Spring Break Staycation time. As you manage work, schooling, and a new way of living a staycation can be a wonderful adventure. Arizona is home to great history, beauty, and top resorts in the world.
Taking a staycation with your children can be incorporated with their school work – history, geography, geology, and even math. Here is a great road trip for spring break or any weekend.
Spring Break Hotel
Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort Phoenix, AZ
A glorious resort in Phoenix nestle in the Tapatio Cliffs . This resort has comfort, COVID-19 protocols, and great entertainment. The comforts of home are here. A nice sitting room, and comfortable bedroom. The location is stunning for sunsets and sunrises. The several pools are accommodating for children and an adults only pool with a pool side bar.
Relaxing and enjoyment with spa, salon, and room service available. Take a moment to enjoy a desert and glass of wine on the patio or pool side. Experience the stunning outdoors with golfing, hiking, or the sun deck for evening sunrises. This location is prefect to venture and explore the great location around the state.
Hilton Staycation
Spring Break Food
Staycations really need to have great food stops along the way.
Pappadeaux Phoenix, AZ
Pappadeaux Dining
Southern food is comfort food. Pappadeaux is a generation to generation restaurant brings fresh seafood and Louisiana-style favorite to the plate. Attention to details and tradition brings the comfort food to your dinner plate. This is a great place to get family style for your picnic or party in your hotel room. Dinner this night is Shrimp Etouffee, green beans, fried crawfish with one of the 2.27 million baguettes they make each year. Curb side pick-up perfection, not one item missed. Dinner was delish.
Foodie Ellie enjoying her first Spring Break in Phoenix AZ
Andreoli Scottsdale, AZ
This is a home take on traditional Italian restaurant is popular with local. They have had many features including Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. This quant location serves as an Italian grocer and restaurant. You can cook your own or enjoy a home cooked meal.
They make everything from scratch including their own prosciutto, desserts, and homemade breads. The food is like walking into a great Italian home on Sunday. The food is a purest approach. If you are looking to mix and match your pasta this is not the location. They portion are fitting for one person not family style.
We enjoyed the Filetto Di Sogliola alla Mugnaia (fresh seafood), Gnocchi alla Corsara, and spaghetti with meat sauce. Dessert a must, the pasta is not over filling or heavy. We enjoyed chocolate mouse, coconut cake, and almond chocolate bark. The food is fresh and organic. The hand crafted pasta and food is by chef Giovanni Scorzo. He states on the web profile, “EAT the BEST FOOD IN THE WORLD and SHUT UP.”
The atmosphere is a true antique decor replicating any Italian grandmother’s living room. The family affair is felt within the staff as well.
Eclectic Cafe Tucson AZ
Eclectic Cafe
Dining
Road Trip to Tuscon
Eclectic Cafe in Tucson is “Where quiche meets enchilada.” The concept is a fusion of a variety of cuisines. The meal today includes vegan gazpacho (great summer treat chilled with garden fresh vegetables, Sherry’s shrimp salad, and Chicken Quesadilla. Took home a loaf of their zucchini bread, fabulous toasted with eggs for breakfast.
Mammoth Steak House and saloon
Mammoth Steak House and Saloon Lost Dutchman Gold Mine
This location is inside the The Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine has great views of Superstition Mountains, food, and atmosphere. You can sit on the patio, at the bar, or inside. There is always a musician performing and has the real feel of the old town saloon. Enjoy a shot and a beer at the bar or a great meal.
Sweet Country Charm Payson AZ
Sweet Country Charm Candy Shop
The smell of sweet permeates the parking lot. It is a quant cozy welcoming candy shop in Payson Arizona. This sweet shop is in the Swiss Village Shoppes. They have homemade fudge, gelato, locally roasted coffee, handmade organic chocolate truffles, popcorn bar, nostalgic candies, handmade gifts.
Spring Break Attractions
Tucson Mission San Xavier del Bac
This mission is apart of the wonderful history in Tucson. The missions are a big part of the culture and religion in the Southwest.
Mission San Xavier del Bac, a historic Spanish Catholic mission, is 10 miles south of downtown. This mission on the Tohono O’odham Nation San Xavier Indian Reservation. This location began with Franciscan missionary Fr. Juan Bautista Velderrain beginning in 1783. This mission has been apart of the New Spain, Mexico, and the United States since construction began.
The mission presents shells as a symbol of pilgrimage. The Baroque architecture is traditional with marbling, faux doors, and other details. The mission represents the struggles that have been with the Southwest, living in harsh conditions, the changes in governments, fire, and earthquake.
Domes of Casa Grande
Casa Grande Domes
This is fun spot to stop and see from your car. It is a no trespassing area that is very unsafe especially for young children. This location was the hopes and dreams of many that never came true. This location was for manufacturing of computers but was never completed. There is an eerie feeling here. You can hear the walls speak as if there was life there but really the life has been one of decay and destruction.
Road Trip to Payson AZ
Spring Break Payson Arizona
Payson Arizona is about 89 miles from downtown Phoenix to Payson on highway 87. It is a great drive from the Sonoran Desert to the top of the Mongolian Rim. The change in climate, altitude (from 1100 to 5000 ft.), and from big city to small town. This town offers a real homie feel and great location for adventure. A great lake and park for picnics, photos, and more. The beauty is pristine with four seasons of recreational activities.
Spring Break Tonoto National Forest
This is a great day in the old west driving up Apache Trail, an old trade route. There is so much to see and experience here. There is the Elvis Church with some old scenery from old cowboy movies, and a small replica of in the area gold mining. The actual gold mining town The Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine. This location has great fun, shoot outs, and a train ride to the mine. It is the actual town prior to the mine flooding and the town shut down.
