Tiny Creatures and Art in Wheelchair Accessible Phoenix

 

I was heading to Phoenix for a conference, and I thought I’d do a little accessible sightseeing while there. I had spent a lot of time in Arizona when I was covering tennis and always loved it.

My hotel for four days was The Camby in downtown Phoenix. I had a large accessible room with some features that were a first for me. One was door buttons in and outside the bathroom. I didn’t have to worry about a heavy door. I could push the button, and it would open for me.

I also loved that both sides of the bed had outlets, both electrical and USB, on the walls. I had plenty of room to keep my things next to my king-size bed and still plug in my wheelchair, phone, and computer. The shower was also big and had a shower chair.

I was exhausted that first night and decided to order through GrubHub. True Food Kitchen had good reviews, and I agreed after having their Lasagna al Pesto.

The next morning, I ordered an omelet and latte from room service at The Canby. I had contacted Visit Phoenix about setting up an itinerary for me. We were both excited about my heading to the Desert Botanical Garden and the Phoenix Zoo. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t going to cooperate, and we needed a new plan. It turned out to be a great one.

HealthLift picked me up in a wheelchair accessible van and we went to the Arizona Boardwalk in nearby Scottsdale. It was quite a place, with attractions, stores, and restaurants.

My first stop was at the aquarium, always a favorite of mine. The OdySea Aquarium was quite interesting and had many unique features. The first of which was definitely something I had never seen before: America’s Best Restroom. It earned this honor because, just above the sink there was a live viewing of all types of fish!

I took the elevator upstairs and began exploring the rest of OdySea. It was a little crowded, but I still had no problem wheeling around. I saw unique exhibits, such as one on Jellyfish, and signs for special activities like SeaTrek Helmet Diving. After looking through all the fish and sharks, I ended up at Voyager.

OdySea Voyager is a rotating aquarium that takes you on a carousel ride for 20 minutes. It goes through four marine habitats: Open Ocean, Sea Turtle Reef, Sea Lion Sound, and Shark Waters. There was plenty of wheelchair seating for me to enjoy the world’s only rotating aquarium.

On my way to the next stop, I spotted a Johnny Rockets. I hadn’t been to one in years and it was the only place I’ve had a malt. I ordered a 

It was pouring rain hard, but I only had to go outside for a few minutes to get into Butterfly Wonderland. I was hesitant to go there. I just expected it to be a bunch of butterflies flying around an atrium. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

Butterfly Wonderland is the world's largest Butterfly Conservatory. It is home to thousands of unique butterflies from different parts of the world. It also has exhibits of the chrysalis, the hard casing that caterpillars build before transforming into a butterfly. I could actually see some butterflies emerging.

A 3-D movie explained the flight of the monarch butterfly, which includes a stop in this part of the country. Then, we entered the atrium. It was not flooded with butterflies. We only saw a few and it was amazing they only landed in the hands of children.

Butterfly Wonderland also houses reptiles from the rainforest and aquariums of fish from rivers nearby. I probably could have stayed hours more if I didn’t have another place to be.

 

I was definitely running late. I just made it to the Courtyard Café at the Heard Museum before they closed. The menu was filled with Southwest cuisine. I was drawn to the burrito, and it was freshly made and flavorful.

The museum was closing in an hour, and I didn’t have a lot of time. Fortunately, it was just on the other side of the open courtyard. I caught some of the end of a tour and explored on my own until they told me it was time to leave. The Heard Museum shows the world of American Indian Art, from paintings to jewelry.

I had no problem with accessibility in the museum, with wide open halls. It’s a place I’d like to explore more next time.

I went back to The Camby worn out, but still excited about all I was able to do in Phoenix despite the rain.

Welcome Cloud of Goods!

Last year, I had to go to a funeral on Long Island in New York on short notice. I could not find transportation or a rental van to hold my 388 lb. power wheelchair. It was a challenging time and was made more upsetting by the transportation issue. Then I remembered Cloud of Goods.

I contacted Cloud of Goods and asked if they had a lightweight, foldable wheelchair to rent that I could use for a couple of days. They phoned their supplier and I got back to me quickly. Not only was one available, but it could be delivered to my hotel and waiting for me when I got there. I was able to use an airport wheelchair, and my chair was indeed waiting. I used it for three days and it was no problem for it to be folded and loaded into the back of a mid-sized SUV.

It was such a relief to not worry about how I was getting around. Providing wheelchairs (of all sizes), as well as scooters, for those with mobility needs is just one of the things Cloud of Goods rents. They have many types of ramps and household accessibility needs, as well as strollers, car seats, and cribs.

