Continuing my story of our visit to the Phoenix Convention Center, Friday afternoon we used the hotel computer for Tracey to take me through the family histories she has been compiling through Ancestry.com. My family harkened back at least five generations. I never even knew the names of my great grandparents so this was extremely interesting to me. Tracey has so far taken her husband’s ancestry back to the year 200. In my new e-book novel, I created a several-generation history for one of my characters and this ancestry chart really sparked my creative interest for using in a future book.
We decided to have dinner in the Compass Arizona Grill, the revolving restaurant at the top of the Hyatt Regency, across the street from the Center. We expected it to be expensive and we weren’t disappointed. We stuck to the Soups & Salads menu, otherwise we would have gone bankrupt or to jail. We were there for the complete circle during the sunset hour and watched with fascination as the city lights came on.
Our waiter was a plus. Noting his accent, Tracey asked where he was from. He was from Guanajuato, Mexico, which is a bit NW of Mexico City. I traveled in that area exten
sively by RV in the late 1980s. We talked about the colorful buildings hugging the hillside of this beautiful Mexican town. He also mentioned San Miguel de Allende and we talked about the Pink Cathedral that I also remembered so vividly.
The skyline was dominated by Chase Towers, at 483’ the tallest AZ building; the U.S. bank Center; One Arizona Center, a 20-story high-rise office building; The Arizona Republic (Newspaper) building that also houses the NBC 12 News television station I watch most mornings. As we made our hour-long turn through the sky, we also saw St. Mary’s Basilica (1881), one of the oldest Catholic churches in Phoenix; U. S. Airways Center; with a fascinating view of other landmarks around the city and the distant mountains.
One night we went down a block and bought a giant piece of pizza each, plus drinks, and sat at an outside patio, watching the world go by. If we had had enough time for checking t
hem all out, the many possibilities were art galleries, Performing Arts, markets, sports, museums, film, Symphony Hall, comedy, and The Herberger Theater Centre right across the street from us, playing, “The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs.” It was described as “a harrowing tale of pride, beauty, lust, and industrial design.” It sounded intriguing but we had too much talking to do. More-than-you-could-count restaurants and cafes included “The Arrogant Butcher, The Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery, The Sticky Fingers Bar, and The Duck and Decanter.” God Bless until next week and more of our time in beautiful Downtown Phoenix.
Winter in the Wilderness, the first e-book novel published by Minshall, and the fourth edition of RVing Alaska and Canada are available through Amazon.com.
At 45, Widow Minshall began 20 years of solo full-time RVing throughout Alaska, Mexico, and Canada. Sharlene canoed the Yukon, mushed sled dogs, worked a dude ranch, visited Hudson Bay polar bears, and lived six months on a Mexican beach. She lectured at Life on Wheels, published six RV-related books and wrote a novel, “Winter in the Wilderness.”
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