Weekend in Arizona

Thursday 4/7-Sunday 4/10: ASU Art Museum, Movie, Flower Child Dinner, Taliesin West

Mr. E and I took a relatively quick trip to the Phoenix area so that we could revisit the amazing Chihuly in the Desert exhibit at Taliesin West during the evening hours. We had a late flight on Thursday and got to our hotel, the Hyatt House at ASU campus in Tempe, just after midnight. Since we were both working the next day, including presenting a webinar for me, we took time to unpack and get everything set up for the morning. Mr. E helpfully suggested I use the elevated metal tray from the microwave for my DIY laptop riser this time around. Perfect

I grabbed breakfast the next morning at the buffet in the spacious cafe and bar area and then set to work. Mr. E headed to the nearby Starbucks for his coffee and then set up to work in the large seating area near the bar for most of the day. We were able to take a lunch break together and initially tried to go to the Original Chop Shop but struck out on parking so instead made do with provisions from the nearby Whole Foods instead. If the weather had been nicer (e.g. not mid 90s and full sun), we could have walked to both places, but we opted to drive instead.

On Friday evening, we went to the ASU Art Museum for the opening of a new exhibition, New Earthworks. We enjoyed strolling the underground galleries and were struck by the unique architecture of the museum itself as well. The evening wrapped up with a stop to purchase some wine and spirits and then dinner in our room with the items we'd purchased previously.

Saturday morning was a return trip to the buffet and Starbucks. Then I watched a virtual event from the Alliance Francaise in the room while Mr. E worked on email downstairs in the bar area. We regrouped for an early afternoon movie, Everything Everywhere All at Once (love Michelle Yeoh!) at the AMC (thanks to C for the gift cards!) and had just enough time to do some travel planning back at the hotel before heading out to Flower Child in Scottsdale to meet up with K & M for dinner and our evening visit to Taliesin West for a self-guided tour of the Chihuly glass sculptures (which we had seen during the day when we visited in early December).

Our 6:45pm entry time was perfect, as we arrived right when the sun was setting so were able to take a first pass through with twilight over the desert and a second round in full dark when the lit-up sculptures presented a striking contrast to the landscape. Lots of photos below... Some of my favorites are the ones that I took of the reflection of the sculptures in the window of the dining room and of course also the bunny visitor on the grass.

Since we had a morning flight on Sunday, we decided to just head back to the hotel after finishing up at Taliesin West. All went smoothly with the rental car return and flight, and we arrived home in the late morning to unpack. I was able to go to the 3pm classical concert at the Crocker after taking a nap but ended up going to be early as I was feeling exhausted for some reason. Mr. E had time for a workout and getting ready for the week. Next up: Fort Collins!

Week in Waikiki: Days 6 & 7 (end of trip)

Wednesday 3/30: Work, Shopping, Sunset Cocktail Cruise

I had originally planned to take this day off but needed to work since my current big project was coming up on a major milestone on Friday 4/1. Mr. E had a much more leisurely morning with no early start. The beautiful weather continued, giving us strikingly clear views out over the marina.

We were able to take a mid morning break to get some additional breakfast items at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Starbucks, which was quite peaceful and quiet at 9am. In the early afternoon, Mr. E made a solo shopping trip and procured a new pair of shoes and a new pair of "slippers" at Ala Moana. 

Our evening activity was a sunset cocktail cruise with Hawaii Nautical, a company we've used before for snorkeling excursions. We had a lovely crew of three, including Natalie who was celebrating her 23rd birthday, and a group of just under 30 guests, which was a perfect number for this size catamaran. The cruise included two adult beverages that were VERY strong, so I barely made it through one turtletini! The overall vibe was very mellow despite the heavy pours and was a perfect way to round out our visit.

We opted to walk back to the hotel by way of Foodland to grab a final takeout dinner.

Thursday 3/31: HNL > SMF (Cesar Chavez holiday for me)

Since our return flight wasn't until 12:30pm, we were able to enjoy a leisurely morning at the hotel with plenty of time to pack. Somehow, we managed to fit in two stemless wine glasses, one coffee mug, two new pairs of shoes for Mr. E, four new dresses and one new cover-up for me, and a couple of magnets and ornaments and cards. Our bags were definitely plumper than when we arrived!

Not much was open at the airport for food and beverages, so we took advantage of the new mobile order function at the airport Starbucks to skip the long line to get a snack and some items for lunch on the plane. I also had enough time to stroll around the outdoor courtyard Cultural Garden, which was a lovely way to get in some extra steps before our trip home. 

Due to some back-up on the runways, we had to sit in line waiting for take-off for at least 30 minutes, but at least we lucked out again with an empty middle seat that Lulu could occupy for the return flight. We arrived back in Sac a bit late but were home before 10pm to give Caly some TLC, unpack, and get ready for our Friday regular work day.

