When I decided to stay in my home state of Arizona for college, I vowed to be more adventurous during my four years and explore places in Arizona that I hadn’t ventured before. Last week, two of my girlfriends and I took a day road trip up to Flagstaff, Arizona with zero plans what we were going to do there other than eat, drink and take in the city. The spontaneity made the trip all the more exciting. While I learned that I am a city girl at heart, I was also reminded that the simplicity of small towns is something I appreciate.

Here is a little story of our of our experience in Flagstaff with the video I captured during the day.

We started our day at Macy’s European Coffeehouse and Bakery to refuel from an early morning drive. Kelly ordered a cappuccino and that stunning chocolate croissant that we savored every bite of. I love that you can get a hearty and fresh breakfast or lunch as well as a quality coffee all under one roof at Macy’s. The girls and I are definitely coffee shop people; we could have sipped cappuccinos and chatted all day.

One of my favorite parts was visiting this amazing mural painted by a friend of Audree. You remember Audree right? She’s the fashionista from the blog Simply Audree Kate. We snapped lots of pictures in front of the mural in the beautiful crisp weather.

We spent the afternoon exploring the downtown area with one of Kelly’s friends, Julie, who also gave us walking tour of Northern Arizona University. Downtown was so quaint with the historic vibe. NAU was a beautiful campus surrounded by so much nature. Later that afternoon, all of our walking was rewarded with some local beer and appetizers at Beaver Street Brewery. We tried their 20th Anniversary Pilsner, which was refreshing and reminded me of my trip to the Czech Republic where the pilsner originated.

Our day trip to Flagstaff was something I will definitely remember. I encourage you to round-up a couple of friends, hop in the car and venture someplace new for a spontaneous trip, too. Let your stomach be your compass and soak in the flavors of the city by their local food and drink.

Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela