Old Town Scottsdale

So here I am again trying to recap activities that we did 3 weeks ago.  I really need to do a better job of staying on top of posting stuff as it happens.

So way back on March 1st we attended our 3rd in a series of 4 Legends concert.  This time it was Roy Orbison.  I can't say I was ever a big fan as he was a bit before my time and for the most part a bit too country.  Still, a number of his songs have been redone by other artists so many of the songs were familiar.  It was a very good show complete with the dark shades and almost statue like presence on the stage.    






























On March 9 we went to Old Town Scottsdale with Mark and Jan.  It seems like every city down here has an Old Town.  The Scottsdale version was a little less authentic than many of the others we have been to.  Most of the buildings were modern with some old boards slapped on the store fronts pretending to be "Old".  Let me tell you the prices were definitely not "Old".  But I guess thats in keeping with the reputation of Scottsdale which is a pricier part of town.  Lots of restaurants, bars and stores selling the typical wares.  As Mark and I walked through one store he commented that there sure was a lot of junk in the store.  I couldn't have agreed more.  

We spent the better part of the morning and afternoon walking around taking in the sights, window shopping and admiring the Porsche, Mazerati, Lambourgini and run of the mill BMWs driving the streets.  We went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch which was very good and then hit the streets again.  Down the block and around the corner we came upon an ice cream parlour called The Sugar Bowl.  We stopped in for dessert and as the picture shows, it was yummy.   

As we were leaving the restaurant we noticed a truck with Alberta plates driving into a parkade.  He went through the entrance gate and hit the bar that hangs down at the entrance to tell drivers if their vehicle is too tall for the parkade.  He just kept driving.  He got inside and started going up the 1st ramp.  When he got to the top of the ramp his roof hit the ceiling of the parkade.  He was going fast enough so that he was wedged in.  He was still there as we walked away.  Stupid is as stupid does.  I don't do parkades with the truck without first checking clearance heights and even then I much prefer open surface parking. 

I had packed up the crutches a few weeks ago but had been using a cane for walking around the RV Park.  As the day wore on I found myself leaning on it more and more.  Since I hadn't been too active since Feb 7 I found myself wearing down despite our slow pace.  By mid afternoon my ankle started popping so I started looking for park benches while the rest of our troop continued their window shopping.  

Perhaps I should have rented one of these bikes.  Its kind of like "ride sharing".  The bikes are parked at various stands around downtown Scottsdale.  They have a GPS and a device to swipe your credit card.  I think it was $1 per hour.  Simply swipe your card, take the bike and when done drop it off at one of their bike stands.   I wonder how many bikes get stolen and stripped.  Can't imagine this working in Winnipeg.   

This is the oldest church in the Phoenix area that is still standing. 

Store overflowing with priceless artifacts

Old Town is located in the midst of downtown Scottsdale.
Would have been so much better if parking was taken off the streets
and replaced with vendors and farmers markets.  

One of the many bars.  This one with a very decorative iron gate.

A few blocks away is one of the baseball parks which is home
to one of the MLB teams.  The Cactus league was in mid-season
 form and between Snowbirds and baseball fans Old Town
 was just a hopping.  

This cowboy was showing off his skills.
Above he was showing one of the many ways to crack a bull whip.
You can barely see the red whip above his head.  

He also showed off his skills with a pistol, spinning, flipping,
one hand to the other and of course his quick draw skills.
He was pretty good.  

 On March 11 we had the last of our Legends concerts.  This one was the Eagles and the hall was packed and the group, "One of these Nights", was absolutely fantastic.  The best of the concerts we had seen.

These guys were old enough to be residents of the Snowbird park.
 I went to their website and most of the performance dates were at
Snowbird parks in Az and Ca. 

Thats it for now.  Next up is our trip to Lake Pleasant.  

Till then.