Fenders

This is part of the Fender guitar display at the Musical Instrument Museum.

Zydeco

This is a frottoir or scrapper from the zydeco display at the Musical Instrument Museum. I really enjoyed watching and listening to these performers. In fact, I lingered here longer than many of the other displays. I think it was the lively, upbeat music that did it.

See and Hear

The technology they use at the Musical Instrument Museum makes visiting worthwhile. You get headphones and a receiver as you enter, so when you approach a display, like this one, you can see and hear an instrument being played. Same goes for distinct styles of music or geographical regions. So, if you approach a jazz display, you'll see video of jazz performances and, of course, hear the accompanying music. If you approach a display on the music of Tibet, you'll see and hear Tibetan musicians.

For more information on the museum, check out the Arizona Travel and Adventure blog I maintain with two other writers. We'll be blogging about the Musical Instrument Museum throughout the week: http://arizonatravelandadventure.com/?p=623.

Trumpet

I have more Arcosanti photos, but I'm going to break it up a little with some photos from the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. I went for the first time yesterday and had a blast. Way more than you can possibly see in a day!

Desert Botanical Garden

The Chihuly display at the entrance of the Desert Botanical Garden

South Mountain

This is one of my favorite photos of the city, a view from South Mountain. A monsoon blew in, and in the photo below, you can see the wall of wind moving through downtown Phoenix.

South Mountain Park is the largest muncipal park in the world. Seven miles of paved road take drivers to scenic views at 2,300 and 2,600 feet. I think I snapped this photo from the second view point, but I'm not sure. The park is 16,000 acres and offers 51 miles of trails.

Hanny's

Hanny's used to be Phoenix's premier downtown department store until it closed about 20 years ago. To find out more about it, visit my other blog, The AZ Traveler at http://www.greatescapesaz.blogger.com/.

Sheraton Downtown

I was in this Sheraton for the first time a few weeks ago. Very modern. Very cool. (Unfortunately, I was there for a business meeting and didn't have an opportunity to take photos inside.)

Light Rail

We've had light rail in the Valley for less than a year now. I haven't taken it from the East Valley to downtown yet (the closest stop for me is Tempe), but I've heard from those who have that it's great, especially if you are going to a Diamondbacks or Suns game.

Skyline

I was back in downtown Phoenix yesterday getting ready for my book signing on Thursday (1-5pm) at the Visitors Center, right next to the Convention Center. Again, I parked on the 9th floor of the Arizona Center parking garage. (I like to park away from other cars, and its a nice view.)

This photo is of the skyline to the north of I10.

Reflections

Buildings reflected in the Chase Bank Building downtown.

Her Secret is Patience

This is another photograph taken from the 9th floor of the Arizona Center parking garage. You'll see a large metal pole in the middle of the photograph, anchoring two blue circles just above the buildings. From where I was, I couldn't get a better shot of "Her Secret is Patience," a new artwork in Downtown Civic Park. The net sculpture, inspired by monsoon clouds and cactus blooms, moves with the wind and glows at night. See a shot of it at night in this month's issue of Sunset magazine.

Downtown Phoenix

I was in Downtown Phoenix yesterday for a meeting. This photo was taken from the 9th floor of the Arizona Center parking garage.