Scottsdale, AZ

This post should have been written in March, no excuses.

This March J and I made our annual pilgrimage to Scottsdale, AZ to see the Rockies play in spring training. It was my second trip and J's third.

Scottsdale itself is a fun little town to walk. We stay within walking distance of the old town and take a bus to Salt River Fields. From where we stay we can enjoy Scratch Pastries (lunch) and Au Petit Four (coffee), two places we visited last year and were worth going back to again. We also discovered The Praying Monk (dinner and drinks) and Daily Dose (gigantic breakfast) and we will definitely be killing some time at those establishments next year.

Scottsdale's old town is filled with lots of art galleries and a southwestern feel. The Civic Center Mall is one of my favorite areas. It is near the Scottsdale Stadium where the Giants play. The mall has some fun fountains to cool down in and beautiful lawns on which to rest...but my favorite is a large sculpture spelling out "LOVE".

As for the Rockies game itself, J and I were early to the free shuttle that picks up at the mall located at the northwest corner of E Camelback Rd and N Scottsdale Rd. We ended up meeting a fellow airline employee who works for Alaska and chatted it up all the way to the stadium. The ride was over before we knew it and we were watching teammates stretch, practice their swings, and hang out with fans. Ultimately the Rockies lost against the Mariners, but it was still a fabulous day filled with sun, drinks, and baseball.

Dessert at Scratch.

J standing in front of some alley art, and J and I at the LOVE sculpture.

The Praying Monk...

...good for cold beers! (Sir Francis shows us how it is done.)

Pre-game.

Sir Francis at the dugout!

Rockies love.