more light rail bridge colors

Tempe Gateway

Reflecting nearby A mountain and Hayden Flour Mill, 

the newest building downtown is called 

Tempe Gateway, an eight story development that will 

have mixed use including office space, retail, and a 

Main Light Rail Station. it's scheduled to be complete

in about 2 months. 

three rabbit replica

these three small rabbits, located at the tempe transportation 

center light rail station, are an exact replica of three giant

sized rabbits, located about half a mile away, in a relaxing

courtyard with a water feature. i've previously

photographed the oversized rabbit on the right on

my post linked here:

http://tempearizonadailyphoto.blogspot.com/2008/05/telling-secrets-to-water.html

hmmmm

Rodin's "the Thinker" multiplied

another light rail artwork (taken in Phoenix)

middle eastern cuisine

not far to the west of Haji Babas is the Cafe Istanbul

and Market. I haven't eaten there, but it looks like 

a good place, with a few seats outside. The parking lot is 

also a park and ride spot for the light rail, for riders 

who get on at the Dorsey station. 

along the apache trail

Apache Boulevard, also known as Apache Trail, was a 

former highway connecting Phoenix with Globe and 

Superior to the east. All along Apache Boulevard are

the sort of businesses - service stations, restaurants, and

motels like this pastel pink one - that one would expect 

would spring up along a busy highway. Then in the 

60's and 70's, new highways were built, and Apache became

 just another street with an eclectic mix of roadside businesses. 

Now that Apache hosts several miles of the light rail, it will be

 interesting to watch how the revitalization of the street 

as it becomes an important travel corridor once again.

park it here

yesterday's featured transportation center has a bike

station where commuters can get their 

bicycles repaired while at work. the station

 is secure and even has showers so 

you can freshen up before hopping on the train!

tempe transportation center

at the base of "a" mountain, the new tempe tranportation

center is a light rail and tempe orbit circulator 

stop; also the building was constructed with a variety of

green strategies. for water conservation, there are low flow

water fixtures, use of greywater, rainwater harvesting, and my 

personal favorite: a green vegetated roof.

connections

another view of a light rail sculpture

i first posted on december 26. the bronze

hands are meant to depict light rail connections - connecting

us with other neighborhoods and cultures. new york artist

Suikang Zhao sculpted the work.

having a pleasant, distinct flavor

"tasty" mosaic at dorsey station

look out below!

today i took my first ride on the light rail.

it was great, i look forward to being a frequent 

rider. while waiting at the tempe transportation

station, several paragliders sailed high overhead. 

i believe they launched from nearby "A" mountain. 

they are no doubt practicing

landing in sun devil stadium (directly below

this glider), where the minnesota golden

gophers will go against the kansas jayhawks for

tomorrow afternoon's insight bowl.

little boys and trains

tempe's light rail celebration included a farmer's market 

(planned to be a permanent tempe fixture beginning in 

April), displays of hohokam pottery found along the

 rail site, chronology of light 

rail planning and construction, and miniature trains 

like this one, chugging around a fanciful carnival. 

light rail celebrations

the cover band known as "the chris parker project"

played in the parking lot across from the new 

tempe transportation center yesterday while 

people drank hot chocolate, ate brats, and walked

to the light rail station at veterans way/college avenue.

they sounded great!

big turnout

today was the official launch of light rail. judging by the

turnout at the 2 tempe stations 

i visited, our new transportation is going to be very 

popular. there were so many people waiting to board

i decided to wait until tomorrow or monday to take

my first ride. each train can hold 575 people and each 

train was completely full of riders all day. i'm 

not sure how many trains are in the fleet, but they come

by every 10 minutes (20 during off peak hours). it was

quite a festival-like feeling in downtown tempe where

music played and crowds of people walked down mill 

avenue and along the side streets. 

light rail art

several works of art adorn the dorsey/apache 

light rail station, including this saguaro 

skeleton. when a saguaro dies, the flesh

decays leaving a beautiful woody skeleton. 

this rendering looks just like the 

real thing.

countdown to light rail

in just 5 days light rail will begin to transport 

commuters from mesa through tempe to phoenix. as 

typically happens when a new change goes into effect, 

there are cynics and proponents. i am among the 

excited and am hopeful that the train will be so successful 

that north-south extensions will follow in the 

not-so-distant future. until then, i plan to ride from tempe

to downtown phoenix, try out new restaurants, 

go to the phoenix library, catch a suns game - all without 

a thought about where to park. and on the way, 

i'll read a book. 

Quotes of the Day

Alongside one of the new light rail stations, near Rural and University, is a giant multi-layered sphere etched with great quotations. I really like the ones shown here, "Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life" (Kant) and "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever" (Gandhi)

I'm heading to northern California tomorrow and don't know what the internet situation will be; my posts will be automated through next Wednesday. If I have internet I may post updates to my bat blog, as I'll be out batting, thanks for stopping by!

Light Rail

Light Rail is coming to Tempe! Planning and construction has been underway for a few years, and this December the rail will be functioning to link Mesa and Tempe to downtown Phoenix.