| Walking to breakfast this morning, I couldn't help but stop to photograph this beautiful agave plant. |
| This was my tasty and healthy breakfast (I mean, croissants are practically a staple in France, right?). We've been having our breakfasts together as a group of 17 outside our conference room at the Andaz Scottsdale. |
| After an info-packed morning, we climbed into a bus for Lunch with Experience Scottsdale at The Mission. I was really excited for lunch because not only was it authentic Mexican food, we had also heard about their table-side guacamole service--which was made even better because they prepared a batch without onions (yay!).... |
| ...okay it did have green onions, but nothing super strong... |
| ...and the avocado margarita, the Aguacate with cazadores añejo tequila, avocado, and pressed lime. It was super flavorful and delicious, with a creamy texture - definitely order one when you're there! |
| The Mission was a great place for lunch with a large group - they were super attentive about all of our different dietary restrictions and served us an amazing coursed lunch of kale salad, tacos, elote, mini-cocktails like this sangria-margarita, and a mini churro shake for dessert. |
| The we headed over to the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art to check out some of the exhibits, including this one, Divergent Materiality, which is all glass. I loved this deep blue piece. |
| And this graffiti-inspired piece with glass spray cans. Although our visit to the museum was super quick, it was quite stunning and our docent was super knowledgeable. The glass exhibit is open until October 13, 2019. |
| After our afternoon of learning about social media, resources, and professionalism, we headed to The Phoenician Spa roof for our closing party. We all enjoyed taking photos by the pool as the sun set over Camelback Mountain while sipping the signature cocktail -- the Phoenician Rising (Woodford bourbon, Cointreau, orange juice, grenadine, and orange bitters). We got to visit with representatives of Experience Scottsdale, Visit Phoenix, Visit Mesa, and Discover Salt River and learn about what they have going on in their cities for travel, entertainment, and food. Lots to see and do from kayaking to art to foodie tours! |
| The food was beautiful and came from some of The Phoenician's eight dining options. The salmon teriyaki, the tuna tartare, the squash hummus, and the seasoned tater tots were so good. |
| My favorite part was the tray of tiny desserts (thanks for being my holder, Brie!). I think my favorite was the mini fruit tart or the mango mousse dome. These are from the Afternoon Tea served at The Phoenician. |
| We ended our night with a lovely tour of The Phoenician - this is looking down on one of the many pools on property. |
