Short and Sweet Post 🙂

I recently got to go to Los Angeles for the first time! Guess what? It was raining the entire time I was there… ugh. I was still able to make the most of it around my business meetings though, and managed to go on a hike, attend an LA Lakers game, and drive around parts of Beverly Hills. I went on the Runyon Canyon hike, which is basically a big loop and you can see the famous “Hollywood” sign from the top. Thankfully, I could even see the sign through the rain. Carrying my umbrella all the way up and down was not ideal, but it kept me relatively dry… this is definitely a hike worth checking out if you, like me, need a little bit of activity every day! I was actually surprised at how many people were still hiking in the rain. Parking was pretty easy as there is a lot of free street parking (2 hours) really close to the entrance, but I bet on a sunny day, it can fill up after working hours.

That hike was definitely the highlight of the LA part of my trip. After I completed my meetings there, I drove the 5.5  hours, through the desert, to Phoenix. I had the option to fly, but never having been to the middle of the desert, I thought it would be neat to drive through. I am really excited after being there that I get to go back to Palm Springs next year for work! It is a very unique part of the country and I think driving was definitely the right thing to do. I also had some extra time to stop at the Joshua Tree National Park (south side) on my way over to Phoenix. I only had a couple hours, so I could not hike as far as I would have liked, but this was a very pleasant, relatively easy, and very DRY hike through some vegetation that I am not used to. I had a great time, but I was absolutely alone for a lot of it which can be kind of creepy. I would love to go back to the park someday and spend a couple days hiking through their different areas.

Once in Phoenix, I buckled down and it was pretty much all work. I stayed in the Phoenix Marriott Mesa which is a great work hotel. If you are Marriott Gold or Platinum, they have one of the better lounges that included decent “snacks” at night that I just counted as dinner. Definitely not the flashiest of hotels, but reasonably priced and the food and wine is always a plus!

Stay Thrifty!

-PG