When Cloud of Goods contacted me about a partnership, I was incredibly happy to have them onboard my social media and especially my launch of Ageless Accessible Adventures. Please check out what they have to offer on their website.

Welcome to Ageless Accessible Adventures

 

It was 17 years ago this month that I went to France on my first press trip. I was there to write about the combination of Cognac and travel. I fell in love with the idea and came home thinking about how I could continue in this world. 

In January 2010, I launched Wine And Spirits Travel, the blog that would continue to take me around the world, sampling, visiting wineries and distilleries, and learning about the destinations they came from. I enjoyed all of it and was able to bring friends and family along. 

I've dealt with progressive autoimmune issues since 2015 and things changed. I no longer was able to do two to three trips per month. Drinking alcohol became less frequent and doing it for hours a day did not mix well with my medication. I started organizing up my trips to fit my changes. 

Although things have been different, it's all been under the Spiritstraveler and Wine And Spirits Travel umbrella, but in the last few years, as I evolved as a full-time wheelchair user, things changed again. I've wanted to be an advocate for other disabled travelers.

This has especially been put forward this year. I saw a study by TravelAbility about all the aging Baby Boomers who are looking for accessible travel. Over four million of them will be turning 65 this year. I am one. 

A lot has been accomplished in the world of accessibility since my parents traveled. I know there is still a long way to go in making the travel world more accessible. I'm taking one more step by rebranding this blog to Ageless Accessible Adventures. The concentration will be on accessibility for all, with helpful information and only pertinent advertisers. 

Please join me on this journey.

 Marcia Frost

Ironworks is Much More Than a Your Usual Hotel

I needed to make two trips to Indianapolis when I was dealing with the IPhone debacle. The mall where Apple is located is not near the downtown area I am used to in the city. It’s also about two hours from my house, making it a long roundtrip to do in a day.

On my first trip there with my friend, Amanda, I noticed Ironworks Hotel when we got off the highway. It was a hotel I had wanted to go to for a while. I arranged an overnight stay for my next trip to Apple.

Ironworks is located in the Keystone complex. It’s filled with businesses and restaurants. Since it was a Sunday, most of them were closed and we decided to eat before we went there.

It doesn’t take much to convince me to go to Cheesecake Factory—we don’t have one at home. Amanda took the waitress’ recommendation and ordered the fish tacos. I’m someone who loves to try different things, but I always get the same dish at Cheesecake Factory. It’s because it’s so unusual and something I don’t have anywhere else.

The Soft Corn Tamale Cakes consist of three polenta cakes, topped with sour cream, avocado, and two types of salsas. It’s actually considered an appetizer, but I can rarely finish it as my full meal. I did this and we had to take the cheesecakes to go for a snack later.

We then headed to the Ironworks Hotel. I knew it was special as I had been to its sister property nearer to downtown Indianapolis, Bottleworks. They are both part of the Geronimo portfolio.

Ironworks is the only boutique hotel in that area. It’s luxurious while maintaining a casual atmosphere. I am not the only one who feels that way. Ironworks has received a Michelin Key, AAA Four Diamond Award, and TripAdvisor’s Best of the Best Award.

The hotel’s design is a dedication to the industrial period, which is even shown in the black and white photograph in the elevator. Their theme is work hard and play hard and Ironworks makes it all easy.

It’s always nice to get a suite, but it’s been a rarity since I’ve needed a wheelchair accessible room. We had one at Ironwood. It was huge and as unique as the hotel. It was styled as a loft, in a corner, filled with windows, and a television that could be accessed from the bedroom and the living room.

The room also had a large, wheelchair accessible bathroom. The walk-in shower was bigger than most, and they had the hose easy to reach by the chair, but not the shampoo and conditioner (something I encounter a lot). The closet had lowered bars, and we found two comfortable robes in there too.

Teddy came along on this trip. The hotel accommodates dogs and left him two bowls, one with bottles of water and the other with a bag of treats with an Ironwoods bandana! He wasn’t the only one. We had a welcome basket with wine, chocolates, water, and snacks. It was not just any wine, but a Grateful Dead Anniversary edition of Gnarly Red.

 

Before we left in the morning, we ordered breakfast from Rize, which was right downstairs. The breakfast sandwiches were large and went well with the lobby coffee, which even has an assortment of flavored syrups and milks.

 

 

I was hosted for this stay, but opinions are my own.

More Treats for Butler County Finish

Teddy and I, along with my friend Heather, were finishing our long weekend in Butler County, Ohio. We had discovered plenty of wheelchair accessible activities while more than satisfying my sweet tooth.

