100 South Mill Avenue

Event: 32nd Annual Spring Tempe Festival of the Arts
What: Exhibit
Host: Downtown Tempe – Mill Avenue & Lake Districts
Start Time: Today, March 27 at 10:00am
End Time: Sunday, March 29 at 6:00pm
Where: Mill Ave. District

To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=71800274552&mid=37402aG422ad591G17e8a3G7

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

Another View of the Fallen Ficus

Originally uploaded by Michael Monti

Jerry sent another photo of the tree damaged by the winds last night. I
don’t know whether the remainder can be saved. That means it will
probably be replaced by a scraggly Heritage Oak, now the preferred tree
because of its parsimony with water. At least your chances of getting
pooped on by birds–the endemic hazard of the Mill Avenue District–on
my corner have been reduced substantially.

Weekend freeway restrictions in Phoenix area; watch for Loop 101 work in East Valley

PHOENIX – Freeway improvement work in the East Valley will require some closures or lane restrictions this weekend (March 20-23). The Arizona Department of Transportation recommends that drivers consider alternate routes while the following restrictions are in place:

* Southbound Loop 101 (Price Freeway) closed between Warner Road
and Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) in Chandler from 11 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m.
Monday (March 23) for carpool lane construction. DETOUR: Southbound traffic will use frontage road.

* Northbound Loop 101 (Price Freeway) narrowed to two lanes
between US 60 (Superstition Freeway) and Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) from 11 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday (March 23) for carpool lane construction. DETOUR: Please slow down and be prepared to merge safely in work zone.

* Scottsdale Road closed in both directions at Loop 202 (Red
Mountain Freeway) from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday (March 23) for freeway widening project. Loop 202 on and off-ramps at Scottsdale Road also closed. DETOUR: Use alternate routes, including McClintock Drive.

* Northbound Loop 101 (Price Freeway) closed overnight between
Guadalupe Road and US 60 (Superstition Freeway) from 11 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday (March 21) for overhead sign work. DETOUR: Northbound traffic will use frontage road. Use Dobson Road or McClintock Drive to access US 60.

* Southbound Loop 101 (Price Freeway) narrowed to two lanes
between Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) and University Drive from 11 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday (March 21) for carpool lane construction.
DETOUR: Please slow down and be prepared to merge safely in work zone.

For a complete list of highway and freeway restrictions across Arizona visit ADOT’s Travel Information site at www.az511.gov or call 5-1-1. Sign up for ADOT e-mail updates, including weekend freeway restrictions, at www.azdot.gov .

ADOT plans and constructs new freeways, additional lanes and other major improvements as part of the 20-year Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) for the Maricopa County region. The primary funding source is a half-cent sales tax approved by county voters in 2004. More information about ADOT projects and the RTP is available at www.ValleyFreeways.com
.

# # #

Brock J. Barnhart

Community Relations Project Manager

Arizona Department of Transportation

www.ValleyFreeways.com

…do people struggling to pay their bills really want to watch as spectators while rich chefs make rich food for rich people? Via Restaurants and Institutions, from NYT http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/dining/18cooks.html?_r=2&8dpc

* In New York, a glut of culinary talent
New York City has a glut of talented and experienced chefs, leaving those looking for work to seek out jobs they’re overqualified for. The economy is a factor, but some industry insiders also say a restaurant bubble is bursting and that the situation is a correction. “People with euphoria and momentum and money stepped into the business,” said one restaurateur. “Landlords thought they could charge crazy rents anywhere in Manhattan.” The New York Times (3/17)

Kemper Marley Foundn funds Komodo Dragons @ PHX Zoo. So appropriate!

Originally uploaded by Michael Monti

Old AZ hands will surely see the irony of scary monsters being given a
home by this family. Wonder what they will feed the Komodos – maybe
reporters? Oh, but there are no reporters these days…

Monti’s La Casa Vieja

Originally uploaded by Michael Monti

Jimmy and Monique are on the patio during the Aloha Festival.