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.

Visiting the Reimagined St. Louis Union Station

I’ve wanted to visit St. Louis Union Station since it was remodeled a few years ago and the attractions were added. I had heard nothing but good things about it. When I was invited to cover a Yellowcard concert in the Gateway city, I decided it was the perfect time.

Brittany and I went straight from the concert to the Hilton at St. Louis Union Station, a Curio Collection Hotel. I was impressed the moment we walked into the lobby, with the high ceilings and light show that magnified all the art. I could only compare it to the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago.

We were exhausted and went right to sleep. In the morning, we had breakfast at Station Grille, one of the hotel’s restaurants. It was quite a meal, starting with freshly made pastries. Brittany had Chicken & Waffles. I ordered the Egg, Avocado & Quinoa, which was covered lightly with a balsamic dressing, and I loved it.

After breakfast, we met up with our friend `Amanda and headed over to the other side of the hotel for the activities. Our first stop was at the St. Louis Aquarium. It’s better not to explain how it’s done and let you be surprised, but I can tell you the entrance is an experience in itself!

The Aquarium is filled with hands-on experiences and also has animal shows. We got to see the training of an armadillo.

We then went to check out the Mirror Maze and Union Station Selfie Express before heading outside to The Wheel. This Ferris wheel towers over the area and provides quite a view of the city, including the new soccer stadium.

We stopped at the Soda Fountain for some unique milkshakes and fries, before going to miniature golf and on the carousel. You can buy packages that include all of the attractions so it doesn't get too expensive. Amanda had to leave, and Brittany and I headed to lunch at the Train Shed.

 
We always like to get different things so we can get a better feel for restaurants, but the Grilled Chicken, with fresh mozzarella, pesto aioli, basil, roasted tomato, arugula, and balsamic on whole wheat caught both our eyes. Brittany ordered it and it was as good as it sounded. I enjoyed the Pulled Pork sandwich.

We went back to the room to rest for a while and to gain our appetites back before we went to dinner. We were going to the hotel’s newest restaurant, The Pitch. It is a sports bar that focuses mostly on soccer as the stadium is right across the street from it.

 

The Pitch does look like it belongs in an episode of Ted Lasso. Even the menu has a touch of British, with Fish & Chips, Fried Bologna, and Chicken Pot Pie, which I really enjoyed. Brittany had the Salmon BLT. We also ordered the huge pretzel (I took most of it home) and Fried Ravioli, which is a dish St. Louis is known for.

When we finished dinner, it was back to the hotel to check out. We watched one more light show. There were some families checking in as we checked out. The hotel has everything for all ages and is also dog friendly. I will definitely be back.

 

I was hosted on this trip for most of the activities, food, and accommodations, but views are my own.

More Water Fun and Mississippi River Exploration

It’s not easy to sleep in a room with three kids, but the rooms at Grand Harbor Resort in Dubuque, Iowa, was a nice size and we were all pretty exhausted from the previous night.

In the morning, we stayed at the hotel for breakfast thanks to the Dubuque Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. 

They set us up at the Tony Roma’s in the hotel and I found out they do breakfast as well as they do ribs.

I had the Banana Nut Pancakes and the kids also enjoyed pancakes with chocolate chips, while friend Amy went the low carb way and ordered a loaded omelet. We were all full when we left the restaurant.

While Amy and the kids stayed at the waterpark at Grand Harbor Resort, I headed over to check out Betty Jane Candies.

When I had mentioned on Twitter that I was heading to Dubuque, I got a few different messages about stopping at Betty Jane’s. I have to say that some of my best places have come from Twitter recommendations so I had to follow up.

Walking into Betty Jane Candies is a bit overwhelming for a chocolate lover like me. Luckily, I had already come with a specific purpose in mind.

I was told to get the Gremlins, which is Betty’s version of a turtle, complete with nuts and caramel. 

They were so popular they were even put in the Academy Award gift bags this year.

After sampling one I agreed they were the ones to get, and bought a box for my Mom, and for my friends at CI Living, whom I usually brought a special Midwest chocolate during my television appearances.

I also wanted to bring something back for the kids. There were bags of old time favorites such as Nonpareils, and non-chocolate candies like licorice, but I settled on some chocolate lollipops. 

  

Back at the Grand Harbor Resort, I took a turn on the lazy river myself, and splashed around in the water with the kids until it was time to go.

Directly across from the hotel is the Diamond Jo Casino. In addition to casino games for adults, they have a bowling alley and sports restaurant which are both family friendly.

We didn’t have time for bowling, but we did have lunch at Mojos Sports Bar. My burger wasn’t anything special, but the kids enjoyed the nachos and chicken tenders.

After lunch, we went to the National Mississippi RiverMuseum and Aquarium. There was a lot to see about the environment, land, and marine animals in and around this area. The displays also included a lot of history.

The best part was the large selection of hands on activities for the kids. They had a lot of fun with it and I think they learned a bit too.

By the time we left the museum, they were exhausted. It was a quiet ride home from a great trip to Dubuque.