Adventure at First Friday in Phoenix

My brother, Mike, and I took to the Phoenix streets last night. Not for anything shady... unless you ask the evangelists preaching about hell fires from their portable loud speakers. We were there for the First Friday Art Walk. We had been there before, but made the mistake of going early (around 5pm) when it was still very, very hot. Still, there were tents up all around the downtown Phoenix area, and we were pleasantly surprised at all the refurbished historical buildings to walk among. It was such an interesting mix of people, too! 

Five things to check out:

1. The murals. Many buildings also sport beautiful murals! I posted four of my favorites above, but there are many, many more to find. It is fun to challenge yourself toa scavenger hunt and find the ones hidden in alleyways and around every corner. We spotted people taking advantage of the photo opps for selfies and such (including us)!

​And may I recommend following @jb_snyder on IG? His work can be found all over the Phoenix area nowadays. You can see more murals at Murals of Phoenix on IG.

2. Refurbished historical buildings. I've lived in Phoenix for many years, since 1992, and I was pleasantly surprised at all the work that Phoenix has done to revitalize the downtown area. There are many, many building that have been restored and it makes for a beautiful walk in itself. We enjoyed the Gold Spot building that houses the (super cool) Lola Cafe, which in turn sports the  window art- see above right. We also admired the outside of the Trinity Cathedral, built in 1920, and it makes me want to return to check out the modern stained glass windows- see below right.

​Lola Cafe at Gold Spot
1001 N. Third Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85003
Link to Lola's FB page

Trinity Cathedral
100 W Roosevelt St, Phoenix, AZ 85003
Link to Trinity website

3. Artsy shops. To be honest we originally stopped into the shops for the A/C, but then stayed for all the fun posters, pottery, jewelry, and more.  Most of the shops are housed in refurbished houses with original wood floors and cool porches. We especially loved the shop MADE, which has all kinds of southwestern and Arizona themed crafts!

​MADE Art Boutique
922 N. Fifth Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004
Link to MADE website

4. The people watching. One of my favorite things about the Art Walk is the variety of people you'll see there! We saw young and old, tattooed and straight-laced, liberal and conservative, dancers and bystanders. You will come across many people preaching or handing out flyers for their personal political views. You'll hear DJs and bands, sampling their music for the masses. You'll have local artists asking you to visit their table or tent full of items or services to sell. My favorite was an older bearded hippie dressed in a pink tutu and prancing around his table, as two large police officers stood by and observed him, unsmiling....

5. The art galleries. It is an art walk after all. We didn't find many galleries open this time around, but maybe because it's July and it's hot? Or we just didn't know where to go? My favorite collection was at the modified/arts gallery. I especially loved the embroidered pieces by Tucson artist Yu Yu Shiratori (section of one piece featured to the right), but other artists are on display, as well.
​
​modified/arts gallery
407 E. Roosevelt Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004
Link to website

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Bottom line?
It's worth the trip, but try to go later in the evening if you go in the summer (seriously). To avoid parking issues- and help save the planet!- take the free ArtLink trolley tour. And savor the excellent people watching opportunity!