Arizona: Eatin' Steaks, Drinkin' Scotch, and Stompin' Hippies - Part 1

Phoenix, like Las Vegas and Dubai, is a city that wasn't meant to be. I think it becomes easier to see when you fly in to PHX. The Grand Canyon is God's line in the sand from when he said, "Come on, live here, I dare ya". I worked most of the flight, but when I ran out of stuff to do, I popped in Mad Men. That may or may not have influenced a lot of my later behavior.

Wednesday

Phoenix is well laid out. Leaving the airport is really not that difficult, especially if you have some idea of where you're headed. It's also easy to see where you're going because there are few buildings taller than two stories. I had reservations at the Courtyard off Camelback, nothing to write home about, but a decent place with a pool. The group I was traveling with decided on Cheesecake Factory. I think the high altitude had affected my testicles because I ordered a salad and didn't get dessert. Don't worry friend, I made up for it later.

Thursday

Up at 3:45 (AM) and worked until 2:00 (PM). I had more work back at the hotel, but at 6 I met up with two of the guys I was traveling with and we went to Houston's for dinner. Steak (1) and Woodford Reserve on the rocks. Best steak I'd had in a long time. We walked to Cheesecake Factory for dessert and a Maker's Mark. Good night.

Friday

Fortunately, I only worked 6 to 2, much better. Dinner sucked. Aho Al's for Mexican - everyone kept going on about the Mexican. It tasted just like fucking Pedro's. I would have rather gone to Laredo's. What the hell - plus, no scotch or steak. Then a lovely evening with Don Draper and the boys.

Saturday

I had the weekend off, but I had pretty much resigned myself to sitting in my room all day and watching TV. At about 11, I felt pathetic and went down to get some coffee. One of the girls I started with was in the lobby doing work. We entertained the idea of going to Sedona, but had some work, so we put Sedona off.

After a short stint of working, we decided to hit the pool. We ran into a couple other people and I decided it would be a good idea to start drinking - don't worry, it was past noon. Trader Joe's was just around the corner, so we went. I got a personal sixer of AZ brews and the girls got wine. We spent the afternoon drinking in the pool. I learned that being resourceful is a very important trait for the business traveler. You can find almost everything you need for a delightful day of drinking in your hotel. I got a bottle opener from the front desk, ice bucket for my beer from the room, and a mini fridge to store leftovers (hah!).

I had finished my six pack when we learned of a group going to Morton's for dinner. I was very much into the idea of more steak after the terrible Mexican experience. I owned Morton's. Start with a beautiful 15 yr Laphroaig, neat, and a french onion soup followed by a Woodford Reserve Manhattan and a perfect 22oz NY strip for dinner. Best steak I'd had in a couple days. Coffee and an Old Fashioned for dessert at the bar with a friend. We A-Steaked at a trendy bar nearby with another Manhattan. At this point, I think I had spent $100 on booze for the day, I felt pretty good.

Back to the hotel for a midnight dip in the hot tub and some vodka drinks with the girls (who had not joined at the bar). After that, I thought it'd be a good idea to go to a bar and things got a little sloppy after that.