Easy Evening, Busy Morning in Phoenix
Aug. 18th, 2025 01:51 pmPhoenix travelog #2
Hilton Hotel · Mon, 18 Aug 2025, 8:15am
We were late getting to Phoenix last night. I'd say "Of course" since we were flying Southwest Airline, but this time falling behind schedule mostly wasn't their fault. A passenger who was really too ill to travel got sick and collapsed in the jet bridge. It took about 15 minutes for staff to help back out into the terminal and clean up behind her. I'm glad for everyone's sake that happened before she actually boarded the aircraft and certainly before we pushed back from the gate.
We experienced some mundane delays in Phoenix, as well, getting from the airport to the hotel. The upshot of all the delays was we didn't get to our room until after 8:30pm. And there were still two things we wanted to do— eat dinner at the hotel restaurant and swim in the hotel pool— both of which closed at 10.

As inviting as the pool area looked in the evening— though the temperature was still in the mid- to upper 90s— we decided we cared more about dinner than the pool. And furthermore, we decided we'd prefer to eat dinner leisurely rather than wolf it down and rush out to the pool. Thus we simply retired to our room after 9:30 to stretch out and call it a night. So much for pool life— though we did start the day with a soak in the hot tub at home this morning.
Up in the room we had plenty of room to stretch out. We were upgraded to a junior suite. Yay, elite status! But it was more room than we needed. And the larger room didn't contain extra furniture, just more... open space.

This morning I was up early, my alarm set to 6:15am. That's because I had remote meetings starting at 7am ahead of in-person meetings later in the morning. So much for taking it easy.
I thought maybe instead of a morning swim in the pool I might at least open the balcony and enjoy the fresh air and pool view. ...Ugh, no. At 6:20am it was already 85° outside!
Now it's after 8 and Hawk and I are eating breakfast downstairs at the restaurant. After we finish here I'll hop in a car to meet colleagues at another hotel for final briefing/sync before we– my colleagues and I— head over to the customer together. Hawk will stay here at the hotel to enjoy the pool and maybe call a car to go out rock shopping. She and I will meet up at the airport around 1pm to eat lunch together and then fly home later in the afternoon.
Hilton Hotel · Mon, 18 Aug 2025, 8:15am
We were late getting to Phoenix last night. I'd say "Of course" since we were flying Southwest Airline, but this time falling behind schedule mostly wasn't their fault. A passenger who was really too ill to travel got sick and collapsed in the jet bridge. It took about 15 minutes for staff to help back out into the terminal and clean up behind her. I'm glad for everyone's sake that happened before she actually boarded the aircraft and certainly before we pushed back from the gate.
We experienced some mundane delays in Phoenix, as well, getting from the airport to the hotel. The upshot of all the delays was we didn't get to our room until after 8:30pm. And there were still two things we wanted to do— eat dinner at the hotel restaurant and swim in the hotel pool— both of which closed at 10.

As inviting as the pool area looked in the evening— though the temperature was still in the mid- to upper 90s— we decided we cared more about dinner than the pool. And furthermore, we decided we'd prefer to eat dinner leisurely rather than wolf it down and rush out to the pool. Thus we simply retired to our room after 9:30 to stretch out and call it a night. So much for pool life— though we did start the day with a soak in the hot tub at home this morning.
Up in the room we had plenty of room to stretch out. We were upgraded to a junior suite. Yay, elite status! But it was more room than we needed. And the larger room didn't contain extra furniture, just more... open space.

This morning I was up early, my alarm set to 6:15am. That's because I had remote meetings starting at 7am ahead of in-person meetings later in the morning. So much for taking it easy.
I thought maybe instead of a morning swim in the pool I might at least open the balcony and enjoy the fresh air and pool view. ...Ugh, no. At 6:20am it was already 85° outside!
Now it's after 8 and Hawk and I are eating breakfast downstairs at the restaurant. After we finish here I'll hop in a car to meet colleagues at another hotel for final briefing/sync before we– my colleagues and I— head over to the customer together. Hawk will stay here at the hotel to enjoy the pool and maybe call a car to go out rock shopping. She and I will meet up at the airport around 1pm to eat lunch together and then fly home later in the afternoon.