May
25
2006

Mill To Broadway

Ruby Tuesday, Zia, Tempe Beach Park & The Long Last Lonely Mile

(Add / View Comments) (0)PhotosThursday, May 25, 2006 - 12:39:47 pm (Wednesday, May 24, 2006 - 07:39:47 pm MST)
(Posted Under: Travel)
This morning Katie suggested that we go our for lunch. She came home from work at 12:30, and we headed downtown - with no particular destination in mind. Which would be fine normally, but Katie was on her lunch break - so I stepped up to the plate and made an executive decision - Ruby Tuesday on University. I'd wanted to go there at some point, so today was as good as any. The food was good, and the unlimited refills of drinks was quite welcomed.

After the meal Katie drove Catherine back to the apartment, and then went back to work. I decided that I needed to take a trip to Zia Record Exchange, which is literally just over Mill down three shops on Universty from Ruby Tuesday.

Photobox ImageAfter taking a few photos, I headed in - having been there before I knew exactly where to go - straight to the back of the store, like a man on a mission. The local music section down the back was quite larger than it was last year, or at least larger than I remember. I was initially disappointed that there was no copies of Laurel Canyon. I did find a suitible amount of good CD's I wanted to get. Satelitte (which I told Katie on the way to Mexico that I was going to buy it for her, so that was sweet), Beat Angels, Mill Avenue Cowboys (Tramps and Thieves), (Shelby James and The Crying Shames) and Sugar High - pretty good selection there today. I also looked at a KZON Collectiblles (Vol. 6 I think), but it didn't particularly have any cool local stuff on it, so I gave it a miss. Since it was only 2 o'clock I knew I had plenty of time to kill, so I took my time. Half way through looking through the CD's I noticed that I had gone past 'B' without getting Laurel Canyon (The Black Moods). I went back to the B section, and found 3 copies. Which made me worry what else I'd actually missed while I was browsing. I briefly looked for the Dialetrics record (which I don't even know what it is called), as a pipe dream, but of course it wasn't there. Though, I guess with Zia you never know what you'll see used.

I had a breif look at the general 'G' and 'R' sections, before going to the counter. Inhighensight, I wanted to get some Cracker CD's, which completely slipped my mind.

Photobox ImageOn leaving Zia, I deecided that instead of going back to the apartment, I would walk down to Tempe Beach Park. I walked down University past Mrs. Rita's, and turned down Ash Aveneue. It was really nice walking down Ash, and being able to take photos at my own leasure. I could feel how hot it was, and I was looking forward to / hoping that there were vendors at Tempe Beach Park selling drinks.

I made it down to Tempe Beach Park, and again it was really nice walking around and taking photos at my own pace. This time I walked around parts of the park that I hadn't before. I thought again how different, and smaller than it seemed at night at the Tempe Music Festival last year. It's still hard to believe that all of those stages fit into the park. I walked along Tempe Town Lake, and took some cool photos of downtown Phoenix with the train line over Tempe Town Lake. Then I walked over to the remains of the Ash Avenue bridge. I hardly needed more photos of it, but took some anyway.

Unfortunately there were no drinks for sale anywhere in the park, but the drinking fountains were a welcome sight. I then made my way out of the park. Being so close to Mill, I wasn't suprised of pan handling, before I'd even gotten across Rio Salado. A group of hippies had just crossed at the lights, and when passing me, one asked for a spare $10 bill. The Mill pan handlers are annoying, but are actually suprisingly nice. When I told this guy that I had no money he said "okay, have a nice day". Back at home, refuse a begger and get hurled abuse.

Photobox ImageIn anycase, I crossed over, and walked back down Mill. Being on foot it was cool to take photos of Mill Avenue. As I stopped near Fifth Street, a guy came up and asked me if I had any shrooms. Thanks to a conversation that Katie and I had a few months ago I knew what he meant. Then he asked if I had any buts, or bud - I had no idea at the time, but knew I didn't have any. (Ahh, yes, I'm so up on my illicit drug slang [smile] Katie informed me later that it was pot). Funny later looking at my photos and seeing that I have one with this guy in it! It was also humourous relaying the story to Katie, and her asking if he asked me if I wanted some shrooms - my response - "no, remmember, I was on Mill". If you're on Mill, you're always being asked, not offered! [wink] Though, all in all, there was suprisingly not much in the way of pan handlers on Mill today. I think that was the time of day more than anything though.

on reaching 7th Stree I was standing across from the sad sight of the parking lot that was once Long Wongs. Seeing the trees, news stands and phone booth just as last year, but the vacant lot instead of the adobe building of Long Wongs is just strange. I think getting to physically see Long Wongs last year really makes it weird.

I continued down to University, and headed down towards Rural. By this point, I wished I'd had my phone with my, to xall KJ and have her pick me up somewhere after work. It wasn't the distance, it was the desert heat - and the lack of any shade anywhere makes it worse. I made it to a Circle K on Rural, and purchhased a bottle of water, which I murdered in about 2 minutes outside. I could see the railroad up ahead, which runs behind Katie's apartment, so that was a glorious sight to see. Though, it was a lot further to Broadway than I would have liked. I finally made it to the Safeway on the corner of Rural and Broadway, and finished off the water and went in to get another. Even though the it was further from the Circle K to the Safeway than I thought, I was suprised how hot the last of the water had gotten in the relatively short amount of time. I went in and got some more water, and sat outside for a bit, really wishing, despite being only a few blocks from the apartment, that I had my phone with me, to call Katie and say "I'm at Safeway, pick me up on your way home!" Especially since it was getting on to five. After murdering another water, and having a smoke, I sucked it up and made the final trek back to the apartment.

It was a really nice out, and nice to be out, but I don't think I'm going to attempt to walk from Tempe Beach Park to the apartment in that sort of heat again any time soon! [smile]

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