Pre-meetup at the Yard House
October 23, 2009
Mark and me
Kim, Old School Bill and I were staying at the same hotel so it made sense to go to the Yard House together. It was close enough to walk, perhaps 15 - 20 minutes away. We saw Harriet, Matt and Robyn sitting at a big table. Aloha everyone!!! Soon the table began to fill up with more TravBuddies. Eventually, the following TravBuddies arrived at the Yard House:
1. Keith (www.travbuddy.com/aloha_keith)
2. Harriet (www.travbuddy.com/Africancrab)
3. Robyn (www.travbuddy.com/Freespirit3)
4. Sue (www.travbuddy.com/ArizonaIndigenous)
5. Bill (www.travbuddy.com/Oldschoolbill)
6. Adrian (www.travbuddy.com/acowboy)
7. Rob (www.
Camera shy Old School Bill and Sue
8. John (www.travbuddy.com/pensacolapyro)
9. Ryan (www.travbuddy.com/fearlessflyer82)
10. Keith (www.travbuddy.com/Kchrist454)
11. Daniel (www.travbuddy.com/daniel_jetsetter)
12. Donny (www.travbuddy.com/donnydude)
13. Kim (www.travbuddy.com/littlekim70)
14. Matt (www.travbuddy.com/Siualumn)
15. Angel (www.travbuddy.com/Jelly)
16. Lola (www.travbuddy.com/itslola)
17. Mark (www.
Lola, Harriet, Sue, Bill and Robyh
18. Joanna (www.travbuddy.com/joannacruz)
19. Cynthia (www.travbuddy.com/flakis)
20. Matt (www.travbuddy.com/mtweet10)
It was nice that so many TravBuddies were able to come to the Yard House. The layout of the restaurant was great because we were able to move around the table without any difficulty. This made it easier to mix it up with other TravBuddies. Unfortunately, there were a few people I didn't have the chance to talk with. :( That's the trouble with large meet-ups - it's difficult to talk with everyone.
We were having a great time at the Yard House but like most good things it had to come to an end. Before the group parted ways, Harriet told everybody to meet back at the Yard House at 10am the next day and we would drive to the town of Sedona for some sightseeing. Great!! I only had a few cocktails, thus I wouldn't be hungover.
Matt, Adrian, Mark and Ryan
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Giddy-up to the Hilton Garden Inn
I spent 4 nights at the Hilton Garden Inn during October 2009. It's in a great location in Old Town Scottsdale. Art galleries, restaurants, bars and Fashion Square Mall are all within walking distance. Self parking at the hotel is free.
Hilton Garden Inns are designed with the business traveler in mind. Rooms are nicely sized, have a microwave, coffee maker and mini-refrigerator. I had a king sized bed, desk, a small table and chairs and a flat screen TV. Free wi-fi is provided but I wasn't able to get a strong signal so I borrowed an ethernet cable from the front desk. I didn't get a strong cell phone signal either in my room.
The hotel has an outdoor pool, a business center, workout room, bar and a restaurant. I didn't use any of them except for breakfast in the restaurant one morning. It was a breakfast buffet with eggs, pancakes, cereals, etc…. Nothing special about it.
I was very pleased with my stay here and would definitely consider staying here again in the future.
Hilton Garden Inns are designed with the business traveler in mind. Rooms are nicely sized, have a microwave, coffee maker and mini-refrigerator. I had a king sized bed, desk, a small table and chairs and a flat screen TV. Free wi-fi is provided but I wasn't able to get a strong signal so I borrowed an ethernet cable from the front desk. I didn't get a strong cell phone signal either in my room.
The hotel has an outdoor pool, a business center, workout room, bar and a restaurant. I didn't use any of them except for breakfast in the restaurant one morning. It was a breakfast buffet with eggs, pancakes, cereals, etc…. Nothing special about it.
I was very pleased with my stay here and would definitely consider staying here again in the future.
Water fountain in front of the h…
It's a sweet treat
There's a great place to go when you're in Scottsdale and want some ice-cream: The Sugar Bowl restaurant. It's located on Scottsdale Road near Indian School Road in the Old Scottsdale part of the city. The interior is fashioned like an old time ice cream parlor. There is a soda counter with stools if you really want to be authentic, but there are plenty of tables and booths too. A pink and white paint job and decorations completes the picture.
If you're in the mood for a meal, the restaurant has sandwiches and burgers. We went straight for the ice-cream treats. The Sugar Bowl prides itself on their banana splits. Old School Bill and Adrian gave a big thumbs up to their banana splits. Kim was pleased with her fancy milk shake, I think Sue had an ice-cream sundae, while I was boring and just had a couple scoops of ice cream. Everyone was happy with their orders.
If you're in the neighborhood, stop in for a refreshing treat!!! I'll definitely go here next time I'm in Old Scottsdale.
If you're in the mood for a meal, the restaurant has sandwiches and burgers. We went straight for the ice-cream treats. The Sugar Bowl prides itself on their banana splits. Old School Bill and Adrian gave a big thumbs up to their banana splits. Kim was pleased with her fancy milk shake, I think Sue had an ice-cream sundae, while I was boring and just had a couple scoops of ice cream. Everyone was happy with their orders.
If you're in the neighborhood, stop in for a refreshing treat!!! I'll definitely go here next time I'm in Old Scottsdale.
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Come have a beer
The Yard House happened to be the site of a TravBuddy get together. It is a national chain with a few franchises in the Phoenix area. We went to the one located in Scottsdale at the Fashion Square Mall. The Yard House fits into the upscale-casual eatery category and they claim to have the world's largest selection of draft beer.
They have a wide range of selections on their menu. Many types of salads, a huge selection of appetizers, salads, burgers, seafood, steaks and dessert. During happy hour the appetizers are half price!! I ordered some lettuce wraps that had stir fried tofu, pine nuts, chicken and a dipping sauce. Mmmmmm……. good!!! Some of the other appetizers at our table were Chinese Garlic Noodles (they smelled very good!!), Grilled Korean BBQ Beef and Blue Crab Cakes with Mango Papaya Chutney.
One thing I particularly liked about the Yard House was the ambiance. There was a lot of room between tables and we were able to move around without any difficulty. There wasn't any loud music or TVs, so we were able to hear each other talk without yelling. Our servers were excellent and got everybody's bill correct - not an easy task when tracking separate bills for a large group of people. It was a very good experience at the Yard House.
They have a wide range of selections on their menu. Many types of salads, a huge selection of appetizers, salads, burgers, seafood, steaks and dessert. During happy hour the appetizers are half price!! I ordered some lettuce wraps that had stir fried tofu, pine nuts, chicken and a dipping sauce. Mmmmmm……. good!!! Some of the other appetizers at our table were Chinese Garlic Noodles (they smelled very good!!), Grilled Korean BBQ Beef and Blue Crab Cakes with Mango Papaya Chutney.
One thing I particularly liked about the Yard House was the ambiance. There was a lot of room between tables and we were able to move around without any difficulty. There wasn't any loud music or TVs, so we were able to hear each other talk without yelling. Our servers were excellent and got everybody's bill correct - not an easy task when tracking separate bills for a large group of people. It was a very good experience at the Yard House.
Let's go to the Yard House at Fa…
Look at those tall glasses of be…
Lots of room to stand up and pose
Everyone had fun at the Yard House
