It’s been two months since I posted to the blog, so it’s about time for both an update and a little catch-up.

In early March I was invited out to Phoenix to give a presentation to some of my co-workers from the West Coast. It was cold, snowy and endless gray skies here in Cleveland so I happily packed my bags, hopped on a Southwest flight and headed out to the desert for a little sunshine and warmth.

This was my first visit to Arizona (unless you count the time I drove across the Hoover Dam) so I was really looking forward to checking out Phoenix.

I arrived around lunch time and had a few hours to kill before meeting up with my co-workers for dinner, so I decided to take a scenic drive out into the surrounding desert (I really wanted to see a Saguaro Cactus). I headed up to Scottsdale to drive along what was advertised as a “scenic desert route.” While there were parts of the drive that were scenic and natural, they usually occurred along short stretches of the road between a Wal-Mart and a subdivision. I decided to turn off onto a dirt road that seemed to head to nowhere and it proved to be a much more scenic route. For future reference - a Ford Focus does not handle very well on dirt roads.

After arriving back to downtown Phoenix I checked into the hotel where my co-workers in Phoenix had reserved a block of rooms. It was by far the most unusual hotel I have ever stayed at. It’s called the Clarendon and it’s billed as an “independent boutique.” When I walked up to the check-in desk the first thing the guy working at the desk did was blatantly flirt with me. I’m not complaining, because he was very cute, but it was certainly unexpected. I think it’s pretty safe to say that my co-workers were the only heterosexuals staying at the Clarendon. The Clarendon turned out to be quite an experience in of itself – there was the impromptu dance party in the courtyard with a dozen, hot, shirtless guys, the already open bars of soap and bottles of shampoo in the shower and the very unique décor (including the painted plywood board that you had to slide along a metal rod to use as a window cover).

Overall the trip to Phoenix was fun and relaxing. It gave me the little boost of energy that I needed in order to get through the last few weeks of winter. Hopefully I’ll get the chance to head back there in the future and do a little more exploring (although I may skip the Clarendon next time).