So today was the first time that I actually went exploring by myself in Downtown Phoenix on foot. I ventured away from the campus in order to do a review on The Sweet Pea Bakery and Catering. Instead of taking the bus, I walked from around Central and Van Buren to 2nd Avenue and Jackson Street, where the bakery is located.

Let's just say that this wasn't the best part of town--but not as bad as I expected. I was fine up until the point where i passed the Madison Jail--which is sad to say, but I never knew it even existed. I guess I'm learning a few things myself, as I'm not extremely knowledgeable of the Downtown Phoenix area. Anyways, I eventually made it to the bakery, which was rewarding in itself. It was in a remote, rather dead location, but hopefully that will change soon. Right next door is the Royal Coffee Bar as well---what's better than sweets and drinks?

I was the only person inside the bakery at first, so I was given a lot of friendly attention by one of the owners and chefs, Danielle Librera. She explained the ingredients for some of the most popular goodies, and I tried four of them. I will eventually post the story that I do for the State Press Magazine on here, but for now I'll save the rest for later. More information on the bakery can be found at http://www.sweetpeaaz.com . By the way, the food is amazing and the decorations and art are lovely! And they make cute specialty cakes!

On my walk back to the campus, I witnessed a protest against Joe Arpaio on the corner of 1st Avenue and Washington around noon. This was to be expected of Downtown, but it was a little surprising nonetheless. And reassuring. Glad I'm not the only one that disagrees with what's been going on...but that's enough of that.

Hopefully this won't be my last experience! I plan to travel around Downtown during my free hours a bit more---hopefully when I have more money as well---to enjoy those sweet treats of course :)

Pictures: http://www.sweetpeaaz.com/ (gallery and home page)