Arizona road trip
If you hadn’t gotten the memo by this point in the chronological order of my blog posts, road trips had become the primary quenching source for my desire to travel thanks to the unfortunate reality the world is in thanks to a guy eating a bat (bats have gotten away from this entire issue entirely too unscathed, but thats beside the point). Anyway. We took a road trip for a few days to Scottsdale, here’s what we did.
Where to stay: Hyatt Regency Scottsdale at Gainey Ranch
For whatever reason, this place was always somewhere I wanted to stay. Actually, I know the reason. Water slide. And a cool pool area. But beyond that, its actually a very cool resort, and it lived up to my oddly high expectations. It’s got a golf course complete with a little lake that the hotel is set on. The pool area is great for kids but manages to still look fit-for-adults. The room was comfortable enough for what we needed, and the location was perfect for our stay.
Where to get cereal shots and oversized mimosas with boba: Hash Kitchen
This place is absurd, and it knows it. I’m talking a DJ performing live for you Sunday brunch. And when I say cereal shots, I mean like proper shots of alcohol with cereal. The food is also absurd, and honestly tasted quite good (get the eggs Benedict). Definitely a fun place to visit in the area.
Where to have Long Island Iced Tea while smacking golf balls 20 yards: Top Golf
We’ve all heard of or seen top golf, so naturally, we had to do it in Scottsdale. You can reserve a bay online so you don’t have to wait, which was worth it. Once you’re there, you play golf but not in your conventional driving range fashion. Instead, there are targets you can hit and subsequently allocate points. Obviously I won (I don’t play golf). Just be careful not to have too many Long Islands because you’ll start to knock them over and have a significantly harder time actually hitting the ball as the night goes on as my friends all did.
Where to have a margarita for dinner: Cold Beers and Burgers
Obviously, we had burgers as well, which were solid. But the girls stuck mostly to their margaritas for the majority of the night. We had to wait a bit for a table to open up, which was fine because this place is located in Old Town Scottsdale, which has dozens of cute restaurants and shops to check out.
How to get home: Off-road (if you know how to change a tire)
So our way back from Scottsdale to LA was an adventure. First, you have to stop at the Glamis Sand Dunes. It’s an incredibly underrated spot that makes you feel like you’re in the Arabian Desert. Drive the car off road, bring a piece of cardboard and slide down some dunes, then take some dope sunset pictures.
Then, there’s actually a way to drive off-road from the dunes across to Holtville, then down to the 8 to get back. It’s a wild time, but make sure you have the right car for it, and that your stomach can handle it because its a bumpy ride. I may have sent it a bit too hard in the Ford Raptor because sure enough, we had a small tear in the tire and had to wait an hour for AAA to come and change the tire (no, I do not know how to change a tire). That whole issue aside, off-reading at sunset through California was a badass experience.
