Vacations Blog

This is the second in a series about vacations in our president & vice presidential candidates’ hometowns.  Maybe by walking in their proverbial footsteps, you can finally decide who you will get your vote. We, of course are completely non-partisan. The series will run each day this week. Today we are focusing on Senator McCain’s town of Phoenix, yesterday we featured Senator Obama’s Chicago, Thursday will feature Senator Biden’s stomping grounds in Delaware and we will complete the series by showcasing Governor Palin’s home turf in lovely Wasilla.

It’s a bit difficult to find a central theme to John McCain’s life, because he’s such a restless soul. Bits and pieces of his life are strewn all over the map, from Washington DC to Vietnam to Phoenix, AZ, not to mention a string of military schools and the gazillion houses he and his wife own.But I expect by the time you finish reading this, you’ll have a better idea of the kind of person John McCain was, and is today.

The McCains spend vacations and host visitors at their 15 acre Hidden Valley Ranch in Cornville AZ, about half an hour from the red rocks of Sedona.

Red rocks of Sedona

But their primary residence is a 7,000 sq ft double condo in a sleek 12 story glass building in the Camelback Corridor in downtown Phoenix, which makes the nearby Phoenix hotels seem like Salvation Army shelters by comparison. There’s a cascading waterfall in the lobby, a wet bar and a rooftop pool terrace plus a concierge service and spa.  Luxurious living, I think.

The McCain Phoenix Condo

Phoenix offers over 200 pristine golf courses, and golfing is more of a craze than a relaxing sport here. The Sonoran Desert offers over 300 days of excellent weather and an inviting landscape for hiking, biking and horseback riding. You can go hiking up the 2608 foot Piestewa Peak via the Summit trail and enjoy the magnificent view of the City from the top. But McCain can’t do any of that. He was a keen sportsman and boxer, but he can’t raise his arms above shoulder level after Vietnam, so he goes to Chase Field, which has a retractable roof and a turf field, to watch the Diamondbacks.

The Phoenix Convention Center is undergoing a $600 million expansion in the heart of Copper Square.This 90 square block forms the core of the downtown district, with enough dining, shopping, hotels and entertainment to satisfy America’s 5^th largest City, and the 13 million plus annual visitors and tourists. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the $600 million didn’t come from Washington, because McCain does not ask for Congressional pork for his home state.

Jerome, Arizona

As far as restaurants are concerned, McCain’s first choice is Tee Pee, a Tex-Mex at 4144 E Indian School Road. He often ends up there for dinner with family and friends when he’s in Phoenix. McCain also recently took some of his prospective VP candidates to a restaurant called Asylum in the ghost town of Jerome, also an artist colony and a hippie hangout.

Aunt Chilada’s homespun food

One more place he’s been seen at is Aunt Chilada’s. Also, the Pho Bang restaurant in New York City claims that it is McCain’s favorite Vietnamese restaurant, and there is one Pho Bang in Phoenix too, at 1702 W Camelback Rd. Certainly won’t be as bad as what McCain had to eat at the Hanoi Hilton.

Arizona Biltmore

If you need a place to stay, I suggest the landmark Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, where John & Cindy got married on May 17, 1980.

Other options include the Ritz-Carlton, where McCain holds his Phoenix fund-raisers, and the Courtyard Phoenix Camelback, which is pretty darn close to McCain’s condos.

And as far as his faith is concerned, McCain has been going to Dan Yeary’s North Phoenix Baptist Church on 16^th Street for 15 years, but he’s not a full member of the Church. He mostly keeps his faith to himself, and reverts back to Vietnam, where he says his faith was tested minute by minute, for 5 years.

Rawhide, Phoenix, Arizona

There are many more places to visit and things to do in Phoenix, including the Heard Museum, the Desert Botanical Garden, and the Phoenix Zoo. You can browse the art galleries and the Fashion Square in Scottsdale, or enjoy the faux wild west atmosphere and gun-toting cowboys at Rawhide. Meanwhile, John McClaine..sorry, that’s McCain – will be busy strafing Congress critters in Washington looking to sell the country to the highest bidder.

In summary, in spite of having lived in Phoenix for 27 years, McCain still remains at odds with the Valley of the Sun, and I get this feeling that he doesn’t think of himself as an Arizonian but as a citizen of planet earth. His mom, Roberta McCain, is now 96 years old, and she got her passport renewed last year to continue her road trips around the world. I think the same spirit lives inside John McCain.

Photo of McCain’s Phoenix home from 2211 Camelback site.

Sedona Red Rock by Laszlo

Arizona Biltmore pool photo courtesy of the Arizona Biltmore

Earth by woodleywonderworks