Howdy there, folks. It's Glenn with the Cactus Atlas
and today we're at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden
here to explore Chihuly in the Desert at night.
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The primary star of the show here today really isn't the Botanical Garden itself.
It's some of the blown glass artwork they have on display here from Dale Chihuly.
You'll probably recognize some of it when you see it.
I don't know if these are original works we're gonna see today from Dale
or from his studio because Dale hasn't really directly produced
any blown glass, I believe, in decades due to an accident
but he does kind of orchestrate and direct folks on how to do it.
That's really why we're here is to see some really cool glass lit up after dark
and until dark enjoy the sunset here at the Botanical Gardens and wander around aimlessly.
Amy and I arrived right before sunset
maybe about an hour before sunset so we can kind of experience
the Botanical Garden in the golden hour.
We're here now and it does not disappoint.
I made kind of a beeline towards the back into these cactus gardens because
this event, this Chihuly in the Desert, that we're here to see... I think it's sold out.
It is packed.
I thought we were here at a rock concert or something out there
and we had the park in overflow parking.
I guess I thought it was going to be completely, like, dead and Amy and I would be the only ones here
but boy was I wrong.
I'm trying to find, like, brief interludes of quiet in which to talk to you guys so
maybe this video will just be relaxing and a lot of B-roll. We'll find out soon.
Looks like this might be a hummingbird garden here.
You guys know if you've seen our channel that we like that
but something tells me this is not the proper time of day in which to see them.
We can look and try.
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Even though on the way in we passed a lot of the glass artwork,
we kind of just made a beeline towards the back to escape crowds
which was partially successful but
these are the first glass sculptures for you guys tonight
and they're starting to light up now.
How beautiful.
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It's still very crowded.
I heard people remarking that a little while ago it was even more crowded and
you couldn't really even find a spot.
But I love how that purple and the green of the cacti work off of each other.
It's really a nice combination of colors.
Each passing second too the sun keeps going down and these lights get brighter
while everything else gets dimmer out here.
It's just fun standing here and watching that transition.
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Outside of just the blown glass stuff, which is blowing my mind... get it?
I think the Phoenix Botanical Garden is my favorite.
Now that I am back here and I just see the variety of cacti and
all the stuff they have here and the sirens in the background
magnifico.
I take it there's no Chihuly glass back here but
I have this whole section to myself but what do I spy over there?
Some beautiful Chihuly glass. We have to get over there, folks.
That looks amazing.
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Oh, here's a really nice view actually.
I'm on a trail that I'm at here.
For those of you that may not be from the Phoenix area,
that feature on the horizon is known as Camelback Mountain.
I've hiked to the top of that before. One of the best hikes I think in Phoenix.
Kind of centered like in the center of Phoenix actually.
There's a preserve and a lot of mountains so you wouldn't really think that.
One thing that I don't have to contend with too often are crowds on this channel because
you guys know that I pretty much go out to the middle of nowhere
more often than not and one thing I don't really ever reveal on these episodes is
my general insecurity for doing this in public
when there's lots of people around because you know from someone else's perspective
we kind of have to look mad.
You know, we're talking to ourselves.
I'm holding a camera on a stick. It's a gimbal.
People are wondering what the heck is this guy doing.
For whatever reason folks here are the nosiest that I've encountered yet.
Gonna get photobombed tonight for the first time, I think, which should be awesome.
There's a purpose to our roaming around.
We're gonna go find some more of that blown glass.
That big blob there looks like the sun.
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One thing I noticed here... folks kind of line up and wait turns
to take their photos. Their Instagram photos.
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So beautiful after the sun goes down out here.
Just the fantastic colors, the dim light... it all works perfectly.
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Oh my god. This is really, like, an exercise for me.
I've got people, like, trying to sneakily take photos of me as I'm vlogging. Or videos.
There's these, like, two women that were doing it and giggling and watching.
So, very awkward.
If you guys see this video... naughty naughty.
Botanical Garden at night. This is awesome.
The Chihuly glass aside...
Just wandering around with this dim lighting is something special.
I like it just for that alone but, yeah, with that beautiful glass glowing like that...
That's the secret sauce.
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I see maybe... I don't know if it's the grand finale of lighting and
we certainly missed some on the way in that we're gonna see on the way out
that were spectacular but you could see all that color
out there, we're gonna go head back there and see what that's all about next.
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Trying to find this indoor exhibit also.
I think Amy found it. I gotta find her now.
We've totally lost each other here.
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Alright, let's go see if I can find her and get away from some of these people.
I'm mainly trying to get away from these two ladies that keep
following me around, like, filming me filming myself.
It's creeping me out. [Laughter]
I mean I creep myself out too, I get it, but...
Come on, man. At least be subtle.
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You do have to wear a mask in here and they've got extra ones out there
if you come here but that's a pretty strict rule.
Which is fine with me whatever but I'm in finally to the exhibit.
We made it. About 10 minutes I'd say to get in.
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Oh. I think we found the motherload here.
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Oh, wow. Look at this piece.
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I would hate to trip and fall into that and be the guy to break it.
Steve Urkel style.
Amy was just remarking also that this is her favorite.
We didn't coordinate on that.
I came in here, declared it as my favorite, she saw me, came over, and said it's her favorite too.
The best colors.
The coolest motion I would say.
I wonder how much this thing is insured for?
That's the question I have. What is it worth?
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I feel like we're under the sea or something like that.
It's, like, coral or something of that nature.
Yeah, the just the reflective surfaces really make it over the top cool.
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I think this is the bulk of the gallery so far but
it's definitely worth waiting, like, 10 minutes even on a busy night
like tonight to get in here.
Yeah, the exhibit... very well worth seeing.
You have to see it actually if you're going to pay the 40 bucks
it costs for one adult to come on a Saturday night.
How could you not?
If you wait until the last 20 minutes of the event then you get everything to yourself.
We're gonna head back to the beginning now and try to take a few pictures and
see a few things that we skipped on the way in to avoid the rush of people coming in.
Here's one of the ones that we kind of glanced over earlier.
Now it aired out a lot so...
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Interesting. When you just stand here and you admire this thing...
As large as it is.
I don't know if that's like 20 feet tall or something like that I'm going to guess.
You see things like this, like table settings and small knockoffs of the style
but when you're right up against it, you just see what it would have had to have taken
to create something like this. I mean you have to respect this.
Actually, these are very similar to the purple ones that we saw around sunset
except they're, like, blue or teal.
Really pretty.
I don't know which ones I like better, the purple or these.
Ah! Now, this is what I'm talking about.
All to myself.
Minutes left before they're probably gonna come find me and kick me out.
They're just... They look so organic and so alive.
Yet so beautiful and the colors are fantastic.
This is kind of, like, a gold and white. Yellowish white.
Creamy. Squiggly.
There's yet one more to enjoy here as we slowly walk out to the front gate.
A cornucopia of glass.
Amy just came up and said it looks like a cornucopia.
What was I just saying a few seconds ago, folks? I said cornucopia.
Amy, I swear to god. I did.
[Amy] I was thinking about myself and there's another couple who actually said it too.
[Glenn] Oh, really? So there's three people that said cornucopia.
That's the thought and the mood that this invoked.
It's a cornucopia of glass.
Fiori Boat is the name of this.
Not the Guy Fieri boat but... [Amy laughs] Oh god.
[Glenn] The Fiori Boat.
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Okay, folks. so there you have it That's the Chihuly in the desert at night.
The admission that you pay to go between four and eight pm
here at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Gardens.
Was it worth it? Absolutely yes.
Would I ever come on a Saturday night to come see this again? Hell no. [Laughter]
Don't let that deter you if that's the only time you can come. Please do.
But highly would recommend trying to find a cheaper and less crowded night.
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