Thanksgiving in Arizona

I had been looking forward to this trip for quite a while. We were waiting for the end of the harsh summer so thanksgiving seemed to be a ideal time. We arrived late afternoon in Phoenix and our lovely hostess Jing made us feel at home at her beautiful apartment. The large sizes of the apartments at relatively modest rents was definitely a pro for moving to Arizona. After some pre-thanksgiving food and wine shopping, we had dinner at Takamatsu, a Korean-Japanese restaurant closer to her place in Chandler. Nelson and Jing really enjoyed the Korean BBQ while I had my regular order of japchae. The free small plates at Korean restaurants always helps to enhance the meal. It was an unexpectedly cold evening so we decided to hang out at home for the rest of the evening.

On Thanksgiving morning, we had a relatively late start.Around noon we drove to Tempe to visit the South Mountain Park for some spectacular views of Phoenix and the surrounding valley. Driving to a look out point a great way to get a glimpse at the desert without having to do any hiking. The sun was out and it was perfect weather for being outside. Afterwards we headed to a more suburban neighborhood in Mesa for the thanksgiving meal at another friend's house. Though the temperatures were cooler than typical, it was great to enjoy the meal outside close to a fire pit. Late evening we drove north to Sedona to prepare ourselves for a full day of exploration the next day.