Topic Wiki

Trip Reports


2014 - Mgarfin's 2014 trip to Arizona-Delta glitch
2014 - VacationLover's Sedona and the Grand Canyon TR
2015 - PBaruch's Dreams of Flight - Hummingbirds and Arizona
2016 - Pbaruch's Motorhome Adventures in Utah and Arizona
2016 - drewsky9's Arizona Trip Report
2016 - MahRabuMasecha's Vegas Zion Page Grand Canyon Sedona TR
2016 - ShlockDoc's Midwest Roadtrip - Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming
2017 - Davidmal's Phoenix & Scottsdale for 5 Hours
2018 - Ikelunious99's Arizona Trip Report

Utah has it's own master thread and wiki at https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=15858.0

Activities


Phoenix

Arizona Cardinals (NFL Football)
Arizona Coyotes (NHL Hockey)
Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB Baseball)
Phoenix Suns (NBA Basketball)

Camelback Mountain
Desert Botanical Garden
Encanto Park
Goldfield Ghost Town
Japanese Friendship Garden
Lost Dutchman State Park
Nordstrom Last Chance - one of the few in the world.
Octance Raceway- Extremely fast Go-Karting
Scottsdale Old Town

Arizona Science Center (Indoor)
Museum of Musical Instruments (Indoor)
Queen Creek Olive Mill (Olive farm and mill, with Olive 101 'factory' tour)
Arizona Boardwalk (entertainment complex, with aquarium, butterfly conservatory, etc. www.azboardwalk.com)
Children’s Museum of Phoenix (for kids under age 10, they claim to be top 3 Children's Museum in the country).

Sedona, AZ
Stunning red rock formations and scenery viewable throughout the small city with unique views along the many hiking trails (including Devil's bridge, West Fork Trail, and Sugar Loaf Loop)
Off road jeep tours (e.g. Pink Jeep Tours)
eclectic outdoor shopping
Slide rock state park: Natural water slide in creek (just north of Sedona)


Grand Canyon National Park (South Rim)
There are two trails from the south rim that go down into the canyon (and all the way to the canyon floor, which is a strenuous multi-day hike). You can experience a taste of it, by turning around at any point.
  • South Kaibab Trail - One of the top rated trails for the GC (trail descends into the canyon, uphill climb on return)
  • Bright Angel Trail - Also one of the top rated trails for GC (trail descends into the canyon, uphill climb on return)
There are also trails along the south rim (called Rim Trails) that don't descend into the canyon, and are relatively flat. These offer views of the canyon and are dotted with various scenic viewpoints. Some areas of the rim trail are paved others are not. These may be more suitable those with young children or those fear of hiking near the edge of the canyon cliffs. The National park shuttle buses also transport passengers to various points within the park, along the south rim.
A PDF map of grand canyon national park south rim is at https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/upload/sr-pocket-map.pdf
Grand Canyon National Park Lodges

Nearby attractions outside the National Park include:
  • Skywalk
  • Bearizona Wildlife Park - Williams, AZ

Page AZ
Lake Powell (popular lake for boating, with kayak, motor boat, pontoon boat, houseboat rentals, Jetski, boat tours, and swimming). Lake and surrounding canyon walls are uniquely scenic together (it's actually a huge artificial reservoir surrounded by canyon walls, resulting from the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam
Carl Hayden Visitor Center at the Glen Canyon Dam (Free museum about the Glen Canyon Dam)
Horseshoe bend (popular scenic overlook of a 180 degree bend in the Colorado river)
Antelope Canyon (beautiful slot canyons with stunning photography opportunity, controlled by Native Americans with entrance fees and guided tour, advance reservations are needed. Fees were recently increased to $60-$100/pp)

Tucson

Saguaro National Park

Kosher Restaurants

See the following for up to date info:
--http://www.kosherphoenix.org/index.php/kosher-food-in-phoenix/restaurants/
--https://www.ahavastorah.org/restaurants.html 


Phoenix

Cafe Chenar
LaBella Pizzeria and Restaurant
Manhattan Pizza & Subs
Samarkand Restaurant Glatt Kosher

Scottsdale

Fresh Mint
Kitchen 18
Milk+ Honey Espresso Bar & Eatery

Groceries


Imperial Market & Deli

Shuls


Ohr Hatorah Congregation- Located in Phoenix Map
Chabad Jewish Center of North Phoenix Map
Ahavas Torah:The Scottsdale Torah Center Map


Chabad of Flagstaff AZ (Kosher meals available), Minyanim in the summer and chol hamoed (1 hour south of the Grand Canyon National Park)

« Last edited by Yr18 on October 02, 2023, 08:46:50 AM »

Author Topic: Arizona Master Thread  (Read 381467 times)

Offline mgarfin

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #260 on: January 28, 2014, 05:50:04 PM »
but im travelling with a 3 month old so not sure how exciting it will be :)

So how was it with a baby?

