Finally, I have a moment to blog about my whirlwind and jampacked weekend of adventures in Arizona! For those who have traveled with me, you know that I don't waste one minute of my free time while traveling on business. As soon as I "clock out", I utilize every moment to enjoy the trip.
So, here's what we did on Saturday:
So, here's what we did on Saturday:
First stop, the Japanese Friendship Garden. Located in the middle of a neighborhood is this very zen spot. It's $5 to enter (no military discounts) and you can spend a good hour just walking around and taking in the peaceful serenity of this "park". It is landscaped beautifully and is complete with a waterfall and pond that is home to over 500 very large and fat koi fish. The smell of the pond reminded me of the old Ala Moana Center. Those of you who grew up in Hawaii back then, know what I'm talking about.
This place would make a beautiful spot to say your vows or have professional photo shoots. I chose to visit this site because this weekend was spent with good friends and this place was perfect to do just that. I will be adding pictures to a gallery at the end of this blog so keep reading!
This place would make a beautiful spot to say your vows or have professional photo shoots. I chose to visit this site because this weekend was spent with good friends and this place was perfect to do just that. I will be adding pictures to a gallery at the end of this blog so keep reading!
Up next, the Rosson House. An old victorian home that sits in the original spot it was built in 1895. Having gone through many owners, the organization that owns it now did a lot of research to bring this home as close to its original state as possible. There are even furnishings in the home that belonged to the families that once lived there. This home is rich in history and is definitely a must see if you're in the Phoenix area. Cost was $7.50 per person. $6 for military. Expect to spend about 90 minutes at least seeing this historical site. Not only did we tour the house, there was a tour in another older building that had a "Victorian Secrets" exhibit. It explained undergarments from that time period. Very interesting! P.S. The home is NOT haunted per the tourguide. I did not get any orbs on my pictures either. Shucks!
LUNCH! Yes, every place I scheduled on the itinerary HAD to be a Guy Fieri DDD approved restaurant. I'm not eating at no box, corporate, franchise. No way!
Barrio Cafe is very easy to miss when trying to find it. The parking lot is behind the restaurant and there is a back door entrance. The surrounding area to the restaurant reminded me of Kaka'ako with the artistic graffiti. Inside, there was live music and was very dressy. A completely different look from its exterior. On the walls, artwork for sale by local artists.
We had the pomegranate guacamole and the Cochinita Pibil with spicy fries and it was beyond anything I've ever had before!! The meat was so good, well seasoned and juicy. The pickled onions gave it a nice zing. And the spicy fries, to die for. That chipotle ketchup that it came with with set your mouth on a nice smoky fire but is so good, you go in for more burn.
Barrio Cafe is very easy to miss when trying to find it. The parking lot is behind the restaurant and there is a back door entrance. The surrounding area to the restaurant reminded me of Kaka'ako with the artistic graffiti. Inside, there was live music and was very dressy. A completely different look from its exterior. On the walls, artwork for sale by local artists.
We had the pomegranate guacamole and the Cochinita Pibil with spicy fries and it was beyond anything I've ever had before!! The meat was so good, well seasoned and juicy. The pickled onions gave it a nice zing. And the spicy fries, to die for. That chipotle ketchup that it came with with set your mouth on a nice smoky fire but is so good, you go in for more burn.
Next stop, the Mystery Castle. Again, another home rich with history. The story behind this castle is so heartwarming, it might bring a tear to your eye.
The thought of the amount of time and work that went into this mans labor of love for his family left me speechless and in awe. This truly is a castle and this man was way ahead of his time when he pieced this majestic building one stone at a time. You've got to read about it.
The woman (daughter of the man who built it) lived in this castle for 65 years and recently passed away in 2010. Her cat still lives there with a caretaker. This was another place that left me without words.
The thought of the amount of time and work that went into this mans labor of love for his family left me speechless and in awe. This truly is a castle and this man was way ahead of his time when he pieced this majestic building one stone at a time. You've got to read about it.
The woman (daughter of the man who built it) lived in this castle for 65 years and recently passed away in 2010. Her cat still lives there with a caretaker. This was another place that left me without words.
The Pueblo Grande Museum. It seemed like a lot of what was once excavated was "ruined" by the heavy rains the past two days prior to our visit. But, after a zillion years, who would know right?
The ruins were once made by the Hohokam people and excavated by archeologists. Honestly, I found this site boring. It was like looking at overgrown ant hills. It was windy and cold. We ran through this maze of "hey look at that's" so we could get back IN the museum where it was warm.
The one thing we did enjoy were the animals. There was a little tiny hummingbird ( I think ) on a big thorny bush that didn't move the whole time we were pestering it as we snapped photos. There was a large family of cotton tailed rabbits running around the area and I finally got to take a picture with a big ass cactus with holes in it. The holes are gross up close and I was worried about what might possibly come out of it.
Once in the museum, the information it provided was interesting. If we had more time to read every single plaque, I might've learned something. The part of the tour that captivated me was the area that had a pictorial of ghost towns in Arizona. Old mining towns abandoned and how they now sit. That was pretty cool. Cost for this was $6 per person, no military discount.
