Photo: Pony Express Statue

This statue is a tribute to the Pony Express riders who delivered mail across the West before the construction of the railroads.

This statue is in front of the pedestrian bridge across the canal at the Scottsdale Waterfront.

There was a street fair going on at the time of this photo, which is why there are white tents in the background.

This week we have photos of the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Pedicab driver at work.

The pedicab driver I showed yesterday quickly jumped on the bicycle and pedaled south.  This is tough work, especially as the temperatures stay hot at this time of year, as reflected by the fact that this driver chose to work without his shirt.

There was a horrible traffic accident a year or so ago in which car hit a pedicab operating at night without light or reflectors.   As a result, the Scottsdale City Council has recently enacted an ordinance to require safety measures for pedicabs.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of the Patagonia region of southern Argentina.

Photo: Pedicab driver sizing up the situation

Pedicabs are popular in downtown Scottsdale.  They ferry people (mostly visitors, I assume) throughout downtown on shorter strips, such as between nightclubs and bars in the entertainment district

This is a photo of a pedicab driver surveying the scene outside the Valley Ho resort in Scottsdale.

The public safety issues regarding the pedicabs are important and somewhat controversial, as I will explain tomorrow.

This week we are showing photos of the Galapagos Islands on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Scottsdale Restaurant and Bar

The purpose of going to the roof of one of the two downtown Scottsdale parking garages was to get photos of the sunset, but it also provided this vantage point of one of the many restaurants in the downtown entertainment district.  Many of the restaurants have outdoor patios, which are popular for all but the hottest summer months.

And the parking in downtown Scottsdale is free.

This week we have photos of the giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Native American Dancers at Scottsdale Civic Plaza

Last Saturday we got so food at the farmer's market in downtown Scottsdale.  At the outdoor amphitheater outside the Scottsdale Center for the Arts, there was a performance of some Native American dancers.  This is a quick iPhone photo of them.

This area is called Scottsdale Mall, but it is not a shopping mall, although there are some shops and restaurants in the area.   It is an area of plazas and lawns at the civic center that includes the Scottsdale Center for the Arts, City Hall, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, the Main Library, and more.

For people in the Northeast who are experiencing another winter storm, you might notice the typical Arizona winter weather blue, sunny skies.  It has been about 70 degrees here for the past week.

This week we are showing photos of Raboul, Papua New Guinea on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  It is the former capitol, but has been destroyed by volcanic eruptions.

Photo: Theme Day: Street lights

Today's theme for August 1 is "Streetlights" for City Daily Photo sites around the world.  This is a photo from last night on Main Street in Old Town Scottsdale.

Main Street is lined with art galleries, restaurants, and shops for tourists that feature western wear and Native American items.

There are large decorative street lights on lamp posts that line the streets, plus regular streetlights, and small lights strung across the street, which add a festive ambiance.

My husband and I actually live in Paradise Valley rather than Scottsdale.  (Our next door neighbor's side yard is the boundary between Scottsdale and Paradise Valley.)  We do not have streetlights on residential streets in Paradise Valley because the town tries to keep it dark to make it easier to see stars,  We also do not have any business streets.  There are no stores, gas stations, or other businesses except resorts in Paradise Valley.

This week we are showing photos Cabra Castle, northwest of Dublin, Ireland, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  It is a castle hotel that is a delightful place to stay.

Here is a link to the posts of other City Daily Photo bloggers who are showing photos of the Street Light theme.

Photo: Segway Tour of Scottsdale

While I was taking a photo of the art installation along the canal I noticed that across the canal was a Segway tour of Scottsdale rolling by the walkway on the other side of the canal.

That looks like a fun way to cover a lot of territory to see the area, although I would prefer the exercise of walking.

Also, I suspect it would be hard to take photos while zooming by on a Segway.

This week we are showing photos of the colorful architecture and street scenes of Grenada, Nicaragua on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Sunday crafts fair on the canal bridge

This is a photo of part of the Sunday crafts fair that is located on the pedestrian bridge that connects the Scottsdale Waterfront/Scottsdale Fashion Square shopping areas with the Southbridge/downtown Scottsdale shopping and entertainment district.

The crafts fair is also set up on the plazas on both sides of the pedestrian bridge.  My husband and I walk over this bridge many times on our way to dinner at one of the many restaurants in downtown Scottsdale.

It is nice to live close enough to walk to dinner at dozens of restaurants, which is a rarity in Phoenix/Scottsdale, as most people have to drive everywhere.

This week we are showing photos of the colorful architecture and street scenes of Grenada, Nicaragua on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Upside down umbrellas

This photo is not upside down.  These are some of the umbrellas hanging upside down from the superstructure of the pedestrian bridge over the canal that divides the Scottsdale Waterfront project and the shopping area around Scottsdale Fashion Square with the Southbridge project and downtown Scottsdale.

