Phoenix

Trip Date: January 2016

In early January, just after New Year's Eve, Christine and I were back on a plane and headed for Phoenix, Arizona.  This was the first time either of us had been to the Phoenix area.  We both had wanted to see an NFL game for a long time, so we bought tickets and booked our flights!  

We arrived in Phoenix on Saturday in the afternoon.  We had pre-booked a rental car, so we picked that up first and then headed for our hotel, the 3 Palms, which was located in Scottsdale.  After we were checked-in and settled we headed to Old Town Scottsdale for a few drinks and a bite to eat.  Old Town is located on the original town-site of Scottsdale and has a distinct old-meets-new western feel.  There are original buildings from the late 1800's that feature modern tenants and the whole area is filled with restaurants, bars, pubs, shops, art galleries, and more.

Old Town Scottsdale

Sitting on the patio of Salty Seniorita

Sitting by the fire at the Brat Haus

The next day was Sunday, which only meant one thing...football!  We headed back to Old Town for breakfast and to watch the starts of the early games before making our way to Glendale, which is approximately an hour's drive from Scottsdale.  The Arizona Cardinals play their home games out of University of Phoenix Stadium, which has both a retractable roof and field, making it unlike any other stadium in North America.  The stadium seats 63,400 fans and was completed in 2006.  The game was sold out because it was the last regular season game and the Seattle Seahawks were in town.  

We got to the stadium pretty early as we wanted to do some tailgating before heading inside.  We were not disappointed with our first tailgating experience!  Unless you've experienced it firsthand it's really hard to describe the whole thing, but if you haven't yet done it and you're a sports fan I suggest adding it to your bucket list!

University of Phoenix Stadium; home of the Cardinals

Outside the stadium

Tailgating before the game

Pre-game

The game itself was pretty incredible.  They certainly know how to build stadiums in the United States.  We barely had to wait in line for anything, including the bathroom, which was something we definitely weren't used to.  The Seahawks easily handled the Cardinals on the day, winning 36-6, but it didn't matter too much as both teams were already guaranteed a playoff spot.

Inside the stadium

Christine and I wandering through the stadium

The Arizona Cardinals being introduced to start the game

Larry Fitzgerald

Fan reaction after Fitzgerald scores the first toughdown of the game.  Sadly those were the only points the Cardinals scored.

Outside the stadium after the game

Statue of Pat Tillman just outside the stadium.  Tillman was a safety for the Cardinals before quitting football and enlisting in the United States Army after the September 11th terror attacks.  Tillman was killed in Afghanistan by friendly fire in 2004.

The next day the weather was chilly and rainy so we headed down to the Phoenix Premium Outlets to do some shopping.  That evening we were back in Old Town for dinner and we wanted to try a few more of the different pubs.

Just a few of the pubs and bars we visited including Majerle's Sports Grill, Bevvy, Rockbar Inc, and Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row

Why fly down to the desert if you're not going to experience it, right?  Even with the threat of rain the next morning we drove out to Gold Canyon to go for a hike.  We settled on Hieroglyphic Trail, a relatively easy 4.7km round trip hike that gained approximately 175m in elevation throughout.  The trail is located in Tonto National Forest within the Superstition Mountains, which are full of history. The informative sign at the trailhead reads...

The rocky washes and saguaro-studded hills at the base of the Superstition Mountains have lured adventurers for nine thousand years.  Salado, Hohokamam, and Apache Indians gathered here years before the white man arrived.  Spanish explorers sought gold and souls.  Mexican miners, like the Peralta brothers, were said to have taken tons of precious metal from mines in these mountains.  Trappers and adventurers migrated to the area.  Ranchers drove their cattle up the dusty trails.  Farmers tried to scratch a living from the rocky soil.  Eventually the U.S. cavalry was sent in to patrol the area and protect the expanding population. 

A miner named Jacob Waltz ventured into these hills and brought back gold so pure that when he died in 1981 without revealing its source a legend was born.  For more than a century prospectors have returned to the Superstition looking for the "Dutchman's" lost mine, but to this day no one has found it.  In recent years the pristine desert, abundant wildlife, and star-studded nights have lured adventurers of a new sort -- horsemen, mountain bikers, and hikers anxious to share in the wilderness experience.  Enjoy your journey in the footsteps of the past.

Superstition Wilderness in Tonto National Forest

Superstition Mountains

Christine and a Saguaro Cactus

The Saguaro is a species of cactus that can grow to be over 21m (70ft) tall.  They won't start growing arms until they're between 75 and 100 years old!  Some Saguaros will never grow arms and those are then referred to as spears.

