Southwest doesn’t have assigned seats but they do board in groups so we had paid extra for early check-in to secure Group A boarding priority so we had our pick of seats. Too anxious to really care, I grabbed the first seats next to the nicest looking person I could find who was already taking up the aisle seat (since the plane has 3 seats across and Joe wanted a window seat). I figured that would be better than choosing an empty row and leaving fate to choose my next door neighbor, who knowing my luck would be a woman wearing too much perfume or a person who doesn’t know what deodorant is. So we sat next to a lanky guy who seemed really nice. He probably didn’t like me too much after our four hour flight since I made him get up at least twice (maybe three times?) so I could use the restroom. I’m sorry nice guy! I hope you don’t hate me for having a nervous and weak bladder. Plus it’s frickin cold on the plane and even though I dressed warmly it didn’t make a difference to my bladder.
As we prepared to take off, I grabbed Joe’s arm and wrapped mine around his. It wasn’t too bad. Quicker than I recall from past flights, but then again, SWA only flies 737s and I’ve been in bigger planes before. Once we reached 10,000 feet I felt better, particularly when they turned off the seat belt sign because that meant a) there was no immediate danger and b) I could finally pee!
The clouds up high are really beautiful so I made Joe take some shots since he was by the window. I can’t say I was completely relaxed at any point in the flight, but I wasn’t panicking or bordering on hysteria like I imagined. Even Joe said I did real good. I couldn’t listen to my iPod much, though, because my anxious mind felt better keeping an eye on what was going on. As if that would stop the plane from crashing. Oh well, fear isn’t always logical, right? I did manage to read a bit though.
Coming in for a landing is much scarier than taking off which I didn’t anticipate. I don’t care for when the plane makes a drastic turn which is what it did in order to line us up with the runway. We were already low and it just felt really weird having the plane “tip” to the side, particularly because it was the side of the plane we were sitting on.
Actually touching down itself wasn’t scary at all. It was a relief to be back on the ground! Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix isn’t as bright and welcoming as Midway but they were pretty quick at getting the baggage off the plane and to the claim area which was nice.
Joe’s sister (known here as T moving forward) was waiting there for us and we decided to stop and grab some food since other than the very generous snacks offered on the flight, I hadn’t eaten all day due to my nerves. We picked up burgers and fries from In-N-Out since we had never tried them before and took them back to T’s house where we’d be spending our week. I was disappointed by the food particularly considering how crowded the joint was when we had gone inside to order.
I love T’s house because it’s so ridiculously clean and organized which is right up my alley. She has the cutest little shitzu but you wouldn’t know a dog lived there if you didn’t see her. She’s a real sweetheart too. She would spend each evening on the couch cuddled up against either Joe or me. :)
At some point in the evening we finally made it over to Joe’s parents’ trailer (they live in a 55+ community approximately 10 minutes South of T) to visit and then made our way back to T’s house to pass out. I think we were in bed by 9:30 pm local time (10:30 pm Chicago time) that first night!
Day 2 – Sunday, November 15th
Sunday morning we headed over to a local swap meet with T to walk around before heading over to Joe’s parents’ house again to pick up his dad so we could all go out for breakfast (his mom doesn’t eat out often because after having cancer she easily gets sick).
I can’t even remember anymore what else we did that day. Probably just hung out with family.
Day 3 – Monday, November 16th
Monday T went back to work and we picked up Joe’s parents’ and started our rode trip to Vegas. To my delight you drive right through Hoover Dam to get there which I hadn’t been expecting. Kind of interesting is that you also drive through Joshua Forest Parkway which hosts the very ugly looking Joshua trees.
The dam wasn’t quite as impressive as I was hoping, but we did come across the cutest little chipmunk hanging out on a rock high above the winding road that makes its way through the dam. It would figure that I’d be more interested in the chipmunk than the dam, huh? ;)
Once we made it past the dam it wasn’t much longer to Vegas. We arrived sometime around noon so we decided to kill some time by driving up and down the strip and looking at all the hotels in awe. After that we headed to our hotel, The Monte Carlo, where we were able to check-in early and get settled.
Joe’s parents decided to take a nap, so we went out and walked around. We ended up walking next door to the New York New York which connects to the Luxor which connects to the Mandalay Bay without ever having to go back outside. By the time we had made it that far we had to turn around and head back so we could meet Joe’s parents for dinner.
We hit the food court in the hotel because Joe’s parents aren’t mobile enough to walk the strip. I tried this awful Mexican chain restaurant called Rubio’s. Disgusting! They need a Qdoba instead.
After dinner we did some gambling before heading outside to walk the strip again but in the opposite direction. We made it all the way to Treasure Island before getting tired and coming back.
I’m not the night owl I used to be so we ended up in bed sometime before 1 am. Joe’s mom called him right as we were going to bed to let him know they were going downstairs to gamble and we found out the next morning they had stayed up til 3 am. How sad is it that the seniors were up later than we were?! Although in our defense we didn’t take an afternoon nap and they didn’t walk their feet off either.
Day 4 – Tuesday, November 17th
Joe’s mom wanted to go to a nearby town called Henderson, so we got in the car and drove there for breakfast and gambling. It’s a really old town and the casinos smell really smoky so I didn’t care for it. What was funny is that Joe’s mom thought their slots were better but she quickly realized otherwise and wanted to go back to our hotel where she was having better luck. We made a quick pitstop at Target for me to buy another hoodie (I had only brought one with me and it was rather chilly in Vegas, especially at night) and then we went back to the hotel.