 The umbrellas add a little artistic flair to the ceiling of the bridge, and at times they drip or spray water on pedestrians.  In Arizona, it is so warm that we do not mind a little water.

This week we are showing photos of the colorful architecture and street scenes of Grenada, Nicaragua on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Crafts fair on the pedestrian bridge at the Scottsdale Waterfront

This is a pedestrian bridge over the canal that separates the Scottsdale Waterfront from the Southbridge projects in downtown Scottsdale.

There is a crafts fair on the bridge and the surrounding plaza on Sundays and Thursday evenings, as you can see in this photo.

In addition to the umbrellas providing shade for the crafts booths, there are umbrellas hanging upside down from the top of the bridge.  That is part of an art installation.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of the colorful architecture and street scenes of Grenada, Nicaragua.

Photo: Cider Mill Sodas

The Cider Mill Store in Old Town Scottsdale has a lineup of specialty sodas, including the Prickly Pear Cactus soda that I showed yesterday.

At an event at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts, The Citder Mill Store had a gentleman serving sodas for people in line. We enjoyed a delicious sample.

This week we are showing photos of Papua New Guinea on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Prickly Pear Cactus Cream Soda

Some people like old fashioned cream soda.  In Arizona, there is a business in Old Town Scottsdale that is making cream soda out of prickly pear cactus, as you see in the label on this soda bottle.

Here is a link to the website of the Cider Mill Store that sells the prickly pear soda.  I had heard of prickly pear jelly, but soda from cactus was new to me.

This week we are showing photos of Papua New Guinea on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Scottsdale Farmer's Market

Here is another photo from the Farmer's Market, held each Saturday morning in the parking lot at 1st Street and Brown and downtown Scottsdale.   People like the local produce and other products.

This week we are showing photos of the bottom of the Grand Canyon on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Can I Have Some Please?

People love to bring their dogs to the Farmer's Market and to the weekend arts and crafts fairs in downtown Scottsdale.  I assume that is because they can't usually take their dogs shopping with them to conventional stores, and they and the dogs enjoy walking around the outdoor markets.  The dogs seem to enjoy greeting each other, and the customers, including me, enjoy seeing the dogs.

This vendor of jams and jellies attracted the attention of this big dog.  As far as I am concerned, if this dog wants some food, he can have anything he wants.

This week we are showing photos of the bottom of the Grand Canyon on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Old Town Festivals

This is a photo of one of the  weekend art and crafts markets in downtown Scottsdale, which are held during the fall, winter and spring, but not the summer on some weekends.  They close off 5th Avenue and set up  booths for vendors.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site we are showing photos of the architecture of Cambodia.

Photo: Downtown Scottsdale Walking Tour

The sidewalk in front of the public art that I showed yesterday has painted on it a little tour of public art in downtown Scottsdale.  There is also signage, brochures and a website that provides information about the public art.

We we have photos of Costa Rica posted this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: "Blessings to All" Statue

This is the scene caddy corner across the intersection from the large boots, bell and rose in front of the parking lot in downtown Scottsdale that I showed a few days ago.  Scottsdale has a public art program that maintains art and landscaping in its downtown area.

As you can see, there is the image of a Native American in the midst of the landscaping on this corner.  It is a statue entitled "Blessings to All."  The plaque at the base of the statue is shown in the second photo, below.

What a nice, humanitarian greeting for the visitors and local residents who walk around downtown Scottsdale.


We we have photos of Costa Rica posted this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Western themed entrance to parking lot

This is the entrance to a municipal parking lot in downtown Scottsdale.  They use the parking lot as the site for the Saturday morning farmer's market.

Scottsdale prides itself on its western heritage, so the parking lot is decorated with a cowboy boot, bell and rose.  During the last several days I have posted close-up photos of a barrel cactus, and you can see a barrel cactus just to the right of the boot in this photo.

We we have photos of Costa Rica posted this week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Downtown Scottsdale

This is typical of the street scenes in downtown Scottsdale, sometimes called Old Town, although it is not very old.

This is the intersection of First Street and Brown, just one block south of Main Street.  The shops in this area cater to tourists, with lots Native American goods for sale.  On Main Street a couple of blocks west of here is the Main Street Arts District, which has lots of art galleries.

The sidewalks in this area are shaded, thankfully, for this time of year.

This week we are showing photos of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Scottsdale Farmer's Market Food Booths

The Scottsdale Farmer's Market has a wide variety of food booths, selling baked goods, cheese, olive oil, jams and jellies, and other types of food products.

Some of the vendors are local folks who produce the food.  Some appear to be more commercial.  For example, a gourmet olive oil store on Main Street, just one block away, has a food booth.  I guess it is good advertising for the store.

People seem to enjoy browsing and sampling the offerings.

This week we have photos of dazzling Bangkok, Thailand  posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.