Any recommendations for sendora and GC trail with baby?

Offline mgarfin

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #261 on: January 28, 2014, 06:07:11 PM »
flew business, with many other jews.  we then rented from thrifty and went straight to king solomons pizza which was good. then we went to the residence inn and settled in (and watched some brady/manning).  we went swimming for a bit, went to shul for mincha mariv and then picked up some food from imperial which was very good and also got a monster slurpee from circle K (all sizes are the same price). the next day we went to last chance which was awful bc it was crowded and hard to deal with, then we went to manhattan kosher pizza which was good, followed by zoyo which was very good frozen yogurt.  then we went to encanto park. we returned to the hotel for some swimming, then went to shul and picked up food from segals. the sesame chicken was amazing and we took some food for the next day also. in the morning, we drove to out of africa which was really cool, then drove through sedona, and took 89a up to flagstaff. stayed at springhill suites, swam in the indoor pool, and ate the segals food. in the morning we drove up to the grand canyon which was obviously very nice. leaving the park i got pulled over for going 62 in a 45, but the cop let us off. he said he will either write us a ticket or give me some good mussar (my words) so i opted for #2. we drove back to phoenix, went to shul, ate by segals again which was very good.
next morning we stopped by chase field, were able to get in via the tgi fridays and see the field (which seemed to be preparing for a monster truck show or something where they crush small cars) and then headed to the airport for the return trip.  business class again and they gave us monster pastrami sandwiches.
really good trip


Excuse me for the Q

How kosher are these pools for someone that does not go to a mixed beech etc.?

Offline dealfinder85

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #262 on: January 29, 2014, 08:46:54 AM »

Excuse me for the Q

How kosher are these pools for someone that does not go to a mixed beech etc.?

with a baby, it actually wasnt bad. he slept both flights.  the car rides at times got a bit rough, but i think he is the reason why the park ranger didnt write me up a ticket. he said he also had a 3 month old and instead of giving me a ticket just gave me mussar for driving over the speed limit with a baby in the car. as for the pool, by me it was pretty empty when i went so it wasnt a big deal. i went in with the baby and we were the only ones in the pool. plus, it was only upper 70s, so it wasnt such sunny weather for people to all lounge by the pool

Offline dealfinder85

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #263 on: January 29, 2014, 08:47:31 AM »
So how was it with a baby?

Any recommendations for sendora and GC trail with baby?
whats sendora?
for GC, we walked/shuttled/drove to different lookout points. the baby then had enough so we had to go, but it was really nice while we were there

Offline mgarfin

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #264 on: January 29, 2014, 03:54:21 PM »
what's sendora?
for GC, we walked/shuttled/drove to different lookout points. the baby then had enough so we had to go, but it was really nice while we were there

sorry sedona, what is there to do there

Offline dealfinder85

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #265 on: January 30, 2014, 09:08:15 AM »
sorry sedona, what is there to do there
i think just drive or walk around and look at the place
its really nice
i stopped at a tourist center and asked for some highlights to go see
she starts telling me about a few different chapels (i was wearing a kippa)
then she asks for my name and tells me hers and says she is also jewish
which leaves me to wonder, so why was 1 jew showing another all the churches to go see in sedona?

Offline Yehuda57

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #266 on: January 30, 2014, 09:38:47 AM »
sorry sedona, what is there to do there

The Pink Jeep tours are fun, and there are plenty of hiking trails of varying difficulty, including nice walks.

i stopped at a tourist center and asked for some highlights to go see
she starts telling me about a few different chapels (i was wearing a kippa)
then she asks for my name and tells me hers and says she is also jewish
which leaves me to wonder, so why was 1 jew showing another all the churches to go see in sedona?

Because they are common tourist attractions for reasons that have nothing to do with religion. Obviously as a frum Jew you wouldn't go there, but if she is living in Sedona, chances are she isn't aware of that.

Offline mgarfin

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #267 on: January 30, 2014, 12:22:48 PM »
The Pink Jeep tours are fun, and there are plenty of hiking trails of varying difficulty, including nice walks.

They don't allow small children

Someone wrote to try doing it yourself with a rented jeep

Do you think it can work and is it safe as I have no experience in driving off road?

Offline Yehuda57

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #268 on: January 30, 2014, 12:30:14 PM »
They don't allow small children

Someone wrote to try doing it yourself with a rented jeep

Do you think it can work and is it safe as I have no experience in driving off road?

Minimum age is 18 months - per their website.

Personally, I wouldn't go on the same route they take, but maybe find a less treacherous one that you can more easily handle. Though, admittedly, I am a bit of a woos. When I went there was a private jeep behind us that our driver kind of mocked, and they did end up having a lot of trouble, and all the passengers actually got out while the driver tried to figure things out.

