Archive for October, 2012

October 26, 2012

Top 5 Places to Make Out in Phoenix

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet When I was in Mexico City a few years ago I was taken aback at the number of young lovers making out everywhere – in parks, plazas and on sidewalk benches. The amorous were everywhere! I realized that there are lots of public spaces in Mexico City that are perfect for smooching. What makes a spot perfect for smooching you ask? It’s romantic, it’s inspiring, and it’s beautiful. It’s a place you can actually hang out for a while, relax and and feel comfortable. And oddly enough, a perfect place to smooch offers privacy in a public space through…

October 17, 2012

Free Historic Building Tours at the 4th Grand Avenue Festival and a Chance to Win Cupcakes!

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet The 4th Annual Grand Avenue Festival is this weekend! It’ll run from 11 am – 8 pm, with an After Hours event from 8 – 10pm on Saturday October 20th! My favorite part of the festival is the Historic Commercial Building and Adaptive Reuse Tours. There are 3 awesome buildings on the tour this year: Phoenix Laundry and Dry Cleaning (now Milum Textiles), OS Stapley Hardware buildings, and 1205 Space (now housing John Coll P.L.L.C). The best part is that the tours will be FREE courtesy of sponsorship by the Phoenix Revitalization Corporation (PRC)! The tour promises to be…

October 15, 2012

Propinquity Deprivation Disorder – A Real Downer in Phoenix

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Since I’ve been boasting a great deal about how much I love Portland, some people have rolled their eyes and glibly said it’s not that great, especially in the winter months. It’s rainy and cloudy and people are prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) there. According to the National Library of Medicine, “Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a kind of depression that occurs at a certain time of the year, usually in the winter.” I have no doubt this is true. I lived in Pittsburgh for a year and it was cloudy there on most days for all the long and…

October 12, 2012

Why I Fell in Love with Portland, Part III

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet I’ve been telling you the tale of my love affair with Portland. Today I will tell the third and final part of the story. If you missed the first and second part, please go back and check them out. The third part of my story coincides with my third day in Portland. As you’ve noticed from my constant complaining in the first two posts, I was not up for a third day of walking so I bit the bullet and decided to make my third day transit day. Thank God for Google Map’s transit option! So instead of walking…

October 10, 2012

Why I Fell in Love with Portland Part II

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Yesterday, I started to tell you about my love affair with the city of Portland. Today I’ll tell you the second part of the story. Monday in Portland was even better than Sunday. My friend Anna George who knows how much I love tea recommended this great tea bar called Tea, Chai, Te. What better place to have breakfast, I thought. So again (and thank goodness for Google Maps on the iPhone!) I punched in the address and saw that it was in a (what ended up being a very cute) neighborhood northwest of where I was staying. At…

October 09, 2012

Why I Fell in Love with Portland, Part I

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet You know that feeling when you fall in love? You know…your senses are heightened, food tastes better, the air feels crisper and your knees feel weak. I didn’t think I could feel this way again, especially since I am wading through the pain of the recent breakup of my marriage. But lo and behold, my heart started beating hard with joy and an ecstasy began percolating in my gut. It wasn’t for any wonderful guy that I had met though. It was for the city of Portland. I went there for a visit last week and it changed my…

October 04, 2012

Camelback East Village Planning Commission Almost Botches Recommendation for the Landmark Designation of the David Wright House

by: Will Novak

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Will Novak: On Tuesday night (Oct 2nd) the case to recommend a landmark status historic overlay on the beautiful David and Gladys Wright home in Arcadia went before the Camelback East Village Planning Committee. If you weren’t there, be sorry you missed it; for a moment I thought it would turn into WrestleMania XXIX. Before going into detail about what happened at the meeting, a bit of an overview of City processes is needed. As you probably know, the City is divided up into 15 “Villages” each with its own Village Planning Committee….

October 01, 2012

Twelve Degrees

by: Kirby Hoyt

Tweet Today’s post is a poem by contributing writer Kirby Hoyt: Summer burns the desert floor Heat escapes a bitumen covered landscape in the middle of the night As the urban heat island effect grips the Valley In fifty years our nights have grown hotter Twelve degrees hotter Air-conditioned boxes buzz constant through the night Just wait until October they say Sun shine is welcome here but Few trees stand to protect wandering souls A six inch curb is no relief from widened streets As automobiles exceed the speed limit hurrying to nowhere particular Endless pavement spanning miles Driving longer…