Left the hotel at about 10.00 and had breakfast at the Diner. Then on the road to Phoenix, which is the same road we took to Sedona, ie the I-17 South, only further.
Between Sedona and Phoenix we saw many different types of cactii - at last. I was beginning to think that it was just a figment of some movie director's imagination. But there they were, on the side of the road, in all different shapes and sizes.
As we were early for checking in at the San Carlos hotel in Downtown Phoenix, we decided to take a break at the shopping centre in Scotsdale. This neighbourhhood is evidently the vacation area of Phoenix, and many of the hotels are situated there. Y managed to find a few things, and I managed to find a light sweater, which I think I will need when I eventually get to Seattle whose temperature will certainly be a lot less than the 110 F which we are getting in Phoenix.
After checking in and doing some laundry (as the hotel does not have a laundry) we decided to do some sightseeing around the town. Unfortunately, there is not much going on in Downtown Phoenix, but we are reliably informed that business is slowly picking up and Downtown will be a hip place to go. We found a really nice Thai restaurant for dinner and as we hadn't had lunch, we both enjoyed it.
Some of the architecture in Downtown is very 30's. One or two buildings have been refurbished but there are a lot more new skyscrapers. I know it is cheaper to knock a building down than refurbish it, but it seems to be such a shame that they are losing these beautiful buildings. Evidently Frank Lloyd Wright, who designed the Guggenheim in New York, came from Phoenix and there are some of his buildings still standing.
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After dinner, we had a nightcap in the hotel bar (this is becoming a habit!!) and had a nice conversation with the barman, who was born in Chicago but decamped with his parents to Phoenix when he was 8. He is still ambivalent about Downtown Phoenix, and prefers the suburbs!!
Off to bed now, and we will see what tomorrow may bring.
Between Sedona and Phoenix we saw many different types of cactii - at last. I was beginning to think that it was just a figment of some movie director's imagination. But there they were, on the side of the road, in all different shapes and sizes.
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| Our First Cactus! |
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| The Hand |
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| Field of Cactii |
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| Flowering Cactii |
After checking in and doing some laundry (as the hotel does not have a laundry) we decided to do some sightseeing around the town. Unfortunately, there is not much going on in Downtown Phoenix, but we are reliably informed that business is slowly picking up and Downtown will be a hip place to go. We found a really nice Thai restaurant for dinner and as we hadn't had lunch, we both enjoyed it.
Some of the architecture in Downtown is very 30's. One or two buildings have been refurbished but there are a lot more new skyscrapers. I know it is cheaper to knock a building down than refurbish it, but it seems to be such a shame that they are losing these beautiful buildings. Evidently Frank Lloyd Wright, who designed the Guggenheim in New York, came from Phoenix and there are some of his buildings still standing.
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| Luhr's Tower |
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| Luhr's Tower |
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| Luhr's Building |
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| Mural on building |
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| San Carlos Hotel (foreground). The old and the new |
Off to bed now, and we will see what tomorrow may bring.
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