Ahhhh, home from sunny Arizona.
We had a great time! It was much needed, and we were able to just clear out the clutter in our heads. This was the final week before I officially transition into my new position, so the timing was perfect. Our schedules have been crazy this whole year, and we had been itching to get out to Scottsdale (We normally go a couple times a year, so this was our first time out there in 2018.)
Continue reading for a look at the delicious food we had, views we saw, and schedules we did not have.
Wednesday
I took the day off to prep the house before leaving for vacation (I can’t be the only person who does that, right?) Making sure the house was tidy, dishes were clean and put away, garbage was taken out, my packing mess all put away, electronics unplugged, etc. Packing always takes me like half a day to do. I’m so indecisive, and definitely over-pack. My first photo is how I organized my jewelry, using the Sseko Jewelry Roll to hold most of my earrings and various more delicate jewelry pieces. I also used my Convertible Tote, which slides over the luggage handle, and is a backpack to use as one carry-on. My Safari Bucket Bag was also the perfect carry-on for the plane. All Sseko’d out in my Dandelion Kaftan, too!
Flight was only slightly delayed, so that’s always good! Better than super delayed. Also, even better with the time zone change, gaining two extra hours is always awesome. After we got the rental car, we went to Fry’s (their local grocery store) to get some late night sushi boxes to eat before passing out for the night.
That’s all for the Departure Day!
Thursday
First full day at the house! Brett went for his walk in the morning while I slept in. Once he got back, we went to get some snacks from Fry’s and had it for lunch.
SIDE NOTE: So, I totally thought I could go to AZ and buy another swimsuit, since it’s still 80s-90s every day. To my disbelief, these retail stores still follow the seasonal trends that the Midwest follows! Unbelievable, like don’t they know how much they’re missing out in sales by all the snow birds and vacationers that go there in Fall?! *shakes head* there’s something there retailers!
Anyways, now it was pool time! It was a clear and sunny day with temperatures in the upper 80s, which is perfect pool weather. After a few hours, we were getting hungry, so we decided we wanted to go to Blanco’s Taco & Tequila for Happy Hour. Their happy hour food is one of our favorites. We ordered the quesadillas, award winning tacos, tortas, margaritas, three dip set, and on their regular menu, I always love getting their Mexican corn and ceviche.
The ambiance is wonderful with the full front open to an outdoor patio, and the outside has heat lamps and fire pits for cooler desert temps. A lot of the restaurants in Scottsdale have outdoor patios, which we love since it’s all so scenic! Did you know Scottsdale’s signs all say “Clean and Scenic“? It’s true.
Another favorite area we like to walk through (and shop, for me!) is the Kierland Commons and Scottsdale Quarter.
The popular name brands can be found in either side (no department stores, just freestanding branded stores and the plazas are only across the street from each other) from H&M to Vince. and Forever 21 to Intermix. There is a gorgeous splash fountain that changes decorations throughout the year. Right now, there are these pinwheels up, and during Christmas season, there is a huge tree that has a a coordinating light show and music.
That’s all for Day 1!
Friday
This morning, I went with Brett on the morning walk (about three miles total, and our halfway point is our favorite coffee shop) to Lakeview Coffee, formerly Altitude Coffee. The walking path goes for miles in all directions, and there’s often many bikers, dog walkers, and other people on the trails every morning. We love stopping at this waterfront before we turn to walk down the roadway towards the coffee shop.
Once we get to Lakeview Coffee, we order our drinks and a toast for a walking snack. I ordered an affogado and their lox salmon tartine (organic Noble toast). Brett got an Ethiopian blend coffee and breakfast burrito. We love sitting on their outdoor patio (dog friendly, too!) where we can people watch, enjoy the weather, and relax for our walk back to the house. The whole walk and coffee stop takes about an hour and a half, so it definitely gets me ready to have some more pool time before happy hour!
We were talking about food a lot at the pool with some other residents, who we met on our previous visit. You know, that’s just so nice, to have familiar faces and super nice people to chat with in the subdivision. It’s truly a warm neighborhood feel. Almost all of the people we’ve met are originally from the Midwest or Canada, too!
