What a great concept! A few artist friends have been trying to lure me into checking out First Friday around Roosevelt for years now. "You will love it!", they exclaimed.
It didn't exactly grab me as a place to take a baby to...whole bunch of crazy partying artists for an excuse...just kidding. I finally went along with my hubby and 5 year old son about 5 months ago for the first time and have gone to several since then. We absolutely loved it! We parked around Tammie Coe's Bakery (that's how we came to visit this joint so often) and order some coffee and dessert while we walked around.
Artlink definitely revived what was once a seedy part of downtown into something so unique to Phoenicians. Old and dilapidated bungalows were transformed into jewelry, pottery, and sculpture enclaves. Headlining local bands performing in front yards...so cool! It's brilliant to take a small apartment complex in a state of disrepair into single room artist galleries. My son was mesmerized by a couple of beautiful women with their flame throwing act while a bonfire ablazed behind them. That's the only time he stood still.
I told my artist friends how much I enjoy First Fridays. They told me "It's not the same as it used to be. It's so crowded now when it was once just a whole bunch of artists getting together."
I'm glad I waited...