Phoenix in a Weekendfeatured

It doesn’t take much (or any) convincing to get me to book a plane ticket and go…basically anywhere…these days. With low fuel costs driving down the cost of airfare, getting away for a weekend is easier than ever. So when Mom was sent out to work in Phoenix for two weeks and asked me if I wanted to come out for a couple of days to keep her company, the answer was almost immediate:

Hells yeah.

While my employer has a generous time off policy (read: unlimited. Yeah.), I like to be strategic with how I take advantage of it. I try to avoid taking days off for travel that falls outside of our two big trips a year, which means a lot of weekend and holiday travel. Sometimes, if I’m working on a particularly stressful project or I’m working crazy hours, I’ll take an extra day and extend my weekend. As someone who cruises extensively, I have a special appreciation for short trips. When you only have a day or two in a given place, you really learn how to manage and maximize your time.

I’ve only been to Phoenix once: another weekend trip back in July, when I was crossing things off my 30 Before 30 bucket list. We flew in on a Friday night, flew home on a Sunday night (right through a thunderstorm — that was a fun flight) and spent seven hours in a car on Saturday driving to and from the Grand Canyon. With the obvious site checked off the list, I was excited to see what else Phoenix had to offer.

Taking in the Grand Canyon last summer

So I flew out on a Thursday night, which lowered my flight by about $50, but meant I was working from a hotel room on Friday. But from Friday afternoon through Sunday night, the Phoenix area was my oyster and I was ready to discover what Arizona had to offer besides the Grand Canyon.

What’s better than snagging an exit row seat? Snagging the ENTIRE exit row. Thanks, American!

As it turns out, there’s a TON to do that doesn’t involve a long roadtrip. Here are a few of my favorite things to do on a quick weekend trip to Phoenix:

Catch the Sunrise

Working remotely in a timezone two hours behind home meant a wake-up at an hour I generally consider ungodly and cruel. But it also meant I had the opportunity to watch the sunrise over the mountains.

No filter necessary

Even on a cloudy day, watching the sky light up in shades of pink and orange as the sun peeks over the horizon is really something special. It’s like the gray mountains blend into the clouds and then, all of the sudden, there’s an explosion of color lit up behind them.

…and the Sunset

I was finishing up a conference call on Friday afternoon when I looked out the window and it was like the sky had caught on fire, the clouds flickering embers above the mountain logs. I found a secret staircase at the hotel that led up to a quiet deck and went to my new hiding spot to catch one of the most magnificent sunsets I’ve ever seen.

Sunset over the McDowell Mountains

It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. The sky was literally on fire.

The next day, we drove up into the mountains to catch the sunset from the other side. Watching the sunset from the mountains? A new version of stunning.

Sunset from the McDowell Mountains

Oh, and when Mom was driving me to the airport on Sunday night before my flight? Yeah. Another spectacular sunset. A combustion of pinks and oranges and yellows. It doesn’t matter where you are during sunset. Just go outside, look up and enjoy.

Dine al Fresco

It was unseasonably cold during my visit, but unseasonably cold in Phoenix is what we consider a warm spring day in Chicago, and there’s just something about that mountain air.

Lean & Green Omelet at The Breakfast Club

The dining scene in the Phoenix area is rich in options, and the brunch scene is booming. And I love a good brunch. When we visited over the summer, we stumbled upon The Breakfast Club, which offered fresh, contemporary cuisine and had a great outdoor seating area. We headed back for a repeat visit on a lazy Saturday morning, enjoying the crisp air with our morning coffee and omelets.

Take a Hike

Have you sensed a theme yet? Outside outside outside. It’s funny — for a girl who used to consider outdoor shopping her favorite outdoor activity, all of this travel has inspired a new appreciation for the great outdoors. And in a city like Phoenix, surrounded by mountains and filled with trails and preserves and fresh air, the best time spent is immersed in it, experiencing everything up close.

Sunrise from the McDowell Sonoran Preserve

So when Mom had to head into the office early on a Sunday morning, I decided to find the closest trail to get in some early morning cardio with the sunrise. There were only a couple other cars in the parking lot when I pulled in, which meant I navigated a peaceful, quiet trail. Just me, some cacti and some sweet Spotify tunes.

