Tonight’s Santa Ana Art Walk was safe, crowded and a lot of fun

My wife and I visited tonight’s Santa Ana Art Walk, in downtown Santa Ana, and had a great time.  We started our evening with a surprise.  The big parking garage just north of the Proof Bar was full.  So we drove to the Federal Court parking garage and found a free space there.

We then walked over to Calacas, and checked out their annual Dia de los Muertos exhibit.  It was fantastic!  They have a lot of great t-shirts and art available for sale.  They are located at 324 W. 4th St., Ste. B, in Santa Ana.

Then we walked over to the Santora Building.  It was really warm inside but we had a good time visiting the various exhibits and galleries.  MC Art Gallery had some terrific sculptures for sale.  They also hold art classes on Monday nights.  Click here to read about that.

We wrapped up our visit to the Santora and headed out to the CSUF Grand Central Art Center.  It was really crowded so we stayed outside and checked out the Southwest Art Car Caravan & Film Tour.  The cars on exhibit were incredible, especially the van that was covered in cameras.

Then we headed across the street and visited Rueben Martinez’ bookstore, Libreria Martinez.  We got to speak to Rueben and met his family.  He has actually authored a book and has a great selection of books for adults and kids, in Spanish and English.  He also has a lot of great art on display.

We were getting thirsty now so we headed back across the street to the new Copper Door bar.  We had a laugh when the guy at the door checked our I.D.’s.  First time that has happened to me in many years.

We met Marta Gumm, one of the owners of the Copper Door.  She is so nice!  She treated my wife to a strawberry beer that tasted like fresh strawberries!  I had a Belgian white beer that was so smooth, with hints of citrus.  We also enjoyed  a jar of smoked almonds, which was only $3.  They have over forty beers!  The place is huge and Marta says they are planning a psychedelic Halloween party that should be out of this world!  The Copper Door is located at 225 1/2 N Broadway.

We were tuckered out after all that, so we headed back to our car and drove off.  We did notice an increased police presence tonight.  We also saw the security guards that the folks at Downtown, Inc. pay for.  We never felt anything but safe.  There were a lot of nice folks out.  It was great to see our downtown hustling and bustling!