Vacations Blog

The red, sandstone buttes of Sedona are picture perfect.

There’s no escaping the overwhelming awe one experiences during a visit to Sedona, Arizona. The majestic red sandstone buttes in contrast with a vast blue sky combined with the mystical aura of the region have been a place of wonder since the days of the Wild West.

Take in the tranquility of Sedona's landscape in a private, creek side cottage.

Today, the cowboys and Indians of the past have been replaced by throngs of tourists eager to experience one of Mother Nature’s most remarkable landscapes. Whether enjoying an exhilarating off-road adventure, exploring many of the area’s hot Vortex spots, shopping for one-of-a-kind gifts in its abundant gift shops and art galleries, or tasting the unique flavors of its many dining options, Sedona has everything necessary for an exciting family vacation.

There are many places to stay during a Sedona vacation, ranging from the small, no-frills motel to the luxury resort and spa. One of our family’s favorites is the quaint L’Auberge De Sedona Resort. Nestled at the bottom of a cliff and situated on the banks of Oak Creek, guests are invited to stay in The Lodge, The Creek House or in a one or two-bedroom private cottage. The cottages, in particular, offer an opportunity for guests to truly experience the natural beauty of the region from their private front porches.

Restaurant on Oak Creek offers an incredible fine dining experience.

L’Auberge De Sedona is also home to one of our favorite restaurants, the famous Restaurant on Oak Creek. Hugely popular with visitors and locals alike, the restaurant offers an unparallel outdoor dining experience along the trickling creek side. Its seasonal menu of French-inspired American cuisine is an outstanding epicurean treat and its vintage wine selection is superb. Wine Spectator has awarded the restaurant a “Best of Award of Excellence” for 14 years in a row. It’s a “can’t miss” during a Sedona vacation.

Tlaquepaque Village

A great place to find a variety of dining and shopping options is the nearby Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village‎. It’s always on our list of places to visit. Resembling an authentic Mexican village, Tlaquepaque is an epicenter for the Sedona experience, with eclectic live entertainment, artisans and flavors all in one beautiful, natural setting. If you love Mexican food, a “must try” is El Rincon. Their food is influenced by the Navajo and is “muy delicioso.”

Tlaquepaque is also a great starting point for an off road tour of the area’s majestic landscape. Sedona Off Road Adventures offers Hummer and Jeep tours at the Village as well as from The Adventure Store located in the Uptown Mall. Many tour options are available and the vehicles can accommodate groups of up to 12 at a time and always offer an adrenaline-filled trip. Off road tours are very popular, so reservations are encouraged. Also, don’t forget your camera as the panoramic views are absolutely breathtaking. You’ll want to capture the experience.

Get up close and personal with the Sedona landscape with an exhilirating jeep tour.

Sedona Off Road Adventures, as well as other tour operators, also offer wilderness horseback tours as well as mountain bikes rentals for the extreme outdoor enthusiasts.

While in Sedona, you can also hike the rugged terrain in search of the area’s many purported spiritual Vortices (Vortexes). Sedona has been labeled as a spiritual center for many generations, because power emanates from vortexes producing some of the most remarkable energy on the planet. This energy is the reason why Sedona is home to a lot of people that are “on the path” of spiritual growth. It is also the reason that a large New Age community and tourism industry has sprung up in the Sedona area, bringing with it a variety of spiritual practices and alternative healing modalities. Sedona is now often referred to as a spiritual Disneyland. Popular Vortex spots include Bell Rock, Airport Mesa, Cathedral Rock, Boynton Canyon, and Schnebly Hill. Maps of these locations can be found at all of Sedona’s New Age shops.

If you do decide to hoof it into the Sedona wilderness, as always, please take proper precautions, like packing plenty of water, a map and a cell phone. You wouldn’t want to become a permanent part of the landscape.

Finally, if the weather’s warm and you need to cool off, take the family over to the famous Slide Rock State Park. There the Oak Creek has transformed the red rocks into a natural, slippery water chute. You can take a ride down the chutes, sunbath, wade or swim in the cool waters. It’s a blast.

Getting To Sedona

Sedona is located approximately 115 miles north of Phoenix. Take Interstate 17 north to Highway 179 west. Travel time is just under two hours. Flagstaff is about 30 miles north of Sedona. The best, and most scenic route to take from there is Highway 89A south. The route will take approximately 45 minutes. And it’s a 288-mile, nearly five hour drive from Las Vegas.

