La Placita Village, Tucson, Arizona

Ok, let me be straight up with you right from the start – La Placita Village, in downtown Tucson, Arizona, is not a traditional village in the old Southwest tradition.

Instead it is delightful collection of adobe, brick, and wood frame buildings designed to resemble a Mexican marketplace.

When I visited the complex on a blazing hot day in the middle of September, there were not a lot of people about, which gave me plenty of time to shoot some video footage, take photographs, and examine each of the buildings with their wonderful patchwork of vibrant oranges, purples, yellows, blues, greens and reds.

The village itself is home to the Tucson Visitor Center where you will find the usual assortment of maps, brochures, and merchandise. 

There are numerous buildings housing boutique shops, cafés and restaurants, and other small establishments, and the Village is within easy walking distance of several excellent museums, a Convention Center, Music Hall, the Fox Tucson Theater, and much more.

During the warmer months, free screenings of classic films are presented on the Village plaza, and other outdoor events are scheduled throughout the summer months.

Here is a short collage of video footage and photographs of the complex...

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La Placita Village

110 S Church Street

Tucson, AZ, 85701.

More Info:
Visit the Official Tucson Travel Information Guide…

Greek Island Cooking: Rice Stuffed Zucchini

Another in my “Irene’s Kitchen” series featuring the Greek Island cooking of my sister, Irene Gevezes. This time Irene is cooking Stuffed Zucchini, a very simple vegetarian dish. 

Finding large zucchini (also referred to in some countries as Courgette, or Squash), of the size seen in this video — which came from Irene’s homegrown plants — may be quite difficult in modern supermarkets since they tend to favour short, thin fruit under 20 cm (8 in.) in length.

Look for the larger zucchini at weekend farmer’s markets, or better still — grow your own.

Ingredients

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Four large zucchini halved

2 cups uncooked rice

5-6  Spring onions

3-4 Garlic Cloves

Fresh mint

1/2 cup Olive Oil (for frying)

Condiments: salt, pepper, turmeric to taste

Filmed on the Greek island, Ikaria, in 2014. With thanks to Irene Gevezes for her patience, culinary skills, and delightful meals. 

You can see more of my videos online via my YouTube channel...

The New York Wheel: Myth or Reality

The New York Wheel is a 625-foot (190.5 m) tall giant Ferris Wheel planned for construction in St. George, Staten Island. The wheel will have 36 passenger capsules, each carrying up to 40 passengers, and a total maximum capacity of 1,440 people per ride. Up to 30,000 passengers per day and about 4.5 million per year are expected to ride what is said to be the largest Ferris Wheel in the United States, and one of the largest in the world. A single ride is expected to last about 38 minutes.

The official New York Wheel website states that “The Wheel is expected to begin construction in First Quarter, 2015”, with “a target opening date of early 2017.” As of this post, we are fast approaching the third quarter, 2015, and as far as I can ascertain construction has yet to begin on the proposed site. 

There have been many engineering and architectural renderings depicting the views from the top of the New York Wheel, with the above image being just one of many. Will the New York Wheel even get built? I certainly hope so. I for one would be more than happy to line up for an opportunity to enjoy a unique view of New York harbor, the Manhattan skyline, and Staten Island itself. Apart from the architectural renderings, it is hard to image what an actual ride on the Wheel might be like. However, one enterprising drone operator has recorded a two minute film over the proposed site which seeks to give a realistic view from one of the massive passenger capsules.

The footage seems to have been recorded early one morning as the sun rises over Brooklyn, and one can see freighters entering New York harbor, a ferry entering the St George terminal, distant views of the Statue of Liberty, and of course the Manhattan skyline.