After all that food talk, we decided to go to Grassroots Kitchen & Tap for Happy Hour (one of our favorites!) Here’s the menu we ordered off of.
We got their Shrimp Remoulade, Boat Load of Wings, Piggly Wiggly (pork belly, prosciutto wrapped asparagus, and ribs), Burrata, and this deliciously fresh slaw off their regular menu. All of their food is made from scratch and unique recipes and flavors! Southwestern twist on American foods. My mouth is watering just thinking about it right now……
After such a delicious and satisfying meal, we just relaxed around the house for the next few hours, watched Bleach on the Chromecast, and then decided to grab a small late dinner at our FAVORITE Poke Bowl place, Koi Poke.
It’s build your own bowl style, where you pick your base, number of proteins, sauces, toppings (think Chipotle, but Poke style.) The quality of their ingredients, unique sauces, and tons of various toppings are on a level we haven’t come across before for poke bowls. We met one of the owners last year, and he was so nice! He turned down offers from large chains to buy his restaurant, so you know it is desirable. They’ve got near perfect ratings online, as well. I got the smallest bowl (two proteins) since I was still pretty full from Grassroots. Definitely check them out if you’re in the Scottsdale area!
That’s all for Day 2!
Saturday
We did our morning walk again to Lakeview Coffee, and got our coffees and toast. This time, I got the Original tartine (marscapone, tomatoes, and basil) and my affogado. Brett got the Guatemalan blend coffee and the avocado and egg tartine. I love that we can get these noble toast bites, and they’re very reasonably priced (less than $10!) This is always the perfect amount of food to hold us over until our next meal.
After going to the pool for a few hours, we went to Rehab Burger Therapy in Old Town Scottsdale. 
It’s been a few years since we went there last, and Brett had been craving a delicious burger. The decor is really cool there, almost like a beach shack-like vibe. We sat out on their patio, and ordered our food. We got the Nelson’s Verde Con Pollo, I built my own burger with their seasoned fries, and Brett got the Chili Cheeseburger with sweet potato tots. Their burgers come in two sizes, 10 oz (Rehab) and 5 oz (Relapse) custom blended beef patties. My custom burger was 5 oz, Lettuce/Tomato/Onion, pickles, egg, bacon, and havarti cheese with BBQ and ranch on the side. Pretty much one of the best burgers I’ve ever had!
After dinner, we walked around Old Town towards the Scottsdale Civic Center where we got some gelato from Cool Gelato Italiano (owned by an Italian couple who makes the gelato from scratch in house.)
Then, we walked to the LOVE sculpture (We always like to see it, it’s just super cool!), and then back to the car to go home.
That’s it for Day 3!
Sunday
On our last full day in AZ, we did another walk to Lakeview Coffee. They were out of the ice cream for my affogado, so I got their Pomegranate Green Tea (so did Brett), which was refreshing and naturally lightly sweet.I think this was the warmest day, so we did our walk much earlier to avoid the high noon sun.
For lunch, we went back to Koi Poke for a larger poke bowl meal. I did three proteins (Hawaiian Tuna, Salmon, and Lobster), added crabmeat, sweet chili lime and shoku sauce, cucumber salad, cilantro, crispy garlic, green onions, and some fresh cucumbers as well. We sat on their outdoor patio on that beautiful morning. We really hope they expand this chain to the Midwest!!
My skin was feeling a little sensitive to the sun by now, so I tried to stay in the shade as much as I could when I wasn’t in the pool! I had only my denim “Dreamer” hat from Target and some sunglasses I got from Marshall’s to shield me besides an awning. I grabbed the hat before leaving Illinois, and bought the sunglasses in AZ (Yeah, I forgot all of mine at home.)
We had been told that the sunset view at Isabella’s Kitchen was stunning, so we went there for dinner on Sunday. Oh, my goodness, was the view beautiful! It is right off of the Gray Hawk Golf Course.