A hike is a peaceful way to start your morning in Phoenix

Regardless of if you’re a novice hiker or you’re capable of scaling mountains, there are trails to match every skill and comfort level.

Caffeinate

You may not immediately associate Phoenix (or the Southwest region, in general) with good coffee, but with the Arizona State University in nearby Tempe and a bevy of cafes in Scottsdale and even Phoenix proper, the coffee game is strong in Phoenix.

A cold brewed coffee flight at Cartel Coffee Lab in Tempe

On Saturday morning, when we’d burned off breakfast shopping but still weren’t quite ready for lunch, I did a quick search for the best coffeehouses in the Phoenix area and quickly found Cartel Coffee Lab. The coffeehouse was packed, which meant we were in for something good. Cartel is a bit hidden away, an unassuming entrance opens up to this large, industrial space where the beans are roasted fresh and where the baristas don’t just know how to make drinks, they are coffee connoisseurs. They can tell you the difference between a cappuccino and a latte…and they can also tell you where the beans were sourced, how they were roasted and how that manifests itself into the strength and flavor of your coffee. A flight of three cold brewed coffees (with a glass of seltzer water, because they’re that serious about coffee) only set me back $5. Even better than that? The coffee was so good that it didn’t need anything. I drank it straight black, and this is coming from a lifelong blonde and sweet kind of girl.

Post-hike breakfast at Sip

The next day, when my post-hike zen needed a little caffeine boost, I did a search for the coolest coffee place in Phoenix and found Sip, a coffee house slash bar in nearby Scottsdale. In many ways, Sip was the antithesis of Cartel: Cartel was serious coffee. Sip was serious vibe (with really good coffee). The kind of place you can go to meet up with friends, or read a book by yourself, or chill out to some live acoustic tunes. From the outside, it looks like a cool summer house. On the inside, it’s a cozy, fun space where nothing matches and wooden beams hang low across the ceilings. Breakfast called for a bagel sandwich with locally sourced eggs, arugula and a roasted tomato vinaigrette, a cappuccino and some quality reading time.

Walk Through the Wild, Wild West

There’s a part of Scottsdale that’s new and fun and hip, with chic restaurants and expensive boutiques. And then there’s Old Scottsdale, which is the direct opposite: instead of high-end dining, you’ll find saloons. Instead of boutiques, you’ll find trading posts and shops hocking handmade crafts. It’s a little cliched, but incredibly charming.

There’s a ton of shopping and dining options in charming Old Scottsdale

Also located in Old Scottsdale is the Saguaro Hotel, a fun, colorful, retro-style hotel that, along with its sister location in Palm Springs, has appeared on top lists from the likes of Conde Nast Traveler and the New York Times. The Palms Springs location has always been on my must visit list. I didn’t know there was one in Scottsdale, too, but after a walk around the grounds, it’s on my list, too.

The Saguaro brings a pop of color to Old Town Scottsdale

Pop In-n-Out

There’s only one proper way to bookend a trip to Phoenix: with trips to In-n-Out.

Nothing beats a Double Double after a long flight

Because In-n-Out only opens restaurants within 300 miles of it’s distribution centers to keep quality high and ingredients fresh, locations are clustered along the West and Southwest regions of the United States. And because I’m a lowly Midwestern girl, that means I can’t have a Double Double unless I spend 3+ hours on an airplane, which somehow makes it taste even better.

In-n-Out has a cult like following. It’s not undeserved — the menu is simple (burgers…fries…shakes), the burgers are juicy and flavorful, the fries are cut fresh in store and everything is made to order.

And if you hit up In-n-Out, make sure you post it onto your social media feeds. I spent three days in Arizona posting gorgeous pictures of sunrises and sunsets and cacti…and my most liked picture on Facebook was a picture of my Double Double. I wasn’t kidding about that cult-like following! A burger and fries may not be the smartest meal choice before boarding a flight, but it just might be the tastiest.

Have you ever been to Phoenix? What are your must-do’s?