Make Reservations, Not War: 7 Hot Spots Out West You Have To Experience (PHOTOS)

Twitter may have you hooked, and you can't really seem to unplug from Facebook either. Then, there's life as you know it -- work, family, friends, love, money, food. Not so easy to balance. At least not all of the time, anyway. It was where I found myself last year, when I crawled into bed with Overload. Not a happy affair -- I suddenly found myself emotionally crawling toward to the Exit Sign for 2009. Still, I knew one thing: I had to refill the well. But how? I live in Northern California. Isn't everything a Kumbaya moment?

Not quite.

So, I forced myself to go on a road trip and begin exploring some of America -- well, its western side at least. Once I got moving, I later used a good chunk of 2010 to visit a number of truly unique travel destinations. The list below comprises my top picks. Take a look. Then indulge yourself.

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7. Tempe Mission Palms

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Back in the day, when the day found me attending Arizona State University as a journalism student, I reveled in the funky vibe that was Mill Avenue in Downtown Tempe. The area was undergoing a major overhaul then, and the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel had just been birthed. It was a lush hotel back in the late '80s, but during a stay in the past year, I was impressed with its multimillion dollar facelift. Plush, spacious and now a hotbed for both tourists and convention attendees, The Tempe Mission Palms is a refreshing surprise -- not too formal, not too unconventional. A mecca in the sense that it's surrounded by striking desert palms -- glamorous as if you're on a movie set -- the venue boasts spacious hallways and rooms, an equally spacious rooftop pool and terrace -- check out the stellar views of Phoenix and downtown Tempe -- several jacuzzi spas and the popular Mission Grille restaurant. Summer months in the desert may be brutal -- unless you're a Bikram Yoga enthusiast and dig that 108-degree heat -- but I've found this affordable locale situated at the perfect spot -- right between metropolitan Phoenix and Scottsdale. Take note of the infusion of hip culture coming off Mill Avenue, which eventually runs adjacent to ASU. Not a bad place for visiting parents whose kids attend college, but certainly a worthwhile experience, whether you're in town for the golf, for rest, sight-seeing, shopping, a convention or more.

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Back in the day, when the day found me attending Arizona State University as a journalism student, I reveled in the funky vibe that was Mill Avenue in Downtown Tempe. The area was undergoing a major overhaul then, and the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel had just been birthed. It was a lush hotel back in the late '80s, but during a stay in the past year, I was impressed with its multimillion dollar facelift. Plush, spacious and now a hotbed for both tourists and convention attendees, The Tempe Mission Palms is a refreshing surprise -- not too formal, not too unconventional. A mecca in the sense that it's surrounded by striking desert palms -- glamorous as if you're on a movie set -- the venue boasts spacious hallways and rooms, an equally spacious rooftop pool and terrace -- check out the stellar views of Phoenix and downtown Tempe -- several jacuzzi spas and the popular Mission Grille restaurant. Summer months in the desert may be brutal -- unless you're a Bikram Yoga enthusiast and dig that 108-degree heat -- but I've found this affordable locale situated at the perfect spot -- right between metropolitan Phoenix and Scottsdale. Take note of the infusion of hip culture coming off Mill Avenue, which eventually runs adjacent to ASU. Not a bad place for visiting parents whose kids attend college, but certainly a worthwhile experience, whether you're in town for the golf, for rest, sight-seeing, shopping, a convention or more.

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