The road winds up to Tortilla Flat a small place with a gift shop and restaurant. This location was established as they built the Roosevelt Damn. The location has great water fun from boating, swimming, and kayaking. It is a breathtaking ride but well worth the journey.
Photo Olivia Rose
Wonderspace Scottsdale AZ
Great interactive art at Wonderspace in Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall. The art here is interactive, bigger than life, and digit. You experience a new reality from the artist creations. The art changes the frame of art to an endless pallet. The children enjoyed the exhibit. My favorite is a tie from Myrkvidr and Shigeto: Hovering. The art on exhibit at this time is:
RAINBOW ROOMS ~ Pierre le Riche
Stimulates a dialogue about identity, exploring struggles of discrimination, acceptance, and masculinity
FUJI ~ Joanie Lemercier
Focuses on projection or light in space and is influence in our perception.
SEWING MACHINE ORCHESTRA ~ Martin Messier
12 antique sewing machines presents a 3 minute concert
PLUME ~ Ian Brill
This creation is an immersive, interactive dome of synchronized light and sound gestures.
HUMAN STUDY #1, 3RNP ~ Patrick Tresset
This exhibits allows the participant to have a portrait drawn by robots.
THANK YOU BAGS ~ Reed van Brunschot
This is displaced, daily life through transitional moment one in which a a given situation suddenly and unexpectedly changes.
MYRKVIÐR ~ Yasuhiro Chida
This is a circular hoop, not linear, rotates around in the piece to create the effect of immateriality.
KILLING TIME ~ Eric Mesplé
This combines Mesplé use of ferrofluid and metal work
OUR TOP 100 ~ Jody Servon
This is a community-built playlist consisting of songs and memories about songs shared by participants
AYAHUASCA KOSMIK JOURNEY ~ Atlas V
This is a journey is from a mind-altering visual-aural journey of an ayahuasca ceremony.
MICROMONUMENTAL MAPPING,THE ESSENCE OF CREATION ~ Limelight
Created by a group of artists who specialize in projection mapping and light art. This uses the Greek god Apollo images built into the Lille Opera House.
LIGHT LEAKS ~ Kyle McDonald and Jonas Jongejan
Created after McDonald noticed how environments that filled up his peripheral vision with light created a usually immersive mirrors.
A MIND SANG ~ Vier Nev
Short film on perception, rebirth, and transformation.
SHIGETO: HOVERING ~ Conor Grebel and 79Ancestors virtual reality
The virtual reality film inspired by how water came to earth.
A great place to visit and explore. There is so much more than just a desert in Phoenix, Arizona. What is your favorite location in the state of Arizona? Post your response here.
Breakfast is the best meal of the day. You can enjoy it all day savory or sweet. Breatkfast time is a great time to gather and enjoy.
Cameron Trading Post
The food made from scratch daily and is a fusion of the three food cultures. This place is perfect for travelers with their lodging, restaurant, art gallery, garden with fountains, and a massive gift shop. The trading post opened in 1916 and welcomes everyone like a guest in their homes. Prior to being a trading post, the place served as an apothecary.
Navajo pancake this is a blue corn pancake
Prickly pear stuffed french toast this is French toast served sandwich style with a prickly pear jam and cream cheese
Warrior Surprise is a mini-Navajo Taco topped with one egg
Ranch House Grille
Ranch House Grille
This is a great place to meet with a high school friend and his beautiful wife. We enjoyed breakfast at Ranch House Grille. It is a very local place. Many entering the grill knew other patrons and shared stories of their families and community. It is a wonderful meal. Large portions, good café coffee, and great hash browns are found here.
Joe’s Cafe Breakfast
Orem Utah Reunion Breakfast
Meeting up with my dear friend Lisa Sherman is like we never missed even one day, even though it had been a few decades. Lisa and I have known each other since we were three. We ran the neighborhood streets as two determined little girls could. We enjoy breakfast at Joe’s Cafe. The food is so delish. Lisa even enjoyed the grits. A dish she is convinced she did not like. Joe said, “You will love them. Nothing comes between your lips and my grits.” It is so wonderful catching up with Lisa after all these years.
3 Sisters Cafe Breakfast
3 Sisters Cafe
The first food stop of the trip is 3 Sisters Cafe in Indianapolis, Indiana, in business for 20 years. They serve a large choice of elegant breakfasts from sweet to savory and great lunch menu as well.
They have great beverages (no alcohol) with flair. I enjoyed the turmeric and ginger iced tea. It is a great flavor not too sweet or sugary. The brunch is perfect a great hollandaise sauce over Scottish lox, poached eggs, fresh tomato, and locally made English muffins with caviar on top. The English muffin is fresh with a nice sourdough flavor. The hollandaise sauce is perfect with just a little heat. The porridge is a new experience. It is creamy with a hint of cinnamon.
Courier Café
The Courier Café Urbana
The Courier Café brings Champaign history and old Victorian styling in the decor. The main dining room has:
A large palace chandelier from the Opera House in Erie Pennsylvania
The cash register is the first electric cash register
The courier clock pendulum filled with mercury makes the time keeping right
The stained glass comes from a Danville church predating the Civil War
The Pullman lamps light the aisle for passengers on the Pullman railroad cars
The brass chimes a gift from George Malford, a Nickelodeon Maker, they are steamed powered
The Café’s name is for the Courier newspaper that operated for decades in the building. The building is almost lost to fire and remained empty for decades. In 1980, the current owners began remodeling and opened for business on November 10, 1980. They are a farm to table restaurant with the garden and bees on the property for the freshest ingredients.
