We arrived in Phoenix and promptly fully unloaded all of our crap at my parents' house. It was so liberating to check into a hotel with one suitcase - and our hotel in Phoenix was sprawling. To get to our room, we had to go up two flights of stairs, across a bridge, up several more stairs, and then up one more flight of stairs to cross another bridge. There were elevators except for the few stairs after the first bridge. It would have taken probably an hour and several trips to manage it all. So, bless my parents for allowing us to over take their entryway with all of our crap.
We visited with my parents (and put in a load of laundry) and then headed to my favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner with our friends L and D. This Mexican restaurant is probably not a place I would go, had I found it now. It's a total hole in the wall with tacky decors (think velvet paintings) and a layer of grime that will never come up. But it's so so so good. I think it has the best cheese enchiladas of any place I've tried. Yes, there is a pool of grease on the plate when you're done, and the next day is always gastronomically unpleasant, but it's worth it. They also always have cheese crisp, which my Phoenix friends and I have discovered is a totally non-existent thing outside the state of AZ. It's a shame, because it's pretty amazing. It's essentially an open faced quesadilla, but I think they fry the tortilla first. I'm shocked it hasn't caught on elsewhere. It's both crunchy and cheesy, which are America's favorite flavors.
We had a great time with L and D, who are expecting their first baby this month. I've known L for most of my life, but we only became close at the end of high school. Now she's one of my best friends, and I'm excited we'll be geographically closer to her and her little one. We said goodnight and headed to our hotel, giddy with the knowledge that we wouldn't be getting on the road the next day.
The next morning, we continued our eating tour of Phoenix with breakfast at this place called Snooze that we originally discovered in San Diego. It's probably the best breakfast place ever. It's a small chain with locations in California, Arizona, Colorado, and I think Texas. They make some incredible creations and have insane portions.
After breakfast, we innocently went into Athleta where I accidentally spent $200. In my defense, it was early access to friends and family, so I got 20% off my purchase. Eddie wasn't pleased, but it made me happy.
We dropped my mom off to go in search of a touch less car wash to deal with the insect graveyard that used to be our car. It has to be touch less, because the spinning brush things are harsh on the fancy Tesla paint.
Since we spent some time at my happy place, I obliged Eddie with a trip to Fry's Electronics. He needed an external hard drive to save our dash cam footage, because he wants to do something with all of it when we're done. I'll believe that when I see it, but we didn't have anything else to do that day.
I'm not sure if you've had the pleasure to experience a Fry's, but it's Aztec themed. I love the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and one of the characters works at a place called Aloha Tech or something. I just thought it was a gag about southern California, but I think it's mocking Fry's. Entering the building reminded me of the Indiana Jones ride at Disney. There are all these fake stones and edifices in and outside of the building. Eddie poked around, and I had to use the bathroom. I have a sneaking suspicion that Fry's doesn't get many female customers. The bathroom had no purse hooks in any of the stalls, the stalls were super tiny, and I don't think they had the AC on in there.
Because of the aforementioned tiny stalls, I used a handicap one where the toilet paper dispenser was on the opposite wall from the toilet, necessitating that I stretch to reach it - all while trying to hold onto my purse with my other hand.
We left Fry's with my grumbling about the bathroom experience, and Eddie dropped me off for my haircut. The woman who cuts my hair in Phoenix gave me my first haircut and many important pieces of life advice. The most memorable was given when I was in college, and it was that I would never orgasm until the man "made love to my mind." All through college and my first decade in DC, I would fly to get a haircut. She charges me nothing, does a fantastic job, and I don't get haircuts that often. So, I would visit my folks once or twice a year and get my hair done. I don't think it's that weird.
Well, I was ecstatic to see Pilar on this trip and decided I needed some blond in my hair before moving to California. New coast, new 'do, right? So, now I'm partially blond and hoping I'll have marginally more fun!
After my time at the salon, we went back to my parents' house where my mom was making us dinner. I think I may have made my mom's year by requesting that she cook. I don't think I've asked her to make me food for more than a decade. I usually want to hit up my favorite restaurants when visiting Phoenix, and I do a lot of cooking, so I'm not lacking for a homemade meal.
Well, she pulled out all the stops. Not only did I get the fancy rib roast from the kosher butcher in Los Angeles, but we ate in the dining room with the fancy silver. We've been eating out for what feels like two solid months between our farewell tour in DC, our trip to Portugal, and now this road trip. It was really nice to just have a meal that wasn't prepared at a restaurant. My mom also made soup despite it being 104 degrees outside. But she loves her soup, and it would have felt weird not to have it with a meal she had prepared.
After dinner, we went down the street to see the only other high school friend I actively keep up with, E and her husband B. We visited for a bit and had some of her mom's home brewed kombucha. It was delicious, and even Eddie enjoyed it. I might need to pick up a new hobby in California!
Today we loaded up the car to head to Los Angeles. We're nearing the end of our adventures and will imminently embark on our new lives. But, first we'll spend a little quality time in LA with my sister.
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