Click the photos above to see them larger.
There are several outdoor patios, and there are couches and fire pits everywhere. We sat at a high top on their covered patio area, right next to a TV viewing patio where they had the World Series game on.
The food was SO GOOD! It was American Italian cuisine (click for menu), with so many different flavors for your typical dishes. We ordered three bruschettas (beef/truffle, smoked salmon/pesto cream cheese, and burrata/tomato/basil), mixed Italian olives, crispy brussels sprouts w/ garlic aioli, fusilli bolognese pasta, and prociutto/ricotta/arugula/dates pizza.
Now, for the second best part, the sunset……
These were my snapshots of the sunset progression. It got more and more beautiful as it got darker. In that bottom photo, you can see the restaurant’s small side building on the right, which is has rooftop seating. We are definitely coming back, as there were many other things we would love to try on their menu, and I mean, that view is is hard to beat! Prices were not bad at all and it’s a casual dress spot. MAKE A STOP HERE WHEN YOU VISIT!
We have another spot we love to go for gorgeous sunset viewing, elements at the Santuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa. It’s much pricier, but the food and view are exquisite. You’re up in Camelback Mountain, so you get a very different view of the mountains and horizon. Make that a special occasion, or at least visit it once to experience it!
So after dinner, we had to exercise will-power to not get dessert at Isabella’s (they looked SO GOOD TOO…) because we wanted to get Sprinkle’s Cupcakes. I got to use the Sprinkle’s ATM for the first time, that was super cool! I got my favorite flavors, Red Velvet & Cubano Coffee. What a wonderful last FULL day!
That’s it for Day 4!
Monday
For our final day, I skipped the walk with Brett since I was packing and cleaning up the house. I wanted to do a little shopping before we left in the afternoon for our night flight back to Chicago.
My neighbor’s brother owns a well-known hat shop in Phoenix, Heritage Hats, and I told her I HAD to stop there! Rich is the owner, and my neighbor’s brother, and he does amazing custom hats, hat restoration, and has two huge showrooms of the custom and name brand hats. His business as also been featured on many local television stations. He’s known as “The Hat Guy” to the locals. We also got to meet his two little Schnauzers, Snickers and Sadie Mae!
I got two Brixton hats from his shop. Aren’t these just ADORABLE?! They may or may not have been influenced by my outfit for the day… (Cross front tee from Stitch Fix, Sseko X Dressember Exclusive Multiway Shawl in Mahalo) regardless, I don’t have any navy colored hats, so these two are PERFECT additions to my collection!
Afterwards, we headed to Old Town to eat at one of our favorite spots, Virtu Honest Craft. Mediterranean inspired menu that changes almost weekly, sometimes daily, with a very quaint and beautiful atmosphere. We sat on the covered patio (of course!) and ordered Insalata, Asaparagi, Pappardelle, Polenta, then finished the lunch with a chocolate gelato affogado. (Refer to the photo of the menu for the dishes!)
After dinner, we walked around Old Town Scottsdale for me to shop a little. I got a super cute western skirt from Saba’s Western Wear (I had a coupon, so of course I had to use it!) and then ran out of time to look around more. That just means I need to go back again soon!
We packed up our stuff, filled up the rental car with gas, and headed to the airport for our night flight out. I’m such a sucker for sunsets, and was very happy watching it from the terminal while waiting for our plane.
Our flight was slightly delayed again, so I let my mom know since she was picking us up from Midway Airport. We got home around 1:30am and were so exhausted!
Overall, a wonderful trip!!
I hope you enjoyed reading about all the things we did. We love going to Scottsdale, as it is basically our home away from home. We have our favorite spots (too many to do in one visit!) and we try to pace ourselves, so we don’t lose our relaxation mode. There were many things we didn’t get do or eat this time, but we will just have to make a note to do it next time! I’m already counting down the days until our next visit! I’ll be sure to let you ALL know about it.
You can see more photos on my Instagram posts from that week.
Thanks for reading! Have a fabulous week!
HW Life & Style 