better watch out for those man-eatin' jackrabbits, and that killer cacti

i spent most of this past week in scottsdale, arizona. while it was a business trip, my team and i managed to squeeze in some leisurely pursuits as well ... shh, don't tell anyone.

THE HOTEL:

we stayed at the saguaro, an instagram dream of epic proportions that's only a 5-minute walk from old town scottsdale. just scope the lobby:

there were also two pools, and we were lucky enough to witness a strange golf-related photo shoot at one of them on our first day:

IT'S LIT:

 

and, a cute coffee shop:

however ... the rooms, while funky and fun, were a bit skeevy in that you could tell this place was probably a former by-the-hour motel that got a few coats of paint and some colorful bedding. still, not a terrible place to spend a few nights.

a spirit animal also kept watch over me:

THE FOOD:

in-n-out

our boss insisted that we stop here on our way to the hotel, as two of us were in-n-out virgins. i got the "animal style" burger and savored every messy, meaty, cheesy calorie in the back of that cab. 

 















culinary dropout

 

we stepped it up a notch for dinner that night with a sit-down meal here, a casual spot with nice ambiance (and a nice bob marley mural). my crispy shrimp caesar salad and reeeeally strong old fashioned were good enough, but i was so glad i convinced everyone to split the s'more pudding for dessert. it came with salted caramel graham crackers and had toffee chunks in it and everyone was just making awkward food moans for a solid 10 minutes. "i can't imagine enjoying anything as much as i enjoyed that," one of my coworkers said nearly three days later when we were reminiscing about it. normal.

the saguaro restaurant

we now interrupt this regularly scheduled blog post to get real basic for a hot second. i detoxed the next morning (and the morning after that) with a "yogi breakfast" at the hotel restaurant. just greek yogurt with granola and fruit, apple slices, and almond butter, but oh maaaan it was good, and i felt like i was ready to do some sun salutations and like, harness my chi or some shit immediately after consuming it. namaste?

mcfate brewing company

i forgot how nice it was to dine al fresco in the middle of november. the beer was decent, and my grilled salmon and broccoli was so-so, but the atmosphere was just lovely.

barrio queen

 












solid mexican. solid margs. excellent lighting fixtures.


THE FUN:

mannequin challenge 

a couple of weeks ago, i had mentioned the mannequin challenge to my colleague, who runs social media for our company. given the great vibes at the arizona office -- as well as the great piercings, tattoos, and crazy-colored hair -- we figured it was the place to make it happen. sidenote: there was also a soundtrack of 2000s pop-punk playing there at all times and it made me soooo happy.

anyways, it didn't come out perfect (dammit, dude in the beginning, why did you twitch?!), but considering how many people are involved, i think it's pretty amazing for only one take. the ping-pong ball and the group cheers-ing at the end are my favorite parts. oh, and that's a picture of our CEO that we're swooning over on the phone.
 


escape the room

half-drunk on margaritas from barrio queen and ready to enter an enchilada coma at 9:30pm, the last thing i wanted to do was a team-bonding exercise, but i'm so happy i did. if you've never done one of those "escape the room" things, it's pretty self-explanatory: they lock you in a themed room (ours was "old western bank heist") and you have an hour to get out with a handful of items, including the key to unlock the door. i knew it was going to be good when the super-sarcastic guy working there made fun of my coworker for being unable to unzip her jacket before we got started -- and when we finally got out, he made her an "i escaped the coat" sign as you can see above. oh, john! i'm pretty proud that my primary contribution to our success was shooting the fake sheriff. i spared the deputy, though. why do they love bob marley so much here?


old town scottsdale 

we had the morning to ourselves on friday, so i grabbed an americano and went wandering solo around old town to take some photos. since it was 8:30am, nothing was open yet, and it was a bit creepy, but kinda cool.

this was my first trip to scottsdale -- and to arizona, period -- so i barely scratched the surface of what the area has to offer, but i hope to return to this strange and delightful desert land soon. since this song was stuck in my head for the entirety of the trip (alternating with that "black beatles" tune), i'll leave y'all with this. yippee-ty-ay-yayyy.

5 things i love: hotel edition

goin' all tripadvisor today.

1. vero beach hotel & spa (vero beach, FL)

i've written about this incredible place before, but it's just one of a kind. everything is absolutely 5-star, from the oceanfront location to the service to the rooms to the animal print robes (which i can't resist taking selfies in every single time i stay), but the price usually isn't! vero is a gorgeous, super-sleepy, stereotypical "old person" florida town. but you know what that means ... $$$. ridiculous, cool people stay here, and you get to meet all of them at the nightly wine hour. after you're comfortably tipsy and have made some new friends, you can stumble down to the ocean grill or bobby's for a deliciously drunken seafood dinner (or the hotel restaurant, if you're feeling fancy). then, come back to the hotel to sit in the hot tub or hang out around one of the fire pits. and THEN put on your animal print robe and chill on your patio. it's perfection. 

the last time i stayed, it was right after i had finished grad school, and i had made an offhand comment to one of the staff during the aforementioned happy hour. my parents and i came back to our room that evening to a friggin' bottle of champagne, three glasses, and a handwritten note congratulating me on my master's degree. R U SERIOUS? that's how you do customer service, folks.

2.  best western sunset plaza (west hollywood, CA)

hands-down, the cutest hotel i've ever stayed in. located right on sunset boulevard in weho, it has the feel of a quaint b&b, so don't be fooled by the best western name. i remember that when i first arrived in the room, i threw open the adorable windows -- no screens, praise jesus -- and inhaled that sweet california air (and probably some exhaust fumes, too). i also shared an elevator with marion raven from fallen tween pop group m2m, so that was chill. for a car-dependent city, the location is great and kinda-sorta walkable to a starbucks, saddle ranch chophouse, the house of blues, and mel's diner. the pool is legit an oasis in the middle of LA.

3. the westin ottawa (ottawa, canada)

i don't really know why, but canada was always my dad's destination of choice when it came to family vacations when i was a child. as a result, i have an immense, random love for ottawa which most people are weirded out by. but it's such a cool, vibrant city! and i'm pretty sure this hotel was part of why i love it so much. it's right in the heart of downtown ottawa, overlooking parliament hill, aaaaand connected to a mall. sold!

4. doubletree guest suites (new york, ny)

i actually won a doubletree stay at a work christmas party a few years back, and decided that instead of imposing on my NYC friends and crashing on their couches for 4th of july weekend, i'd just fly solo and go big and stay in times square. props to the very friendly front desk man who remained super sweet as i rolled up with nothing but a big-ass backpack and a crumpled up certificate in my purse, checked in, and started eating my complimentary doubletree cookie before he even gave me the receipt. i emerged from my room 10 minutes later in a way-too-mini dress, still eating the cookie, and he just smiled at me, probably thinking something along the lines of "thisbitch." i don't think i'm suite material. anyways, definitely had a few macaulay culkin moments at this place because the rooms are HUGE. the views are also amazing -- where else can you scope out the half-price broadway ticket line from your bed?!

5. courtyard virginia beach oceanfront south (virginia beach, VA)

give me a balcony overlooking the ocean, and i'm a happy girl. this hotel, in addition to having oceanfront balconies, is also in a prime VB location that's super-close to a bunch of really good restaurants (shoutout to tautogs) and literally steps from the beach. my favorite thing to do during my stay here was people-watch the boardwalk, uh, walkers, from the balcony. endless entertainment, especially the dude i saw wearing an "FBI: female body inspector" shirt that was walking with his small child. good times.