The menu is a hearty all American menu with breakfast served daily until 11 AM then lunch and dinner menu until closing. The breakfast is traditional eggs, omelets, fantastic pancakes, and hash browns. Their coffee is fresh ground daily and they have special blends. The lunch/dinner menu is hearty with a ribeye sandwich, fries, soups, and steak. The food has that home cooked look and feel. They do have a few items for vegetarians including breakfast sausage. They do have one special treat “Courier water this is sparkling water from deep below the café. It is a great place for large parties and a sense of the community in Champaign.
Scone City
Scone City located in Wicker Park is wonderful for a morning after bar hopping or late night in Chicago. Jessica and Tim Canning along with chef Laurie McNamara took on the endeavor in a specialized sweet and savory scone menu. This place is a perfect stop as my sister Cherie is heading to the airport to return to her family in Idaho. It is so wonderful sharing this experience with here. Seeing places and enjoying the cross-country journey. I truly miss her every day. She enjoyed a sweet blueberry w/ lemon glaze scone she says, “It is delicious!! Sweet. Soft. Perfection!!! Soooo tasty.” They have savory scones as well. I enjoyed a hot Vanilla Bean Latte with the house-made vanilla syrup. It is a perfect start to a day of exploring Chicago..
Kanela Breakfast in Chicago
The last morning of the road trip in the Midwest is brunch at Kanela, the Greek name for Cinnamon. This restaurant place is Wicker Park neighborhood on a street with many older shops. It is a great place, voted best in Chicago by USA Today, for a Sunday morning brunch. The coffee tops and wonderful after an evening at Bangers and Lace.
Brunch includes California Benedict and Fried Egg Sandwich this is an exceptional meal. The hollandaise sauce perfection with a nice touch of heat, the poach egg picture perfect. The sandwich is fabulous with the chili aioli brings the flavors together. The seasoned potatoes nicely cooked not too soft or undercooked. It is a nice brunch with my sister. We do agree that this is a great place for brunch.
Milk Bar NYC
Milk Bar NYC
Super excited to try crack pie and coffee for breakfast. This is a planned find in NYC. Watching Chef’s Table on Netflix. I knew I needed to try Milk Bar. This is Christine Tosi’s and is part of the Manhattan-based Momofuku restaurant. This is my first stop in the morning. The little shop has great cookies, cakes, pies, and bagel bombs. I order an iced coffee, bagel bomb with spinach, and crack pie. The bagel bomb is warm and filled with spinach and cheese. It is a nice bite for the start of touring NYC. I save the crack pie for a little later, but it is delicious. The filling is something like a custard, but buttery. The oat crust is light and flaky. This is a must stop and see.
What is your favorite breakfast? Share on social media using #4chionfoodie
Traveling across the country you find a variety of traditional American food to traditions for each region. There is beautiful colors, smells, sounds, and exceptional people to meet. Here are a few of the food finds from Arizona to North Carolina.
Arizona Food
Chesapeake Bay Bistro
Chesapeake Bay Bistro
Pulling out of a local shopping plaza fish sounded good for dinner. As I Google the nearest location I did not have a clue that there was one tucked in the shopping center, Chesapeake Bay Bistro, this is was a treasure find.
The restaurant owned by James and Yolanda Brown ventured to open this location during the height of the pandemic. It was an exceptional decision.
Chef Zandra (Zantastic) Vaughn creates fish your way everyday. The menu is created to make your fish your way. The fish is homemade with fresh fish with every effort to use sustainable methods and recyclable goods. The hushpuppies are scrumptious.
The fish is fresh and crabs are live and flown in from the Chesapeake Bay in the East Coast on a daily basis. We make sure that our ingredients are of the highest quality.
The fun is adding your name to a flip flop and looking for an open space for your addition. The customer service the best. Yolanda is passionate and full of energy. The food was delicious and enough for a few meals.
Cameron Trading Post Highway 89
Cameron Trading Post
The food made from scratch daily and is a fusion of the three food cultures. This place is perfect for travelers with their lodging, restaurant, art gallery, garden with fountains, and a massive gift shop. The trading post opened in 1916 and welcomes everyone like a guest in their homes. Prior to being a trading post, the place served as an apothecary.
Breakfast:
Navajo pancake this is a blue corn pancake
Prickly pear stuffed french toast this is French toast served sandwich style with a prickly pear jam and cream cheese
Warrior Surprise is a mini-Navajo Taco topped with one egg
Lunch:
Southwest taco salad served with a prickly pear cactus fruit vinaigrette
Gunslinger ham and cheese with diced green chile to the classic ham and American cheese sandwich
Navajo burger A juicy burger patty served on Fry Bread with salsa and all the trimmings (this was a delicious choice)
Dinner:
Nakahee Becheeyeh ( means south of the border) includes a pork tamale, a meaty beef taco, and one cheese enchilada
Served with tortilla chips, our spicy homemade salsa, refried beans, rice, and your choice of red or green chile
Trout dinner with lightly breaded grilled fish
Liver and Onions Beef liver grilled with onions and bacon
served with soup or salad, a fresh mini loaf and a choice of mashed potatoes, baked potato, French fries, sautéed vegetables or rice pilaf.
Each dish enjoyed this evening brought a new experience to something familiar. We enjoyed the Navajo burger (with a vegetarian patty), club sandwich (served gluten-free) and Navajo taco (made with Blue Bird flour). Ellie enjoyed a milkshake and nibbling off everyone’s plate. Miss “Foodie” (Ellie) really recommends their fantastic french fries. The menu includes the Navajo language providing a fun conversation with the staff. We enjoyed the local flavors and expansion of cultures. The food to the ambiance provided a complete experience with cultural diversity.
