Chandler

July 6, 2024 - Reading time: 6 minutes

I dropped my brother off at LAX for an early morning flight back to SC then hit the road to rendezvous with my hubby's arrival later that day in Phoenix. I received text messages from them both while on their respective airplanes, thanking me for booking their flights on Southwest Airlines' birthday. Passengers are offered complimentary adult beverages to celebrate. Um....you're welcome? Serendipity for the win because I had no idea!

Hubs and I walked from the hotel in Tempe to a few spots that evening near Arizona State University to grab dinner and support a local brewery. It was quite hot outside, though less so after sunset. Of course the hospitality industry in AZ is prepared with patio spaces surrounded by water misters to keep everyone cool and comfy. Pedalhous Brewery makes a delicious peach draft and there are some neat rabbit sculptures in the courtyard.

The next day, we took a day drive to the Tonto National Forest just outside of Phoenix to check out the Canyon Lake recreation area and the tiny town of Tortilla Flat. By tiny, I mean it's literally an historic strip of five old buildings (including an active post office) 8 miles into the Superstition Mountains along the Apache Trail. The curvy roads going up, up, up were fun to travel and we certainly don't have mountain hills covered with saguaro cactuses back home, so that was fun, too. While in Tortilla Flat, we popped into the Superstition Saloon where the bar stools are saddles for seats. Giddy up! We hitched up our hineys and ordered lunch. James's hotdog came slathered with homemade chili and my street style tacos were tasty and fresh.

Before heading back down the mountain, we stopped in the local mercantile store where James bought a coffee mug and I purchased a cute little turquoise pinky ring to commemorate the recent evening with Bruno and more importantly, James and my 35 the wedding anniversary. Who knows...maybe I'll get to see Bruno again someday and actually have a pinky ring to put up to the moon. Ha!

We wrapped up our time in Phoenix with a 20 minute drive to Chandler that evening. I spent time here with my son and his in-laws on two previous trips, but James had never been. I was eager for him to experience the vibes at San Tan Brewing and I am in love with one of their flagship brews, the Mr. Pineapple. It's like a Blue Moon, but with pineapple instead of orange. So delicious! I ordered a salad to save room for their pineapple blondie dessert, a white chocolate cookie baked with crushed pineapple and served in a personal sized cast iron skillet, topped with banana gelato and toasted coconut flakes. Absolutely amazing! James and I devoured every bite.

We were stuffed after dinner, but downtown Chandler is safe, vibrant and quite walkable. We were pleasantly surprised by the lively number of folks out and about on the sidewalks, bars and cafes on a Wednesday night. And we found some live rooftop music to enjoy at The Perch, a local restaurant that cares for rehabilitated tropical birds such as parrots and macaws. We ordered a nightcap and cozied up on one of their outdoor couches. I wish I could remember the name of the band (my bad). They were spot on with covers songs the likes of CCR, Elton John, and Steve Miller. Oh, and the rooftop had a motorcycle repurposed as a serving station! I could totally see James taking on a project like that in the future so I had to snap a pic of that, too.