The city also has a small airport (SEZ) accommodating private aircraft and offering charter flight, scenic air tours as well as car and jeep rentals.

Photos courtesy of the City of Sedona, L’Auberge De Sedona, Tlaquepaque Village and Sedona Off Road Adventures.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Cleveland, OH

The weekend of April 4, 2009 the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will welcome it’s newest members.  Historically, the induction ceremony takes place at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City but this year the ceremony moves to the home of the actual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, OH.  This year’s inductees include Jeff Beck, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Bobby Womack, Run-DMC and Metallica.

I will not be attending the induction ceremonies or, for that matter, any of the numerous activities during the week prior to the ceremony.  My reasons are not quite as angst ridden and anti-establishment as those of Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols whose band was inducted in 2006.

Sex Pistols Hall of Fame Acceptance Letter

Don’t get me wrong, I love traveling to the city.  Cleveland has a world class art museum, the Children’s Museum is one of the finest around.  The zoo is fantastic.  And it’s home to three professional sports teams:  The Browns (football), The Cavaliers (basketball) and The Indians (baseball).  But the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?  Eh.  I’ve been there.  It’s been checked from the list and fortunately, you’re not required to repeat checked items–unless you want to.  I’m gonna pass even with the free admission they are offering on induction day April 4.

If you go, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is located at 751 Eerieside Avenue in downtown Cleveland just a block east of the Cleveland Browns Football Stadium.  Take East 9th street and turn left just before you fall into Lake Eerie.  You can’t miss it.  The building, a seven story tower with an enormous glass pyramid extending from the front,  was designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei and I must say is absolutely amazing to see.  It’s breathtaking, actually.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (photo Jason Pratt)

Unfortunately, that’s where my fascination with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is going to end.  The museum contains exhibits and memorabilia that chronicles the history of rock and roll from it’s earliest blues and gospel roots through today.  Heavy emphasis on the early period.  Unless you are a die-hard rock and roll historian, there’s probably not a great deal of appeal.

I was also perplexed as to why some of the bands I considered extraordinary were nowhere to be found in the Rock Hall.  At the time I was unaware, but a band or person is not eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame until 25 years have passed from their debut.    Most of my favorites aren’t even eligible yet.

And I can almost guarantee that your children will know less than 15 of the artists represented there.  (I think that’s pretty generous.)  Unless you enjoy explaining rock history to your children and unless your children enjoy listening to you explain rock history to them, they will not have a good time.

I suppose there were some interesting things, though.  Some of the stage outfits were kind of cool and there were some pretty neat signed guitars and letters.  Did you know that Jimi Hendrix was a doodler?  And a pretty good one to boot.  But overall, it really just wasn’t enough to keep me intrigued.

The Hard Rock Cafe Cleveland (photo hardrock.com)

Should you get hungry, there’s an overpriced and very inadequate grill on one of the upper levels.   All in all, considering what you actually get for your admission fee (which at $22 per adult and $13 for children 9-12 could actually feed a village in Sudan for a month) it’s just not worth it.  I suggest that if you want Rock and Roll and memorabilia go to the Hard Rock Cafe on West Huron Road.  You’ll definitely get more bang for your buck–and the food is better.

Unless otherwise noted all photos public domain.

Winter Wonderland at The Grove

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, shopping in L.A. is a more than a passing fancy- it is a way of life.  Shopping is the cause and cure of all that ails the City of Angels.  Well, shopping and the Lakers, but you get the idea.

When the holidays roll around it all goes into high gear.  A higher gear.  It’s a blur, really.

We talked earlier about The Americana at Brand and the seasonal delights it offers to locals and visitors alike.  It’s a great place.  However, The Grove is the original in that respective mold and it still the best.  Not only that, unlike The Americana, it is upscale but still affordable.

It’s a place to see and a place to be seen.  Celebrities are everywhere.

The seasonal decor is very festive.  There is a musical water show in the fountain, live bands and a very quaint cottage in which Santa spends his days gathering Christmas wishes from children, starlets and even canines.  It snows twice nightly.

One of my favorite things about The Grove is that it is adjacent to a Farmer’s Market that houses some of the best food in the area, from crepes to BBQ.  It is in this market that you will find a little bar that serves Anchor Steam’s Xmas Ale on tap, and that is the greatest gift of all.

The Grove is holiday shopping at its best, and it represents L.A. pretty well, too.

If you’re planning a trip, check out Los Angeles flight deals.

All photos by Tricia Honea