Ranch House Grille
Ranch House Grille
This was a great place to meet with a high school friend and his beautiful wife. We enjoyed breakfast at Ranch House Grille. It was a very local place. Many entering the grill knew other patrons and shared stories of their families and community. It was a wonderful meal. Large portions, good café coffee, and great hash browns.
Utah Food
Ray’s Tavern
We stop in Green River just before Colorado. Lisa Sherman recommended having lunch at Ray’s Tavern. This was our first travel contest. Congrats, to Wes Hawkins at Utah Travels for knowing what city we were enjoying lunch. We ordered the chicken sandwich and a Garden Burger®. They had a Utah tradition on fry sauce, created by Don Carlos Edwards in the 1950s. It is as simple as ketchup and mayonnaise whipped together. I have seen variations with adding sour cream or buttermilk. This was a treat for sure. It was a great place. The waitress extremely friendly and the food fresh, including the fries.
Spicy Thai and Joe’s Cafe
Orem Utah Reunion Time Road Trip
Meeting up with my dear friend Lisa Sherman was like we never missed even one day, even though it had been a few decades. Lisa and I have known each other since we were three. We ran the neighborhood streets as two determined little girls could. We enjoyed breakfast at Joe’s Cafe. The food was so delish. Lisa even enjoyed the grits. A dish she was convinced she did not like. Joe said, “You will love them. Nothing comes between your lips and my grits.” It was so wonderful catching up with Lisa after all these years.
Dinner was a fabulous reunion with my bestie from high school, Brenda Anderson. She and I meet at the Spicy Thai in Orem. This was an excellent choice for the food was excellent. Their menu had a great selection of Thai food with the ability to choose your heat. The evening ended at her home where we spent time catching-up, relationships talk, and a little (very little) drinking. Her cute little dogs entertained up throughout the evening. They are both such a ball of energy.
Colorado Food
Aloha Poké Co.
Aloha Poké Co. provides a light refreshing meal with a wide choice of vegetables and rice. This is a perfect meal for this long day of road travel. Cherie and I sit outside enjoying lunch in the spring sun and looking back at the Rocky Mountains thinking a strong contrast from the last two days to the journey that lays in front of us.
Missouri Food
Sugarfire Smokehouse BBQ
Sugarfire Smokehouse BBQ St. Louis Missouri
St. Louis is known for its arch and barbecue. This being a late Sunday afternoon we realize that many locations are not open, but find one near the ball field, Sugarfire SmokeHouse BBQ! This is an award-winning restaurant under Chef Mike Johnson has studied with Myron Mixon, cooked under Emeril Lagasse and Charlie Trotter. It was a great experience of community, exceptional food (sweet potatoes the best) and BBQ pork and salmon.
Cincinnati, Hebron, and Indianapolis Food
3 Sisters Cafe
The first food stop of the trip is 3 Sisters Cafe in Indianapolis, Indiana, in business for 20 years. They serve a large choice of elegant breakfasts from sweet to savory and great lunch menu as well.
They have great beverages (no alcohol) with flair. I enjoyed the turmeric and ginger iced tea. It was a great flavor not too sweet or sugary. The brunch was perfect a great hollandaise sauce over Scottish lox, poached eggs, fresh tomato, and locally made English muffins with caviar on top. The English muffin was fresh with a nice sourdough flavor. The hollandaise sauce was perfect with just a little heat. The porridge was a new experience. It was creamy with a hint of cinnamon.
Hebron Grille
The evening meal was a quaint place in Hebron Kentucky called Hebron Grille. The waitress, Brenda, was so friendly and informative. She provides insight into the southern menu. I decide on the Catfish Grand Bayou. This was a meal for two. It was perfect for a later time as well.
The fish was perfectly cooked with Cajun spice, white wine, lemon, capers, diced tomatoes, grilled shrimp, crawfish, angel hair pasta, and grilled asparagus. The capers brought an exceptional flavor and salt to the dish. The crawfish is a wonderful additional treat.
Abby Girl Sweets Cupcakes
Saturday afternoon in Cincinnati Ohio, my niece and I stop by Abby Girl Sweets Cupcakes. This was a delightful find in the lobby of the Hilton Netherlands Hotel lobby. This little shop has a variety of sweet and moist cupcakes. We enjoyed the coconut, black raspberry chip, red velvet, and peanut butter cup. They were perfect after a long of competition at the USA Gymnastics event.
This business is owned and operated by Nathan & Andrea Thompson (husband and wife). The name comes from their daughter, Abby Girl, she is the top taster for the cupcakes. The cupcakes are sweet and well-flavored.
Champaign Illinois Food
The Midwest food is all American. The area settled by Europeans including Germans, British, Italian, Hungarians, and Scandinavians. The simple hearty foods with strong Christian influences continue today. The fusion food trend is not found here as much. You will find that true honest food as it was from the beginning.
This town is a place you find all American food. It is a place worth stopping and checking out the food scene. This area is in Central Illinois about 2.5 hours south of Chicago. The area surrounded by small farm and dairy communities. It is known for farmers markets, fresh dairy (yes you can buy fresh milk at the farm), ethnic foods, and the classic American food.
Sleepy Creek Vineyard Road Trip
Sleepy Creek Vineyards
Driving in from St. Louis, you take exit 206 from I-74. The winery is a great location to come for many events. Weekly they have local musicians, wieners and wine, and Winery Mary Bar Every Sunday. The winery has great yearly events from Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and more.
