My cousin works out of town a lot, so when she said "Would you like to join me ..." my bag was packed before she finished up with "... in Phoenix?"
Phoenix has light rail from downtown to Mesa, but I didn't need it to get to the Heard Museum. I just tumbled out of the hotel door, moseyed down the street, and there I was.
I learned a few basics about American Indian arts; enough to stay out of trouble at a cocktail party. For example, this Hopi kachina (Hopis would say "katsina") is ... okay, I'd have to change the subject. I swear I was listening, but this was seven or eight days ago.
In a truly informative blog, you would learn the meaning of the above painting, or at least the artist. I'm phoning this in, and I've dialed the wrong number.
This sculpture plays in a private park, and I couldn't get closer. From this distance, I thought it was six frolicking businesspeople. Children are good, too.
"There was only six feet between me and the elk! I swear I'm not compensating. Look at the size of my feet."
Downtown Phoenix pulses with activity. That could have been my pulse; it was very exciting. It wasn't long before a little quiet was just the thing. So, I wandered down to the Japanese Friendship Garden. It's an oasis of peace in the middle of the city. In fact, I-10 roars underneath it, but you'll never hear it.
The McClelland Irish Library is an imposing building, but the staff is friendly and helpful. They didn't seem to notice that I'm not Irish, or at least they were polite enough not to point it out. In the courtyard is a tiny cottage with a really tiny gift shop.
That afternoon I jumped, carefree, onto the light rail and headed east. At the end of the line you can stay put - or slide into a forward-facing seat - for the return trip. The train goes through ASU campus in Tempe, where you can disembark to enjoy their collegetown businesses, or stay on the train and thank your lucky stars all that is behind you.
There is a lot of good food in downtown Phoenix. We enjoyed Switch, and The Old Spaghetti Factory, and a Thai restaurant. Plus other stuff. *waves hands around*
It was a good time! I hadn't spent time in Phoenix yet, and now I have.
