First things first upon landing in Phoenix: A good wall photo, delicious breakfast toast, and some goooooood coffee at Be Coffee! They have a ton of healthy food options, amazing coffee, and a great venue. They’re also located in the arts district! Also, this was our SECOND breakfast that day because of the time change and our super early flight. We had been awake for SO long at this point!
The arts district (Roosevelt Row) is in a corner of downtown Phoenix and is filled with tons of murals, local art, boutiques, and delicious eats. Cody and I explored the area on our first day and stumbled upon one of our new faves, GROWop. This boutique is a community garden in addition to a vintage and handmade retail store! We also had an amazing and healthy lunch at Jobot Coffee. The best!!!
That afternoon we went up to Scottsdale to see the beautiful canal and explore a little more! Ok, ok….and maybe some shopping…..ok a lot of shopping. This is where I bought my fave new Forever21 workout leggings that you’ll see later in the Grand Canyon photos!
After a full afternoon of shopping (and the whole juice situation that I talked about in the Vegan Salted Date Caramel Chocolate Cookies post), we enjoyed a wholesome and delicious dinner at Oven and Vine. Sadly, we didn’t take any photos of how awesome the venue was, but we were enjoying the moment! This place is SO good and you end up feeling like you’re over at a friends house having dinner (the BEST Roasted Mushrooms EVER!!!! Cody and I are STILL talking about them). They also purchase their food from local and organic farms whenever possible, so that was a major plus in our book!
The next day, we went on a massive search for the perfect cactus photo! Well, we thought that’s what we were going to do. In our minds, there was (surely) only one place where most people go take their classic Arizona cactus photo. We thought we’d head to Press Coffee in Scottsdale and then continue heading north until we find “that epic cactus”. We drove…and drove…and drove. The thing is, there are cacti EVERYWHERE! Eventually you just have to pull off of the road and head into the brush. We did find some amazing spots on Prima Road and a great walking trail on Scottsdale Road, so we took a ton of photos there (don’t worry, I’ve spared you all of the outtakes, but you might still find them on Instagram 😉 ).
That afternoon we explored Old Town Scottsdale and (as seen above) splurged a little at Sugar Bowl (yes, we splurge on vacation sometimes! More on this topic in the Our Week In Mexico post). Dinner that night was at the EPICALLY delicious St. Francis, where we had the best ever Moroccan Meatballs in a great atmosphere!
The next morning we got up SUPER early and drove a little over 3.5 hours through the mountains to the Grand Canyon! I don’t even know what to say to describe this experience, guys. It’s truly AMAZING. And these photos….they just don’t do justice….
Oh, there they are! Did you see them? My new fave Forever21 workout leggings! I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty much in a full tremble sitting that close to the edge of the GRAND CANYON. Cody, of course, had no fear. It was worth it for a fun photo 😉
If you’re heading to the beautiful Grand Canyon (which you totally need to do!), I recommend dressing warm. It was freezing! I also recommending hiking it, because it’s the MOST gorgeous and a fairly easy hike on the rim. I know there are several tours and fun things to do that go into the canyon, but we stayed at the top since we had limited time. We’re definitely hoping to go back one day!
That evening we drove through Sliding Rock (<—- Seriously, the most beautiful drive I’ve ever taken) and into Sedona, where we were immediately surrounded by enormous red rocks. BEAUTIFUL! This drive from the Grand Canyon and into Sedona may have been the best part of the entire trip! We had dinner in Sedona, and then made our way back into Phoenix.
The next morning we took a super fun Macaron making class at Sur La Table and had a deliciously nutrition packed lunch at another one of my new faves, Flower Child!
We definitely hope to go back to Phoenix, Arizona one day soon. Have you been there? What are your favorite things about this city?
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Ashley Chase says:
Your post could not have come at a better time! My fiance and I are planning a “mini honeymoon” since we can’t go on our main trip until he finishes his summer classes, and Arizona is on our list of potential visits. This helps a lot! Thank you 🙂
Christine McMichael replied:
That’s so awesome, Ashley! It’s such a fun place. You will have to let me know if you end up going to Arizona! Of course! 😉