Saturday, September 3, 2011

Downtown Phoenix

Today Lloyd and I did what he has been wanting to do ever since we started coming down here to the Valley of the Sun almost three years ago - we drove to Phoenix and explored some of it's historic and beautiful downtown.  We found that Saturday morning is a perfect time for exploring downtown.  There was no traffic, very few people, and we were able to stop and take pictures wherever we wanted to.

Just ignore the Wells Fargo building rising above the old Maricopa County Court House.

The new Phoenix City Hall


Old Phoenix City Hall



Luhr's Tower


This Abbey is on the corner of 3rd and Munroe is built on the site of the original one dating from the mid 1800s.

The First Presbyterian Church dating from 1869.  As I was taking pictures outside, the caretaker came out and invited us to come into the Sacristy and look around. Isn't the sky beautiful.

This stained glass window isn't on a outside wall, there's five feet of space behind it but the lighting makes it stand out beautifully.

These two windows remind me of Frank Lloyd Wright's work.  His home and museum are not far from here in Phoenix.

The side of the high rise has a mural painted on it.
The overpasses and bridge abutments have lovely colorful artwork worked into them.



Chase Field - home of the Arizona Diamondbacks Baseball team

Part of Arizona State University

St. Mary's Basilica.  I love how the old churches have the look of adobe rather than stone and brick - very bright and clean looking.
US Airways Center - home of the Phoenix Suns NBA team

Phoenix Convention Center, spanning either side of the street - a very busy place in the winter as northerners come to conventions in the sunny south.


I forget what this building is, but it's quite beautiful.

And down the road from Phoenix we came to a lovely large oasis in Tempe.  This beautiful area has boats for rent, water parks and picnic areas for special events and is a welcome respite from the dryness of the desert.  I believe it's part of the Tempe reservoir - my Arizona readers can correct me on that.

Then home again.  When I was in the pool l noticed the sun shining off this huge spider web strung between two Queen Palms in the back yard.  I don't know what kind of spider made it but it looks quite messy compared to other smaller ones I'm used to seeing.

And that rounds out today's adventure.  We only have one more full day here before heading home on an early morning flight on Monday.

Hope your long weekend is a good one.

Pat

14 comments:

Desiree said...

This was a lovely sightseeing experience and you took some very artistic shots! I was amazed to hear that Saturdays are so quiet! Where I live, they tend to be one of the busiest days of the week, especially in the morning!

Raindrops and Daisies said...

Pat thanks for posting those photographs
it is lovely to see what it is like on your side of the world.

Enjoy the rest of your trip and mind that spider!!

just call me jo said...

I've seen some of those but haven't known their name. Good times.

Mickey said...

Very interesting Pat and so nice that there was no traffic! Wasn't that Presbyterian friendly?
Enjoy last day!. Hot here next 10 days so it won't be so bad coming home!

ain't for city gals said...

I don't get down there often but when I do I enjoy it. Especially on Sat or Sun when there is little traffic...

Anonymous said...

Lovely old buildings ..... so different to old buildings here!

Southhamsdarling said...

Hi Pat. Phoenix looks like a great place to visit, and I enjoyed the photos that you took. I particularly liked the one of the Abbey and the Church. I agree with Desiree, where I live, Saturdays (especially mornings) are one of the busiest times of the week.

Laeli said...

I feel like I was there, seeing the sights. Thank you!

Chatty Crone said...

I love your world and your pictures.

Emtron said...

buildings sure look nice and clean in the desert

TARYTERRE said...

Thank you so-ooo much for the tour of Phoenix. My daughter has a tenative job offer from there, so she and I enjoyed your photos. It's nice to know the streets weren't as busy with traffic on a Saturday morning. Perfect for exploring. Glad you got out and about. Watch out for that spider.

Granny Annie said...

We take the loop around Phoenix to get out of there as quickly as possible and I never dreamed of taking a tour. LOL Thanks for doing that for me. One of the main things I would want to see would be the Maricopa County Jail and meet Sheriff Joe:)

My Grama's Soul said...

Hi Pat....such great shots of our fair city. The building that you did not recognize is the old Phoenix Union High School. I've been in the Phoenix area almost all my life and it is amazing to see how the city has changed.

Hugs,

Jo

Haf Dozen Reasons....... said...

Thanks for taking us along on your day in the city!
Also very interesting to read about Lloyd's work.