Offline Crazy tools

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #269 on: February 02, 2014, 11:31:26 PM »
Went to "Out of Africa" today, was really cool and enjoyable and I'm not the zoo type!!
Don't know if I would recommend it for a few guys going on a road trip, but going as a family is really nice. We paid the extra $5 for a close up train ride with feeding, was definitely worth it. All the animals were where they were supposed to be for the pictures :-)

Offline mgarfin

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #270 on: February 03, 2014, 12:18:00 PM »
Went to "Out of Africa" today, was really cool and enjoyable and I'm not the zoo type!!
Don't know if I would recommend it for a few guys going on a road trip, but going as a family is really nice. We paid the extra $5 for a close up train ride with feeding, was definitely worth it. All the animals were where they were supposed to be for the pictures :-)

Can you recommend it for a couple without children?

Offline dealfinder85

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #271 on: February 03, 2014, 01:10:21 PM »
Can you recommend it for a couple without children?
i can
although i took a 3.5 month old, that wasnt why we went, nor was that why we liked it

Offline Crazy tools

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #272 on: February 03, 2014, 01:13:32 PM »
Can you recommend it for a couple without children?
Yes. Recommended for couples to.
I just can't imagine feeding a giraffe with a couple of friends.

Offline Crazy tools

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #273 on: February 03, 2014, 01:13:39 PM »
Can you recommend it for a couple without children?
Yes. Recommended for couples to.
I just can't imagine feeding a giraffe with a couple of friends.

Offline dealfinder85

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #274 on: February 03, 2014, 01:27:09 PM »
Yes. Recommended for couples to.
I just can't imagine feeding a giraffe with a couple of friends.
needed to post it twice?
you feed the giraffe from your mouth?

Offline dreaming

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #275 on: February 03, 2014, 09:49:05 PM »
I just came back from Arizona. I went with a three month old baby. I went to Last Chance. It is a crowded store that always has great prices and aggressive shoppers. Near Phoenix, about fifteen minutes away is a beautiful place that I went hiking up a hill with my baby. It is called Thunderbird. It is not possible to do it with a carriage so I held the baby in my hand but it is better to do it with a baby bjorn.
We went to Scottsdale and went on a free trolley and souvenir shopping.
One day I went to the GC. A few miles before the GC we saw an IMAX.. It was a waste of money because at the GC visitors center there is a free IMAX. At the GC we walked a bit and looked at all the viewpoints and then took a shuttle bus back to the visitor center.
I went to Sedona and I took a trolley around Sedona.  Afterwards we hiked up a mountain that is called the bell rock. This time we made sure to take along the Baby Bjorn. Then we went to look at the souvenir shop. It took an entire day.
The last day and the most interesting day of our trip was the Petrified forest. It is a nice and long drive, but totally worth it. We spent the entire day in the park and only left because it was closing. At the park you see the Painted Desert and Petrified forest.

Offline rots5

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #276 on: February 07, 2014, 03:52:18 AM »
I just came back from Arizona. I went with a three month old baby. I went to Last Chance. It is a crowded store that always has great prices and aggressive shoppers. Near Phoenix, about fifteen minutes away is a beautiful place that I went hiking up a hill with my baby. It is called Thunderbird. It is not possible to do it with a carriage so I held the baby in my hand but it is better to do it with a baby bjorn.
We went to Scottsdale and went on a free trolley and souvenir shopping.
One day I went to the GC. A few miles before the GC we saw an IMAX.. It was a waste of money because at the GC visitors center there is a free IMAX. At the GC we walked a bit and looked at all the viewpoints and then took a shuttle bus back to the visitor center.
I went to Sedona and I took a trolley around Sedona.  Afterwards we hiked up a mountain that is called the bell rock. This time we made sure to take along the Baby Bjorn. Then we went to look at the souvenir shop. It took an entire day.
The last day and the most interesting day of our trip was the Petrified forest. It is a nice and long drive, but totally worth it. We spent the entire day in the park and only left because it was closing. At the park you see the Painted Desert and Petrified forest.
did you find anything at last chance? i love that place!
If you have any questions please search and then ask. PM me for detailed help.

Offline Crazy tools

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #277 on: February 07, 2014, 01:05:56 PM »
did you find anything at last chance? i love that place!
I went 3 times over my trip, found nothing :-(
Sorry not wearing someone's old pair of canali pants or fungesed up slippers ;-)

Offline dealfinder85

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #278 on: February 07, 2014, 01:38:52 PM »
I went 3 times over my trip, found nothing :-(
Sorry not wearing someone's old pair of canali pants or fungesed up slippers ;-)
im with you, although i went once and that will suffice for a lifetime
crowded, gross, everything looks used
its like going to a jewish shuk

Offline rots5

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Re: Arizona Master Thread
« Reply #279 on: February 08, 2014, 04:36:13 PM »
im with you, although i went once and that will suffice for a lifetime
crowded, gross, everything looks used
its like going to a jewish shuk
I found brand new shirts. I just needed white shirts.
If you have any questions please search and then ask. PM me for detailed help.