Weekend Update: Birthday Fun!

I turned 30 this weekend and with the help of my friends and husband, happily said goodbye to my 20s.

Friday night I met up with Kelley and Sophia for dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in town Chino Bandito followed by a trip to the mall for some shopping. Later that night, Kelley and I met up with Jay and his buddies for a late night beer. Kelley & I toasted at midnight to celebrate the beginning of my 30s!

Kelley & Sophia

Saturday morning, Jay let me sleep in while he ran to Dunkin Donuts for my birthday coffee & donut. I was so happy to wake up to that Boston Creme & Maple Frosted deliciousness! We watched Nebraska beat Baylor before heading out to a surprise destination.

We ended up at Arcosanti - a place that we have been talking about visiting for 6 years now. It is hard to describe this unique place designed by Italian architect Paolo Soleri. Soleri's goal with the project is to be able to house and sustain 5,000 people on 15 acres of land. The average amount of land used for 5,000 people these days is 500 acres! He believes in building UP and not out and eliminating the need for the automobile by making everything you need (shopping, recreation, etc) in one easy to navigate place.

Currently, there are about 75 permanent residents (including 6 children) living at Arcosanti who work on site to contribute to the "city". Besides making their signature bells (out of either ceramic or bronze) to raise money for further construction, they also sell aloe plants, herbs, ceramic tiles, and baked goods that they make/grow on site.
Main Building

After checking out the main building which houses the cafe, bakery and gallery, we headed out for a hike on the visitors path. This hike offered us a great view of the project from a distance. As you can see, it's quite an expanse of unique buildings.

Arcosanti from a distance

After our hike, we checked in and dropped off our bags at the room. There are few guest rooms at Arcosanti and they are very minimal in all aspects. Ours had 2 twin beds (yes, I know, very romantic) and a cement floor. There was electricity and running water which was nice. The great part was the beautiful view (super dark at night so you can actually see stars!!) and the fact that it was so quiet!

Our room

After dinner, we went on the Haunted Hayride that the residents were putting on. They had been working on it for 2 months and you could tell. They did a great job and I did get a little freaked out. Jay and I indulged in a homemade candy apple (Jay had never had one before!?) and some natural soda afterwards. We had some fun with the camera too :)

Sunday morning, we took a tour and then headed back home. Here are some pics from the property:

Amphitheater with surrounding living areas

Vault - Covered recreation/work area - the first structure built here

View from the Sky Suite

Ceramics Apse - where the ceramic bells are made

We left around 11:30 only to hit traffic from an accident miles ahead. They closed the entire freeway down, so we just turned off the car, sat outside along the guard rails & chatted with other stranded travelers. After nearly 3 hours of waiting, the road opened back up and we made it back home.

I want to thank my amazing husband for planning yet another wonderful and very thoughtful birthday gift. I love you!!