In Search of America: Sedona/Jerome, Arizona 2024

Got kids on flight
Got on our flight
Long rental car line at reserved so got different one
Pizzeria Bianco was 2 hr wait so went to Beach House tacos instead. Long line, outdoor seating (cold!) But Delicious and cheap
Hotel: Rise uptown. Very hipster former big motel renovated. Record player in each room. Rooftop bar was disappointing but maybe better if sat outside. Service was weirdly slow despite not crowded and plenty workers.
Had pool area to ourselves--hot tub was nice. I'm sure in summer the place is crowded. Tons of seating and outdoor beds?! Road noise is very unfortunate.
Didn't like floofy bed/pillows. Shower was not nearly hot enough, due to others showering cuz heated up instantly at one point. Also no shower door to trap in heat.

Checked out.
Coffee drive thru called Windows. Weird building maybe former bank. Lots of stuff like that here.
Corner on the Market. Really weird place connected to another place . Yummy but way too spicy breakfast burrito. The vibe of this place with older ladies working the kitchen, with goods for sale, is hard to describe but I loved it. Restaurant plus bakery attached; all the pastries looked amazing; the prickly pear raspberry pop tart was delicious.
Parked in downtown Prescott. Walked around a tiny bit then drove to Lazy G Brewing. We were surprised at how good the beer was (brussels sprouts were yummy too).
The drive into Jerome with valley views was really pretty. The town is even funkier than I pictured. Lots of old abandoned buildings with the background of the beautiful orange mountains and blue sky.
Puscifer store. Got Justin some stuff. Did a tasting at Caduceus. Such tiny pours but good wine. Even the whites were good.

Wine notes:
Airavata. Lightest red I've tasted!
Whites/Rose:
Diddler. Yummy
Rose. Oily
Reds:
Shinola. Light leather good
Chupacabra. Fruit cherry

Walked around the town, saw the sliding jailhouse.
Did a tasting at Four Eight Wineworks (another of Maynard's) inside the Puscifer store so I could poop. Also good. Nice view if you can get the window seat. There isn't a real kitchen I don't think, so I think the eats are like microwavable stuff which wasn't super appealing. Ended up with popcorn; boring. Popped into a hot sauce shop.
Dinner at The Clinkscale. Really good.
Drove to our hotel in Sedona--the Inn Above Oak Creek. Cozy little room by the creek. Unfortunately queen bed.

Cliff walked to get coffee at FreeForm. Very hipster. Cliff loved his pumpkin spice latte though.
It SNOWED. Ate breakfast in the main room and watched the birdies at the bird feeder in the snow. The inn has a kitchen for guest use--cereal, granola, microwaveable breakfast sandos. Fresh muffins, yogurt, Keurig, fireplace in the main living room.
Cliff convinced me to go for a hike to Devil's Bridge which seemed insane but was actually one of the prettiest hikes I've ever been on. I started slipping and feeling pelvic pain on the steep last ascent up the rocks so I stayed behind while he finished the last ten min. I was also starving at this point. Why didn't I pack snacks?? Probably because he made it sound like a short 'easy' hike. It snowed the entire time, which was at our backs until we turned around for the route back. Wish we had real hiking shoes; our running shoes were obviously not ideal.
Lunch at The Hudson. Pretty good. Should try chicken pot pie next time.
Drove around towns on the way to Merkin Vineyards--Clarkdale old gas station and a copper museum. May be a place to check out more in the future. Dinner at Merkin was decent. I liked tasting the wines (again TINY pours!) but glad I had low expectations on the food. I ordered the gnocchi against my better judgment (people online RAVED about it even when saying the other food on the menu wasn't great) and still do not love gnocchi.

Breakfast at inn.
Hike Cathedral Rock (me just partway, Cliff to the top).
Packed up, grabbed Freeform coffee.
Drove to Phoenix--pizzeria bianco. We got in, in like ten min! Cats there. Chris Bianco himself showed up! Cliff got a pic with him.
I started having bad stomach cramps upper abdomen. Back pain but that started earlier?
Rise hotel again. Hot tub not hot, they're working on it. Just lay around since standing or walking hurt. Sigh. I HATE convalescing.
Huss Brewing. Bland Caesar but I liked the kolsch and porter.
Roses by the Stairs. Yummy saison.
Back to hotel for yummy free popsicles and watched Mean Girls.

"I thought this movie was about vampires." --Cliff about Mean Girls

Breakfast at Vovomeena. Amazing Mexican eggs benedict. \
Phoenix airport is large and I love the tram. Why doesn't every airport have a train-tram thing??

In Search of America