If I told you that my friends and I took a weekend trip across the country, would you call us crazy? Likely, you would. However, that’s exactly what we did and i’m here to debunk your belief that a trip like such is not logical - because it very much can be. Here’s how to fly from New York to Arizona, fit a week’s worth of activities into 3 days, and be back by 9 a.m. Monday morning for when corporate America calls.
Maximizing your time for a weekend trip starts with finding the most opportune flight times. Having booked a Thursday evening flight out of JFK to PHX allowed me to attend my 9 to 5 during the day and arrive in Arizona before midnight - not to mention the time difference was also in our favor. And for those who believe that a weeknight flight time would conflict with work and leave you pressed for time, wake up my friends. We live in the most digitally savvy work environment right now, and while finishing off tasks on the LIRR or at your terminal may not be ideal, it may just be the small sacrifice to make if you want to maximize your fun weekend adventure.
Day One - Phoenix & Scottsdale
The whole “sleep when your dead” phrase could easily have been the motto for our trip, as we began the first day of our trip before the sun rose. None of us are early risers, but you make yourself enjoy the alarmingly premature start to the day when it’s spent in a hot air balloon. Through Rainbow Ryders, we booked the sunrise hot air balloon flight which takes you over the Deer Valley and Sonoran Desert landscape, providing you beautiful views of the scenery below. We highly recommend booking with Rainbow Ryders, as the experience was seamless, safe, and fun from start to finish. The pilots are incredibly experienced and ensure the flight is as smooth as can be - no really, I didn’t even realize we left the ground until we were up in the air. What I expected to be a rocky, wild, and adrenaline rush experience was exactly the opposite and quite a relaxing and surreal welcome to Arizona.
Before our next activity, we had to suppress the growls coming from our stomachs and a fat brunch at Snooze AM Eatery was just the fix we needed. Order the Smashed Avocado Benny and a Nitro Cold Brew Coffee (and maybe a side of chocolate chip pancakes if you’re okay with carrying a food baby)...chef’s kiss. Following a quick outfit change to accommodate the Arizona dry heat and scorching sun, the group headed to the Desert Botanical Garden to see some cacti. Having gone from never seeing a cactus before to being surrounded by more than I could count was such a cool experience. I’ve never realized how many different succulents and varieties of cacti there were and this garden has them all for your viewing. It was such a beautiful and well maintained garden, and we weren’t the only ones who thought so as the place was packed with visitors. Definitely worth visiting and a great spot if you want a cacti-gram picture.
Our afternoon was spent by our hotel pool enjoying some spiked seltzers while we cooled off and caught a slight sun-kissed tan. We stayed in an average* hotel in the Old Town Scottsdale neighborhood as we found we would frequent this location often throughout our stay, and it helped us to remain central to most shops and restaurants. Speaking of food, let’s talk about my delicious dinner at Diego Pops. Thanks to my friend who was a Scottsdale local for a while, this recommendation preceded its expectation hands down. We started with tortilla chips, queso, and guac - and if you go to a Mexican restaurant and don’t immediately bless your table with this staple, I have sound reason to believe we would not be friends. I ordered the House Burrito (which was in fact a house of a meal) and its green chili chicken, cilantro-lime rice, avocado, and black beans was a drool worthy combination. And what other drink to complement this meal than Arizona’s most famous cocktail - the Prickly Pear Margarita. And since my friends and I do not understand how to solely order one margarita, a pitcher for three was enjoyed on that amazing first night in AZ.
*Side note: When my friends and I travel, I’ll be the first to tell you that we don’t stay in glamorous 5 star or upscale boutique hotels that cost an arm and a leg to afford. We prioritize experiences and adventures (if you couldn’t tell) and would rather place our money towards making memories rather than a hotel room that we'd barely spend time in. Don’t get me wrong, we enjoy a clean and trusted residence, but we’re not dropping dollars on a suite at the Ritz or W. This system has worked for us time and again, and I highly suggest implementing it into your travels if you’re an adventure junkie and want to make the most of your trip.
