Mystery Castle
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 Trail
I 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!
Happy Thursday!
XO,
Gina