Desert Selfie

Besides the beautiful desert scenery, one of the highlights of this trail are the ancient First Nation petroglyphs.  Early European settlers mistook the artwork as Egyptian hieroglyphics and the erroneous name has lived on.  The Hohokam people are responsible for the panels of petroglyphs in the canyon at the end of the trail.  The Hohokam people thrived in central and southern Arizona between 500 and 1,400 AD.  These petroglyphs were likely etched into the rock during that time period.

The canyon section where the petroglyphs are located

Petroglyphs

Depictions of animals

There are several panels of well-preserved petroglyphs in this one location

It was pretty cool to see everything up close and in detail

Standing under a Saguaro

Hiking back to the car

After our hike we headed into Apache Junction for lunch and then planned on driving the Apache Trail; Arizona's oldest highway.  Apache Trail (State Route 88) is approximately 65km (40mi) of narrow, winding, desert road through the Superstition Mountains.  It is an incredibly scenic drive along a paved road, but it is not for the faint of heart...or those who easily get carsick!  There are hair-pin turns and steep cliff drops, with little in the way of safety barriers.  Shortly after Tortilla Flat, the paved road turns to gravel and continues as such until you reach Roosevelt Dam.  The road used to be a stagecoach trail for those travelling through the desert wilderness and is now a popular drive for tourists and locals alike.  We drove to the junction of the pavement and gravel with the intent to continue further, but the gravel section of the road was very rough and rutted, so we decided to turn around and head back.

Canyon Lake Viewpoint in Tonto National Forest along the Apache Trail

Shoreline of Canyon Lake

Desert Scenery

Tortilla Flat

An informative sign along the Tortilla Flat boardwalk read...

Prior to 1906, this location was a welcome stop for travelers on the Yavapai Trail which connected Tonto Basin with the Salt River Valley.  In 1906 the trail, now known as the Apache Trail, was completed as a freight road for the construction of Roosevelt Dam.  Tortilla Flat became an important water and supply stop on the road.  The Apache Trail is now Arizona State Route 88, but Tortilla Flat remains a welcome stop.

The Dutchman's Inn is also located in Tortilla Flat and the sign outside had this to say about the inn's famous proprietor...

Here, Jacob Waltz (The Old Dutchman) Arizona's most celebrated scoundrel, laid the cornerstones for this here eatery.  Waltz was a notorious liar, drunkard, and general miscreant who avoided gainful employment with singular dedication.  It took a lot of looking, walking, and digging to find that rich Peralta Gold Mine among 125,000 acres of Superstition Mountains and even more killing of hombres who attempted to follow him back to his rich mine.  Now all that walking, digging, and killing gave Waltz a real appetite.  Let it be known that ol' Jacob had a reputation for appreciating the culinary niceties of life.  His love of life, a young Phoenix widow who ran a small confection shop and restaurant, testified that the only thing the old Dutchman like more than sin was a good meal!  Unhappy with local dining rooms, be built his own.  Pardners, you're lookin' at the result -- ol' Jacob even more sure spirits were included since he could not resist a nip or two ocasionally.  Although he covered up the mine entrance before he died, he left us a legacy -- his legend and this here eatery for all of us to enjoy.  So Enjoy!!!

We found this cowboy hanging around in Tortilla Flat!

Even though Tortilla Flat has become somewhat of a tourist trap, it was still pretty neat to see this remnant of the old west and to read about the legends and lore that surround it.

Needles to say we had a great time in the Phoenix area and hope to be back at some point.  There's still lots to see and even more desert wilderness to explore.  It was well worth the trip, but five days just wasn't long enough.  Maybe next time we'll find the Old Dutchman's Gold Mine!!

The Big Apple

Trip Date: August 2013

My family decided to get away for a few days this summer so we headed to New York City!  Other than my Dad spending an afternoon in the airport a number of years ago, none of us had been there before.  We wanted enough time to see a lot of the sites, so we booked flights and hotels for a five-day trip.  We'd heard nothing but great things from friends who had been there previously and we were all very excited to start our vacation.  

New York City, also referred to as The City That Never Sleeps, The Big Apple, and Gotham, is the most populous city in the United States with 18.9 million people living within its metropolitan area.  It is located in the state of New York on the northeast coast of the USA.  New York City is broken into five boroughs (Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island) and if the boroughs were each their own city, four of them (with the exception of Staten Island) would be among the top ten most populous cities in the United States.  

