Tag: phoenix

Arizona: part three 

At last, the final post of my Arizona trip! As I’m writing this, it’s the first day of fall. All day I’ve been thinking about what an incredible summer I’ve had and I feel so lucky I got to spend it with my family and some of my closest friends. Nevertheless, I am SO excited for fall. I can never pick a favorite season, but I think fall would be in my top two.

Anyways… here’s the final post of my Arizona trip! It’s a biiiit longer than my previous ones, FYI!

We went to the MIM (Musical Instrument Museum) and spent a few hours there. I had actually been there one of the last times I visited Arizona. It’s SO big, I don’t even think we got to everything! It’s a really beautiful museum and the way they have it set up is really neat. Each room is a different continent and there are sections with countries throughout that room. Each section is filled with the instruments from a specific country. They give you headphones that automatically let you listen to the song or piece that’s being played on the TV and it changes through each section as you walk around. That probably makes zero sense, but trust me – it is VERY cool!

Beatles guitar!

I love this photo… that’s Camelback Mountain! You get the perfect view from upstairs in the museum.

After that, we relaxed for a while. Then we went to an Asian market that was a super cool experience. I had never been to an Asian market before and there were so many interesting fruits and all sorts of crazy food there. We left with a bunch of stuff, including GIANT POCKY! It’s SO good. I love pocky, but giant pocky is ten times better. After that, we went to a Chinese restaurant right next door to the market. I learned that I’m not a huge fan of shrimp and I STILL can’t use chopsticks! 😦 Someday!!! LOL. Other than that, the food was VERY good. We tried this soup that’s apparently a popular dessert in China. I was not expecting to love it, but it was delicious. It didn’t taste much like soup because it was super sweet, but I had never tried anything like it!

The next day, we checked out OdySea Aquarium. We were going to go here a few days before, but instead went to the Heard Museum because it was SO CROWDED! We went on the right day AND got there super early, so it was pretty perfect. The aquarium is pretty new and it’s one of the nicest ones I’ve ever been to…it’s also HUGE. I don’t go to aquariums often, but when I do I am always blown away.

If you ever go here, there was one cool “exhibit” I really loved that you should check out. I don’t remember what it was called, but it’s in this little theater that moves around and takes you through different tanks so it kind of feels like you’re actually in the tank. I LOVED it!

Nemo!

OK, so this was probably another one of my favorite parts of that day. There’s a sloth in one of the first hallways when you’re walking through, and the first time we walked by it it was sleeping. Then we walked past it again and it woke up! Apparently it’s super rare for this sloth to ever move around, but this guy went up the ropes and back down for a few minutes and it was the cutest thing ever. I got a video and it’s seriously one of the best videos on my phone. I hadn’t ever seen a sloth in person and now I love them so much!

Oh – the penguins were also super awesome. They are such cool creatures. I love the way they swim!

The otters were the funniest!! We got there just as they were coming out for the day and it was so cute.

After we got back we went swimming (again 🙂 ) and made lasagna for dinner.

The next day, we decided to check out Butterfly Wonderland. It’s the largest butterfly conservatory in the U.S. and it’s right next door to OdySea. I always think butterfly gardens are super fun and they’re a great place to bring your camera!

OMG. This photo. I am so proud of myself. These particular butterflies are absolutely gorgeous, but the minute they close their wings they’re neutral and blend in with the others. The second I took this it closed its wing! Ahhh! It made me really happy that I got this shot. Isn’t it just the prettiest?!

After that, we walked through Old Town Scottsdale for a while to look for gifts and souvenirs. We stopped at The Sugar Bowl for some ice cream after and I am so happy we did! When I was younger, The Sugar Bowl was one of my favorite places to visit in Arizona. I still love it!

I got the Dusty Road Sundae! (I think that’s what it’s called.) Chocolate ice cream, chocolate fudge, malt, whipped cream, and a cherry. Yuuuum!

And, alas, here we have the final day… *sigh!* This day was actually one of my favorites. We went to Desert Botanical Garden first. It’s absolutely amazing there, but we only walked around for a little while because it was way too hot! Definitely go in the earlier hours of the morning or the evening if you decide to go! I love this photo of the prickly pear cactus.

And this is one of my favorite photos I took the whole trip! Just LOOK how beautiful it is there!! I can’t get over it. I love New England, but going to new places always makes me so happy because the environment is so much different.

Ouch, I would NOT want to fall into that! Lol.

I don’t have any photos, but after that we went go-karting! I had never been and it was actually really, really fun. I was sooo scared at first because I had never done anything besides bumper cars in my life, but it turned out to be a blast.

After that, we went to lunch and then to SMOCA (Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art). I had seen photos of this place online because currently this light exhibit is the big thing there. It’s a pretty small museum, but they’ve got a LOT of interesting art there and an AMAAAAZING gift shop!!

It was around mid-afternoon by then, so we headed back and got all of our things together to get ready for our flight that would leave at around 10:30pm.

It suddenly started pouring and it went on for quite a while. The power flickered on and off for a bit too. Before the storm, we ordered pizza, and apparently the power had gone out at the pizza place, too! Luckily, they had made ours just in time.

