Historic Downtown Yuma

On Tuesday we went back to the old downtown for lunch, a little exploring and to get our weekly vegetables at the farmers market.  The fruit and vegetable selection was quite good and we stocked up on broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, peppers and a big bag of blood oranges.  All very fresh and delicious.  There is a formal tour of the historic downtown although we didn't take it on this trip.  Instead we just explored on our own.

A number of the premises are empty.  An obvious reminder of the recent financial crisis as well as the difficulty most cities have trying keep the downtown a vibrant economic concern.  We did stop in at Da Boyz restaurant specializing in Italian cuisine and I must say we found the food delicious and the decor very appealing.  Waistline aside a we may have to return.

The old Yuma post office.  

 A street shot with Da Boyz restaurant in the background.  In addition to fruits and vegetables vendors were selling many different types of crafts.

The desert flowers and trees are starting to bloom.  We are hoping to get out on some drives and hikes in the desert in the next week and hope to have some colourful pictures to show you.

 

 

We were searching for some pottery shops and ventured off the main street when by chance we came upon a block of arts and craft shops. The one above was located down a narrow sidewalk between two buildings which opened up to a beautiful courtyard.   In the back of the courtyard we found The Garden Cafe & Spice Co.  We are going to make it a point to return to have lunch in this beautiful spot.

 















On Wednesday it was laundry, general cleaning and maintenance day with a visit to friends, Betty and Richards place for supper.  They have been coming to Yuma for 8-9 years now and have made this their second home.  We enjoyed a great evening with them and they provided a number of suggestions of things to do and see and we have added them to our list.  They also volunteered to take us to Mexico on Thursday for lunch and some bartering.  Because of all the bad press Mexico has gotten the past few years Lori has developed a healthy fear of the Mexican border.  I knew there was no way I was going to convince her to cross the border however, as Betty and Richard have been there many times and assured us it was as safe as any other tourist destination, she agreed to step out of her box one more time.

Thats it for now.  My next report, if we aren't kidnapped by drug lords, will be about our trip to Mexico and our safe return.  

Later