Joe’s parents took another nap so we went out exploring again, this time to the M&M and Coke museums and to get some ice cream. We also walked around the MGM Grand Hotel and checked out their free lion habitat. We had discussed seeing the white tigers at The Mirage but after learning admission is $15 per person and they are behind chain link fences, we decided it wasn’t worth the long walk (and we’re both too cheap to pay for the monorail or bus).
We spent the rest of the day between walking around and playing slots. We made a point to try and play a little at each hotel, such as the Bellagio where we happened to catch the fountains a total of three times while we were there, simply by luck as we happened to be walking by everytime a show began.
By the time 11 pm came around we were both tired and feeling a little sick from all the smoke smell. I completely lost my appetite (I hadn’t eaten since 2 pm that afternoon) and was ready to get the hell out of Vegas.
I know we’re the minority, but Vegas was just not that thrilling. I think everyone should go there once just to see what it’s all about but I doubt we’d ever go back. We’re not into paying $25+ per person to eat, we hate the smoke smell in the casinos (although I will give them props for trying their best to keep the smell pleasant), we’re not into the hugely expensive shows, the clubbing, or even the gambling. So really it’s a waste for us. I’d much rather visit an amusement park, zoo, or aquarium.
Day 5 – Wednesday, November 18th
We were so ready to leave Vegas that we were on the road toward Arizona by 8 am. After dropping Joe’s parents off at their place, we went back to T’s house to relax a bit, then went out to a really great Tai place called Tum Nak Tai in Mesa for lunch and spent time with Joe’s parents in the evening.
Day 6 – Thursday, November 19th
Thursday was one of the most fun days of our vacation because we got to visit the Phoenix Zoo. At first I wasn’t impressed by the zoo at all but it turns out we had entered and gone into an area that doesn’t have many exhibits. Once we found the bigger ones, like the tigers, lions, and giraffes, it was much better. I still rank it among the most boring of the zoos we’ve been to, but feeding the giraffe was really cool.
After walking around for hours we were hungry so we made our way to a Sizzler for lunch. I always make a point to visit Sizzler when we’re on vacation since they no longer exist by us. I grew up eating there and cannot pass up a chance to have their malibu chicken.
We met Joe’s sister in downtown Tempe for dinner at a fantastic place called Corleone’s Philly Steaks. Mmmm… best cheesesteak ever.
Day 7 – Friday, November 20th
Friday was primarily dedicated to family since it was our last day in Arizona. We took Joe’s father out to breakfast and his mother shopping in the afternoon.
We made a pitstop at the bank where Joe ran in to deposit money while his mom and I waited in the car. I nearly had a heart attack when a suspicious looking woman with a McDonald’s paper bag around her hand made her way into the bank. She was looking around nervously and I swear I thought she was going to rob the bank! I’m getting really nervous, worried she has a gun and might shoot Joe and all his mom has to say is “as long as she doesn’t steal my money, I don’t care”. Luckily she was harmless. She ended up at the teller next to Joe with a bunch of money she was cashing in for change. What an idiot! I guess she was trying to hide the money in the bag but the way she was holding it around her hand made it look like she was trying to conceal a gun. Joe and his mom had a good laugh at my expense but what can I say, I am very suspicious of people.
After shopping Joe’s mom wanted to take a nap and his father was at a doctor’s appointment so we took a drive to nearby Tortilla Flat to take in the mountain views before returning for dinner with everyone.
Day 8 – Saturday, November 21st
We were up early Saturday to catch our flight back to Chicago. Surprisingly enough, I was even more nervous about this flight than my first one after 13 years. I felt pretty confident about flying after getting to Phoenix but started feeling really nervous on Thursday after a computer glitch was causing delays across the country. The news said it wasn’t a safety issue at all but my imagination started to run wild with conspiracy and sabotage theories. Apparently I watch too much 24!
In any case, it didn’t help that the family sitting across from us in the boarding area were joking about the plane going down and having to call family to say goodbye. Like I needed that! We also sat over the wing and experienced more turbulence than our flight in.
Not to be forgotten, flying into Midway is nerve-wracking. The plane is pretty damn low over houses and businesses when it decides to make a left turn to line up for landing. Why do they always make what feels like a right angle turn? As was on the way to Phoenix, we were on the left side of the plane. So there I am, leaning toward the right, as if that’s going to bring the plane back to level again! LOL!
So yea, the landing part I can do without. I really thought it was the takeoff that would scare me more, but it’s definitely the preparing for landing aspect. I was so happy to be back on the ground! Then we had to wait forever for our luggage because they are not organized like Sky Harbor.
We were home by 2 pm and spent the rest of the day just relaxing and catching up on all the shows waiting on our DVR.
Summary
So that’s our vacation. Arizona wouldn’t be my vacation destination of choice since it’s rather boring, but it was great being able to see Joe’s family again. I also like how new everything is in Mesa, the city in Arizona where Joe’s sister lives. The expressways in particular are very nice and big enough that you never feel like you’re stuck in traffic. The drivers also seem less aggressive than in Illinois.
Las Vegas I could do without. I think everyone should visit it at least once to see what it’s all about, but I know I’m in the minority here when I say it’s boring and holds nothing of interest to me.
Flying is scary and exciting. I’m fairly certain I will do it again, but I don’t think I will ever feel completely at ease with it. I will always feel upon landing lucky to still be alive, as if I just cheated death.
Below are links to the photos we took: