Welcome to Arizona

I recently went on a trip to Arizona. It was my first time in "The Grand Canyon State" as well as visiting the Grand Canyon. 

This lovely trip was a birthday present from my aunts. We flew into Phoenix from the different places along the East Coast and Midwest where we actually live and made it our base city. It helped that two of my cousins live in the downtown center of the city and one of my aunts went to school in the state (sorry - no dates will be revealed) and still has friends in the area. 

We then traveled all over the state, seeing the sites, and seeing as much as we could - along with a few more family members. 

My first impression of Phoenix was that it's huge - much bigger than I expected. My aunt and I drove half an hour from the downtown center and we were still in the city. I also enjoyed the fact that the airport is called Sky Harbor. Don't know why I find the name amusing - probably because I half expected to see the ocean (despite being in a landlocked state) around every mountain. 

My second impression of Arizona was...man is this state green!

Do y’all see the deer?

Now, I don't mean that in a clean energy or sustainability way (though I did see a windmill farm and lots of houses with solar panels on top). I mean this in the actual color. 

My (admittedly) stereotypical impression of Arizona prior to actually setting foot in the state was that it was going to be varying shades of brown, reddish-brown, and tan. There would be cacti randomly spaced about, but not much. Oh, and tumbleweeds. 

Granted Arizona has all of those things (though I didn't see any tumbleweeds), however, it is also very green with tons of flowering plants and even an area that gets enough snow for winter sports. Now, all this green might have been because I had been in the state at the height of spring, but it was not at all what I was expecting. 

I have long maintained that each State within the United States has a unique culture that can't be interchanged for one another. Oregon and Washington might both be in the Northwest and have tons of coffee shakes. But one has a culture of letting you camp anywhere and shooting a gun into the sand dunes (Oregon), while the other is a rainforest that closes their campgrounds at the end of October (Washington). This observation can also be true within states (never mistake the cultures of eastern/central Pennsylvania with the heavily influenced by Pittsburg western part of the state). 

Arizona has it's own unique culture and flavor that can't be found anywhere else in the United States. Prior to coming to the state, my only exposure to the desert was Las Vegas. I didn't like Las Vegas. I found it hot, bright (even at night), and gaudy. I recognize that Las Vegas is also only one small corner of Nevada, but it's still a representative of that State's culture. No where in Arizona felt like Las Vegas. 

The only city that I could compare to another in Arizona was New Orleans and Tucson - and that's a surface level comparison as I didn't spend enough time in Tucson proper (I was out hiking). However, the colorful houses, street art, and attitude of the residences (not the tourists) reminded me of the Crescent City, except instead of French influence it was Spanish/Mexican and the location was a desert instead of a swamp. As I wrote, its a surface level comparison, but that doesn't detract from the similarities in beauty that both cities have.

I also need to address the canyon in the state. 

The Grand Canyon is fantastic. I have never seen anything like it before. Pictures, documentaries, and descriptions have nothing on actually standing on the edge of the rim and seeing how unbelievably big and colorful it is.

There's a reason The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and it does not disappoint. 

If you end up going to The Grand Canyon, I recommend going to the National Park. The paths are mostly paved, there's plenty of places to grab a bite to eat (though wait times will vary), there's a free bus service, and there's still a small danger that you could fall off the rim (sorry no guard rails). It is well worth a visit and you can either stay in the park at one of the hotels or campsites, stay right outside the park and take the shuttle in, or (do what my family did and) stay in Flagstaff and drive up same day. 

Finally, I want to mention one of my favorite spots in Arizona. I didn't even know I was going to it until my aunts decided it would be a fun side trip. Jerome Arizona was an old copper mining town built into a mountain. The roads reminded me a little of mountain towns in West Virginia. A lot of the town claims to be haunted, but (for once) I wasn't interested in the ghost stories. I was more interested in the local art, mining history, and food. The town is incredibly quirky with tones of ruins (including the remains of an old saloon with toilets placed in the open basement - don't know what that was about), silly signs, and lots of skeletons (the kind you find at Party City). I loved it and probably could have spent an entire weekend exploring everything. Unfortunately, I only had an afternoon. 

Is this an art project??? I need answers!

Arizona isn't just a desert state dripping in sandy browns. It's alive with flowering cacti, cooing doves, wild horses, mischievous pigs called javelinas, and tiny deer. There's a lot more greenery than I imagined as well as color buildings. Native American culture is more prevalent/naturally integrated than in other parts of the country (*cough* east coast *cough*).  

