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| - If you have any time between now and May 31, 2009, be sure to go and check out the Chihuly installtion at the Desert Botanical Gardens.
The gardens would have been fabulous, but the Chihuly installion delivered icing to a tasty cake. For fifteen bucks, it was one of the nicest walks I have taken in a long time.
On my sixth day in Phoenix, I decided to take a few hours from my hectic schedule of class during the day, getting lost on the way back to the hotel and working into the wee hours and see something of my weeklong adopted city. Perusing those magazines left in the hotel room by the management (in a vain attempt to say, "Get of the room, sometimes, dearies, you work too hard!") I found an ad for the Chihuly exhibit, went online to buy a ticket and had my plans _made_. I would have gone to the zoo, but it closes at five _everyday_. The garden is open until nine, which gave me time to leave class, get lost driving there and still have some wandering around inside the garden time.
Ok, the temperature was 103 that day, so even in the early evening, it was pretty hot, but I took water and there were fountains dispersed throughout the park. Even iin the gloaming, I got a little sun, but I would definitely advise the strongest sunblock you can find.
They were having an evening event with jazz and food and drinks, but as the park filled up with people, it didn't seem appreciatively more crowded, except in the food and drink areas. This park is large enough to accommodate lots and lots of people.
Just a note of the Chihuly glass. This is a major installation. I lost count as to how many pieces were here. My brother wrote in my blog that this was where Chihuly pieces belonged, not indoors, in museums. I respectfully disagrees, I love to see Chihuly pieces anywhere. Surroundings do interact with his art, but wherever I see his work, it changes and grows. Just as limiting Goldworthy's work to outdoors would only show us one side of that talented artist, limiting Chihuly's work to outdoor installations, would only show us a limited number of facets of his work.
Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now. :::griN:::
I'll just say that if you have some spare minutes in Phoenix that are not in the heat of the noonday sun, go to the Desert Botanical Gardens, before May 31, if possible!
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