Jesse Dogan. Date of travel: Mar 2005
I flew in to Phoenix Arizona on America West airlines and I can't say enough good stuff about America West. It's been my favorite airline since it first started flying back in the eighties. I've never had one single problem with America West. I did the Grand Canyon thing but I'm sure everyone knows about the GC already so I'm not going to talk about that. However the Desert Botanical Garden's of Phoenix is a treasure not to be missed. I don't know if we're allowed to post URL's here but this is a link to the Garden's official website. http://www.dbg.org/ Also of interest to trail bike and mountain bike riders would be the Phoenix area's extensive bicycle routes and paths and trails. They cross all terrains, desert, mountain, canyon, butte... and the main streets all have bike lanes clearly painted and identified. I also have nothing but the highest praise for the area bus service, also. The Phoenix area bus service is the most comprehensive and common sense bus service I've ever seen in the US, and I've lived in and visited many of the western cities. The city of Tempe, where I stayed, and surrounding communities such as Phoneix, Mesa, Scottsdale, etc... were all impeccably clean. There was very little to no trash on the streets and ground. The traffic was heavy but the city is laid out in an easy to navigate grid pattern. It might be almost impossible to get lost there. The people are very friendly and personable as well, and always ready to offer assistance when asked. I had an excellent time and can't wait to go back. There's a natural history museum I want to visit next time, and the Phoenix Zoo is supposed to be exciting as well. I also want to do more hiking in the mountains and in the Grand Canyon. Thanks Jesse Tour Operator: did it myself online