The wine is sweet not a real full-bodied wine. They have a jalapeño red wine they substitute with vodka in the bloody Mary served on Sunday. The place is beautiful and serene setting. Locals bring their picnic lunches, you can buy cheese and crackers, or at times, a food truck might be here. The day we were there they had a band playing in the large barn, a strong community presence sitting outside by the creek overlooking the vineyard.
The Courier Café Urbana
The Courier Café brings Champaign history and old Victorian styling in the decor. The main dining room has:
A large palace chandelier from the Opera House in Erie Pennsylvania
The cash register is the first electric cash register
The courier clock pendulum filled with mercury makes the time keeping right
The stained glass comes from a Danville church predating the Civil War
The Pullman lamps light the aisle for passengers on the Pullman railroad cars
The brass chimes a gift from George Malford, a Nickelodeon Maker, they are steamed powered
The Café’s name is for the Courier newspaper that operated for decades in the building. The building was almost lost to fire and remained empty for decades. In 1980, the current owners began remodeling and opened for business on November 10, 1980. They are a farm to table restaurant with the garden and bees on the property for the freshest ingredients.
The menu is a hearty all American menu with breakfast served daily until 11 AM then lunch and dinner menu until closing. The breakfast is traditional eggs, omelets, fantastic pancakes, and hash browns. Their coffee is fresh ground daily and they have special blends. The lunch/dinner menu is hearty with a ribeye sandwich, fries, soups, and steak. The food has that home cooked look and feel. They do have a few items for vegetarians including breakfast sausage. They do have one special treat “Courier water that is sparkling water from deep below the café. It is a great place for large parties and a sense of the community in Champaign.
Amaravati Indian Royal Cuisine Champaign
Amaravati Indian Royal Cuisine primarily brings Southern Indian cuisine to Champaign. Southern Indian cuisine based around rice, lentils, and stews. Dishes The authenticity found in the menu. The waitress knowledge of the menu and very helpful with the dishes.
Enjoying Paneer Tikka Masala with cubes of fresh cottage cheese cooked with green peas in an onion, tomato & cashew based sauce. Garnished with Kasturi methi and cashew pieces. The flavors linger on your pallet. The rice is perfectly cooked. Dessert is rasamalai it is juice and cream. It is a sweet and good amount of heat. This dish has a history of being created in Britain by a Bangladeshi chef.
Champaign Food Road Trip
Core Life Eatery Champaign
Entering the eatery, you hear a local band on an early Saturday morning. The eatery is a location of freshness and wholesome. The food is GMO, grass-fed steak, all-natural chicken, and no GMOs. The broths are center to the soups. You pick your ingredients from a fresh selection that looks like a produce stand.
The soup is heavy in a great vegetable broth the Sriracha soaked bean sprouts make a nice substitute for noodles and Sriracha brings heat to the soup. The kale and Napa cabbage are barely cooked by the hot broth this brings a freshness and crunch to the flavor. The shiitake mushrooms add texture to the soup. It is refreshing with flavors that linger on the plate.
Chicago Food
Chicago sits in the Midwest has a history of all American food. This history is changing to one of sophistication and elegance. The dining experience is one set for the various neighborhoods in Chicago. The traditional American and deep dish pizza is found in each area, but the elegance is found with 25 Michelin-starred restaurants. Chicago is known for their yearly Taste of Chicago a food and entertainment weekend usually held the second week of July. There is a covering deep dish pizza this is a bucket list trip with deep dish pizza on the list.
Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria Road Trip
Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria
This was a fantastic place to take a crowd for lunch. There was a little bit of a wait but well worth the wait. They do allow you to order ahead of time. The entire party pizza enjoyed the pizza. They had great selections with gluten-free and vegetarian options. The gluten-free crust was one of the best. They have a real family feeling to the pizzeria.
Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria is a local favorite. The first restaurant opened by Lou, an Italian, opened a pizzeria in a Jewish neighborhood on an Irish holiday in 1971. They are always busy at all 51 locations in the Chicago area. Each pizza is hand created to each patron’s desire.
Pequod Pizza Chicago
Pequod Pizza, 25 years in business, is a popular place in Lincoln Park. We arrive with the dreams of deep crust pizza and watch the Cubs play ball. Arriving we realize that the wait is down the street. Heading into the small hostess station they tell us, “there is an hour for a table about another hour for service from seating.” We walk around the block and decide to find a place with appetizers to wait out the hour seating time. We find a great place called Distilled Chicago.
New York City mayor’s press secretary Eric Phillips has put in his vote on Twitter for the best pizza “Chicago pizza is the best pizza in America, and it’s not even close.” The tweet has a photo of Chicago-style deep dish pizza from Pequod’s. We return for our pizza as our buzzer for the table goes off.
We take the pizza back to the Air BNB for snacking and dinner on Saturday evening. It is a fabulous bucket list experience. Normally a thin crust pizza lover this was a true experience. The crust is caramelized and not as heavy as expected. The cheese strings as you take a bite making it a true cheese pizza. The sauce is the best to date. It is loud and excitable as the patrons are enjoying the final innings of the Cubs game.
Distilled Chicago
Distilled Chicago was a fantastic find just down the street from Pequod Pizza in West Lincoln Park. We sit at the bar. The decor is black and gold with an early 19th century feel. The Cub’s are playing on the TV. It is neighborhood experience as locals enter to enjoy the local menu with a modern twist on bar favorites. We enjoy a glass of wine and a beer. It is best known for being a whiskey bar with our 100 varieties. These are paired with the menu items.