The ruins were once made by the Hohokam people and excavated by archeologists. Honestly, I found this site boring. It was like looking at overgrown ant hills. It was windy and cold. We ran through this maze of "hey look at that's" so we could get back IN the museum where it was warm.
The one thing we did enjoy were the animals. There was a little tiny hummingbird ( I think ) on a big thorny bush that didn't move the whole time we were pestering it as we snapped photos. There was a large family of cotton tailed rabbits running around the area and I finally got to take a picture with a big ass cactus with holes in it. The holes are gross up close and I was worried about what might possibly come out of it.
Once in the museum, the information it provided was interesting. If we had more time to read every single plaque, I might've learned something. The part of the tour that captivated me was the area that had a pictorial of ghost towns in Arizona. Old mining towns abandoned and how they now sit. That was pretty cool. Cost for this was $6 per person, no military discount.
Our last stop before dinner, the Hole in the Rock - Papago Park. An interesting rock formation that you hike up to. I was hoping to be able to get up there, but it was hella windy which made it colder than the temperature gauge read.
You could try to climb up that extremely steep dirt path but one slip and you'll have gribbles all over your face.
You could try to climb up that extremely steep dirt path but one slip and you'll have gribbles all over your face.
Dinner at Giuseppe's. Yes, a Guy Fieri DDD approved restaurant. "Seppe" was in there working his magic and again, Guy did not lead us wrong.
The food was so good, we were quiet through the whole meal. All you heard us say was, "mmm, omg, mmm, holy, aw mah gaww"
Everything we had was good. The soup, the bread, the entree. It's a simple little restaurant with a simple menu which is great. You pick what you want and go for it. I had the all time favorite, Lasagna. It was simple, yet rich. This guy does NOT skimp on cheese and every ass fattening bite was worth it. YOLO!
The food was so good, we were quiet through the whole meal. All you heard us say was, "mmm, omg, mmm, holy, aw mah gaww"
Everything we had was good. The soup, the bread, the entree. It's a simple little restaurant with a simple menu which is great. You pick what you want and go for it. I had the all time favorite, Lasagna. It was simple, yet rich. This guy does NOT skimp on cheese and every ass fattening bite was worth it. YOLO!
Last stop, CABELAS!! Don't even get me started. I love this store as much as my husbandS do. Just let me live inside this store, please?
Of all three Cabela's I've had the opportunity to enter, this one felt like the largest. They are all ridiculously huge, but this one boasts an entire wildlife museum. The aquarium wasn't as big as the others, and it didn't have a gun range that I could see. If you ever have a chance to see a Cabela's, take it. It's great for the kids!
There was a laser gun game upstairs that we spent way too much time in. And the general store upstairs, you had to pry us out of. The fudge...oh em..the FUDGE. I walked out of there with a big box filled with fudge for $14!! Shut the front door! That's for my two husbands so don't even think about asking me for a bite. I picked up 2 pumpkin pie, 2 caramel apple, and 2 death by chocolate fudge pieces. OK OK the death by chocolate and the rest are MINE. Shoot me.
We spent 2 hours in this store. If I didn't want to buy every gun I saw! Did I say I love Cabela's?
A part of my hunt in here was for tagged merchandise that boasted their location. NADA. They had a womens shirt that said Glendale, AZ. Not for me. I wanted a shot glass or a magnet. Nothing.
One of the managers gave us tokens. Yes, the SAME darn tokens we were using to play the shooting game. She said all Cabela's have tokens like this that have their location on them. I had no idea.
So that was my entire day. Exciting, interesting, and I have filled my head with more trivial information that won't make me worth more money. But still, I had a BLAST!!
Of all three Cabela's I've had the opportunity to enter, this one felt like the largest. They are all ridiculously huge, but this one boasts an entire wildlife museum. The aquarium wasn't as big as the others, and it didn't have a gun range that I could see. If you ever have a chance to see a Cabela's, take it. It's great for the kids!
There was a laser gun game upstairs that we spent way too much time in. And the general store upstairs, you had to pry us out of. The fudge...oh em..the FUDGE. I walked out of there with a big box filled with fudge for $14!! Shut the front door! That's for my two husbands so don't even think about asking me for a bite. I picked up 2 pumpkin pie, 2 caramel apple, and 2 death by chocolate fudge pieces. OK OK the death by chocolate and the rest are MINE. Shoot me.
We spent 2 hours in this store. If I didn't want to buy every gun I saw! Did I say I love Cabela's?
A part of my hunt in here was for tagged merchandise that boasted their location. NADA. They had a womens shirt that said Glendale, AZ. Not for me. I wanted a shot glass or a magnet. Nothing.
One of the managers gave us tokens. Yes, the SAME darn tokens we were using to play the shooting game. She said all Cabela's have tokens like this that have their location on them. I had no idea.
So that was my entire day. Exciting, interesting, and I have filled my head with more trivial information that won't make me worth more money. But still, I had a BLAST!!
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