Respite in Downtown Phoenix

A Spanish gate graces the entryway of an otherwise relatively modern building in downtown Phoenix, AZ.  The interior courtyard reclines in beauty, serving as a place of respite.  We could all use a respite from the tumult of life from time to time.  To enhance the drama, I utilized a black and white color scheme, intensifying the drama with noir.

Two Views of Michigan Avenue at Night (Chicago, IL)

I took these photos towards the end of my trip, when I was walking down Michigan Avenue and soaking up the Christmas shopping energy. With their lights of red and green, both the John Hancock Center (above and below) and the Bloomingdale building (below) are decked out in seasonal glory. Growing up in Chicago, I used to love walking down Michigan Avenue during the Christmas season, with the chilled air brushing my face, sometimes bringing snow flurries to the city, and the holiday shoppers migrating from one vertical shopping mall to another.  To this day, nothing says Christmas to me like a visit to Chicago, and a walk down Michigan Avenue. After all, the holiday season is about coming home, is it not? 

Hipster Senorita

Yesterday, after my visit to the Phoenix Art Museum, I ate lunch at Carly's in the Roosevelt Row district, after taking a photo-snapping stroll around the area.  Here is a detail from a mural I really loved.  Again, the Day of the Dead, which is a favorite theme of mine.

Savoring the Details, Phoenix, AZ

I couldn't resist taking this snapshot.  In downtown Phoenix, on 1st Street, just off of Taylor, there is a beautiful, gigantic mural that spans the far length of a building's side.  It displays images that are native to the state of Arizona, including everything from industry to agricultural products of corn and squash, and from cacti to symbols of Native American culture.  It's a spectacular piece of work, and too large for me to capture adequately with a panoramic shot, as the mural darkens and loses some of its color and detail (which might be partly due to the late time of day I make it over to downtown Phoenix).  Well, until I can make it there at an earlier time of day, I hope you can enjoy this floral detail.  Seize the day; savor the details.

Old and New

This evening, I caught a glimpse of a spectacular sunset reflected off a modern building, with the old St. Mary's Basilica in the foreground.  Built in 1915 in the Mission Revival Style to replace an original adobe structure, St. Mary's Basilica is referred to as Phoenix's first Catholic church and enjoys a triple distinction of being a City of Phoenix Monument, an Arizona Historical Site, and a National Landmark.  This scene captures what I find to be so fascinating about the American Southwest: The rich juxtaposition of old and new, modernity and tradition.

While Passing Through

Tempe, AZ

Just one of the bridges of Tempe, AZ, as seen through the window of the Light Rail during my commute home.  There are several bridges crossing here, and I had wanted to get a shot of multiple bridges together, but the task was to capture this scene quickly before we passed it by and all I got was this angle.

Chicago through the Looking Glass

Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate, lovingly regarded by Chicagoans as "The Bean," is a popular draw at Millennium Park.  People love to walk underneath it, or stand beside it to enjoy a distorted view of the surrounding cityscape.  Here are a few of my photographs celebrating "The Bean."

It's like alternate realities, with the mirror-view of the city, at center stage, countered by the actual city on the periphery.

Here, more of Chicago's world-class architecture, with the head of your friendly neighborhood blogger conveniently blotted out by snow.

Cityscape

Today, an extra: The Phoenix skyline, as seen from one of the freeways.

The Westward Ho, Phoenix, AZ

The Westward Ho, Phoenix, AZ

Here is a view of the Westward Ho.  Completed in 1928, this Mission/Spanish Revival style work of architecture has served various purposes, most famously that of a hotel.  The building possesses some charm, with elaborate architectural accents adorning the windows and entrances, but overall it is rather austere in appearance.  Honestly, the large antenna that caps the rooftop is an eyesore and I cannot understand why the city of Phoenix ever allowed this to be installed to compromise the building's architectural integrity.  According to Wikipedia, the Westward Ho enjoyed a variety of famous visitors, including President Kennedy, Paul Newman, President Nixon, President Reagan (prior to his presidency), and Marilyn Monroe.  For its first 30 years of existence, it was considered to be the tallest building in Arizona.    

