Sunset Crater - Near Flagstaff, AZ

Worth It?  Yes, on your way to something else.

Adam and I took a weekend trip through Arizona.  We left super early (think 3:30am) from Phoenix on a Friday morning, and spent the weekend traveling up through Northern and Northeastern Arizona.  Fromer's book in hand, we truly experienced a road trip, stopping at all of the side-of-the-road exhibits on the way.  In fact, this trip inspired this blog, so the next few entries will be dedicated to each place we stopped along the way.

The first place we stopped, Sunset Crater, was just outside of Flagstaff.  This place is worth a quick visit if you're on your way to the Grand Canyon or on your way to Page (where we were going).  It's a national park where a volcano erupted a VERY long time ago.  This was actually my second visit here.  My friend Megan came to visit in January, and we stopped on the way to the Grand Canyon.  It was covered in snow at the time, so you really couldn't see anything.  They ask for a $5 donation on the way in, but when I went with Megan, I had an active National Parks Pass ($50 for a year and it gets you and your party - up to 4 people- in to National Parks for free).  If you buy this, do your research to find out if you'll use it first - many parks are state parks and are not free with this pass.  When I went with Adam in August, we went during the once a year Free National Parks weekend, so it was free anyway.  For all of the places we visited on this trip, it was a good weekend to go. 

Anyway, Adam and I stopped just in the inside of the park to take pictures in front of the volcanic rock.  Megan and I had gone further in, but from what we could tell, it was just weird rock and some strange formations.  Again, cool to see, but you probably won't spend more than 10 minutes there.  A lot of people camp out there, but I haven't figured out why yet.  But, it was quiet and the air was cool, and it was a nice place to stretch our legs on the way to our next stop.

The Arizona State Fair - Phoenix, AZ

Worth It?  Yes, if you go on discounted nights

We went to the Arizona State Fair on the first Wednesday of November.   Admission was $10 per person, or you could bring a donated item to get in free before 6pm.  We paid the $10 each as we were running late.  There was a little traffic, but it wasn't too bad.  Don't pay more than $5 for parking...there are plenty of $5 lots, but the first few you see are asking $15- $20.  I was told not to go to the fair after dark because it wasn't in a safe area of Phoenix.  I only like the fair after dark, so we took our chances.  It's not the cleanest, newest area ever, but c'mon - it's downtown, what do you expect?  I never once felt unsafe, though I was walking with my husband.  I might have felt differently by myself. 

Anyway, the only other fairs I have to compare this to is the South Carolina State Fair, and in my opinion, this fair was much better.  It is a good size, and they had many rides I've never seen before.  Montgomery Gentry was playing the night we went, though we didn't go see him.  The best thing about the night?  $1 rides.  Wednesdays are $1 rides and games (for most rides, some are excluded), so it's much more affordable than if you went any other day of the week.  They stay open "until the crowds die down," so there is plenty of time to ride whatever you want.  The lines were very minimal.  The most expensive thing was the beer and fair food - a large beer runs $7.50 domestic, and Adam's "chocolate covered bacon" was $5.75.  I ate before we went...pretty much no healthy options at the fair! 

Some of the games we played included throwing darts at balloons, throwing balls at upside down beer bottles, and shooting a gun onto a piece of paper trying to shoot out the image.  A lot of fun for $1 each!

All in all, I would say the fair is a must.  The weather is perfect in AZ this time of year, and if you go on a weekday, it's not too crowded or too expensive.

The Duce - Phoenix, Arizona

Worth It?  Yea!