Day Two - Sedona & Scottsdale
Another early morning with a large iced coffee to help jolt us awake and we were on our way north to spend the day in Sedona. Just about two hours apart, these two cities are totally doable to make a day trip out of which is exactly what we did. Beginning with a healthy breakfast at the Local Juicery, I ordered the Matcha Mylkshake which was the perfect and enriching green smoothie I needed to fuel up for our hike. Having originally planned for two trails to hike this day, we decided to begin with the longer and more strenuous of the two which was Devil’s Bridge. And by no means was this hike strenuous, but definitely more of a hike toward the peak with its steep inclines and short steps to climb upward. Highly recommend following the tips that I pulled from another blogger, The Wanderful Me, who suggested beginning at the Mescal Trailhead for a better experience - and boy, was she spot on. This trailhead takes the hiker through a quiet, more scenic, and far less trafficked trail than the one that is typically advertised for the Devil’s Bridge hike. Highly recommend reading her post should you plan to hike here! Anyways, this was such a beautiful outdoor adventure that truly showed off the red rocks’ natural beauty and only added to my belief that nature is the most astounding and breathtaking thing there is.
Post hike, we headed to the heart of Sedona where we had a delicious meal at the Secret Garden Cafe (high praise for the Southwest Veggie Sandwich and Iced Pomegranate Green Tea). What’s fun about this restaurant is that it’s a part of a small village of shops and boutiques called the Tlaquepaque Arts Village, so of course we had to scope out the keepsakes that were made by local artisans. From art galleries and jewelry shops to clothing stores and candle shops, this village had tons of carefully crafted work to admire. The village also is so far from what you would expect a shopping center to look like, which makes the time spent wandering through the stores that much more enjoyable. Seriously, the architecture of the cluster of shops resembled one you would expect to see in a small town in Mexico or a centuries old city in Spain; it made you feel like you had transported abroad for a short while.
As originally planned, we had desired to check out one last hike and did have time to do so, however we wanted to get back to Scottsdale and glam up for our girls night out. A trip for many celebrations, we decided to go big and spend a night out on the town as a toast to each other and finally for all being back in the same city. That said, we concluded our second day and last night in Scottsdale’s Entertainment District at El Hefe, a bar that would definitely be a wild time pre-pandemic, but made for a fun night regardless of the restrictions in place. This district is full of lively club-like bars that definitely attract a young adult crowd and could likely be a fun area for college students or spring breakers to spend their nights.
Day Three - Scottsdale & Tempe
On our last day in Arizona, we decided to sleep in a little bit and enjoy a slow morning for a change. We dined at JOJO Coffeehouse where I ate an insane breakfast burrito (the spicy green chili aioli *drool*) and the cutest coffee flight. Hats off to whoever thought of that idea and for keeping the indecisive at top of mind when doing so. Instead of thoroughly reading the cafe menu like its a research paper as I typically do, the coffee flight gave me the best taste of five different cafe drinks on the menu - and spared me the headache from struggling to make a decision. This was definitely the best way to kickstart the AZ goodbye tour.
Following breakfast, we headed to our last excursion of the trip and stopped by Cave Creek Trail Rides to see the horsies. We spent a little over an hour horseback riding with the mountain horses in the Sonoran Desert and taking in all the scenery such as the vast amount of saguaros and cholla plants surrounding the trail. Our guide at Cave Creek Trails was an expert with the horses and shared her stories with us throughout the ride, which made us feel secure knowing her background with the animals and how great they are with people. With the sun beating down, no clouds in the sky, and many laughs filling the air, this was such a perfect day and a fun activity spent with friends.
In the afternoon, we dusted off our boots (literally) and headed to Old Town Scottsdale to peruse the apparel and jewelry in the 5th Avenue Shopping District. There were so many adorable boutiques (with not so cute price tags) that we weaved in and out of and of course, tons of shops where you could buy cowboy boots and western-style hats. As you can imagine, this took up a great chunk of our afternoon, but was such a nice way to see a different side of the city we had yet to travel to. And after all the exhausting shopping and walking, we simply HAD to end the day with a cold craft brew. We found ourselves at Four Peaks Brewing Co. in Tempe, ordering some Hazy IPAs and Sunbru Kolsch beers alongside an array of pub food. A hearty way to cheers to an excellent trip that created memories to last a lifetime.
As we all said our separate goodbyes and boarded our red-eye flights back home, we realized that the amount of excursions and activities we were able to include in a three day time span was not only impressive, but completely feasible. Don’t get me wrong, there were a few late nights, early mornings, and little sleep in between; however, we might as well travel this way while we’re young, able, and unfazed by the tight timelines we create. We’re still seeing the world one city at a time, exploring the beauty of this planet and all its offerings, and doing a damn good job at it. If you’re interested in learning more about this trip or how we packed so much into so little time, message me on Instagram @isthataworldtor or comment on this post; happy to chat!
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