Third Fridays at the Heard Museum, exploring some new Places, Spaces and Faces, and cheer on the other professional basketball team in downtown Phoenix! These are just some of the events on my radar in this weekly edition of Weekend Fun along the light rail.

Friday, June 19th

The Heard Museum’s NU series (Native + You) is a FREE third Friday event in downtown Phoenix. This week, the museum is dedicating an evening to pop. Attendees can hear a special acoustic performance by Charlie Brand, singer/songwriter/guitarist of Miniature Tigers. In 2006, Rolling Stone Magazine calls Miniature Tigers one of the top 25 bands on MySpace! The night will also feature one of my downtown friends, Marshall Shore, who is presenting Pop Goes the Valley. Shore’s performance takes the armchair tourist on a multimedia ride through the Valley’s history and references the Heard’s new exhibit titled POP! The fun happens from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Information can be found on the Facebook invite here. The museum is located directly across the street from the Encanto Station.

Saturday, June 19th

Time for a foodie happy dance! The Top Chef Tour is coming to the Phoenix Public Market. Not only will you get to see the chefs in person, but you’ll also get to sample their food. Activities will include fun Top Chef games, fabulous prizes and chef’testant autographs! The event is FREE and is being held simultaneously with the Saturday Farmers Market. Information on the event can be found here.

Later on Saturday, join me for one of my favorite downtown events! Friend and fellow blogger Taz throws a monthly traveling community potluck dinner called Places, Spaces and Faces. This month, Taz selected the Welcome Diner (924 E. Roosevelt) for the event. PSF showcases a local architectural gem (or adaptive reuse project) and I’ve found it’s a great way to meet downtown neighbors and others from around the Valley! The event runs from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and is free, however you’re asked to bring a potluck dish to share. Instructions for the event can be found on the Facebook invite here. The Welcome Diner is about 10 blocks from the Roosevelt Station. Ambitious people can walk, but I would suggest bringing your bike to finish that last mile of your carfree commute to the event.

UPDATE:

Another event on my radar this weekend:

Watch the Phoenix Mercury vs Connecticut Sun at the US Airways Center (3rd Street and Jefferson Station) on Sunday afternoon

Civic Space Jam at Civic Space Park (Central Station)

How about you? Where will you take the light rail this weekend? Be sure to post some Weekend Fun events in the comments below.

The market is in the running to win a $25,000 grant that would help to create jobs and teach sustainability in our urban core. If you could please take a moment to vote for the market by clicking on this link, then click ‘vote’, and then click on the fourth option down on the right hand side of the following page. Don’t worry, it’s easy and only takes a few seconds!

The Phoenix Public Market has added so much to the quality of life in downtown. Although this grant is relatively small in the big scheme of things, it will help the market thrive through tough economic times. For more information on the Phoenix Public Market and the Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, click here. The market is just north of Central Station in downtown Phoenix.

If you follow me on Twitter, you know I practically live at the Phoenix Public Market and Royal Coffee Bar, both of which are only two blocks from my loft.  I kind of like to refer to them as my kitchen away from home (I’m a single guy and I rarely cook at home). Not only can you buy snacks at the Phoenix Public Market like chips, dips and cookies, but you can also buy all the ingredients to make a full course meal!  For example…

my friend Susie who works at the market helped me pick out all the necessary items to make a chicken curry main dish for a dinner party I attended Friday night.  A package of four drumsticks, coconut milk, spicy thai chili sauce and some vegetables cost about $35 and served eight according to Susie.  She even wrote down the recipe!

There are three reasons why I love the public market:  everything sold here is grown/produced locally, you can buy everything from snacks and desserts to all the ingredients for a main course and you get personal service and attention.  Everyone who works here is really familiar with the products they sell and how you can use them to create culinary delights in your own kitchen.  The market also a menu for dine in or take away.  I heart the market and I’ve made some great friends here.

If you want to head to the market on your own – take the lightrail and deboard at Central station then head north on Central Avenue.  There’s a farmer’s market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  For more information, check out the market’s website here.  The market stays open until 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Besides the PPM – there’s also the Taylor Place Market on the ASU campus in Downtown Phoenix.  Taylor place is not a full market but if you ever have a hankerin’ for Cheez it’s, Snickers or Oreos, then this is the place for you.

Happy snacking!

]]> http://lightrailblogger.com/2010/02/21/downtown-phoenix-grocery-shopping/feed/ 1 http://lightrailblogger.com/2010/02/18/departures/ http://lightrailblogger.com/2010/02/18/departures/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:04:17 +0000 Tony Arranaga http://lightrailblogger.com/?p=1606 UDPATE: link to eatslow, eventbrite

Phoenix Public Market employee Natalie Morris heads to Italy later this month, and with our help, plans to bring back a ‘trip gift.’  Morris will obtain her masters degree in Food Culture and Communication from the University of Gastronomic Sciences, which is just outside Parma.  The year long program will focus on sustainability and locally grown products. Morris says it’s an honor to be selected – 1ooo people applied for the program and she is one of only 50 students who were chosen. When Natalie graduates, she plans on returning to Phoenix and becoming an advocate for sustainable living through locally grown food.  You can keep up with her studies by following her blog here.

Phoenix Public Market employee Natalie Morris heads to Italy to study sustainability and locally grown food.

The Phoenix Public Market will host a fundraising dinner for Natalie to help offset the cost of her education abroad.  The event is this Sunday evening, February 21st from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The cost to attend the event is $35 and ticket information can be found here.  The Downtown Phoenix Public Market is located at the corner of Pierce and Central.  Taking the lightrail?  Use Central station and head north.  See you there!