When the rain stopped, we saw the owl in the backyard saying one last goodbye to my brother and I. 😉 On the way to the airport, a rainbow appeared and we saw another beautiful AZ sunset. The perfect way to end the most incredible trip!

So, there you have it: my trip to Arizona. It was the first time I had ever traveled alone, but it was also one of the most exciting and wonderful experiences I’ve ever had. I am so, so, so grateful that I got to visit my family and learn and see so many awesome sights there. I hope to visit again soon!!

I hope you enjoyed this little travel series and that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Arizona: part two

In part one, we left off at the Grand Canyon. After that amazing sunset, it took us about five hours to drive back to Phoenix, meaning we arrived at around one a.m. I was SO tired but it was SO worth it!

The next day we slept in and went swimming for a little while in the morning. We were planning on going to the Odysea Aquarium, but since it was Saturday it was crazy busy and there was zero parking. We decided instead to go to the Heard Museum, which was something I was so looking forward to.

The exhibit going on at the time was Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. (Unfortunately, TODAY is the last day of the exhibit there, but I think it’s a traveling exhibit so it will be at other locations.)

In sixth or seventh grade I was told to do a book report on someone I knew nothing about. (AKA – not a first lady. I had done Jackie O., Eleanor Roosevelt, AND Michelle Obama in past years!) I found a book in my school’s library about Frida Kahlo and I recognized the name and face. I knew my mom was a big fan of her but I really didn’t know too much about her.

The book was a cheap, middle school-age biography with a little information about her personal life, but it didn’t go into great detail. Nevertheless I learned so much about her and I wanted to learn even more. I thought her story was just fascinating and I was in love with her work. I was so glad I branched out and chose someone new to write about!

Before we left for Arizona I was researching some museums and events I wanted to check out while there and I came across the Heard Museum. It’s primarily an American Indian Art Museum, but the Frida and Diego exhibit had been apparently been a huge hit so I had to put it on my Arizona to-do/to-go-to list!

Tons of Kahlo’s pieces were on display and it was so surreal to see all of them. I had only seen one of her real pieces at MoMA in New York, so this exhibit was so awesome. It had Rivera’s work as well and many photographs taken by Kahlo’s father, too.

This was of the coolest things in this exhibit. Designers researched Kahlo’s style in great detail and made replicas of her clothes. I thought they were actually her real clothes before they mentioned they were replicas! So much detail is put into those outfits and they’re all so beautiful. I LOVE the flower crowns, too!



My aunt and I stumbled upon a tour group and decided to join it. The tour guide was super helpful. She explained the interpreted meanings of many of the pieces and I went home with so much more knowledge about Kahlo’s life!

They really need to make a year-round Frida Kahlo museum. This exhibit was absolutely amazing. It’s definitely in my top three favorite museums I’ve ever been to. (I think it just beats the First Ladies exhibit in D.C. 🙂 ) The gift shop was crazy awesome, too. (That’s always a plus!) I now appreciate Frida Kahlo’s work so much more knowing how much pain she went through throughout her life.

After the Heard, we went out for lunch at the Cafe at Phoenix Public Market. Other than it being super loud in there, the menu was great and the desserts looked gorgeous. I got the AB&J (Almond butter and jelly) and WOW was that good! It was just the right portion and the flavors were perfect together. I would totally eat that again.



After lunch, we went to SNOH Ice Shavery. It’s kind of like ice cream, but it’s kind of like shaved ice. It’s super weird but super yummy. They have boba and other drinks there too, but I was curious to try the “ice cream,” or whatever you want to call it! I chose one of the ones on the menu that was already created, but you can create your own too. The base was taro (that’s the purple in the photo) and it was so good. I had never tried taro before but it was really interesting and it doesn’t taste anything like it looks. (LOL, I don’t even know what purple is supposed to taste like. Grape?!) It was topped with condensed milk, almond cookies, and almond pudding. I would totally recommend this place if you want to try something new!

After that, we went to Changing Hands which is a local bookstore. I love bookstores and I so wish we had a Changing Hands on the East Coast. I got myself a copy of The Catcher in the Rye and had a lot of fun looking at all the books and little knick knacks and accessories they had there. It’s the perfect place for gifts!

When we left the bookstore, it was POURING. As we drove into Phoenix it began to settle down and really wasn’t raining too much when we got back. We went swimming again (it really was a daily activity for us!) and enjoyed the rest of the night.

The next day, we checked out the Arizona Science Center. It had a lot of cool activities and hands-on exhibits and I really enjoyed it there! Science is not my favorite – or best – subject, so the phrase “science center” never excites me. Whenever I go to one, though, I end up having a great time and learning a lot. Science IS cool, but it only interests me when I’m able to see it in action rather than sitting in a desk at school!

We were hungry after we left so we stopped for froyo on the way back. See the little hint of pink froyo? That’s mixed berry, AKA: me trying to be healthy. TBH, there’s no coming back from sprinkles, heath bar, oreos, AND butterfingers, so that decision was pointless.

That night, I think we swam again. I also witnessed the SECOND prettiest sunset on this trip! (First being the Grand Canyon, and nothing will ever top that!) I love the silhouette palm trees in these photos.

So there is part two of my trip to Arizona! There will most likely be two more parts… I have to decide how I want to split the trip up.

Happy Labor Day and Monday! Have a great week.