if I should take a shower. I figured we had to get right to the Phoenix airport. But the more we looked, the more we realized it wasn't worth it. The connections through Chicago, Charlotte, and Dallas were not worth trying. So we decided to just go for the non stop. If that didn't work, then we would probably have to wait until 11 pm to fly to Charlotte and then fly to Raleigh in the morning. If that was the case, I wasn't getting to work until early afternoon at best.

Since we had time for lunch, we found a restaurant called Perfect Pear Bistro, which had never even come up in my initial research. It was a nice cafe, with a bit of a southwestern flair. But I got a great combination of the Pasta Atraciamana and Spicy Cobb salad. The pasta dish was rigatoni, bacon, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers and creamy spicy red sauce topped with parmesan cheese & basil. Great flavors, a touch of heat with the sweetness of the veggies. The fresh basil contrasted the smoky salty bacon really well too. Great dish. And the salad had MORE crispy bacon, roasted butternut squash, black beans, red onions, avocado, egg, pepper jack cheese, cilantro & sunflower seeds with spicy chipotle ranch and I also got some lime vinaigrette dressing on the side. Plus for more protein, I added chopped chicken breast. Awesome! Plus a quality Arnold Palmer and I had no complaints.

We got to the airport about 1:30, probably 90 minutes earlier than we needed to. There were only 4 standby passengers and we were number 2 and 3. Of course, #4 was the first to get their seat, so that immediately had me nervous. I mean why the hell do we have a numbered list if we don't follow the stupid numbers? Anyway, we did get our seats, about 15 minutes before boarding. Mom had row 9 and I had row 26, which is the last row of the plane, right next to the restroom. 

Now I was actually considering drinking alcohol on the plane, which I rarely do in coach, since it costs money. But I do like to have it on an evening flight, so I did ask for red wine. A few minutes before the flight attendants reached my row, one of them, who barely spoke English, came up to me. She asked if I would switch seats with a guy in Row 4, which was the first row of coach. Apparently, he wanted to sit near the restroom. 

So now I'm thinking to myself, I can make this work. I managed to get a half bottle of Merlot and I had no trouble drinking that down. I mean I don't love the bulkhead row of coach, but if sitting there means free wine, I'm in! 

Arizona, Day 5

With Christmas over, all the local businesses were open. I started my morning with five miles on the elliptical machine in the hotel gym. We drive about 10 minutes towards the Phoenix Zoo to an attraction called Hole in the Rock. It's a brief trail, not even a mile. But with Mom still struggling with her balance, we had to be mindful of distance and elevation.

The trail was incredibly crowded, especially littered with kids. It was hike up a hill that took about 10-15 minutes. But there's a view through the hole where we could see the zoo and the Phoenix skyline. 

Feeling hungry, we drive back into Old Town Scottsdale for Capriotti's sandwiches. We'd spent pretty heavily so a sub sandwich seemed like a good idea, especially with no custom salad joints around. So we get to the deli and they had a sign on their door that they had been voted the best sandwich in America. Well, we decided to test that. We split the American Wagyu roast beef sandwich as well as the classic Italian sandwich with Genoa salami, capicola, and prosciutto. The sandwiches were good, but could have been better. Each sandwich came with one slice of tomato on top, it could have used more. Also, some extra oil and vinegar to moisten the bread would have been a big help. and also the bread was thick to the point where it kind of overwhelmed the ingredients inside, I actually scooped out a little bit of the inside of the bread to balance it out. I would say it was good, but not out of this world. 

Good variety of chips and drinks are available. 

We explored the shops at Old Town for a while. Baseballism caught my interest, it's kind a of a lifestyle brand store. It doesn't sell official MLB merch or anything like that, but it had some classy clothing that focuses on history and tradition of the game. Didn't end up buying anything thought, there just wasn't enough variety.

I spent a good amount of time in Bischoff's Shades of the West. It's that old style Trading Post that are very common in the southwest. I guess the trade is we give them money, they trade us the merchandise we want? But they have everything from hot sauce to sports gear to shoes to purses to moccasins. Fantastic variety of inventory. Ultimately, I bought two bags of pistachios, one for me and one for mom.

And this store was so old school, they they wrote out the receipt on paper!

Mom wanted to go see a movie, I guess she wanted to relax. I really didn't, it was a nice day and I wanted to be outside. After another brief argument, I dropped her off outside Harkins and she went to see The Color Purple. Sad choice, but whatever. As for me, I drove to the City of Mesa cemetery. Country music legend Waylon Jennings is buried there and I wanted to see his gravesite. I had to drive past the Cubs spring training baseball complex to get there; it seemed quite nice from the outside.

