Live bands battle it out against the backdrop of the fabulous Phoenix Art Museum, the Red Dress Tour hits Roosevelt Row and a popular photo essay exhibit highlighting 26 Blocks of Phoenix travels once again! These are just some of the events on my radar in this special First Friday edition of Weekend Fun along the light rail.

First Friday, September 3rd, 2010

The Train Tracks competition returns to the Phoenix Art Museum for Season Numero Dos. I’ve been watching the performances online and this season is going to be goood! In case you don’t know, Train Tracks is a competition where local bands take turns playing an acoustic set on the light rail. The public votes online for their favorite performance, and the bands with the most votes move on to the quarterfinal round at the museum. Live music set to the backdrop of fabulous works of art makes this one of my favorite events in the Valley! In between sets, be sure to check out the Cezanne exhibit which is currently on display. The Phoenix Art Museum is one of the premiere destinations for art and culture in the southwest and admission is free on First Fridays. From the light rail, deboard at the McDowell Station. The museum is directly across the street on the northeast corner of Central Avenue and McDowell. Good eats: The wine bar Cheuvront is just south of the museum and the piano bar My Florist Cafe which is five blocks to the west.

This month, you’ll notice a Good Eats note at the end of each entry. These links are suggested places to eat and drink within walking distance of the destinations mentioned.

Here are some other fun places to hit on a First Friday in Phoenix:

The Coe House (Central Station) will feature DJ MoLo with backup players Bryan Mok & Chanelle Richardson (aka The Epileptic Photographers), artwork by Jon Ashcroft and photos by Jason Garcia. Good eats: Local Breeze

Performance artist Kara Roschi takes YOU on The Red Dress Tour (Roosevelt Station), offering discounts at local businesses to promote walking on First Friday. Don’t forget to wear red! Good eats: Carly’s Bistro

The popular traveling photo essay exhibit depicting 26 Blocks in Phoenix makes a stop at the A.E. England Building (just north of Central Station) at Civic Space Park. Good eats: The Compass Arizona Grill.

My favorite Twitter guilty pleasure @saynomorgan (aka Morgan McNally) brings her art work Sometimes We Cock Our Heads… to SuTRA Midtown Yoga (Encanto Station). Good eats: Switch Wine Bar

UPDATE: Students from Barrett, the Honors College at ASU’s Downtown Campus, are Exploring First Friday on the Light Rail.

Saturday, September 4th

Bunky Boutique (McDowell Station) is celebrating a birthday this weekend, and you get the gift! 30% off selected merchandise through Monday. Good eats: Try Giant Coffee next door or Thai Hut around the corner.

Sunday, September 5th

What’s up, Sunday?

That’s about it from where I’m sitting. What do you have planned over the weekend? Be sure to post your favorite event in the comments below. Follow my First Friday on Twitter and use the hashtag #phxff. Information on how to ride the light rail can be found here and don’t forget about the 30 Days of Biking Challenge – hopefully you’re riding a bike to all the First Friday festivities. Have a great weekend!

Children’s Museum of Phoenix, originally uploaded by LightRailBlogger.

The Children’s Museum of Phoenix engages the minds of kids (from birth to 10 years old) with interactive exhibits and displays. Take the light rail and deboard at either of the 3rd Street Stations. People with kids tell me it’s a little bit of walk with a family in tow which is why you may want to consider riding a bike from the train to finish that last mile of your commute. See a complete list of arts and culture along the light rail here: Valley Metro’s Ride Guide.

Friday 8/27

Critical Mass is the monthly group bike ride through the streets of central Phoenix. The nationwide event is meant to draw attention to the growing bike culture in most cities and to get motorists accustomed to traveling on the same roadway as bikes. The group leaves the 3rd Street entrance to Steele Indian School Park at 7 p.m. and takes the following route: Indian School to Central Ave. North to Missouri. East to 7th street. 7th street south to McDowell. McDowell east to 3rd Ave. North on 3rd avenue (source). The ride usually ends at 8:30 p.m. and afterward, many people head over to the Clarendon Hotel for a dip  in the pool. Be sure to ‘like’ the Critical Mass Phoenix Facebook page and stay up to date on future rides. Steele Indian School Park is located directly across the street from the Indian School and Central Station on the east side of Central.

Improvisors with The Torch Theater are taking a break from renovating their new uptown digs (4721 N Central Ave) and heading to perform at Practical Art on Central Avenue just north of the Camelback Station. The event is free, but donations are being accepted to help The Torch Theater with work on their new home. I’ve heard so much about The Torch Theater and I’m looking forward to seeing my first performance at one of my favorite stores in central Phoenix: Practical Art has a wide selection of everyday household items hand crafted by local artists. The result is art that you can use at home. Show starts promptly at 8pm. For more information, check out the Facebook invite here.

Friday 8/27 and Saturday 8/28

The new kids on the block are a restaurant and a bar called Bliss and reBAR, which are taking over the spot once occupied by NINE 05 on 4th Street just south of Roosevelt. Bliss and reBAR promise to be the new downtown hot spots, offering American comfort food and a rustic contemporary outdoor bar. Read about the opening, and some of the low calorie options offered at both places in the Chow Bella blog over on the Phoenix New Times website here. FYI: There’s a brief, five block walk from Roosevelt Station.

Lucky Strike Lanes and Lounge opens this weekend at the new entertainment destination called CityScape, located in the heart of the downtown Phoenix. Lucky Strike is an upscale bowling alley with a full bar and a menu that has a dish for every appetite. (The Tuna Lolipops and Tomato and Cheese S’mores sound interesting!) I had the opportunity to attend the VIP preview last night – Lucky Strike is stylish and sexy…and gives visitors another option for entertainment in our urban core. You can read about the other stores and restaurants opening in CityScape over on the Downtown Phoenix website. CityScape is located near the Central and Washington Station for westbound trains and near the 1st Avenue and Jefferson Station for eastbound trains.

Information on how to ride the light rail to any of these destinations can be found here.

That’s about it from this end. What’s on your radar for Weekend Fun along the light rail? Share your event by posting a comment below.

]]> http://lightrailblogger.com/2010/08/27/weekend-fun-14/feed/ 0 http://lightrailblogger.com/2010/08/23/heard-museum/ http://lightrailblogger.com/2010/08/23/heard-museum/#comments Tue, 24 Aug 2010 02:30:39 +0000 Tony Arranaga http://lightrailblogger.com/2010/08/23/heard-museum/

Heard Museum, originally uploaded by LightRailBlogger.

The Heard Museum in midtown Phoenix arguably has one of the best (and one of the largest) collections of Native American art in the world. Spend the day here and enjoy casual dining in the courtyard cafe or head over to the gift shop for unique jewelry and other items. Take the light rail to the Heard and deboard at the Encanto Station. The museum is across the street on the east side of Central Avenue. Location, hours and admission prices can be found here. Download Valley Metro‘s Ride Guide – a map of arts and culture along the light rail – by clicking here.

Phoenix Art Museum, originally uploaded by LightRailBlogger.

Phoenix Art Museum has its own collection of fine art (like this Keith Haring piece, foreground) in addition to bringing in fantastic exhibits from all over the world. If you spend the day here, check out the Arcadia Farms cafe featuring award winning dining and dishes prepared with locally grown ingredients. The museum is directly across the street from the McDowell and Central Avenue light rail station. Venue information including admission and hours of operation can found here. Download Valley Metro‘s map of arts and culture along the light rail by clicking here. Bike racks are located by the front entrance.