Posts Tagged ‘phoenix’

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…

August 23, 2012

Why the Grand Avenue Rail Project is a Solution Multiplier

by: Kirby Hoyt

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…

August 20, 2012

Why the Grand Avenue Rail Project is Vital to Phoenix’s Economic Development

by: Bob Graham

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…

August 06, 2012

Why Phoenix Should Host the Pan-Am or Olympic Games

by: Will Novak

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…

July 30, 2012

Does Phoenix have the Right Stuff for a World-Class Park?

by: Kirby Hoyt

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Kirby Hoyt: Alright Phoenix, it’s time to find out what we’re made of. The call to improve Margaret T. Hance Park into a world-class amenity has sounded. It’s up to the citizens of this community to answer that call and show the rest of the world what this city is all about. And the challenge is substantial. World-class cities spend world-class amounts of money to construct their public spaces. In order to match what other cities have done, Phoenix will have to step up to the plate and prove their determination for this…

July 25, 2012

Sustainable Communities Collaborative Helps Fund Transit Oriented Development in Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet We all know that after the housing market crash, banks have tightened their fists considerably, making it hard to develop anything at all, much less innovative and equitable transit-oriented projects. The picture looked bleak for new development and redevelopment, where even suburban tract housing developers were dead in the water. But a few years ago, thanks to a very dedicated local team, some funds were secured to bridge the gap of financing for transit oriented development along the Light Rail. This is great news for Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa who have opted into Light Rail and stand to benefit…

July 19, 2012

Perks of Being a Regular

by: Ryan Glass

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Ryan Glass: Supporting “Local” goes beyond Small Business Saturday We’ve all seen the commercials, “this is the power of us”, illustrating how great small business are and how AMEX customers joined into a massive 1 Million people who chose to shop somewhere other than a big-box retailer or Amazon. Holy cow, imagine what could happen if we only spread the word!! But, I know that on this note I’m preaching to the choir here. I’m sure each reader already has their own favorite local coffee shop (Lola on Roosevelt used to be mine),…

May 28, 2012

The Good and Bad of 7th Avenue and McDowell

by: Will Novak

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Will Novak: As a new resident of the Willo neighborhood I’ve been closely following the new developments on the corner of 7th Avenue and McDowell Rd. A few years back the corner was mostly dead with the only sign of life being My Florist Café and a few other shops barely hanging on. Today, the corner is being revitalized but not without much outcry from certain sections of the community. So lets look at what is good and bad about the corner. The Good The corner is undoubtedly more alive than it’s been…

May 23, 2012

Shade. Or, how I gave up and admitted my secret love affair with Arcadia

by: Feliciano Vera

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Feliciano Vera: Her extended finger was proof enough. Dorina Bustamante was pissed at me. Not that I should have been surprised. She and I have had an ongoing argument about Arcadia for the better part of at least a year. Fortunately for me, the only people that could see her gesture were sitting next to me – fellow presenters at one of Rob Izer and Kirby Hoyt’s Funk Series earlier in the year. Walking in one of its aspirant satellites (Arcadia Lite? South Arcadia? We Really Want to Be Arcadia?) on a recent…

May 21, 2012

4 Steps to Becoming a Phoenix Superhero before Comicon 2012

by: Ryan Glass

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Ryan Glass: Sure, the “signature pop-culture event of the southwest” is typically designed for fans, but it’s also a great time to show off that super power you’ve been diligently keeping under wraps. While everyone else is gaming, watching sci-fi panels, and generally flying their geek flag at full mast, you’ve got bigger problems to handle. Sure, we all try to go through our day-to-day just maintaining our secret identities, but as you know, with great power comes great responsibility. (Beware, continuing to read presumes that you do indeed possess some sort of…