Short and sweet. Get on the plane, get off the plane. Get on the shuttle, get off the shuttle. Check into the hotel.
Traveling in North America is a breeze. Everything is in English, except for a few cursory French words at the federal government controlled security section. All the instructions are easy to understand and all the signs are readable.
Hi-lite was the Super Shuttle, a door to door shuttle service, sort of like a shared cab. We meet the contact person at the shuttle stop just outside the exit doors. He coordinates our location with the next van going in our direction, it arrives, we toss our stuff in the back and zoom….we are transported to the hotel. It is less expensive than cab fare but no less effective, more expensive than the local bus but much easier to figure out and much less travel time. The folks employed by the Super Shuttle are friendly and super helpful. They have the customer service idea down.
We arrive in Phoenix in the dark. What we can see looks much the same as any city but there are shadows. Shadows of very tall pointed hills. Odd things and the ‘desert’ landscape is visible in the darkness at the side of the highway. It is different to us and even the little we see will be worth exploring.
Tomorrow we get to drive in a city of 7 million. Probably won’t be so short and sweet.