Maybe looking at another visit in August for the Cary Elwes "The Princess Bride" event at the Hawaii Theater???

Week in Waikiki: Days 4 & 5

Monday 3/28: Work, Sunset Cocktail Cruise

Today was the first of our three work days from our new remote virtual environment in Waikiki. Not a bad spot to work, with the view out of two sides and the beautiful tropical breezes blowing through the suite. And a rainbow over the marina to start the morning!

I created a DIY standing desk station for myself with a small metal table from one of the lanais, a wicker basket that was used to store extra toilet paper and a hair dryer, and the wooden storage unit that had been on the shelves under the TV to hold coffeemaker supplies. It worked out quite well...

We both were able to log off around 2pm (5pm California time) each day to enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening. 

I had booked a sunset cocktail cruise but received notification of a cancellation from the tour company due to unexpected maintenance for their boat. So instead, we headed back to the main part of Waikiki to make some purchases, visit the HT2022 exhibition at the Royal Hawai'ian Center, and finish out the evening with wonderful wine, food, and customer service at the Island Vintage Wine Bar. The most impressive part of the experience was that wonderful Chef Christine prepared a special allium-free dipping sauce just for me to accompany the plate of seasonal crudites. Yum!!

Tuesday 3/29: Work, Diamond Head Run, SUP Yoga

Another work day, and a very early start for Mr. E who had to attend a 3-hour training session that began at 6am HI time (9am CA time). I did another run and made sure to locate the appropriate lifeguard stand where my SUP Yoga class was scheduled to meet later in the evening.We got pretty settled into a routine with breakfast and coffee from our grocery shopping and lunch from the same provisions or from leftovers. Having the mini fridge and microwave were key!

Mr. E headed out in the mid afternoon for his Diamond Head run, which I didn't even attempt to do this time around given my recent running limitations and the fact that we were staying so much farther away from the area. I signed up for a SUP Yoga class through Trip Advisor that unfortunately got cancelled due to iffy weather and lack of registrants. Oh well. Next time, for sure. Instead, I did a longer daily yoga practice in the room and enjoyed a couple hours of reading time.

Once Mr. E returned, we went off to Ala Moana Center for some additional shopping and dinner and wine from Foodland. Then a mellow evening in the room as Mr. E recovered from his run!

Week in Waikiki: Day 3

Sunday 3/27: Reserve Starbucks, Waikiki Browsing, Shen Yun 

My morning workout included a run along Magic Island and Ala Moana Park (saw a rainbow!) followed by yoga and laps in the lovely outdoor pool, which was shaded and completely empty at 7:30am. Then we headed off to the main part of Waikiki for some window-shopping, starting with breakfast from the Reserve Starbucks on Kuhio Ave. We took our goodies over to the courtyard area of the Royal Hawiian Center, where Mr. E made a new feathered friend.

The Center was hosting a kids day with lots of activities in the courtyard along with a local craft fair on the 4th level that we perused on our way back towards the hotel. In the meantime, we strolled the length of Waikiki, pausing in various shops to check out some options but making only a few purchases, including an ornament for E&C. 

Our afternoon activity was the Shen Yun classical Chinese dance performance at the Blaisdell Center. The troupe was only in Honolulu for the weekend, so we lucked out by purchasing some of the final tickets available. Our seats were in the last row of the orchestra level, about eight spots in from the audience right aisle. Great view! And the show was incredible. Varied dance styles, incredibly talented and athletic performers, sumptuous richly hued costumes, and an extensive multimedia background that fully integrated with the live performers. We've seen so many ads for Shen Yun over the years but had never attended a performance, and I'm so glad we took advantage of this opportunity to enjoy the cultural experience and also learn more about the troupe and the background of the artists.

A Charley Taxi was our mode of transport both to and from the show. We discovered that the neighboring Ilikai Hotel has a rooftop restaurant called Pesca that offers Happy Hour every day, so we took the short walk over and rode up in the glass elevator with a lovely couple from Australia. We managed to snag two seats at the bar and enjoyed our cocktails and oysters. What we did not particularly enjoy was the attitude and [lack of] service from the main bartender. Luckily, he had two colleagues who were working at high speed to take care of the customers and make up for his lackadaisical and unfriendly approach.

We wrapped up the evening with takeout dinner from Red Lobster across the street from our hotel while watching a handful of the virtual Sac French Film Fest shorts. 

The sunset was particularly striking this evening thanks to the bank of clouds hovering in the sky over the water.

Week in Waikiki: Day 2

Saturday 3/26: Architectural Tour, State Art Museum, Biki, HOMA

No more mask mandate! Yay!

