5 Activities We Did in Phoenix, AZ in One Day!

Recently, my best friend of 16 years, my daughter, and myself had to go to Phoenix for a cardiac appointment for myself. Rather than doing the drive in one day, we decided to make it an adventure and go the night before and here is what we did! We had so much fun, and learned a lot of interesting things.

1. La Quinta

These hotels are usually well known. We had a problem with the other hotel we wanted to stay at, and ended up having to go stay here for about twice the price, but it was well worth it. The standard room felt like a suite! For 94 dollars plus tax, we had a room that was newly remodeled, with everything from a flat screen to a Bluetooth speaker alarm clock and bathroom with a fantastic bathtub. The beds were so comfortable and we slept so well! It was well worth the extra money, and it included breakfast and there was NO deposit. Definitely a recommendation for anyone who wants to go kind of on a high end budget.

Now, if you want to go on a low end budget, you can stay at the Red Roof Inn on the west side of Phoenix. Just keep in mind the following:

• They don't have a deposit which is definitely a pro. The con is they don't accept cash.
• They don't accept any card that is not supported by a well known bank such as green dot, netspend, or PayPal, and anything prepaid they don't accept. There isn't breakfast included, but for 50 bucks it is a decent place to stay—much better than any Motel 6 I have had an experience at.

2. ASU

So, I have wanted to be an American Sign Language interpreter for quite some time, so I decided to check out the ASU campus and go talk to an advisor. This campus was absolutely huge! Everyone was so friendly, and they are so interactive and organized. My daughter (1 year old) loved being in the stroller and looking at all of the different colors, trees, people... It was such a wonderful campus and beautiful. We could have spent all day there. Even if you don't want to go to the school, just go on a tour of the campus. You won't be disappointed!

3. Half Price Bookstore

This is the actual name of the bookstore, and it is every single nerd's dream. So, every book there is half priced off of the manufactures. They also have a clearance section that shows even more of a discount. They also have journals, bags, calligraphy, coloring books, rock painting, anything you can think of. There are original historical books, the staff is super friendly, and they are also fellow nerds. My best friend and I had a wonderful time looking at books, and my daughter loved it also.

4. Eat King Wong Kitchen Chinese

Seriously some of the best Chinese I have ever eaten. It was so good, and they were very accommodating. It is a hole in the wall, but you couldn't get better Lo Mein in any well known place. Five stars!!

5. Drive and See

Phoenix is full of beautiful architecture and scenery. If you don't have a lot of money, the best thing to do is just walk either uptown or downtown. History is all around you. Take a breath, one step at a time, and soak it all up. It'll be the best thing you ever did and will allow you to appreciate the wonderful city!