West Coast Trip: Day 1

My Dad and I left our house at 5:45 for me to catch my 8:00 AM flight from Grand Rapids to Phoenix via Chicago O'Hare. The flights went rather smooth and I landed in Phoenix around 11:30 AM local time. I then took the light rail from Sky Harbor Airport into downtown Phoenix, suitcase and backpack in tow. The Arizona State graduation was just finishing up so I weaved my way through herds of graduates and their relates. I had call the Downtown Phoenix Sheraton Hotel earlier in the week to see if they would hold my bag despite me not being a guest and they said they would. I then dropped my suitcase and backpack off at the hotel, only keeping a drawstring bag containing essential items (water, maps, sunglasses, etc.). I then hopped back onto the light rail and got off at Papago Park, just East of Downtown and just North of Tempe. Papago Park has a golf course, holds the Phoenix zoo and Desert Botanical Gardens, the Oakland A's spring training stadium, and hiking trails. I hiked for close to two hours around the several buttes in the park. The most interesting of the buttes was the hole-in-the-rock, where there was literally a large hole in the middle of the butte that offered a view of downtown Phoenix. The hikes were interesting: on one side of the trail was a large rock formation sparingly dotted with desert plants and on the other side was a golf course, a busy freeway, and the airport and Phoenix skyline in the distance.  I have always heard Phoenix was built in the middle of a desert but it is hard to believe that the whole area once looked like the terrain surrounding the buttes. 

I then took  the light rail back downtown for the Diamondbacks vs. Phillies game at Chase Field. I bought a ticket from a scalper for $10 and ate at pretty much the only restaurant near the stadium: a sports bar called Legends. I was hoping for a cheap and authentic Mexican place but I can't really complain about happy hour priced appetizers. I then headed to the game for batting practice. I will talk about my ballpark experience in a future post, but I really enjoyed Chase Field. After the game, I walked back to the Sheraton, got my bags, and took a taxi to the Greyhound station where I am now waiting for my 1:30 AM bus to Los Angeles. I had thought about walking around Phoenix some more after the game but it was dark, I wasn't really sure where I would go, and concluded that tonight wasn't the time or place for exploring. I have been up for about 22 hours now and I am looking forward to getting some sleep on the bus.