The Cheerful Dead

The perfect gift for me after a long, rough week: a Day of the Dead mural painted on the side of Tacos De Juarez Mexican restaurant on 7th Street, just off of Roosevelt.  These two remind us that you can never be too stressed (or dead) to live it up.  Keep the weekend chill...and on ice...and enjoy the day.  What a great mural to find during the month of October.  And speaking of the dead, the new season of The Walking Dead premieres next weekend.  I can't wait!

Blue Bar Illumination

Along Central Avenue, in downtown Phoenix, a blue light display brightens up the night.  Not much to say here, I just couldn't resist taking a photo of this.

Evening Comes to Phoenix, AZ

Evening comes to downtown Phoenix in subtle shades of lavender.

Random Scenes from Discovery Green, Houston, TX

Discovery Green is a very cool interactive green park situated in the middle of downtown Houston.  It is a beautiful park where families go to picnic and play.  If downtown Houston itself feels deserted, Discovery Green is where urban Houston comes alive.

Here, botanical beauty complements sleek urban architecture.

Usually, this water feature is a very popular play spot.  I took this photo on the morning of my last day in Houston, at a time before the park became fully populated.

This water feature was already teeming with activity.

This beautiful pond is bordered by prairie grass and other plants.  I love prairie plants and the rich texture of their foliage, especially when they are swayed by a soft breeze.

Monument Au Fantome by Jean Dubuffet.

I don't know what this metallic heart is meant to represent and I saw no plaque providing a title or description, but I find the inclusion of hardware images, such as hammers and axes, to be a little disturbing.  What does the industrial theme of this heart mean?

Landscape and architecture come together in harmony.

I haven't really enjoyed the tangled shade provided by a canopy of trees since I moved away from Chicago and the Midwest.  This was a nice reminder of how soothing it can be.

I love these fun, multicolored structures (above and below) and wondered what function they might serve.  Were they some type of play toy?  A couple of explorers informed me they served as entrances to an underground parking garage.  That was a mundane revelation, but I still found them so aesthetically pleasing that I had to photograph them.

City framed by a garden.

Downtown Galveston, TX

Galveston is a small Gulf coastal city with a lot of charm.  A survivor of multiple hurricanes, including a large one in 1900, Galveston today sports some beautiful historic architecture that has repeatedly withstood the destructive force of nature.  Being located right on the Gulf, oil, from what I understand, is a big industry in Galveston, and so is tourism.  Along downtown Galveston's historic main street, a tourist can enjoy a wide selection of restaurants, entertainment venues, and art galleries and boutiques.  This is a gem in the state of Texas, and for multiple reasons.

Since I love both architecture and history, I fell in love with many of the old buildings that have stood strong against the test of time and disaster.  I was on vacation, and walking about town with a group of friends, and so I didn't pay much attention to plaques that were placed in front of the buildings.  But I know beautiful architecture when I see it and I want to share some great specimens here with you.

The sad thing is that many of the historic buildings in downtown Galveston are currently vacant, even though they are being kept up rather well.  The vacancy they endure tends to cast a slight shadow of desolation upon the downtown core, and while it is not overwhelming, it does help to provide an undercurrent of the bittersweet upon all of the downtown activity.  Let's hope that changes soon.

I love old Victorian buildings with their rich architectural detail, especially when they are festively decorated "painted lady"-style.

I have never had the pleasure of taking a cruise and was stunned to see the sheer size of this gigantic cruise ship.  When they compare these massive ships to small cities, they are not exaggerating.

Classic nautical themed photo.  Since childhood, I have been fascinated with ships and the open sea.

Above, the Galveston News Building, which was built in 1884 and survived over a century of fair and stormy weather.