We started the morning with a 9am architectural walking tour of downtown Honolulu, hosted by the AIA  Honolulu. We really enjoyed learning more about the history, evolution, and of course architectural development of numerous historical downtown buildings. My favorite was the post office (last set of images below).

I was also rather fond of the fountain in front of the Episcopal Church, the water feature by City Hall, and a couple of impressive trees.

Our fellow tour members were a very varied group of folks from all over, including two current Honolulu residents, a couple from New York by way of Germany, and a couple from Melbourne by way of Montreal. 

Once the tour was over, we paid a quick visit to the floral gift shop where we had found Lunar New Year decorations several years ago and were successful in our quest to find appropriate decorations for the current Year of the Tiger as well as the future Year of the Rabbit. We weren't as successful in our quest to procure an HDMI cable, but Mr. E did find some tasty Hawai'ian coffee and banana bread for a snack. I was a bit hungrier and had a wrap sandwich from Subway to tide me over before we paid a visit to the Hawaii State Art Museum.

We had discovered this [free admission] museum a few years ago during our sabbatical adventure and were looking forward to a repeat visit. This time around, the museum was dedicated to exhibitions as part of the Hawai'i Triennial 2022 (HT2022), so the pieces on display were completely different from what we'd seen before. The only parts that remained the same were the internal courtyard with charming sculptures around the central pool.

By the time we were finished at the museum, it was already mid-afternoon, so we found a nearby Biki station with two available bicycles to make the trip back to Foodland Farms a bit more efficient. Our grocery purchases this time were more focused on what we would need for the week, such as breakfast and lunch items during our work days, along with two lightweight sturdy plastic stemless wineglasses that we plan to use for future travel (until we learned the hard way once we got home that they weren't "dishwasher safe" -- oops!). Now that we knew the suite included a mini fridge and microwave, we had far more food options available for consideration. We also finally found an HDMI cable at Long's Drugs and a new double-USB wall charger (purple!) to replace the old one.

Back at the hotel, we created a DIY bar area and coffee station, including two new mugs from ABC, one of which we plan to fit somehow in our bags to bring home. We already have the turtle one in our stock from a previous visit!

Then yoga for me and a short workout for Mr. E before another Charley Taxi ride, this time to the Honolulu Museum of Art (HOMA), where we had tickets for their evening hours that are special for Friday and Saturday nights. This venue was another site for part of the HT2022, so we primarily focused on visiting those galleries. Then we had drinks and dinner at the lovely outdoor café. 

I had a glass of rose with my yummy Greek panzanella and lentil salad along with a cheese and fruit platter. Mr. E's stomach still wasn't quite right, so he focused on his Perrier, and his kale salad came back to the hotel with us for a future meal. Another taxi back to the hotel to wrap up the evening with adult beverages and more classic TV.

Week in Waikiki: Day 1

Friday 3/25: SMF > HNL + Ala Moana Center

Our direct flight on Southwest didn't leave until nearly 10am, so I had time for my usual morning lap swim at the CAC before we headed to the airport. We lucked out with no passenger in the middle seat, so Lulu the green Hawaiian sea turtle was able to be safely strapped in for the flight!

Today was the last day of both the statewide mask mandate and the Hawaii Safe Travels program, and we still had to mask up when inside and show our vaccination proof at the airport. We arrived around 12:30pm HI time and caught up with a Charley Taxi for the ride to our hotel, The Modern Honolulu, located by the marina near the Ala Wai canal at the western part of Waikiki and just down the street from The Windsor condo building where KM was stationed during his temporary assignment here (and where we stayed the first time I ever visited Hawaii). 

As expected, our room wasn't yet ready, so we grabbed a few essential items and left our bags with the concierge as we walked the short distance to Ala Moana Center to find lunch. I opted for a poke bowl, and Mr. E got a burrito. Then we spent some time browsing and shopping, adding to our ornament and magnet collection and [surprisingly] finding two new dresses for me at Hilo Hattie's. We also stocked up on some basic provisions at Foodland Farms, including a new insulated reusable bag with the spam musubi design.

By this time, our room was ready, so we returned to the hotel to get our keys and finish the check-in process, which took a bit longer than expected. We had a corner marina view 1-bedroom suite on the 6th floor with an amazing panorama of ocean, boats, Magic Island, and the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort and lagoon.

We took some time to unpack and get organized and then did a bit of exploration of the hotel to find the fitness center, main pool, and restaurant. We also made the first of several trips to an ABC Store to procure some additional beverages and food. I took time for a yoga break while Mr. E napped, and then we put together our take-out picnic dinner in the room while watching "Murder, She Wrote" on one of the numerous TV channels available. A relatively early night for both of us due to the time difference!