We have been to the Phoenix area many times over the years that Mary Joy's parents were snowbirds there. The last time was in 2013, as they were preparing to sell their condo to go back to living year-round in Wisconsin. Mexico was too expensive for a short winter getaway, but we were able to find very cheap flights to Phoenix, as well as a highly-rated Airbnb for a very low price So back to Arizona, for the first time in seven years..
On Saturday, February 11, 2020, after checking the Delta Airlines website several times, I saw that they were finally recognizing that a major snowstorm was likely to hit the Twin Cities the following morning--just when we were supposed to fly out to Phoenix. The website indicated that passengers on flights out of MSP Sunday morning could change to other flights, without penalty or charge. We had the most basic economy tickets, which generally don't even give you the right to change flights by paying a $200 charge and the difference in price, as less stingy fliers can. I was skeptical of our chances, but decided to try. As it happened, Delta was very accommodating, so we flew out that evening, instead.
We add another day to our car rental, through AARP-Expedia. This wasn't hard, though the original compact car we had ordered was "Ford Focus or similar," while the Indian voice at the other end of the line now said "Nissan Versa." However, when we got to the Budget counter in Phoenix, their card said "Volkswagen Beetle." We weren't sure that we could fit our luggage in the trunk, and we needed a trunk instead of a hatch, since we didn't want our luggage to be visible while we spent most of the day wandering around, until our AirBnB apartment became available. The guy at the counter said that he could upgrade us to Intermediate for only nine dollars a day. We weren't too enthused about this, since his first offer was a small SUV, probably without a trunk, For that same upgrade price, he then offered a Camaro, which we took. It was hatred at first sight for Mary Joy, and it did not improve on more acquaintance. She named our sporty, charcoal-gray Camaro "Maude." The only other time we've named a rental car was another problematic situation: we gave the name "Pierre" to the Grand Voyager minivan we were stuck with in Normandy and Brittany in 20029. Mary Joy had trouble figuring out how to move the seat forward, then, when she had, it was difficult to put on her seat belt. The car had a fob, that you touched to the ignition, rather than a key, that you stuck into it. It took us awhile to figure out how this worked.
On Saturday, February 11, 2020, after checking the Delta Airlines website several times, I saw that they were finally recognizing that a major snowstorm was likely to hit the Twin Cities the following morning--just when we were supposed to fly out to Phoenix. The website indicated that passengers on flights out of MSP Sunday morning could change to other flights, without penalty or charge. We had the most basic economy tickets, which generally don't even give you the right to change flights by paying a $200 charge and the difference in price, as less stingy fliers can. I was skeptical of our chances, but decided to try. As it happened, Delta was very accommodating, so we flew out that evening, instead.
We add another day to our car rental, through AARP-Expedia. This wasn't hard, though the original compact car we had ordered was "Ford Focus or similar," while the Indian voice at the other end of the line now said "Nissan Versa." However, when we got to the Budget counter in Phoenix, their card said "Volkswagen Beetle." We weren't sure that we could fit our luggage in the trunk, and we needed a trunk instead of a hatch, since we didn't want our luggage to be visible while we spent most of the day wandering around, until our AirBnB apartment became available. The guy at the counter said that he could upgrade us to Intermediate for only nine dollars a day. We weren't too enthused about this, since his first offer was a small SUV, probably without a trunk, For that same upgrade price, he then offered a Camaro, which we took. It was hatred at first sight for Mary Joy, and it did not improve on more acquaintance. She named our sporty, charcoal-gray Camaro "Maude." The only other time we've named a rental car was another problematic situation: we gave the name "Pierre" to the Grand Voyager minivan we were stuck with in Normandy and Brittany in 20029. Mary Joy had trouble figuring out how to move the seat forward, then, when she had, it was difficult to put on her seat belt. The car had a fob, that you touched to the ignition, rather than a key, that you stuck into it. It took us awhile to figure out how this worked.
But eventually we were on our way to our hotel, Scottsdale Marriott at McDowell Mountains, at the far northwestern corner of Scottsdale. We had gotten it at a (relatively) cheap price on Hotwire, As we discovered the next morning, it abutted on a golf course--why else would one want to stay at a resort in Scottsdale in February?
Our room was very nice
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