Above, perhaps my favorite historic building in downtown Galveston, with all the ornate, multicolored architectural detail of the period that I love.  Vacant, like a number of buildings downtown.  I envisioned opening a coffeehouse here, or a vegetarian cafe, something much needed in the meat-obsessed Lone Star State.

A beautiful and stately historic building.  Downtown Galveston has successfully preserved its old time charm, which is very different from the strip that fronts the Gulf of Mexico.  Galveston is definitely worth the visit.

Deep in the Heart of Houston, TX

Visiting downtown Houston is a lesson in disappointment.  The city core is not blessed with an abundance of restaurants and retail options, like many vibrant downtowns, nor does it offer the variety of cultural venues, like Chicago or New York City.  The nation's fourth largest city is depressingly vacant.  There are many corporate buildings where people come to work during the weekdays, and an excellent light rail system, but during the weekend the downtown core is virtually abandoned.  On Labor Day, the only thing I found open was Phoenicia Specialty Foods, a grocery store that sells a wide array of imported items from Europe and the Middle East and serves some excellent prepared foods.  Throughout the area, boarded-up buildings litter the landscape and streets require upkeep.  It's a shame because downtown Houston possesses some beautiful architecture, but this is an example of what happens when people of an area scatter to the suburbs and forsake their collective urban identity.  Here are some (mainly) architectural photos that I took on walks I made in downtown Houston during my recent visit.

The J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Building is reminiscent (at least to me) of the Tribune Tower in Chicago.  Everything from its Gothic architectural motif at the building's top to the ornate entrance reminds me of what I would encounter in my hometown.

The Mellie Esperson Building was my favorite architectural specimen in downtown Houston.  With its classically inspired domed top and its colorful detail, it enriches the entire downtown landscape.

The Mellie Esperson Building mixes architectural styles quite well.  Above is an architectural relief that is sheer art deco, while below is a window relief that is classically inspired, along with the Texas longhorn skull that is pure Southwestern USA.

The domed top of the Mellie Esperson Building.

Architecturally modern, this Hilton Hotel offers a beautifully subtle display of color.

A water feature that graces a stretch of Houston's light rail system.  A beautiful accent to a public service, but it needs regular upkeep.

Beautifully colorful architectural accents!

A modern abstract sculpture that provides an urban environment with much needed color.

Beautiful wall art that provides color and an organic flair to the cityscape.

A beautiful, but vacant historic building, a great place for a pub or a restaurant, or at least a coffeehouse.

It's heart-warming to see city residents express these feelings about their city.  I wish my experience of Houston could echo these adjectives, but my experience was completely different.  Can Houston be all these things? Does it hold promise?  You betcha!  Beautiful, classy architecture, both modern and historic, grace this urban setting, and the interactive green park, Discovery Green (more on that later), enhances the quality of life considerably.  I have to confess that I was a little stunned by what I found in downtown Houston. If Texas isn't the wealthiest state in the Union, then it must be second, behind California.  I would think that Texans would want to showcase their prosperity and consequent cultural achievements by presenting a spectacular world-class city, and that is something Houston can definitely become.

In walking about town, I entertained some thoughts as to how this can be achieved.  Start small, then build slowly outward to the rest of the downtown core.  Follow the example of Seattle or Milwaukee and create a public market that's housed in a permanent structure.  There are a number of vacant buildings in the downtown core, some of them historic.  Put them to public use. Have the public market feature locally grown produce and artwork for sale by local artists.  Have favorite local restaurants set up small cafe extensions of their businesses to offer visitors the very best of Houston.  Being located in the heart of Texas means that Houston already has specific types of cuisine that it can capitalize on, from Texas barbecue to seafood to TexMex, as well as other foods that can highlight the great diversity that make up this city community.  Have local bands, singers, and performers come to the public market on weekends and provide entertainment.  If creating a public market is too large and too fast, then how about starting with a weekend farmer's market, or a weekend art market, like in Portland, OR?  Houston has the bones of a vibrant city; it just needs the vision to dress it up properly.