We checked out of the Marriott Cincinnati North. It had been an ideal base for all the places we went around the county.

 The Donut Trail is a popular part of Butler County. We had managed to stop at about a half dozen of the shops. On our last morning, it was Jupiter Coffee & Donuts in Fairfield. This place has been mentioned in USAToday10Best. They are known for their Red Storm donut. It is raspberry-filled and has cream cheese frosting, with a swirl of red raspberry on top.

As much as I am a Buckeye donut fan, this one had me on the first bite. It was delicious. We had some coffee and they insisted we leave with a box of donuts.

 
Our next stop was a place I had been curious about for years. Jungle Jim’s International Market turned out to be nothing like I expected it to be. I thought it would be something similar to Sam’s Club or Costco, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I didn’t see big box items at Jungle Jim’s, but they had just about everything else you could think of.

The first thing to surprise me at Jungle Jim’s was the number of departments and businesses they have. They have a Graeter’s Ice Cream Shop and a Starbucks, and their own radio station, WJJI. They also have their own cooking school.

 While many superstores tend to appeal to families, this one had lots to bring in adults. The liquor store could only be described as tremendous. It includes a bar with frozen cocktails and wine tastings—they have the biggest selection of wine I have ever seen in one place.

When we were there, they were sampling THC drinks. This was across from something else I didn’t expect a cigar shop.

 

Before we left, we checked out the most unusual bathroom entrance anywhere. It looks like a port a potty. Once you open the door, you’ll see it is huge and very wheelchair accessible. We then stopped at the deli department. It was filled with sandwiches and fresh salads, the latter of which we purchased as we needed something healthy after our previous stop and before our next one.

We left Jungle Jim’s and started the drive home but first made a stop back in West Chester to The Cone. This ice cream shop is small on the inside, with enough offerings to make it extremely hard to decide what to get. They also had seating outside and rides for young kids.

 

Heather and I went with the state’s popular combo, Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Sundaes. Teddy enjoyed his vanilla pup cup with a small bone on top. It was a perfect Sunday ending for our accessible Butler County adventure.

I was hosted on this trip by Butler County, but opinions are my own.

A Fun & Delicious Day in Butler County-Part Two

After Jolly’s Drive Inn, Heather, Teddy, and I drove back to West Chester, Ohio, to the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting. It was quite an impressive place, and we had a private tour with Bob.

This non-profit is a museum constructed in the original Voice of America Bethany Relay Station. It was opened during World War II and operated from 1944-1994. In addition to the memorabilia and historic information provided on VOA, the rooms go on to explain how local Powel Crosley Jr.’s broadcasts led to his interest in investing in radio and television design.

The stories within the walls as well as materials in the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting are fascinating. I strongly recommend finding time to visit this place. It is also wheelchair accessible. I had no problem wheeling through all of it.

Our schedule had us back at the hotel for a two-hour rest, but as often happens on these media trips, we were running late all day. We just had enough time for me to put my feet up for a short while and do a quick change of clothing before heading back to Hamilton to Cozy’s Café & Pub.

 

Our entire drive to Hamilton was filled with a magnificent sunset. It was beautiful and really reached a colorful peak downtown. The retaurant’s name sounded like it was going to be a small and cozy place, but it was extremely big, with seating inside and out.

They also had live music while we were there. Although it was outside, we could still hear and enjoy listening to the musicians from the inside. It was clearly a popular spot among locals.

Cozy’s Café & Pub was packed with people waiting for tables. We still had excellent food and service. We lingered for a bit with cocktails as it didn’t seem so long since our big lunch. We were also having a tough time choosing from the menu. Everything looked incredible!

Heather decided on the Buttermilk Fried Chicken with spicy maple syrup and a loaded baked potato. She also had a large side salad beforehand with lots of fresh vegetables.

 
I went for the Pasta Parmigiano with Eggplant (aka eggplant parmesan). It was excellent and, as it’s my favorite dish to make and eat, that is a big endorsement for me . We had no room left for dessert. It’s a rarity for me, but I was already taking half my meal back to the hotel refrigerator.

We were finished at the restaurant in time to make it to Holiday Auto Theatre for the movies, Bad Guys Two and Train Your Dragons. It had been a long time since I’d been to a drive-in and it was Teddy’s first. It was a relaxing break, but we were still too tired to make it through both movies.

 

Heather drove us back to the Marriott Cincinnati North hotel and we fell asleep very quickly. The next day would be our last in Butler County. We still had several things left to do before we headed home.