After our senior year spring break and Tulane graduation both got cancelled due to COVID-19, my friends and I knew that we had to get back together and find a way to celebrate once it was safe to do so. We kicked off our summer this year with a reunion girls’ trip to Arizona, complete with all the mountains, canyons, and cacti I could have imagined.

Check out the different places we went on our Arizona trip and learn about all of our favorite activities and experiences in each spot!

Phoenix

The first stop on our Arizona trip was Phoenix! We stayed at Kylie’s apartment near ASU’s law school in downtown Phoenix and enjoyed a mix of fun vacation excursions and co-working from home. Here are some highlights: 

• Dinner at The Arrogant Butcher and drinks at The Churchill
• Walks around the downtown area
• Visit to Phoenix’s Desert Botanical Garden (so many cacti!)
• Aperol spritzes and naps by the pool

Scottsdale

Just a quick drive from Phoenix, Scottsdale is home to many cute restaurants and shops. Obviously, we took advantage of these. We bought many pairs of Quay Australia sunglasses at Scottsdale Fashion Square and enjoyed an amazing brunch complete with iced coffee flights at JOJO Coffeehouse.

Road Trip & Flagstaff

After a few days in Phoenix/Scottsdale, we went on a road trip to see more of Arizona. We listened to our girls’ trip Spotify playlist in the car and used Starbucks and Chick-fil-a as our fuel. Overnight, we stopped in the cute town of Flagstaff for dinner (and more shopping, of course).

Sedona

A major highlight of our time in Arizona was our visit to Sedona. We browsed turquoise rings and hanging crystals at countless shops and even stopped at Winery 1912 for a tasting. During our Pink Jeep Tour, we got up close and personal with the red rock and dust, and our tour guide made sure we got plenty of photos.

Grand Canyon

A trip to Arizona just would not have been complete without seeing the Grand Canyon! Once we arrived, my friends and I hiked down into it a bit, and then we drove around the park to get different views of the canyon. Needless to say, it was pretty incredible to see something so highly regarded. I don’t know exactly what I was expecting, but I was blown away by how large and, well, grand it really was.

Arizona had never been a place that I was dying to visit, but it was eye-opening to discover new cities and a new state with such different scenery and views from what typically surrounds me. Plus, it was an awesome way to catch up with my girls!

This experience reminds me that even in our own country, there is so much to see and do, and as much as we might think that we are American, there are people living completely different lives in completely different places who feel the same.