We would be staying at the New Yorker Hotel in midtown Manhattan.  The hotel opened in 1929 and is across the street from Madison Square Garden, home of the NBA's Knicks and the NHL's Rangers.  Like the city it's named after, the hotel itself has quite a storied past.  Throughout the 1940's and 1950's it was one of New York's most fashionable hotels.  The New York Observer noted that in the building's heyday, "actors, celebrities, politicians, mobsters, the shady and the luminous - the entire Brooklyn Dodgers roster during the glory seasons - would stalk the bars and ballrooms, or romp upstairs."  In later years, Muhammad Ali would recuperate there after his March 1971 fight against Joe Frazier at the Garden.  The hotel ultimately became unprofitable as new, more modern buildings were built around it and the hotel closed in 1972.  It eventually reopened in 1994 with both hotel rooms and residential living space.

The New Yorker

The famous red sign as seen from a few blocks away

This logo can be found on the lobby floor

Madison Square Garden

The world's most famous sports arena can be found just down the street from the New Yorker

Across from MSG is the James Farley Post Office Building, built in 1912.  The building is famous for having the inscription, Neither snow nor rain nor heat not gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

Times Square

We didn't realize just how close our hotel was to this popular attraction

Macy's department store

I do what I want!

Empire State Building

It is a 102-story skyscraper in Manhattan and held the distinction of the world's tallest building for over 40 years (between 1931-1972).  It is now ranked 23rd tallest in the world.  

The New York Public Library was established in 1895 and is currently the third largest in the world

The Chrysler Building is a 77-story skyscraper in Manhattan and currently sits as the fourth tallest building in NYC

Grand Central Terminal, originally opened in 1871, is the largest train station in the world by number of platforms with 44

Inside the main concourse with the famous brass clock in the centre

Chris, Mom, Kyle, and Dad inside Grand Central

I still do what I want!

Saint Patrick's Cathedral

Construction was completed in 1878, but it is currently undergoing a $175 million renovation/restoration project

Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center is a series of 19 commercial buildings in Midtown Manhattan

Radio City Music Hall

NBC Studios

Kyle enjoying his $10 Westside Manhattan at Beer Authority in Midtown Manhattan!

The New York Times

 While we were in New York we wanted to catch a baseball game.  The Yankees were on a road trip, but the Mets were in town hosting the Kansas City Royals.  I'd never been to a MLB game before so I didn't really care who was playing.  All I wanted to do was just see the game in person and experience a New York City sporting event!  The Mets play at their new ballpark, Citi Field, in the borough of Queens.

 vs. 

Citi Field opened in 2009

The Home Run Apple was brought over from the now-demolished Shea Stadium, which was the Mets previous home

Citi Field was the site of the 2013 MLB All-Star Game

The game's starting lineup

The Mets logo on the way into the park

Inside Citi Field

Mets All-Star David Wright

Wright hit a two-run homer during his first at-bat

We had pretty good seats along the first base-line in right field

Chris and I enjoying the game

The Jackie Robinson Rotunda acts as the main entrance to the stadium

Me, Kyle, and Dad standing in front of Jackie Robinson's now-retired number 42

The Mets beat the streaking KC Royals 4-2 in 11 innings of play

The USS Intrepid, permanently docked at Pier 86, is now a major part of the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum

El Galeón is a wooden replica of Spain's 16th century West Indies Fleet

On Saturday we purchased tickets for a hop-on, hop-off water taxi that would take us down to the 9/11 Memorial, as well as the Statue of Liberty.  It was a great way to see New York City from a different vantage point and allowed us the freedom to come and go as we pleased, without being confined to a strict schedule.  

New York Water Taxi

Docking in Battery Park.  You can see New Jersey across the Hudson River

American Merchant Mariners' Memorial

The Charging Bull is a popular sculpture near Wall Street

We made our way from Battery Park to the 9/11 Memorial.  The memorial is located at the World Trade Center site where the Twin Towers used to stand.  The site is the principal memorial and museum commemorating the September 11 attacks in 2001 that killed nearly 3,000 people.  Construction is well underway on new towers and buildings at the World Trade Center site.  The proposed plans state that there will be six new towers, as well as a performing arts center, a transportation hub, and the memorial museum.

One World Trade Center (left) with 7 World Trade Center (right).  Tower One is scheduled to officially open in early 2014, while Tower Seven opened in 2006.

