I spend a lot of time alone. Reading that out loud it sounds incredibly sad, but there is something to be said about solo travel. I know tons of people that once they went on a trip by themselves they never wanted to travel in groups again. Due to the nature of my job, the choice is not really up to me though. Most of the time I get lucky and meet amazing people and having hilarious and fun adventures. And other times I get sent to Phoenix alone and it’s just plain boring.
Today was that day. I arrived in the afternoon solo and had the entire day to explore a brand new place. I have never been to Phoenix before and I was excited about the prospect of a jam packed day of sightseeing. If you have been to downtown Phoenix then I am sure you are having a bit of a laugh right now. There is practically nothing to do. The concierge himself laughed when I asked him for a tourist map. Arizona is beautiful and if you have a car and some time there is plenty to see and enjoy, but as for the city itself, nada.
I decided since it was such a beautiful day I would walk around and hopefully find something exciting to see. I walked and walked and walked. I think it total I passed about 3 people on the street including two men dressed in freddie masks. (FYI I almost passed out at this). It was great to be in the sunshine, but still found nothing to really see or do.
Slowly giving up I decided to stop into a place called Canyon Cafe and have a bite to eat. It was the best decision I could have made. Instead of chasing the idea that I would stumble upon some amazing festival or market or walking district, I embraced what was right in front of me. I sat on a beautiful patio surrounded by palm trees and drank delicious margaritas.
I ended up staying for a couple hours and having amazing Mexican food. It was also surprisingly fun having lunch by myself. I have never been so relaxed and it was great to have time to just process my thoughts from a very busy week at home. There is a chance I may have looked crazy a couple times when my internal thoughts turned into verbal chatter, but I guess that’s the upside to being in a city where no one knows you.
What ended up seeming like a lonely and boring layover turned out to be one of the most relaxing I have ever had.
* If you find yourself in the city apparently the Tempe area is nice to walk around in. I didn’t get the chance but looks like it’s worth a try!
Cheers from 30,000ft
@elzzster