2nd City tours....

Simply put, second-city travel refers to a destination that doesn’t immediately spring to mind when a country is mentioned. In the USA, a first city might be Phoenix and a second city might be Flagstaff. The first city has the postcards, the songs, the crowds. Most tourists skip the second city altogether.

Last week we ventured out on our 2nd City Tour. We stopped in beautiful Sedona for lunch and a quick tour of the Chapel of the Holy Cross.

Lunch was at the Dahl’s famous hamburger restaurant,

“Butterfly Burger”.

I had purchased their recipe book last year for our daughter and it looked so amazing that we needed to put it on our list of places to eat. Yes, it was delicious! Unfortunately, we were not going to be there in the evening to enjoy their fine dining restaurant Dahl & DiLuca Ristorante Italiano.

As we arrived at the Residence Inn in downtown Flagstaff. We proceeded to bring the Hoyer hydraulic lift with us to our room. I had not asked the hotel ahead but when we arrived in the room there was a platform bed. After a quick call to the front desk we were told they had all platform beds which meant we would be using the transfer board that we brought along for “Plan B”.

Curly needed a rest before dinner and that gave me sometime to enjoy wonderful Flagstaff. It is such a walkable city with some special art galleries that always are close to my heart.

We asked for recommendations for dinner, and we were not disappointed by "Tinderbox Kitchen". My trout and Curly’s duck were done to perfection. We did drive to this restaurant because when I had ventured out on my walk, I noticed the railroad tracks we needed to cross may be an issue for the smaller wheels on his wheelchair.

Now our 3rd - 2nd City was to be Winslow the next day. When we woke the next morning Curly was coughing and I asked how he slept. His answer, “I didn’t”. After he mentioned that the altitude was 7,000 feet in Flagstaff, I suggested we head home and do Winslow another time.

As we were driving back to Fountain Hills, I could see the difference in his breathing. I should have thought about this, but I was remembering maybe 10 years ago when we were in Flagstaff and breathing was not a problem.

Just one more thing to be aware of when you travel…altitude! I felt that we had an enjoyable 2nd City tour. There will be more "2nd Cities" that we will explore in the near future. We value our travels together, and are very thankful that we can do this. If you are Able N' Disabled enjoy the moments.

By venturing out and learning some new things it alows us to

Move Forward with Disabilities in Retirement.