A to Z – Leigh of Campfires & Concierges
I'm thrilled to end the second season of A to Z, my Arizona bloggers interview series with Leigh Wilson. I met Leigh of Campfires & Concierges virtually through our mutual friend Kristin of Camels & Chocolate. Kristin thought the 2 of us could carpool to a meet up in Zion, but in the end, I couldn't make the trip. However, through our email correspondence, we both learned that we had a love for baseball. So last fall, we met IRL to see our adopted Arizona Diamondbacks play again. Shhh, don't tell anyone, she was actually rooting for Chicago and I'm an Oakland A's fan, but we had fun nonetheless!
Let’s meet Leigh!
[1] Favorite thing about where you live in AZ.
I basically moved to Tucson for the hiking, and the plethora of fabulous, not crowded, hiking trails are still my favorite thing about this area.
[2] Least favorite thing about where you live in AZ.
Besides the ridiculously hot summer? Customer service in Tucson is a little too “laid back” for my taste. I've had so many frustrating experiences trying to get things done here.
[3] Favorite place to visit anywhere in the state.
Canyon de Chelly National Monument is so incredible and the fact that you can't enter the canyon without a Navajo guide makes it even more special.
[4] Favorite coffee spot.
I don't drink coffee, but the Coffee Exchange on Tanque Verde has this amazing Green Tea Coconut Milk concoction that is out of this world.
[5] Favorite spot for drinks.
The patio at La Cocina in Old Town Artisan's in the Presidio District
[6] Favorite local hangout.
I love the patio at Mercado San Agustin, it's a great place to hang out and grab a bite, do some shopping, or just people watch.
[7] Favorite breakfast spot.
For now, I love First Watch, but I'm on the hunt for the best breakfast burrito in Tucson. And the pan dulce from La Estrella is pretty good, too!
[8] Favorite lunch spot.
El Charro Cafe; there's nothing as good as their Carne Asada tacos after a morning hike!
[9] Favorite dinner spot.
Cafe Poca Cosa is phenomenal, a great place to have dinner.
[10] One thing you always do/spot you always take friends from out of town to do/see.
The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. In just a couple of hours, you can get a great understanding of the Sonoran Desert, and the plants and animals that live here. It's a top destination year-round.
[11] How do you like to beat the heat?
I trade hiking for swimming, but I also drive up to Roosevelt Lake on Mount Lemmon about once a week to let the dog splash around.
[12] Tell me about your blog!
My blog, Campfires & Concierges, is about outdoor adventure travel, urban exploration, and dog-friendly destinations. I'm currently creating a lot of Arizona content before I move on to the next place to call home.
Thanks, Leigh!
You can keep up with Leigh on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest and of course on her blog. Wherever you catch her, I am sure you will enjoy her Arizona adventures!
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My husband and I met in Arizona, and it holds a special place in my heart. I visited Canyon de Chelly and would love to go back! It was fun reading about Arizona and learning about another blogger.
I have never been to Arizona but it is on my list of places to visit for sure. I love this idea of getting to know bloggers, it is great to learn their different story.
I have yet to visit Arizona. It looks like a perfect place for everyday adventures in nature. Leigh looks like she is living a dream. I will check out her blog!
Just checked out Leigh’s blog and love all her travel posts! I would love to visit Tucson and hike some of the trails there. I’m sure nature there is beautiful.
So great to “meet” new bloggers! My kids and I are obsessed with planning for an upcoming Arizona vacation, so I will need to add her to my list of people to stalk…I mean follow.
Leigh sure has a good list of places to dine when in Arizona. If I ever get to have a trip there, I would surely try out her recommendations.
We can be friends! I don’t drink coffee either. I love the smell but that’s as far as it goes.
The last time I traveled to Arizona was to see my dying dad-in-law. I’d love to visit Tucson for fun, including some hiking! I am growing to love the outdoors more the older I get.
Isn’t that funny? I love the smell of coffee, too, but to drink it, I need so much milk and flavoring it ends up being 1,000 calories!
There is no place quite like Arizona. My family is from there and I love going to visit.
I visited AZ in 2015 and it was beautiful! I didn’t get to explore as much as I would have liked to since I was there on business but to see the homes in the mountain sides and the giant cactus plants was pretty cool. As far as the laid back thing, I can relate to those frustrations, I live abroad and it seems most places have that laid back thing but we are accustomed to let’s make it happen now and trying to deal with folks who are like, we’ll make it happen eventually can be taxing.