August 6th, 2009

Phoenix, AZ, USA

Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009

Every trip should begin with a “Bon Voyage” and a “Last Supper”. Not the ominous sort that comes before an end, but the celebratory kind that comes before a beginning. In my case, I happened to start my Bon Voyage with a great Last Supper at Fleming’s Restaurant in the Hilton Hotel Scottsdale Resort.

The steak and lobster were juicy and tender, melting in the mouth so easily, that if it weren’t for the flavors bursting on my taste buds, I would have thought the entire meal a dream. In other words, they were perfect. The only thing that was a little odd was the so-called salad that preceded the heavenly entrée. Though mom managed to get a normal salad, mine consisted of two round slices (each about a half-inch thick) of mozzarella cheese and a handful of cherry tomatoes cut into halves and covered with oil and vinegar dressing. Granted, the name “Tomato and Mozzarella Salad” should have given me a clue, but I didn’t realize that the extent of the name was also to be the extent of the salad. Either way, though, it was also delicious and I didn’t mind. The real competition for the title “best part of meal” (up against the steak) was the wine. A lovely red zin, the name of which I can’t recall, was fruity, light, and just a little tangy.

After dinner and a good (but short) night’s sleep, it was an early trip to the Phoenix airport where I had breakfast with mom before going through security and finding my gate. I’m on the plane to Philadelphia now, with Arizona fading from my view. Mountains are now mounds of earth small enough to fit in my hands, buildings are the size of pinheads, and individual people became invisible long ago. Five hours from now I’ll land in Philly only to take off and repeat this experience all over again, except that it will be my country I’m leaving behind, not just my state.