Monday, February 25, 2013

Mon 25 Feb - Scottsdale, AZ

Monday at Vineet's and we were having an admin and slow morning. After stuffing around at home, we take a drive to:

  • Check out a restaurant for Di's birthday in a couple of days (Fleming's Steakhouse just up Pima Road, looked good).
  • Check out whether our Wells Fargo cards work in the ATMs (Di's did, Hans didn't but that was quickly sorted out as the ATM was literally next to a live branch person)
  • Find out details for making bank to bank OTTs (thats Overseas Telegraphic Transfers) from Suncorp, Australia to Wells Fargo, USA
  • Find out whether we can have the car until Friday instead of Thursday (we could) and whether we can drop it off at Phoenix Sky Harbour Airport instead of Scottsdale Airport (we could)

Lunch at Thai House in what has now become our local shopping centre off Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard and then today's highlight. A visit to Phoenix MIM, Musical Instrument Museum just up the road from Vineet's.

The museum is rated number 2 in Tripadvisor as things to do in Scottsdale and we have talked to people earlier on the trip who recommended it. We were not disappointed. MIM is superb and we could easily spent all day there if we would have come in the morning.

MIM is just off ringroad 101 that you can see in the background on the photo below. The photo itself is taken from the upper floor inside the museum.

Here we are, full of anticipation outside MIM.
At $18 per person, MIM is one of the more expensive museum we have been to, but you do get to borrow a small Sennheiser receiver and headphones, which get activated with music when you approach an exhibition.
Here is the lobby.
Upper level was loosely divided into musical instruments from the different continents, they called it The Geographical Galleries, with an obvious higher disproportion from the US. Here are a sample of displays from different countries.
Oceania section, where Australia was included, was closed for upgrading. The photo below was taken from outside the closure.
This was a bit of a token effort...
We liked this display of "instruments".
There was a Mechanical Music Gallery, which various music machines and nickelodeons.
They had a demonstration of the Decap below, played 2 songs including Beatles' Yesterday, but not using the old punchcards anymore but a computer. Fascinating stuff. All the instruments you see get played automatically as well as the underlying organ.
We particularly liked the Experience Gallery, a hands on gallery where you can try your hands on a variety of world instruments. Fun fun fun...
This Nickelodeon required a token to play. Get a token from the security guard if you put down a dollar into the donation box. We did. The tune we got was "oh you beautiful girl"... Not meant literally.
And now to some of the really cool displays...
Below are the remains of Keith Moon's drums from THAT live show. You know, the one where Pete Townsend also smashes his guitar. Of course, that clip was also played on a monitor nearby.
Guitars, guitars and more guitars and the guitars below where by no means the only guitars on display. Far from it.
Two of Carlos Santana's guitars, on loan from the man himself. And again, right next to the photo below was a monitor where he played on the guitar to the right. Too cool for words...
And the following memorabilia was on loan from George Benson.
Drums... and lots of them...
Just before closing time at 5pm, we decided to call it quits. Phoenix Museum of Musical Instruments is fantastic. So much to see and listen to. And, we almost forgot, there is also an absolutely superb photo exhibition, in black and white, of old jazz greats.
Back to the farm for poached salmon, mash and asparagus. Di is cooking up a storm. Nice, and with a glass of...
 
Mmmmm..
Afterwards, lazy with Hunter and Raylan...
 

 

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