We were in Phoenix participating in the Rich Dad, Poor Dad Conference. I thought, for some reason that Phoenix would be a dull small Southwestern little city. But I was wrong, so very wrong. I didn’t attend all the workshops scheduled, I never do when I’m in a city I haven’t visited before, so that I’m able to do a little sightseeing. I actually took a whole Saturday morning and afternoon away from the convention.

I could tell from the 14th floor of one of the Phoenix luxury hotels where I was staying that there were white tents being set-up in a parking structure not too far from the hotel. It was 6:30am, I just knew it had to be a farmers market. By the time I made it down there, around 7:30am, I found out I was right. This was the Downtown Phoenix Public Market that offers the locals and visitors a like, fresh local produce, hand-made artisan crafts, food and entertainment. I ended up staying at the market until it closed at noon. What a marvellous treasure. Who would’ve thought that Phoenix, in the middle of summer, have an open-air farmers market? I talked to most of the vendors and bought several crafts, I really liked this piece of healing art handmade: it was so unique and beautifully unusual. I would’ve bought local produce, but I had no where to keep it fresh or no means to cook it. I was truly surprised to find a sustainable market in 105 degree weather.

The night before, was what Phoenicians call First Friday. It’s an artwalk in downtown Phoenix that happens every first Friday of the month. This is where all the studio’s and galleries open their doors to the public. Most of the walk is all along Roosevelt. But what I enjoyed the most is the fringe artwalk. All the local artisans who don’t have studio’s or galleries along Roosevelt set up tables to sell their art. It felt like all of Phoenix was either participating or just enjoying the art. What a marvellous idea.

Well, it’s time to finally attend at least on Rich Dad, Poor Dad workshop. I’m so glad I was wrong about Phoenix.

Australia is a fantastic place, and never fails to live up to its reputation for world-class hospitality.  Guests in Melbourne are made to feel welcomed, with a warm reception and a genuine friendliness that will last long after your stay here.  Every trip here hold many opportunities to make lasting memories, as well as providing a rich geography in which to get away from all the distractions of the busy world.  There are also many chances to get engulfed in a new and vibrant scene.  In many areas of the city, there is a lively night life, along with a host of attractions open in the day time, that can keep even the most cosmopolitan world traveler feeling right at home.

With its rich history and entirely contemporary sensibility, it is a fantastic place to find a great hotel.  Melbourne, Australia extends its hospitality particularly well to the accommodations available, and you’ll surely find something to suit your style and budget.  While you’re exploring the town, you’ll no doubt soon discover that Melbourne is a booming city, with a multitude of creative people doing very interesting work.  It’s been like this for a few decades now, and the recent years suggest that it’s in the middle of another high water mark for new works of art and music.  It attracts artists from all over the country, and also has its share of local heros.  Van Sowerwine, new media artist, now working and living in Brisbane, has roots here.

Her work is fascinating, often looking at childhood in a rather disturbing light, and bringing into sharp relief some of the shadows and corners of this iconic time, to tease out complex questions.  Her work crosses over from photography to video to installation, and does so with a very deft ease, as if she is seamlessly entering into a form that she is also simultaneously inventing.  Sowerwine’s work is often shown here, and it’s shown all over Australia and starting to make its way around the world.  It’s absolutely worth it to seek it out, in order to enter into her installations, which form complete and complex worlds that are constantly torn between nostalgia and anxiety, drawing on some familiar notions of innocence and bringing them to the surface in a language that is all her own.