The food is fabulous. We order the mac ‘n’ cheese bits, sliders with fries, and Italian beef egg rolls. The Italian beef rolls turn out to be a delightful surprise with the Au Jus Sauce. This fusion of Asian and Italian together well and our the favorite of the night. The mac ‘n’ cheese bits are crispy and tasty. The dipping sauce is house ranch. There is a good textual experience. The fries are crispy and the bacon jam brings the classic slider to a unique experience the arugula brings a fresh peppery flavor, caramelized onions, and the top quality Angus beef takes a bar classic to elegance. This became dinner. It is a great place to enjoy a ball game, the community, and an American classic menu with an elevation.
Scone City
Scone City located in Wicker Park is wonderful for a morning after bar hopping or late night in Chicago. Jessica and Tim Canning along with chef Laurie McNamara took on the endeavor in a specialized sweet and savory scone menu. This place was perfect stop as my sister Cherie is heading to the airport to return to her family in Idaho. It was so wonderful sharing this experience with here. Seeing places and enjoying the cross-country journey. I truly miss her every day. She enjoyed a sweet blueberry w/ lemon glaze scone she says, “It was delicious!! Sweet. Soft. Perfection!!! Soooo tasty.” They have savory scones as well. I enjoyed a hot Vanilla Bean Latte with the house-made vanilla syrup. It is a perfect start to a day of exploring Chicago.
Bangers and Lace
Bangers and Lace, a local bar in Wicker Park, has a rustic lodge atmosphere and is a great place for a good drink and great company. The patrons are friendly. The bartender for the evening was an instant win with a Big Lebowski shirt. The best feature is the is the classic beer tap handles. The restaurant’s name is Bangers for the British term for sausage and Lace for Brussels Lace, the intricate veil of beer foam that clings to the glass side. This was a great evening spot near the Air BNB for cocktails and a glass of wine. They have a menu of sausages, English beans, vegetarian option, and Belgian fries.
The atmosphere is friendly, fun, and did get crowded as the night went on. It is a great place for sports, conversation, and good drinks. What a fun experience.
Kanela Chicago Road Trip
The last morning of the road trip in the Midwest is brunch at Kanela, the Greek name for Cinnamon. This restaurant place is Wicker Park neighborhood on a street with many older shops. It is a great place, voted best in Chicago by USA Today, for a Sunday morning brunch. The coffee tops and wonderful after an evening at Bangers and Lace.
Brunch includes California Benedict and Fried Egg Sandwich this was an exceptional meal. The hollandaise sauce perfection with a nice touch of heat, the poach egg picture perfect. The sandwich was fabulous with the chili aioli brings the flavors together. The seasoned potatoes nicely cooked not too soft or undercooked. It was a nice brunch with my sister. We do agree that this is a great place for brunch.
New York City Food
Wild Ginger NYC
Wild Ginger NYC
This quaint Asian Fusion restaurant is next door to my hotel, Pod 51, in Midtown New York. Thankful for this find after being delayed at the airport. The restaurant is full of large parties enjoying an order your favorite roll and share mine. I can hear them discussing what they like about each other’s choices. That is a fun way to enjoy a menu. The decor is transforming, and fitting for the theme. The menu filled with a variety of traditional Asian and fusion dishes like Singapore thin rice noodles. Enjoyed steamed veggie dumplings, salmon roll, and mermaid roll. The sauce on the plate is sweet, sour, and a little heat. The food is fresh and elegant.
Milk Bar NYC
Milk Bar NYC
Super excited to try crack pie and coffee for breakfast. This is a planned find in NYC. Watching Chef’s Table on Netflix. I knew I needed to try Milk Bar. This is Christine Tosi’s and is part of the Manhattan-based Momofuku restaurant. This is my first stop in the morning. The little shop has great cookies, cakes, pies, and bagel bombs. I order an iced coffee, bagel bomb with spinach, and crack pie. The bagel bomb warm and filled with spinach and cheese. It is a nice bite for the start of touring NYC. I save the crack pie for a little later, but it is delicious. The filling is something like a custard, but buttery. The oat crust is light and flaky. This is a must stop and see.
Pizza NYC
$1 Pizza NYC
The little find during the day is Market Pizza. It is a small little shop off 6th ave. It is $2.99 for two slices of pizza and soda. This is a great place for a traditional New York pizza. It is good, friendly, and always ready. They have a variety of pizzas. There is a small communal area to sit to eat your pizza before heading back on my NYC adventure. Always fun to explore these great places.
Pescatore NYC
Pescatore NYC
Walking Midtown after a day of exploring and the fashion event it is overwhelming with the choices near the hotel. The restaurants’ selection vast and enticing aromas. The dilemma is decided as rain begins to fall. I wonder into Pescatore. It is a traditional setting with the seasonal tulips on each table. My waiter is Bryan Royas. He is very informative about the menu and attentive.
It is a really amazing experience to see spaghetti Carbonaro done tableside. This dish is pancetta, onions, pecorino cheese & egg mixed in a Parmigiano wheel. The family sitting near me order this dish. There is something about seeing the food prepared tableside. The smells, sounds, and visual bring anticipation.
I enjoy pasta ripiena, warm bread, with Bousquet Mendoza Argentina Malbec, and dessert. The staff that brings me zeppoles with fruit dipped in brandy. The ripiena is homemade pasta sheet stuffed with fresh spinach, ricotta, topped with tomato sauce and crispy parmigiana. The homemade pasta is delectable and the tomato sauce fresh. The dessert is light and sweet the vanilla, chocolate, and raspberry sauces. The raspberry sauce is my favorite brings a little tart to the sweet. The fruit with the brandy is scrumptious.
