Just some more updates and photos from our Arizona trip. After Phoenix, we headed to Prescott to see Zack’s Aunt Bobbi and Uncle Doug. They moved out there over a year ago, and they are loving it so far. They took us around Prescott and out to the mountain town of Jerome as well as Sedona. We had a great time catching up with them and getting to spend some quality family time out west. Many thanks to them for hosting us on our trip!
Downtown PrescottI kind of wanted to just kick these saloon doors right open!Enjoying lunch with Uncle Doug and Aunt Bobbi in PrescottUncle Doug’s fabulous rideThe mountain town of JeromeViews in Jerome
We are finally having some beautiful warm weather here in NYC! Zack finished up the garden last night, and it’s looking fabulous!!! He planted tons of tomatoes (for my homemade sauce!), basil, peppers, eggplant, cilantro, and snap peas. My tum is already getting hungry. Speaking of food, tonight we are having dinner with two of my favorite Aussie mates, and I could not be more excited!
In other news…my heart goes out to all of those affected by the Oklahoma tornado. All of these natural disasters have been so heartbreaking lately. I’m saying lots of prayers for everyone out there, and if you are looking for ways to help with the relief, you can start here.
For one reason or another, it proved easier for me to take photos on my phone while in Phoenix. This first photo is from my DSLR, but the rest were snapped from my iPhone. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have already seen some of these, but here is a little more description about our travels.
We arrived first to the Tempe area and stopped at the Mystery Castle. It is a house that was built out of recycled and found materials of the area. It was constructed in the 1930’s by a father for his daughter who didn’t want her “sand castle to wash away.” It was an interesting stop off with a cool backstory, and the house was unique with tons of art and crafts produced by the family, mostly the daughter.
We then headed to Mill Avenue, home of Arizona State University. We drove around the campus exploring, walked around the town to the different shops, and then stopped off for lunch at Caffe Boa, which was absolutely delicious. Being Cinco de Mayo, I expected it to be a little more crazy than it was considering ASU is supposedly the “#1 Party School in America,” but I think students were graduating and finishing up their finals…and it was also a Sunday.
We later arrived at our hotel, Hilton Tipatio Cliffs Resort, which was absolutely stunning. The views were gorgeous, and I couldn’t wait to jump in the fabulous pools. However, we were zonked, so we crashed for the night.
The next morning we woke up and decided to hike the short but steep climb, the North Mountain Trail, which was surprisingly connected right to our hotel (as well as at least three or more other trails). It was pretty great, and we got some nice views of downtown Phoenix as well. After the hike, we suited up and headed to the pool for the day. A (virgin) pina colada, sunshine, swimming, and a good book was just my idea of vacation that day!
That night, we met up with some cousins of mine who moved to Phoenix about 10 years ago, and went to dinner at a great Mediterranean place called Fez. It was so wonderful to catch up with them and share stories after not seeing each other for so many years.
We were also able to meet a family friend in Phoenix before we went on to our next destination, so we were happy to be able to make our rounds and see everyone we had planned on! That about sums up our time in Phoenix until the end of the trip. Stay tuned for my next post of Arizona adventures!
Mill Avenue
Room service on the balcony 🙂View from the North Mountain TrailI did it!Chillin’…toes – Essie Avenue Maintain
FYI…my bathing suit is my first maternity one from Target. The book I’m reading is Bringing up Bebe – an American mother discovers the wisdom of French parenting. I would definitely recommend this to all expecting mommies!
It’s supposed to be sunny and warm here today in NYC, but I’m still waiting for the clouds to part. Hubby returns from ATL tonight, and I am definitely looking forward to it!