I continued to drive east ad it started to get more Hispanic and more lower class. I entered the cemetery and it suddenly seemed more quiet. I found the site pretty quickly and it was pretty easy to spot. American flags, bandanas, spare change, guitar picks, Jack Daniels minis, Coke bottle tops, and unsmoked cigarettes. I'm sure he would have been proud. From what I can tell no one else was around. But way out in the distance, there was a burial was going on. I started playing some of Waylon's songs on YouTube, it was kind of my own concert right there. I had to hurry since nature was calling, but I still stayed there about 40 minutes as the sun beat on my face and the cool wind blew through the trees.

From there it was off to Four Peaks, one of the Valley's most popular breweries. And I didn't expect to have to park a quarter mile away on a Tuesday afternoon. But it's a popular place and I guess a lot of people had the day after Christmas off. I sat alone at the bar and I drank a flight, the peach beer was pretty good. But I settled on their imperial hazy for $10. The $3 sticker was included, which I appreciated. 

But then it was onto my next spot, the Green Acres cemetery in Scottsdale. I wanted to visit the gravesite of wrestling legend Eddie Guerrero, which took about ten minutes to find. And it was also the garden that has the resting spot of another Hall of Famer, Superstar Billy Graham. Unfortunately, there is no headstone yet, even though he passed in May. Sad it's taking this long.

I picked Mom up from the movie and we enjoyed happy hour at the Thirsty Lions pub in that same shopping center with Portillo's, Lou Malnati's, the movie theater, etc, etc. but I really liked this place. Pretty dark interior, but still approachable and inviting, staff was dressed in black. Excellent pork tacos, succulent bacon wrapped BBQ shrimp, very good burger sliders, and for my only dessert of the whole trip, I had some whiskey cherry bread pudding with fresh whipped cream. Great finish. Had a classic mojito for my drink. Oh, plus they have some of the best looking bartenders I saw during my vacation.

My friend Matt, and his wife, Mary Beth, were visiting his parents, which I had no idea was the case. But his parents live up in the bougie boonies of north of north Scottsdale. I had to go into one gate to go to the next gate to get there. But I picked them up and we went to the Buffalo Chip, a very popular country bar. And I mean a real country bar, with the spirits, the live band, the dancing, the Old West decor, everything. I should have brought a jacket, because there was no room inside and we had to sit outside in the near dark. I did order a brisket sandwich, and I ate what I could of it. But since I didn't have a fork, and it was brutally hard to get a server, I had to pick up, with my hands, all the shredded meat that had fallen out and shove it in my mouth. Not east to do in the dark and in the cold. One beer and I was good. Fun unexpected night and I'm glad I was able to get away from the hotel for the night.

Arizona, Day 4

In the morning, we wanted to get a hike in. Now we had tried to hike the morning before and we could not do it because the parking lot was completely full on Christmas Eve! So again we tried to go to Camelback Mountain. Of course we ended up in a fight over parking and I ended up going alone. As it turned out, that was for the best. Because she would not have had a chance have lasting even ten minutes on that rocky Cholla trail that was so steep.

After 35 minutes, I made it halfway to the top, right around the helipad, which I believe was a little bit over one mile. Maybe if I had another two hours, water, and actual hiking boots, I could have done it. So we did go to Barry Goldwater Park, a tribute site to the US Senator, who nearly photography, electronics, and radio. He seems like he was an interesting man.

After a much needed shower., we went to the Musical Instrument Museum in northeast Phoenix, near Scottsdale. It was a very impressive place, there were galleries for certain musical artists, and certain instruments such as guitars and pipe organs. Then the entire upstairs was different geographic sections, showing the history of music from nearly every country in the world. And within the US and Canada, there were breakdowns of almost every genre from rock to ragtime jazz to polka to bluegrass. I never thought I'd see a wall of accordions from Italy or ukuleles from the Far East, but they were there. Definitely worth the visit, but you'll spend at least 3 hours there.

Then it was time to eat, so we drove south to Old Town Scottsdale and stopped in RA Sushi, where I'd made a reservation. I knew of the place in Chicago, but I'd never dined at one of their locations. Now I'm not a sushi lover, but it seemed like a good option with the limited availability on Christmas Day. 

For a drink, I decided to try the Emperor's margherita, made with the amazing tequila from Casamigos. It had a little Japanese yuzu floating on top as well. Wow! Super smooth, I was proud of myself for only getting one, because I could have drank three of those with no problem.

The highlight of the meal for me was the surf n turf sushi. It had shrimp, asparagus tempura; topped with seared filet mignon, green onions, red bell peppers, fried onions and garlic chips. It had a side of creamy wasabi sauce, which wasn't too spicy. Fantastic!