Wilmington North Carolina Food
Kilwins Chocolate Wilmington NC
This is a must stop when visiting Wilmington You can smell the sweetness down the street. This is just the start of the sensory experience provided. When entering the story your eyes are drawn to all the beautiful handcrafted chocolates and sweets. Located in the Historic Downtown. Ice cream is a popular treat in Wilmington. Kilwins makes bomb waffle cones, exceptional chocolates, and it is worth the wait.
They make their own ice cream from their original recipe with 40 premium, unique and delicious flavors including Mackinac Island Fudge. They use local farms for ingredients. The chocolate creations are amazing.
Mission BBQ Wilmington NC
Mission BBQ Wilmington NC
Always looking for good BBQ traveling across the country. Each area has their own special BBQ. Wilmington’s Mission BBQ is American and traditional to the area. This place brings the flavors of the region to dinner. Enjoying collard greens made with tomatoes, mac-n-cheese, and green beans with bacon, brisket and NC Style pulled pork with the vinegar BBQ (this food tradition is from original settlers, African slaves on plantations and modern ones). This is an Eastern-style sauce that is vinegar and pepper, no tomatoes. Bar-b-que is serious here making it all the way to state Congress to declare the official barbeque.
Mission BBQ opened 09/11/11 ten years after 911. There is a tradition in the 52 restaurants stops at noon on Fridays to honor the military members and stars and stripes. The decor follows this continued theme with a patriotic dining room full of tributes to those who make our country great. There is really nothing more American than a barbeque.
Cameron Trading Post located directly off Highway 89 between Flagstaff and turn off for Tuba City is a mix of American, Mexican, and Native American food. The restaurant is located 21 miles from the Grand Canyon and overlooks the beautiful Colorado River Gorge.
Cameron Trading Post Cameron Arizona
The food is made from scratch daily and a fusion of the three food cultures. This place is perfect for travelers with their lodging, restaurant, art gallery, garden with fountains, and a massive gift shop. The trading post opened in 1916 and welcomes everyone like a guest in their homes. Prior to being a trading post, the place served as an apothecary.
Many who stop here will be hungry after the many outdoor adventures found near the trading post. The adventures include:
The menu is filling for each meal of the day. Accommodating to many foodies, appetites, and diets. You can enjoy breakfast until 11 AM, but the rest of the menu is available until closing. There is no alcohol at this restaurant, but they do offer a wide choice of coffees, juices, teas, sodas, milkshakes including Prickly Pear (a must try if you have never had this great desert fruit), and non-alcoholic beer.
Cameron Trading Post Highway 89 Arizona
Breakfast:
Navajo pancake this is a blue corn pancake
Prickly pear stuffed french toast this is French toast served sandwich style with a prickly pear jam and cream cheese
Warrior Surprise is a mini-Navajo Taco topped with one egg
Lunch:
Southwest taco salad served with a prickly pear cactus fruit vinaigrette
Gunslinger ham and cheese with diced green chile to the classic ham and American cheese sandwich
Navajo burger A juicy burger patty served on Fry Bread with salsa and all the trimmings (this was a delicious choice)
Dinner:
Nakahee Becheeyeh ( means south of the border) includes a pork tamale, a meaty beef taco, and one cheese enchilada
Served with tortilla chips, our spicy homemade salsa, refried beans, rice, and your choice of red or green chile
Trout dinner with lightly breaded fish that is grilled
Liver and Onions Beef liver grilled with onions and bacon
served with soup or salad, a fresh mini loaf and a choice of mashed potatoes, baked potato, French fries, sautéed vegetables or rice pilaf.
Navajo Taco Cameron Trading Post
Each dish enjoyed this evening brought a new experience to something familiar. We enjoyed the Navajo burger (with a vegetarian patty), club sandwich (served gluten-free) and Navajo taco (made with Blue Bird flour). Ellie enjoyed a milkshake and nibbling off everyone’s plate. Miss “Foodie” (Ellie) really recommends their fantastic french fries. The menu includes the Navajo language providing a fun conversation with the staff. We enjoyed the local flavors and an expansion of cultures. The food to the ambiance provided a complete experience with cultural diversity.
Ellie at Cameron Trading Post
The dining room is a place that feels like a large welcoming dining room. It is decorated in traditional Native America artifacts and a large stone fireplace, it was a beautiful addition to the atmosphere and ties well with the menu. The ceiling a pressed tin is so intriguing. The beauty outside the cathedral windows is breathtaking. You can see the gorge and the suspension bridge (built-in 1911 for highway 89 traffic) from this place. The sunsets here are magnificent with the gorge and bridge.
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The beautiful state of Arizona is the Sonoran Desert, Sedona red-rock buttes, steep canyon walls, and ponderosa pine-covered mountains, that is a major gateway to the Grand Canyon. The beauty and natural formations are a great discovering journey.
Superstition Spring Mountains
The journey begins on US 60 near the gorgeous Superstition Spring Mountains. This mountain range is the most photographed and painted landmark behind the Grand Canyon in Arizona. These mountains east of Phoenix brings gorgeous sunrises and great light for sunsets. These mountains look different during the day as the lights play on the mountains. Many mountains in Arizona are volcanic. These mountains are near Weavers Needle, a tall eroded volcanic remnant.
A large part of the superstition is from Jacob Waltz. He claimed on his deathbed to have discovered a mother lode of gold there. Apaches believe that the hole leading down into the lower world, or hell, is located in the Superstition Mountains. Another superstition tied to the mountains is that the winds blowing from the hole that believe to cause of severe dust storms in the Phoenix metropolitan region. There are many stories of strange sounds and disappearance connected to the mountains. Many Apaches believe that the hole leading down into the lower world, or hell, is in the Superstition Mountains.
When exploring remember that this is a congressionally designated strict “leave no trace. This wilderness zone prohibits you from disturbing, leaving, or taking anything from the preserved areas.
