Phoenix, Jerome and Sedona

Last month, I took a few days and headed to Arizona to visit Tony. I was excited to see him and to leave the cold weather in New York City.

On St. Patrick's Day, the thermometer hit about 98 degrees and we headed to bask in the sunshine and drink some green beer at a spring training baseball game. I had no idea how big spring training or St. Patrick's Day is in Arizona. The stadium was packed with fans dressed in green and their team's colors. I had only been to one baseball game (a Mets game years ago with Barry and my colleagues at Teachers College) before this, so it was an especially interesting experience for me.

The next day, we got into the car and drove to Jerome and Sedona. I was very excited to see Sedona because I've heard great things about it. Jerome, an old copper mining town, was on the way. It was a cool place with a ton of history. We stopped at the Jerome museum first and heard the story of the town from an older man, who works for the museum. He told the story of the town with passion and enthusiasm. After he finished, we toured the old mansion and the grounds and took some photos. It was fascinating.

From there, we headed to Sedona and I wasn't prepared for how beautiful it would be. Pictures don't do it a justice. We saw all the various rocks, except for Snoopy because we couldn't find it!! One of my favorite spots was the Cathedral rock, which is supposed to be on top of a vortex. It was a peaceful spot that overlooked many of the other rocks. Inside the tiny church, we lit some candles and looked around at the few decorations on the walls. The view is really the centerpiece of the chapel. Outside, we took some photos with the gorgeous background.

After that, we looked at the other rocks and took some more photos. Right before sunset, we headed to the best vantage point to see it. Lots of other people where there waiting for the famous sunset to happen. The colors are amazing. It was really spectacular.

Getting hungry, we went to the Barking Frog for dinner. The restaurant had great ambiance and delicious food. I ordered some delicious ribs that fell off the bone and melted in my mouth. Feeling full and sleepy, we drove back to Phoenix.

On Saturday, we had brunch and then visited Scottsdale. Brunch was at Chelsea's Kitchen and it was delicious. I had a fantastic egg white omelet with all kinds of fancy mushrooms and spinach. Yum. Not only was it delicious, but the garden was lovely, too. It was set under a tree with flowers crawling around. We even spotted a humming bird right behind us.

After brunch, we strolled around town where we saw an exhibit of Dr. Seuss illustrations and other artwork. When we needed a break from walking, we stopped at a little bar with an outdoor section and enjoyed a beer. A canal flows near the bar. We took a walk along the canal and crossed the new bridge that opened recently.