Scottsdale

Unfortunately, I had to hop on to a work call first thing, but afterwards, Marie and I went on a hike near her house at Pinnacle Peak. It was packed with kids and hikers, but we had fun chatting and doing the hike up, down, up, and down again and doing the reverse round trip. It was about 2 hours round trip and since it had rained recently, the shrubbery was all in bloom - collages below from our hike:

I was nervous I wouldn't be able to keep up with Marie, because she's very active and athletic, but I survived! To celebrate, we had lunch with Steven at a restaurant called Isabella's that's on a golf course. We shared a mushroom pizza and had salads while Steven enjoyed a crispy chicken sandwich along with tasty pomegranate margaritas. Here's a photo of Marie at our lunch table - a better view than our pantry lunch at work and very "Scottsdale" to be on a golf course!

After lunch, we headed to Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West which is where his architecture school is located. I've been to the Robie House in Chicago and other Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, but this felt different with the students, to this day, working away in the draft studio. Here are a few photos from our 90 minute Inisghts Tour (you have to reserve and there are several tour options):

When the tour was over, Marie and I rushed to the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess where I will be at a work conference for a few days and the work part of my Arizona Adventure begins. I'm sad that my personal part of the vacation is over, but the conference was the impetus and motivation to plan such a fun Arizona itinerary! 

This is where my blogging ends for the trip, but I hope to return to Arizona again to hike some more, visit Marie, and enjoy the warm and sunny weather!

Montezuma

Our first day of sleeping in! We slowly made our way out of our hotel and waited to have breakfast at Brandy's Restaurant and Bakery in Flagstaff where they are famous for pancakes and Eggs Benedict which is my favorite. The restaurant was also on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Our waiter recommended the Avocado and Proscuitto Eggs Benedict with cream cheese and tomato. A buttermilk pancake is included on the side - a photo of our satisfying breakfast:

 

After meandering through old Flagstaff, we headed off to Montezuma Well, a naturally occurring spring in the middle of the desert. The Well is just south of Sedona and was a nice walk to work off our breakfast. We made sure to stay on the trail to avoid any rattle snakes!

After the well, we drove a few miles to the Montezuma Castle where there is a preserved 5 story home in the wall. The Native Americans lived here to protect themselves from heat and sun, as well as to stay above the flash floods that the region is known for during the summer. These homes are near rivers and water sources for easy access. There were even some homes on the side of Montezuma Well. 

 

Then we continued our drive down to Phoenix where we tried to get in to Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West, but all tours were sold out for the day. As such, we headed to Old Town Scottsdale that tries to look like an Old Town. We had a little trouble finding it, but it was fun to walk through. 

We had plans to have dinner with my friend Marie and her husband, Steven who live in Scottsdale. I chose a restaurant by the airport called The Wild Thaiger - a Thai restaurant that was on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Marie and I worked together back in NY and we probably had lunch together 3 out of 5 days a week and became very close. We had fun catching up and talking about the trip. 

After dinner, Yoonjoo and I returned the car rental and Marie and Steven followed us to the airport where they took Yoonjoo to the terminal. 

Here's a link about Arizona scenic roads - we had fun pointing out the different scenic roadway signs during our car rides and since we saw so much of Arizona! http://www.arizonascenicroads.com/

5 days, over 900 miles, 3 hotels, endless laughs, tons of photos, and wonderful memories - I'm so grateful that my cousin, Yoonjoo was so enthusiastic about joining me on this Arizona Adventure. I knew she would embrace every angle considering she's a professional photographer and appreciate every opportunity to explore Arizona together. Thank you so much and I look forward to future family fun!

Our goodbyes were quick as the airport was a bit of a zoo, so our car hurried off back to Scottsdale where we did a quick grocery trip and gelato run. Then I was at Marie and Steven's beautiful home that has a pool and an immense amount of space. You definitely don't get this kind of space in NY! We chatted a little longer over coconut vodka cocktails and then went to bed. I was so glad to be done with the driving part of the trip, but now the work part of the trip begins....