The shrimp fried rice was really good, I also liked the tunacado, which is seared ahi tuna served with fresh sliced avocado along with a creamy tzataki dipping sauce. And the Gyozu, the seared potstickers, had a nice sear on the outside, which is so key to a good potsticker.

After the meal, it was back to the room where I watched football and then I think crashed on the bed. All the traveling finally caught up with me. I may have finished off the leftover Lou's pizza in the fridge...

Arizona, Day 3

After three days out of the gym, I was dying for a good workout especially after my In N Out the night before. For the most part I lifted the weights, I wasn't feeling the cardio. 

My suitcase had broken on the trip in, so I knew had to replace it. So we made a trip to TJ Maxx and I did buy a SwissGear suitcase for about $80. It's a spinner, a nice feature I'd never had before. It might be a tad smaller than the other one I had been using, but I think with the expansion option and the inside straps and three internal storage compartments, I'll get by.

Then it was lunchtime and we went to Pappadeaux. Always a favorite, and it's a shame that it's been relegated to 4 states now, with the vast majority in Texas. We started off with the free hot crusty French bread. And then for the app, some fried alligator, which ain't cheap, but it's so good. It came with a citrus chipotle sort of dressing, it was really thin. We didn't want that, so we asked for some remoulade and the staff had to make it from scratch! So good! 

The tableside Greek salad has always been a favorite of mine, and it's prepared tableside. Mom had snuck an extra avocado in, so we diced that up and scooped in on our salad plate. I'm sure the waiter was wondering how the hell an avocado skin was in our salad plate.

Then we split the mixed seafood grill with shrimp, scallops, salmon, and vegetables, and served over a plate of dirty rice. Everything was fantastic. 

We explored the Glendale and Sun City areas for a while and then headed back to the room to cool down and I watched football for a little while until it was time to go to church. Now we went to CCV downtown, which is one of their many, many locations in the Phoenix area. We had to park off sites and then we got a ride in a pedi-bike to the site of the Church. They had a lot going on; there was a smores station, hot cocoa, and coffee, all for free. Me, I just settled for a bottle of water.

Christmas service was quite nice, the pastor gave a message on the topic of worship. It was a somewhat basic message, but it would be a good place to attend regularly. After that was dinner at Mancuso's, which is the restaurant Leah's family owns. Parking was a nightmare, it's right across the street from the basketball arena, so space is limited. We eventually found the correct underground garage though. Then we had to walk outside and up two flight of stairs to get there. 

We started off with some free garlic bread, very nice. Crispy outside, soft on the inside. For dipping, they had this cool jug with two pour spouts: one side was for the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I wouldn't mind one of those in my kitchen! The lump crab salad was quite nice with mixed greens, hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, avocados, asparagus, and the basil dressing. The crab meat was nice size, good lumps.

Unfortunately, the entrees did not impress us. The NY strip steak was ordinary at best. It needed more seasoning, needed to be cooked a little better. The menu said it was Argentine beef. I've been to Argentina, and this tasted a like a steak I would get at at a casual restaurant. We did ask for medium rare, and this was closer to rare. It wasn't worth the $36, it was worth maybe half that price. The Milanese pork chop was better, with a nice bread crumb coating on the outside. The vegetables were undercooked and they had a load of garlic. I mean I love garlic, but it was really pronounced. The gorgonzola mashed potatoes were fine as well. We were able to get a nice bottle of Malbec for $42 though, they do have a nice variety of wines for different prices as well. 

Arizona, Day 2

Saturday was a big day. We were up at 4:45 am for a four hour drive north to Page, AZ for a tour of Antelope Canyon, near the Utah border. 

We woke up to a ton of rain and bitter cold. My mother had to drive in the dark in a rental car that she did not like and she was terrified. She kept complaining about it and I didn't really appreciate it, considering  it was the same make and model car that I drive.

We made it to Flagstaff, which is about halfway there and by now he rain had lightened up but the temperature was only around 40 degrees. With the mountains, with a little snow on top, and the cold temperature, I thought I was back in Alaska!

I had the vibe she was no longer looking forward to the tour, she wasn't really dressed warmly enough. We stopped at the Starbucks and decided at that moment to try to get our money back, we ultimately were able to get a 50% refund. And I think it made sense, because we would have been outside at least two hours, and done eight hours of driving. It just did not make sense.

So we headed about 20 minutes north of Flagstaff to Cameron, where they have a famous Trading Post. 

So then, I took over the driving and we went east from Flagstaff down Route 66 to the famous town of Winslow. Yes, just like from the Eagles song, "Take It Easy." We took some pictures at Standing on the Corner Park, which has statues of both Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey. There isn't a whole lot to the town, it's kind of lower class with a few shops and local hotels downtown. But it isn't a place you're going to spend multiple days.

