• arizona •
🌵💖 Our “work-from-Arizona” week began with a late afternoon Saturday flight from NYC to Phoenix Sky Harbor. After enduring a long wait at the car rental area, we finally hit the road and drove the 2.5 hours to our Airbnb in Flagstaff (or rather Ethan did... I played the role of “passenger princess” throughout the trip, lol).
Day 1: First Time at the Grand Canyon!
Exploring the Grand Canyon!
Our first stop in the morning was Sprouts to stock up on breakfast and lunch essentials for the week. I was pleasantly surprised by the great selection, especially the dedicated gluten-free aisle! After a quick bite at home, we headed straight to The Station Cafe for a gluten-free panini lunch. The panini, prepared in a separate gluten-free area with a dedicated GF panini press, was excellent. We grabbed our paninis to go and enjoyed a DIY picnic at the Grand Canyon. Highly recommended! Protip: bring your own lunch as your own diy picnic as it seems there aren’t any gf places nearby. After our unforgettable Grand Canyon experience, we returned to Flagstaff for dinner at Delhi Palace - Cuisine of India for dinner. Although seemingly safe according to Find Me Gluten Free app reviews, I was skeptical. I hadn’t had Indian food in a restaurant since my diagnosis, and while I was a bit worried, it was a treat well worth it! Delhi Palace - Cuisine of India offers many gluten-free options, and the chicken tikka masala was incredible. The best part? I didn’t get sick - what a win! After dinner, we relaxed at home and got a wonderful rest after all the exploring!
Day 2: Unexpected Adventure and Downtown Stroll
Sunset Crater Volcano
Our planned meteor crater visit turned into a volcanic detour when we ended up at Sunset Crater Volcano due to a GPS mix-up. Despite the confusion, we had a blast and enjoyed some awesome hiking scenes. Dinner at Diablo Burger was a veggie burger delight, perfectly paired with a downtown Flagstaff stroll to walk off all the fries (in a dedicated gf fryer!!!).
Day 3: Montezuma Castle and Sedona Hike
Montezuma Castle
Before heading to Sedona, we grabbed another panini from The Station Cafe for lunch (I mean, how could I resist?). We visited Montezuma Castle on the way to our next destination: Sedona. Afterwards, we hiked around the Airport Mesa before getting a pre-dinner snack from Karen's Gluten-Free Bakeshop. Karen’s Bakeshop is an incredible gluten free and dairy free gem - was another place that was so good we had to go twice! After our sweet treat, we needed real dinner. So, we stopped at Elote Cafe and enjoyed the awesome atmosphere at the bar (the place was packed even at 4:50pm - 10 minutes before opening!). Elote Cafe, while not a dedicated gf, had very knowledgeable staff in regards to cc. They made me feel very confident in my meal and even offered separate chips and salsa as an appetizer. I most definitely had the brisket enchiladas of my life, and I am still thinking about this meal.
Day 4: Sedona Red Rocks and Dinner Setback
Sedona Red Rocks!
After work, we enjoyed the view and soaked up the sunshine (and a minute of rain) at the Sedona Red Rocks. We then had dinner at Picazzo's, which, I must disclaim, seems very celiac safe. The menu was mainly gluten free or gluten free options available and the reviews on Find Me Gluten Free app looked amazing. Unfortunately, and I think due to all the dairy I ate as well as the elevation affecting my SIBO (who knows though of course, hence why I share this) led me to feel sick the rest of the night into the next day. The sad realities of being a celiac and sensitive stomach girly. Our airbnb had a pool in the complex, so we made our way for a dip in the hot tub before calling it a night.
Day 5: Rest and Recovery
Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village
I spent the day recuperating while working. I managed to make it for a stroll through the awesome Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village. I was sadly still not feeling great, so we headed to the grocery store afterwards to pick up some Caulipower gnocchi and Ethan heated that up for dinner. It’s moments like these when I’m sick as a dog, and I am just so grateful to be traveling with a loving and understanding partner who takes such good care of me even when we are on vacation. Major shoutout to my sweet Ethan!
Day 6: Phoenix Exploration
Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden
Of course I had to grab a quick breakfast at Karen's Gluten-Free Bakeshop before heading to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. It was pouring all day, yet we still had a blast at the Botanical Garden - if that doesn’t speak to how awesome it is there I don’t know what does! I swear this blog post could quickly turn into a love letter for this place, but dinner was truly spectacular at the Giving Tree Cafe. This place is special, creating some of the best gluten free and vegan eats I’ve had to date. The owner was a delight, the atmosphere was calming, and the food truly felt healing, especially after my flare up. We did a quick drive through Phoenix before heading to our next airbnb.
Day 7: Morning Hike and Farewell
Hole in the Rock Papago Park
Like I said, this blog could very easily turn into a love letter… We went on a mini-hike at Hole in the Rock Papago Park as we waited for the Giving Tree Cafe to open. When I say we were the first ones there... We even bumped into the owner in the parking lot! After a bittersweet goodbye and rolls to go, we went straight to exploring downtown Scotstale and found ourselves walking through their weekly flea market. We met up with some family before bidding farewell to sunshiney (and I suppose rainy for this trip) Arizona. Our red-eye unfortunately was a disaster but I’ll save that for another time haha. I was just happy to have some bread from the Giving Tree as a memento for the flight back.
Visiting Arizona is a must if you’re gluten free, but beware of elevation changes if you plan to do the same itinerary going to Flagstaff (depending on your home elevation). Regardless, the “work-from-Arizona” week was a success and another major milestone in my celiac journey reminding me that even in the face of setbacks, I can still enjoy new experiences and delicious food. You can too! XOXO🏜️
