To Market and Beyond: Saturday by Bicycle
Jan. 13th, 2008 09:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rebeccmeisterIn semi-diligent preparation for a tremendously long bike ride next weekend (to Tucson, and possibly back, 120 miles a day), I decided to ride the Jolly Roger to the Downtown Phoenix Public Market yesterday along a route recommended by a market vendor who regularly commutes to downtown Phoenix. For those to whom it matters, I took Mill through Papago to Van Buren, and then took a right on 36th street (with a minor accidental detour on 38th) to Roosevelt, which basically goes straight to the farmer's market.
The market was moderately crowded, so after sitting down to eat a croissant another couple asked if they could share my table. The wife then felt obliged to have a "conversation" with me about violence and rapists on the loose these days and how she's in favor of the death penalty/etc (she was a little bit shocked that I had ridden my bike from Tempe). I didn't really feel like having any kind of conventional discussion, so I asked her if she'd ever killed anything and she said she'd killed a chicken and a duck before. That was about all the polite attention I could muster, so I got up shortly thereafter to continue my shopping. I learned that my favorite sandwich-bread bakery has bread loaf punch cards, and then headed further on my way.
My second destination was the newly relocated Willow House coffeeshop, which apparently was forced to move because of a rent hike. The new location is in a slightly grittier part of town, which is something I actually appreciate because it makes for more interesting scenery as I bike. For instance, I passed by a row of tiny shacks that were roughly 2/3 the size of my Garage and which made me wonder how their inhabitants got by. One had a satellite dish on the roof. There also tend to be more people out on the streets in such neighborhoods, which I also like. The "nicer" neighborhoods in this suburbia tend to be utterly devoid of human contact, which is sad and shows up in the lonely glances exchanged in our Craigslist Missed Connections ("We were stopped at a traffic light and I glanced in your direction and you were hot. Let's hook up!"). It's a bit tricky to be out and about in such places as a white woman, but I'm okay with that because I spend most of my life as a majority member and I think we learn from our discomfort.
Anyway, the Willow House has managed to retain its vibe in a slightly cleaner setting, and though it's not a favorite it was a'ight. From there, I decided to stretch out my ride a bit further with a visit to a place called Figs home & garden (Yelp reviews here). The reviews are pretty much spot-on, though if you're a wrought-iron fanatic like myself the place could be quite dangerous to visit. One potential drawback is that things are appropriately priced, which is to say, expensive. But they generally looked well-made and I didn't leave in an exhausted Pottery Barn-style stupor (I cannot stand expensive, mass-manufactured furniture). I did spot an incredibly expensive dresser that I liked (I've been casually hunting for one but am quite particular about what I want), but I don't think I'll be buying it any time soon.
On the way home, I rode along the Grand Canal for a stretch. The Canal waters are the lowest I've ever seen them--stretches were bare mud and green scum, and all of the debris that has been thrown in there jutted out at awkward angles. I spied several large fish and fishermen, but no other particular items of note.
After I reached home and ate lunch, I headed out to what I thought would be open studio time for ceramics, but the building was dark and still, so I swung by The Paper Studio and managed to escape with my wallet largely intact. After a trip to the grocery store, I had managed to log a total of 41 miles.
In the evening, J,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
trifold_flame and I went to the Phoenix Symphony to hear a few pieces by Debussy and Mozart, and a good time was had by all.
The market was moderately crowded, so after sitting down to eat a croissant another couple asked if they could share my table. The wife then felt obliged to have a "conversation" with me about violence and rapists on the loose these days and how she's in favor of the death penalty/etc (she was a little bit shocked that I had ridden my bike from Tempe). I didn't really feel like having any kind of conventional discussion, so I asked her if she'd ever killed anything and she said she'd killed a chicken and a duck before. That was about all the polite attention I could muster, so I got up shortly thereafter to continue my shopping. I learned that my favorite sandwich-bread bakery has bread loaf punch cards, and then headed further on my way.
My second destination was the newly relocated Willow House coffeeshop, which apparently was forced to move because of a rent hike. The new location is in a slightly grittier part of town, which is something I actually appreciate because it makes for more interesting scenery as I bike. For instance, I passed by a row of tiny shacks that were roughly 2/3 the size of my Garage and which made me wonder how their inhabitants got by. One had a satellite dish on the roof. There also tend to be more people out on the streets in such neighborhoods, which I also like. The "nicer" neighborhoods in this suburbia tend to be utterly devoid of human contact, which is sad and shows up in the lonely glances exchanged in our Craigslist Missed Connections ("We were stopped at a traffic light and I glanced in your direction and you were hot. Let's hook up!"). It's a bit tricky to be out and about in such places as a white woman, but I'm okay with that because I spend most of my life as a majority member and I think we learn from our discomfort.
Anyway, the Willow House has managed to retain its vibe in a slightly cleaner setting, and though it's not a favorite it was a'ight. From there, I decided to stretch out my ride a bit further with a visit to a place called Figs home & garden (Yelp reviews here). The reviews are pretty much spot-on, though if you're a wrought-iron fanatic like myself the place could be quite dangerous to visit. One potential drawback is that things are appropriately priced, which is to say, expensive. But they generally looked well-made and I didn't leave in an exhausted Pottery Barn-style stupor (I cannot stand expensive, mass-manufactured furniture). I did spot an incredibly expensive dresser that I liked (I've been casually hunting for one but am quite particular about what I want), but I don't think I'll be buying it any time soon.
On the way home, I rode along the Grand Canal for a stretch. The Canal waters are the lowest I've ever seen them--stretches were bare mud and green scum, and all of the debris that has been thrown in there jutted out at awkward angles. I spied several large fish and fishermen, but no other particular items of note.
After I reached home and ate lunch, I headed out to what I thought would be open studio time for ceramics, but the building was dark and still, so I swung by The Paper Studio and managed to escape with my wallet largely intact. After a trip to the grocery store, I had managed to log a total of 41 miles.
In the evening, J,
trifold_flame and I went to the Phoenix Symphony to hear a few pieces by Debussy and Mozart, and a good time was had by all.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-01-14 03:24 pm (UTC)If I could, I would get one of the smaller places along Adams or Jefferson. They are older houses, no less manufactured than some of our current models, but with a lot more character. I fear that if not for their historic character, they would have been gobbled up for office buildings a long time ago.
Where do you get your sandwich loaves?
no subject
Date: 2008-01-14 05:15 pm (UTC)I get my sandwich bread from Bread Basket, Inc.--they have a stand at the downtown public market and the shop in Scottsdale is also quite nice. I love small businesses!
no subject
Date: 2008-01-15 03:27 am (UTC)I haven't been to the symphony in years. I keep meaning to go but don't quite make it by myself.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-15 04:13 pm (UTC)I know what you mean about symphony trips--another grad student suggested the trip, which was good encouragement to go.