Day One – Phoenix & Scottsdale

We arrived in Phoenix with only minor airline related delays and headed off to check-in to our planned Airbnb accommodations. For those of you not yet familiar with Airbnb, it is an online social network that puts people with available bedrooms in their homes in touch with travelers looking for a reasonably priced room. If you’re interested in the concept you can read more about it at www.airbnb.com.

Behind our Phoenix home

Our Airbnb accommodation in Phoenix was a one bedroom apartment in a gated townhouse community. The apartment wasn’t especially well decorated as far as I am concerned, but then I prefer exterior spaces anyway.  The greenspace behind our Phoenix home away from home was beautiful. For the price the apartment was very spacious and had great proximity to the Desert Botanical Garden – Day Two’s destination.  Unfortunately, our Airbnb host neglected to give us detailed directions about entering the code to open the security gate at the entrance. But we quickly learned that we could slide right in behind other cars as they entered the security code and passed through the gate. So much for the safety of gated communities!

The new Prius

Later in the evening we had plans to meet Betty’s cousin, Frances, for dinner at Old Town Tortilla Factory on Main Street in Scottsdale. We arrived at the restaurant to learn that Frances was running a bit late because she was picking up her new Toyota Prius. The Toyota dealer needed to give her a few quick lessons on how to drive an electric car. We made good use of the delay by downing a couple of Margaritas while we waited.

After dinner we walked off the calories and the alcohol fumes heading down Main Street to take in Scottsdale’s famed ArtWalk. Every Thursday night during the winter months the art galleries along Main Street stay open to give art patrons the opportunity to enrich their souls and the gallery owner’s pockets. Scottsdale’s Main Street has few non-gallery businesses along the 5 or 6 blocks that we walked. We stopped in at several galleries to critique the art and to sample the champagne and chocolate covered strawberries offered as an inhibition reducing inducement (trying saying that 3 times fast).