4 World Trade Center (right) opened in 2013, while 3 World Trade Center is still being constructed (bottom left) with an estimated opening date of 2015

The photo below is of the "Survivor Tree".  Originally planted at the World Trade Center plaza in 1970, the Callery Pear Tree, was reduced to an eight-foot-tall stump in the wreckage at Ground Zero.  The tree was nursed back to health in a New York City park and eventually grew to 30 feet.  The tree returned to the World Trade Center site in December 2010 and stands just west of the south memorial pool. 

The Survivor Tree

One of two memorial pools.  The nearly 3,000 names of victims of the 9/11 and 1993 attacks are inscribed in bronze around the perimeters of the two pools.  

The north pool is situated below One World Trade Center.  Tower One is the third tallest skyscraper in the world.

The Flag of Honor bears the names of everyone who perished in the 9/11 attacks in 2001

The current World Trade Center site, with Tower One (left), Tower Seven (centre), and Tower Four (right).  Towers Two, Three, and Five are still in the early phases of construction.

 Over the nine months of recovery at Ground Zero, approximately 1.8 million tons of material were removed from the site.  Some 1,500 pieces of structural steel were saved by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, many repurposed into memorial settings.  The steel beam in the photo below is on display at the Military Museum in Calgary.  

This steel beam from the World Trade Center was gifted by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

The sewers really do have steam coming out of them in NYC!  I always thought that was a movie effect.

You can see One World Trade Center from Battery Park

Back on the water taxi.  We were given a tour around Lower Manhattan complete with views of the Financial District.

About to dock at the South Street Seaport

The building on the right is the tallest residential building in NYC.  The two-story penthouse at the top of the tower is rented at a rate of $60,000 per month!!

Looking across the East River towards Brooklyn

The Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883, making it one of the oldest suspension bridges in the USA.  The bridge crosses the East River and connects Manhattan with Brooklyn

The Manhattan Bridge was completed in 1912 and also spans the East River between Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn

The Williamsburg Bridge, completed in 1903, also connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn

A close-up of the wires of the Brooklyn Bridge

Governor's Island was historically used as a base for the US Army and the Coast Guard

Statue of Liberty

Lady Liberty was a gift to the United States from the people of France.  It was dedicated in October of 1886.

She stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbour.  She is a representation of Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom. The tablet in her left hand bears the inscription of the date of the American Declaration of Independence; July 4, 1776.

Ellis Island was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States.  It was the busiest immigrant inspection station between 1892 and 1954.  

Lower Manhattan's impressive skyline

Midtown Manhattan's skyline complete with Empire State Building

The Pigeon is likely New York City's most famous bird!

As a huge basketball fan I really wanted to see the famed Rucker Park in person.  We ventured up to the Harlem neighbourhood in Manhattan on Sunday afternoon to do just that.  The court is named after Holcombe Rucker who was a teacher in Harlem and the playground director for the New York City Parks Department.  He started the Rucker Tournament back in 1950 as a way to keep kids off the streets and aim for college careers.  Many notable professional players honed their skills on the famous court before making it big in the NBA or overseas.  These players include, but are not limited to, Earl "The Goat" Manigault, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Kenny Anderson, Nate "Tiny" Archibald, Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Connie Hawkins, Rafer "Skip To My Lou" Alston, Lance Stephenson, and Jamel Tinsley.

Rucker Park

There was a game going on when we got there.  It was a 13 and under youth game.

The Entertainer's Classic was also happening over the summer.  The hardwood floor is the old floor from Madison Square Garden that was donated specifically for the tournament.

A view of some housing projects from inside Rucker Park

Columbus Monument at the centre of Columbus Circle near Central Park.  The monument was erected as part of New York's 1892 commemoration of the 400th anniversary of Columbus' landing in the Americas.

Central Park

Horse drawn carriage rides are a popular way to see Central Park

Entering the park.  The park initially opened in 1857 and is now the most visited urban park in the USA.

The Pond with a view of the city above

Team Green standing in Central Park

Classic New York City Taxi's

A return to Times Square during the day

The famous New Year's Eve ball.  It appeared much smaller in person than on TV.

It was busy, but we didn't see the Naked Cowboy performing!

People watching in Times Square before heading to the airport

We had an absolutely great time in New York City and I hope to return at some point in the future.  Five days gave us a perfect taste of the city, but there's so much more to see and do.  I honestly think you'd need several trips to actually get a good sense of what the city is all about and what it truly has to offer!  It can be quite overwhelming due to its size and the sheer number of people everywhere at all times, but it is well worth a visit at least once!