V-Bar-V Heritage and Lake Montezuma Well
Heading north out of Phoenix you climb 3000 feet in elevation. You take exit 293 follow the signs to Lake Montezuma Well National Monument (there is also Montezuma’s castle you can visit in the nearby area). This is a free stop with an easy to follow a trail, there are 100 steps down into the well. This trail will take you through how the Southern Sinagua, cliff dwellers, figured how to use spring water to irrigate their crops. The water is about 55 feet deep and 74 degrees Fahrenheit with 1.5 million gallons daily. The rim leads to large pueblo ruins and an ancient pit house.
Leaving the national monument use forest road via Forest Service Rd 618. This will take you to V-Bar-V Heritage Site. Here you will see life by the stream over thousands of years. There is a $5 parking fee, no pets, and no public water at this place. You will follow a trail walking past a chimney in remnants and fences from old homesteads along the creek. The walk is easy and beautiful. This trail will take you to the best-preserved and largest petroglyph site in the Verde Valley. This rock art is beautiful and tells a different story each day. You can follow the planting of the crops by Southern Sinagua to the harvest by the way the light hits the wall at a specific time each day. There is a carved rock in the wall that follows the mountain range of San Francisco Peaks. Save your pass for your ventures in Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon. You can see where the pass is good click here.
Sedona AZ
Head east on N Forest Ranger Rd toward Forest Service Rd 618 to get to Sedona. The famous area rises above the desert land and brings beautiful hues of red color against the brown desert and green ponderosa pines. This prime community brings art, beautiful nature, vortex, and exceptional food and wine. The vortex is a swirling center of energy believed to help with healing and meditation. The best art shop in the southwest (we believe) is Tlaquepaque (pronounced T-la-keh-pah-keh). This place of great art from the southwest and modern artists. There are beautiful places to catch a bit to eat or drink. There are often great gallery showings.
Sedona does host a yearly film festival and wine festival (featuring Arizona wines our favorite is Alcantara Vineyards close to Sedona). There is a wide diversity of food and fantastic. A great restaurant is the Mesa Grill at the Sedona Airport. The view on top of the hill is fantastic. Watching planes come and go is an added bonus. Enjoyed the shrimp ceviche as it was midday.
There is so much to do in Sedona:
Jeep tours
Hiking
Biking
Swimming
Touring
Exploring
Golfing
Leaving Sedona you take 89A through Oak Creek Canyon. Highway 89 is the top tourist road trip. This road takes you from Mexico to Canada while passing through some of the most scenic areas of the west. You can visit National Parks, fourteen National Monuments and three Heritage Areas.
Oak Creek Canyon provides a great stop if you have time to take a dip in slide rock. This gorge provides beautiful views of sheer rock, changes in the landscape from the beauty of the red rocks to the Ponderosa pines. This journey will have you climb the final 2500 feet into Flagstaff AZ.
Flagstaff Arizona
Flagstaff the last big city in Northern Arizona. This town is home to Northern Arizona University, connection to the Grand Canyon, and the San Francisco Peaks, Arizona’s tallest mountain Humphreys Peak. This town is where we stayed the night. A visit with my grandchild, Ellie, she provided an exception breakfast of pancakes and eggs. She is a foodie at 2. Cooking and washing dishes she loves to be in the kitchen.
We enjoyed visiting with family and exploring this beautiful town. The downtown area includes some great food and shops with exquisite Native American art and jewelry. It is a gathering place for tourist and locals alike. There is a monthly art walk with the many galleries and movie night in the Square. Dogs are welcomed in most areas of the town.
Our final evening we enjoyed a wonderful meal and drinks at Dara Thai with family and dear friends. The food was exceptional. The menu provided a vast variety for everyone including a nephew who is particular. The spring rolls are fresh and have a great dip with some heat. The seafood with fresh ginger was warm and light. The cocktails were unique. They do have a full-service bar. It was a perfect evening together hearing about plans for traveling and journeys.
The San Francisco Peaks and Sunset Crater
We hit 89 early in the morning and stopped by Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. This is a loop you can take off highway 89. There is a $20 fee to complete the loop. You can stop and see the Sunset Crater area just off the road. This volcano erupted over 1000 years. This eruption created the crater and volcanic fields you can see today but destroyed homes, families, and farms of the native people who lived in there. They relocated to Wupatki, a national monument on the full loop.
The drive from the national monument is one that journeys through Native American land. It is one of change and beauty. You can see the San Francisco Peaks disappear and the land become a painted desert. We can recommend Cameron Trading Post. This is a great place to get Navajo rugs, Hopi pottery, Hopi kachinas and silver and turquoise jewelry, Apache baskets and Plains beadwork to our Native American Art. The meal was fantastically cooked from scratch meal. Enjoyed a homemade garden burger on Indian Fry Bread with fabulous fries.
The journey through Arizona ends in the beautiful town of Page AZ. Page is a great area to stage your next journey. It is connected to the following areas:
Lake Powell
The Wave
Antelope Canyon
North Rim of the Grand Canyon
Horseshoe Bend
Road stands with handcrafted Native American art
89 Highway and Page AZ
This was a great place to meet with a high school friend and his beautiful wife. We enjoyed breakfast at Ranch House Grille. It was a very local place. Many entering the grill knew other patrons and shared stories of their families and community. It was a wonderful meal. Large portions, good café coffee, and great hash browns.
This journey on the 89 through Arizona was a great journey of beauty, nature, family, and friends. The road trip was one of reflection and dedication to understanding the diversity in Arizona. What is your favorite Arizona site to see? Post your photos here #4ChionStyle