If you plan on going to Arizona, I recommend some of the following: 

• Wear lots of sunscreen, no matter your skin type
• Have a sweatshirt or jacket handy for the cooler nights and higher altitude parts of the state (like Flagstaff)
• Have a hat, but mind the wind - especially at The Grand Canyon
• Have plenty of water
• Do not approach the wildlife
• Do not appropriate Native American spiritual beliefs and practices (unless you are originally from that culture)
• Go hiking
• Do not put your hands anywhere you can't see because a lot of the plant life has spikes/needles, there are a ton of venomous creatures (snakes, spiders, and scorpions)
• Wildfires can and do happen
• Check out a historic mining town
• Enjoy the local art

Have you guys been to Arizona? If so, what was your favorite part of the State? 

I love having the opportunity to travel, though the past few years have made that difficult. I hope to see more of my home country over the years as well as explore the world outside of the United States. Though there's no place like home, going to far off places is a wonderful adventure. 

Until next week.

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Welcome to the Many Different Cultures of the United States

So I wasn’t able to post anything last week. I was kind of in the middle of nowhere Oregon without an Internet connection to be found. It was kind of nice being so disconnected from the rest of the world while I was exploring the Pacific Northwest US. I’d never been there before and it was very different from anywhere else I’d ever been, especially in the United States.

I feel a bit silly admitting this, but I tend to forget that the United States isn’t one uniform cultural identity. When it comes down to it, each state is really it’s own country with its own culture and identity. The federal government is just a glue that holds all 50 states (plus several territories) in place on an international scale.

When I see the US portrayed on TV or in movies, it sometimes feels like the US has one umbrella culture with smaller cultures that branch out. As I’ve traveled in the US more and more, I’m finding this isn’t the case at all.

Sunset on the beach

I was born and raised in Northern Virginia. I will always love my home state and be extremely biased towards it. I love every inch of the state, from the hustle and bustle of DC, to the quiet tranquility of the Shenandoah, from the tidewater basin in Norfolk to the western mountains. Virginia is awesome!

And it’s definitely not New Jersey.

I might have experienced a little culture shock when moving from Maryland to New Jersey. Yeah, Maryland is it’s own state, but it’s not too different from Virginia and they share a lot of similarities (though Baltimore is still one of the most fun cities I have ever been to while DC is decidedly not). New Jersey is its own entity.

There are very few places that feel like the middle of nowhere in New Jersey. Everything feels like it’s on top of everything else. It’s a lot more aggressive than Virginia and there’s hardly any military presence to speak of.

Despite being an American, I have been to woefully few states in the US. I’ve been to almost every state on the eastern seaboard, but hardly any in the middle of the country (unless you count brief layovers in airports). All in all I’ve been to roughly 20 different states that I remember and actually explored. Oregon being the latest.

Oregon was laid back, big, full of nature, and adventure. For the record I wasn’t anywhere near Portland, so I can comment on the city life, but the rural areas felt remote and disconnected from the rest of the country. A lack of Internet access was both challenging and relieving (and it wasn’t because the CIA had set up a dead zone).

In the redwood forest!

I think the oddest thing I saw in Oregon was a sign demanding the return of a stolen cannon. Why the heck would someone steal a cannon? You can own a cannon? How does someone steal a cannon?

I think the only time I’ve seen a cannon is at the Colonial and Civil War re-enactment areas along the east coast.

Hawaii in particular is very different from the lower 48. I felt like I was going to a foreign country, I just didn’t need a passport to get there. I’d like to go back and experience more of Hawaiian culture and see the other islands.

The US is vast and is a mesh of many different cultures. There isn’t just one America. There are many. Parts have a high population density, while in some parts you might not see another human for hundreds of miles.

There are some areas where you need to talk fast and loud to be heard and other areas where people speak slowly, with a lot of thought behind their words. There are states where guns are a way of life and others where people might look at you funny for owning one. The military might be a big part of the economy and in others people might never see a tank going down the highway (yep I’ve seen that on 95).

The US is big and I haven’t seen or experienced nearly enough of it. Each state is unique and so are the people living there. We might present ourselves as one identity, but in reality we are many countries united despite our differences.

It's an amazing place to explore.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you like hearing from me.

Until next week.