Archive for August, 2012

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Feliciano Vera: I did not notice her when she boarded the bus. She was nondescriptly dressed, as was her friend.  Not quite hipster casual, nor professional. I still have no idea what she looked like. Cute, I imagine. In all likelihood she worked at either Pixar or Novartis or one of the myriad number of companies that call Emeryville, California home. Maybe it was my old-fashioned commuter etiquette – wherein one keeps to oneself – but she could easily have been one of a thousand other women that were taking the train or…

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August 27, 2012

Five Favorite Places in Phoenix

by: Douglas Towne

Tweet Today’s post is by Doug Towne as previously published in the Society for Commercial Archeology Journal. Doug is one of my favorite writers in town and when he wrote me an email that started with “I’ve decided you’re a nobody in this town until you’ve guest blogged on Blooming Rock,” I knew I had to publish one of Doug’s wonderful pieces. An idyllic evening spent at the former Ward’s Motel on East Van Buren Street was, fittingly, the setting for Doug’s first overnight stay in Phoenix in 1986. Captivated by the dichotomy of the strip’s neon splendor and its…

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Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Kirby Hoyt: Historically, cities have been designed around their prevailing modes of transportation. When Phoenix was first conceived, there were two modes of transportation: the train (for long distance and shipping) and the horse-and-buggy (for local and hauling needs). The streets in Phoenix were designed in a grid that emanated from the railroad depot and ancillary buildings, kind of a play on the Law of the Indies. Within six years of the incorporation of Phoenix, the beginnings of an extensive streetcar system was put in place, with the first streetcar operating on six…

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Tweet Today’s post is by Bob Graham, president of the Grand Avenue Rail Project. For the last two years, steady progress has been made on the establishment of the Grand Avenue Rail Project (GARP). The project is envisioned as a way to use certain existing resources to create an attraction that will revitalize the Lower Grand Avenue business district. Awareness of GARP has grown in the downtown community, and we have received many positive comments. In this article, I will give a brief summary of the project for those who are not familiar with GARP, and follow that with the…

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August 16, 2012

Brain drain! Everyone is leaving Phoenix! Why Now?!

by: Marshall Shore

Tweet Today’s post is by Marshall Shore, in response to my article, Why is Everyone Leaving?. Marshall Shore is the HIPstorian whose passion is uncovering interesting bits and curiosities from our past: the semi-forgotten people, places, and events that have made us who we are today.  As the official “Unofficial Phoenix Historian,” he uses storytelling magic, found film footage, old photographs, ephemera and artifacts, to bring our past to life in entertaining, educational presentations, and tours. While sitting at Fair Trade with Lourdes Lee Vasquez, talking about the September premiere of the movie The Immigrant Paradox at the Orpheum the…

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August 14, 2012

Falling in Love with Phoenix

by: Brenda Eden

Tweet Today’s post is by guest writer Brenda Eden. Brenda studied photography and GIS at Arizona State University. She works at the City of Phoenix creating storm drain maps. She loves downtown Phoenix and is constantly exploring the city with her camera. One summer night two years ago, I came across Taz Looman’s blog. I stayed up late into the night reading it. I kept telling myself to shut down the computer and go to bed, but I found it too interesting. I can imagine I am making Taz blush saying this, but I can also hear her saying “Yay!” And…

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Tweet Today’s post is by Feliciano Vera: I swear that I left my sanity somewhere between the zoo that is JFK and lush curves of Madrid’s Barajas Airport. The building oscillated in my bleary-eyed state, leaving me confused as I walked out into the brisk March morning. I looked like a fat punching bag dressed in a Michelin Man costume. Or maybe I felt like one. I don’t remember the details exactly, except that I was travelling as a third wheel with two newlyweds – my best friend and his new wife. Someone with more sanity would steer clear of…

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Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Will Novak: Men’s 10 Meter Air Rifle, Women’s Table Tennis, Race Walking; yes its safe to say I’ve got Olympic fever.  Thinking about this year’s Summer Games in London got me to thinking, why not Phoenix? At first blush, the idea of bringing the Summer Games to a blazing desert inferno that’s not a world class City seems crazy. Though upon further examination, I believe Phoenix would actually be an excellent host for the Olympics and/or the Pan American Games. Games in the U.S. The 2016 Summer Olympics will be in Rio de…

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Tweet Today’s post is by guest writer Anthony Floyd. Anthony is a licensed architect and Senior Green Building/Energy Code Consultant for the City of Scottsdale. He previously served as building official for the City of Scottsdale from 1988 -1995. Anthony’s responsibilities in Scottsdale include education/outreach, energy performance evaluations and assessment of alternative building systems for building code compliance. He maintains Scottsdale’s regionally based green building program criteria, oversees implementation of the city adopted International Green Construction Code (IgCC) and works with the Public Works division in facilitating Scottsdale’s LEED Gold mandate for newly constructed and renovated city facilities. Anthony teaches…

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