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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Pepperdine chapter.

Future Spring Break to Arizona & Nevada

 

Altough Spring Break has already passed, you can always plan ahead for next spring break or any other break for that matter. Here are some places you should definitely check out. Although I technically no longer have a spring break, I went with a couple of my friends on theirs.

 

ROADTRIP

 

 

If you haven’t gone on a road trip yet, then I recommend that you do. Yes, road trips are long, but they are also fun and it is a different experience. I really like going on road trips because you can see California or whichever state you are driving through in a different perspective.

 

NEVADA

 

Nevada is mostly known for Las Vegas, which is where we did go, but you do not have to be in the casinos or in the clubs the entire time. We stayed at Circus Circus, which is a pretty affordable location. The first day we spent inside the hotel. If you haven’t been there before, it’s more than just the casino. There is a theme park inside with games and rides, as well as the Midway which you can watch some of the circus acts. We played in the arcade for a while. Day 2 was spent checking out the Strip. You can tell the difference from each hotel, which we did look around. Since I am lactose intolerant, ice cream is pretty hard for me to eat; however I found a shop that’s worth going too, they even have lactose ice cream!

 

 

Foods: BLVD Creamery, Monta Ramen, Ramen Sora, Kung Fu Tea, Ichiza, Shake Shack

ARIZONA

This “spring break” we traveled through three different states. California, Nevada and Arizona. Our second stop after Las Vegas was the Grand Canyon. Now a lot of people think it’s pretty boring, but actually it’s amazing and a lot of fun.

 

If you are willing to try, I recommend hiking to the bottom or at least half way. It’s really nice and a completely different experience than viewing the canyon from the top. Please bring water, food, and appropriate clothing.

 

Be aware that once you go down, you must come up; however it was fun and if you want you can also take a mole down and a mole up. We stayed in the Grand Canyon for two nights, and no, not in a hotel.

 

 

We decided to camp, which was totally fun if you can deal with the cold. Remember, during this time it is still a little chilly, but in the summer I’m sure it’s a lot warmer. Camping was refreshing. We set up our tent, had our sleeping bags and grabbed some snacks. At night we also watched the stars. There is no light pollution so you can clearly see them and it’s so BEAUTIFUL. When you are at the Grand Canyon you don’t necessarily have to drive. They do provide a free shuttles that will take you to each spot, which we did. We ended day 2 with watching the sunset at Hopi Point, a highly recommended site to see. On day 3 we went to Desert View, a small stop on our way to Phoenix.

 

 

In Phoenix, I recommend staying at the Aloft near the airport, super neat hotel. Also here are some food locations you should check out. Harumi sushi is pretty good and it’s located in downtown Phoenix near the Phoenix Sun’s stadium. Scottsdale is another small city located near Phoenix, there is also an Old Town, which has cute shops to check out. I would definitely recommend checking out Tempe, especially Mill Avenue.

 

 

There are several things to do on Mill Avenue, most of them you have to be 21 though. If you are 21, I suggest Endgame. Endgame is a video game bar and restaurant. If you are into video games it’s a cool place to chill. I went with my boyfriend for two hours and we played several games on different consoles. If there already is a game in the console you are free to play it; however, if you wish you play a different game you need to pay a dollar.

 

 

If you are not 21, there is an ice cream shop you can visit. I visited twice in my stay. The place is called Spark’s Old Town Creamery, and since I am lactose intolerant, I suggest the AZ Naval Orange as my top pick and for non lactose individuals- Salty Caramel. Another activity that is open to all ages is Phoenix Escape Room. My friends and I participated in the farewell room; unfortunately we did not escape, but it was fun.

 

 

Foods: (Tempe) Thai Basil, (Tempe) Tampopo Ramen,  (Tempe) Dozo Izakaya, (Tempe) Fuzzy’s Taco, (Tempe) Spark’s Old Town Creamery, (Grand Canyon) Plaza Bonita, (Grand Canyon) Yippee-ei-o, McDonalds.

 

Yelp these locations:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/blvd-creamery-las-vegas

http://www.yelp.com/biz/monta-ramen-las-vegas-2

http://www.yelp.com/biz/ramen-sora-las-vegas

http://www.yelp.com/biz/kung-fu-tea-las-vegas?osq=boba

http://www.yelp.com/biz/ichiza-las-vegas

http://www.yelp.com/biz/shake-shack-las-vegas-2

http://www.yelp.com/biz/plaza-bonita-grand-canyon-4

http://www.yelp.com/biz/yippee-ei-o-tusayan

 
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Hola, mi llamo Marissa Hernandez. Hey, I'm Marissa Hernandez, and I am a senior studying Psychology at Pepperdine University. I am involved and an active member of Alpha Kappa Psi, Business Fraternity and I am currently working on campus through the theater department. I am very passionate about art and working with children. I hope to one day open my own center that is primarily focused on children and teens, through the involvement of art, sports, cooking, and other fun activities. I personally believe that community and communication with their peers who have similar interest, is the most effective way of therapy. Besides my personal interest in the future, in my free time I love to socialize with my friends, paint, eat food, and cook. I have a habit of having dinner parties every weekend about 10-15 of our closest friends, in which I cook large feast of Mexican food or other types of foods. I have an addiction to Sawtelle, in which you might catch my in the wee hours of the night getting Tatsu or wintermelon boba. I am pretty easy to find on campus, since I never go a day without wearing a single flower or a lot of flowers in my hair.      
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