Adam and I went to The Duce last night to celebrate some friends' birthdays.  It is a large place in downtown Phoenix that was once a Speakeasy during the days of Prohibition.  Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack have even played there!  The place is a little bit of everything - a farmers market, vintage clothing store, old soda fountain, restaurant, bar, gym, and they even have a boxing ring.  It seems there is something for everyone here.  Our friends rented it out, so they even had their old school bus come pick them up!  My understanding is that the bus runs on normal nights and will take you to other events in downtown Phoenix.  We drove and valeted our car - we tipped the guy $5 but it was worth it for the convenience and to keep your car safe downtown.  The cocktails are amazing.  Everything they serve is organic and sustainable, and made from scratch!  The beer selection is lacking - they only serve the beers that they sold "back in the day," so your options are pretty much PBR, Miller High Life, Schlitz, and others of that calibur.  The cocktails make up for it though!  Everything is made fresh- I watched the bartender create my "greyhound" drink by pouring organic vodka in a mason jar, and then squeezing 3 grapefruits and mixing the juice with the vodka.  It doesn't get fresher than that.  The "Moscow Mule" was another excellent cocktail, consisting of vodka, ginger beer, limes, and mint leaves.  The drinks take some time to make and they aren't cheap - they run anywhere from $6 to $12 each, but they are definitely worth it.  I read on four square that the brunch there is amazing, and I fully intend on trying it one day soon.  If you're ever in Phoenix, the Duce is a must!  A few pictures:

(The card was one my husband brought with him, but this will give you an idea of what a cocktail looks like.)

Wild Western Festival - Glendale, Arizona

Worth It?  NO.  No, No, NO!

I came across the Wild Western Festival online.  It was supposed to be "Arizona's answer to a wild west Renaissance Festival," and it was close to our home, so I asked Adam if we could go.  It was located in the Sahuaro Ranch Park, and cost $10 per person to get in.  It ran Oct 15-17 and was open from 10-6.  We stopped by on Sunday, the last day, around 12:30pm.  The "cast" was definietly in character, though I'm pretty sure that they didn't have to do much to get into their roles.  There were 2 stages, one featuring a very poor "stunt" show, which was so boring and we couldn't stand to watch it for more than 2 minutes, and the other with a quartet playing country music. 

We moved on to the old-fashioned soda stand- the highlight of the festival.

We ordered one mug of the Sassafras soda for $6.  She accidently poured us two, so we ended up with a huge mug each.  The soda was good, but very sweet and neither of us could have more than a few sips.  The bees followed us around too with all of that sugar we were carrying around.

Stage 2 in the background, with Adam holding his soda-mug. 

They had very few food options, mostly "fair-type" food, including fry bread and other friend fares.  They also had a few vendors, maybe 15, that had tents set up.  There was one belt-buckle maker that was cool to watch and tied in with the theme of the festival, but most of the vendors had nothing to do with the theme (i.e. tye-dye at a Western Festival?).

The other "attractions" included a few photos and paintings you could buy, which they labeled "Stars of the West."  If there were any stars over there, we couldn't tell who they were.  They also had a few kids rides, including a spiderman bouncy house.  The train was kind of cute, and they had the "sheriff" ride around in a small car and arrest kids, putting them in a little cart with rails so it looks kinda like a jail cell.

After about 30 minutes, we decided to admit to ourselves that we'd just wasted $26 and at least hope to save the rest of the day.  As we were walking out, the lady that took our tickets on the way in said, "Do I even need to ask if you're coming back?"  Nope. 

The Purpose

My husand and I are suckers for travel and new experiences.  I prefer not to go to the same restaurant or city more than once, because there is so much world out there to explore.  Recently, my husband Adam and I took a roadtrip around our current state of Arizona.  Arizona has a wealth of outdoor parks, as well as "side-of-the-road" attractions.  The problem is that you really can't tell what you're going to see until you've paid for it.  So then I got the idea for this blog.  I would review the places we go and let readers know if it was worth time and money.  I'll review anything from cities to hotels to restaurants to attractions and everything in between.  I'm not the best writer, but I'll be honest about the experience and if each place lives up to its hype.  Adam and I are Food Network junkies, and we go to as many restaurants as possible from "Best Thing I Ever Ate" or "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," so you'll probably get quite a few reviews of restaurants.  Other than that, I'll try to give an honest and fair perspective of the places we go, as well as include a few pictures so you can decide for yourself.