When I was 15, I traveled through Europe on a Eurail pass and bicycle.  I know I belonged to a youth Hostel organization, but I don’t remember which.  For the life of me I can’t remember all the hostels I stayed in except Rotterdam Netherlands.  I remember it was clean and quiet.  There were young people from all over the world.  There was food and you were expected to help by washing dishes etc.  I know it was cheap.

As I get closer to retirement I wanted to explore all different kinds of ways to travel focusing on maybe the road less traveled for people of my age.  Is a youth hostel for just youths?  Is it a viable way for seniors to get from point A to point B?

I booked a stay at PHOENIX HOSTEL & CULTURAL CENTER August 26th, leaving August 27th.  The cost of the shared dorm room is $30.00.  While I do live in Mexico, I use a Phoenix address for credit card etc and they queried me about this.  Locals are not invited I think because it may invite vagrants.  Just a guess, but after an explanation my reservation was approved for five o’clock check in.  What will I find?

The drive from Sonora Mexico to Phoenix is four hours usually, unless you’re pulled over by DPS for having a cracked windshield.  This actually was an amazing experience!  My professional license is through DPS and I’ve never been treated less than professionally and with courtesy.  This trooper looked about my age and I asked him how old he was.  58 was the answer.  I asked how long on the job?  Four years was the answer.  Did you come over from another agency I ask?  Nope, he became a trooper at 52.  Say what I say?  Yep he says.  He spent 24 years in the Navy as a corpsman then got out and went to work for USAA.  His son called one day and says dad, DPS is is hiring and they both took the exam together, approved together and went to the academy.  Both serving as DPS troopers and this guy is now 58 years old.

I will remember this story forever I think.  You can do anything you want, whenever you want.

No ticket, but did get a repair order.  No worries, working on it now.  If you’re heading through Ajo and you see trooper C. White in the your rearview mirror, be nice to him.  Great guy!

So I get to Phoenix and spend the day doing what I came up to do which takes most of the day and by the end of it I’m stinking because, well it’s Phoenix and it’s hell.  I remember Hostel guests are traveling kids and likely always hungry so I stop at Sam’s Club and get vittals for me and mini muffins for them.  MMMMM blueberry strudel.

I arrive half an hour early and want to  get the muffins in so they don’t sit in the car while I’m doing whatever.  The hostess comes out and takes them and I am on my way to get something to eat.  The photos on the website are accurate.

This is a photo from the front and the signs give you the idea of the atmosphere.  This is a place that wants people to come and go at peace and inclusion.  If you have prejudices it’s best to leave them behind.

This is of the dorm that I stayed in.  There is no air conditioning and the cooling I think is done with a swamp cooler and fans.  When it’s 115 outside that can be a real challenge.  Each bed has a little fan at the headboard.  I took a shower because I was nasty and laid down.  The foam mattresses were adequate and the bedding clean and fresh.

If you value privacy this isn’t the place.  Bathrooms are general use and I think the dorms here are mixed though there is a ladies only also I think.  The night I stayed there were three of us in this dorm.  Quiet and nothing weird.  Just sleep.

This photo is from the main room where there is a big table that people can sit around and eat or make conversation.  It was pretty quiet and I was only able to interact with one person, a young woman who came from Santa Fe  to get a tattoo from an artist that she liked.  When asked about her ink she was very engaging.  She went to the convenience store and asked if I needed anything.  Upon her return with a six pack of beer she was keen to try and “share” with me.  I had eaten earlier and had a 32 ounce beer so elected not go for the gusto.  Not satisfied she broke out Kratom and Marijuana gummies asking if I would like some of those.  Again the answer was no, but thanks.

There are many things the staff does to try and accommodate travelers by posting happenings, places of interest, museums, mass transit etc.  There are also rules upon check in which to an old guy like me are common sense such as no drug use, quiet time, use of gender neutral pronouns, if you don’t know look up Jordan Peterson.

If you aren’t able to step out of your comfort zone, this may not be the place for you,  The building is in the Roosevelt district which is very cool.  It’s older and going through changes.  It’s not a 5 star hotel, but it’s got character and provides an experience that I was looking for.  It’s clean and on busier days you might find more people to get to know and listen to tales.  There is a communal backyard as you can see from the website that looks fun, in the spring or fall maybe.

There were some people my age there.  I got the idea they were longer stay and got discounts by being Hostel International members.  The hostess suggested it may be a way of stretching social security dollars.  I don’t know how long they were staying.

Before I checked in I went to have a bite at one of the many cool restaurants in the area.  The choice that night was Mother Bunch Brewing.  The choice was a light 32 ounce lager and was clear and crisp on a hot day.  Food was pork belly sandwich and the side was bluecheese, bacon, mac & cheese.  Holy smoke this was so good!  Cost was about $32.00 and worth the money.  The server behind the bar was great.  Very personable and helped with it all. Sadly they have closed since this adventure took place.

Ha, you wish!