Driving back to Flagstaff, we hit our peak altitude of 7,286 feet. By now, it was close to mid afternoon, so we decided to grab a bite in downtown Flagstaff. Being up in the mountains, it was quite a bit colder than it usually is in the valley. We went to the McMillan Pub, where we had a drink each and their spinach and artichoke dip. Service was a little bit slow, but there were only two employees, so it could not have been easy. 

Then came the 2 and a half hour drive back, which felt like it was just dragging and dragging. I don't think we got back to the hotel until about 6:30. So after cleaning up a little, I walked across the street to Hundred Mile, a local brewery, that I guess is run by some hardcore Iowa Hawkeyes fans. I'm not into dark beers, but I dug the peanut butter porter, not too heavy or filling, but still a deep roasty, nutty flavor. I had 10 BBQ wings, which I really liked, they had that southwest spice to them, and the sauce wasn't overly thick or sweet, they were more like BBQ glazed. Plus a side of carrots celery, and pickle slices, and I was pretty pleased. Super nice and engaging staff as well.

On the way back, of course, I had some In n Out Burger, an apparent west coast must. Now I had them once before, many years ago, in Vegas. I did not expect an armed guard inside, nor did I expect every table and booth to be occupied at 10 pm. I had a double double, animal style and after eating it, I wish I had ordered a 3X2 for the extra burger patty. It had a little too much of their spread for me and I thought the burger was just too salty. But for the burger and a drink, it was less than nine bucks, which is not too bad price wise.

Arizona, Day 1

So after a 3.5 hour drive from Norfolk to Raleigh and 4 hours of sleep on a couch, I had to wake up at 3 am to catch the plane. I got into panic mode quickly since the Lyft driver took about 10 minutes longer than he should have to get to the apartment; he actually missed two exits off of the highway! And sure I was nervous, on the Friday before Christmas, I figured the RDU airport would resemble a mob scene. 

But there were 6 or 7 security lines open, it actually wasn't too tough to get through. We made our first flight to Chicago with no issues and I got the middle seat. The second flight to Phoenix was pretty easy as well, though this time it was me in a middle seat for four hours.

Amazingly, the rain was falling in Arizona, but it was only going to be first day we were there and maybe into the next morning as well. The rental car took a while to get. First, after claiming the luggage, we had to take the sky train to the rental car center. And then the line for Budget was maybe 20 people long and then we had to take two escalators downstairs. I got to the car first and there were other people's luggage in our car! I'm not kidding, there was a backpack in the passenger seat, water bottle in the center console, and a suitcase in the trunk. Eventually a guy showed up, apologizing. How the car company assigned the same car to two people in a row, I don't know. But we took another car, ironically, a silver Hyundai Elantra, the same car that I drive. 

Since were famished, it was straight to Portillo's in Tempe, which is located in the District a major shopping center. For me, I ordered an Italian beef with cheddar, sweet peppers, and hot giardiniera. And for good measure, a Chicago hot dog as well, and we split the large fries. I got an extra jar of giardiniera to go, sadly, I would leave it behind in my hotel room. 7 bucks wasted, oh freaking well.

The traffic around that mall was crazy, not surprising only 4 days before Christmas. It took about 15 minutes to travel one mile. But we made it to the Aloft hotel in Tempe, right across the street from In n Out burger, Jersey Mike's and Starbucks. Very dangerous trifecta for me.

The water and coffee are included. but everything else, we had to pay for, no breakfast was included. And the rooms have that Euro feel to them. No closed drawers in the room, only a Book of Mormon, and no Bible, which was ridiculous. One of the weirdest things was the TV turns off on its own after a certain amount of time and it can't be stopped. It displays a 60 second timer that it'll be shutting off and you have to hit OK on the remote to stop it. Except hitting OK didn't do anything. So several times, we had to turn the TV Back on and let it load back up. I hope other hotels don't do this too. Maybe it's for saving electricity?

Anyway, we headed to the bar where I drank a Four Peaks Hazy IPA for ten bucks. Pretty decent beer. Then it was off to Lou Malnati's, in the same shopping center for dinner, Strange that we had flown through Chicago and then had Portillo's and Lou Malnati's for our food stops the same day.

Anyway, my mother's friend, Leah, joined us. I guess they met in Virginia at a retreat center for women and the center helped Leah lose about 200 pounds. She was nice to talk to, she has her own photography business. We started with the Malnatis salad, and had most of it. Then it was the deep dish Lou's pizza with spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, and three cheeses. More leftovers, not that I minded.

Back to the room for the night.