Didja hear the big, big news?!?!?
Finally, at long last, after
years of fighting a sea of people on the sidewalks of Roosevelt,
dodging cars while jaywalking and breathing the exhaust of the slowed
vehicles, Roosevelt Street is shutting out all traffic from Central Ave
to 7th Street tonight.
Yes, that's right. The street closure and vendor tables are moving
from their former home on Garfield Street to Roosevelt Street.
High five to Phoenix!
I see this as an improvement. Sure, more space means more people so those who already dislike the carnival vibe of First Friday may not be thrilled to hear this. But I say, for people with a quieter temperament, there's always Third Friday.
And, if you're interested in peddling your wares during First Friday,
click here to apply as a vendor because there will be many more spots
available.
And while we're on the subject of downtown Phoenix, I was recently
criticized in the comments section of my blog from a week ago about the
Monsters of Folk mural.
Yes, I had some negative things to say about the mural and I expected
that would offend some people. It's obvious a few folks believe I'm not
supportive enough of the art (of course, I disagree and I think my
writing can speak for itself on that one). But I am glad to see that a
dialogue was ignited.
I'd also like to point out that the artist, Joe Pagac, left a very
generous response. He indicates he'll be doing more work around Phoenix.
On that note, the mural will be replaced tonight with another one. We'll see if my morning drive improves.