Flagstaff (Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa: home, rent, motel)

[brian_2]

I am often up in Flagstaff on business. Last Friday I had a job near the movie theater not far from Home Depot. I usually bring a lunch from home and eat it in my car if the job site is not conducive to dining inside - besides, I like the crisp, clean Flagstaff air. This Friday past I parked in a long row of empty parking spaces enjoying my sandwich and Doritos when a fellow approached my car and motioned to talk. I figured it was probably just a panhandler looking for change. I rolled my window down a bit and ascertained pretty quickly that the guy wanted to sell drugs and he was trying to see if it was safe to do so. I told him I don't use drugs. My car is a fairly new Honda Civic, and I'm an older fellow with what I consider to be a respectable, conservative appearance - the fellow persisted and at that point I told him to get lost. Yesterday I was in Flagstaff on lunch break and I decided to go to the local sushi place across from Bed, Bath & Beyond. It was ten minutes till they opened so I parked out of the glare of the sun by a section of empty parking spaces to wait - you guessed it, another dealer approached my car wanting to sell something and I'm sure it was drugs. I told him I don't use drugs. He moved away fast without any other discussion. I'm not picking on Flag, I love the place, but doggone, there must be a lot of street dealers hustling their wares up there. I know this stuff exists all over, but it's eye-opening to have two incidents in two weeks when I'm just minding my business. I called a buddy who does IT jobs and told him about the episodes in Flag, and he told me if I really wanted to see drug dealers plying their trade, to come down to Prescott and the Prescott Valley on a Friday evening and he'd show me how bad it is there. Maybe I'm too unaware of this stuff, but ****!

[jaada]

Originally Posted by brian_2

I am often up in Flagstaff on business. Last Friday I had a job near the movie theater not far from Home Depot. I usually bring a lunch from home and eat it in my car if the job site is not conducive to dining inside - besides, I like the crisp, clean Flagstaff air. This Friday past I parked in a long row of empty parking spaces enjoying my sandwich and Doritos when a fellow approached my car and motioned to talk. I figured it was probably just a panhandler looking for change. I rolled my window down a bit and ascertained pretty quickly that the guy wanted to sell drugs and he was trying to see if it was safe to do so. I told him I don't use drugs. My car is a fairly new Honda Civic, and I'm an older fellow with what I consider to be a respectable, conservative appearance - the fellow persisted and at that point I told him to get lost. Yesterday I was in Flagstaff on lunch break and I decided to go to the local sushi place across from Bed, Bath & Beyond. It was ten minutes till they opened so I parked out of the glare of the sun by a section of empty parking spaces to wait - you guessed it, another dealer approached my car wanting to sell something and I'm sure it was drugs. I told him I don't use drugs. He moved away fast without any other discussion. I'm not picking on Flag, I love the place, but doggone, there must be a lot of street dealers hustling their wares up there. I know this stuff exists all over, but it's eye-opening to have two incidents in two weeks when I'm just minding my business. I called a buddy who does IT jobs and told him about the episodes in Flag, and he told me if I really wanted to see drug dealers plying their trade, to come down to Prescott and the Prescott Valley on a Friday evening and he'd show me how bad it is there. Maybe I'm too unaware of this stuff, but ****!

i would never have thought that about flagstaff, i love it there i have never seen that or heard of that before. but i guess its everywhere

[heaton]

I never heard of the drug problems in Flagstaff or Prescott. Yes, it's everywhere...... Flagstaff is a college town??

[williamter]

I was in Flagstaff in June waiting for a Greyhound to Mesa to visit my parents. I had arrived via Amtrak from Manhattan because I don't fly and was waiting in the Terminal at about 1-am when several Flagstaff Police Officers came running in looking for an individual that I happened to see in the mens room minutes before. I am a retired New York City Police Officer so I identified myself and had an interesting conversation with these officers. It appears that Flagstaff has a drug problem and I learned about it waiting for a bus.

[rambrush]

I am at Home depot quite a bit there and so far so good. Course driving a state truck may have something to do with it.
But I have not seen the people solicating either.
Was just there thursday at NAU and got out of town after words pretty quick.
I stay at the motels and that in flag so that makes me more aware of where I will be parking my truck.
Thanks

[humble101]

Mesa has a drug problem also(The war on drugs is lost). We also have a very obvious homeless problem(they sleep in my back yard under the orange trees in the summertime), and now I know where my oranges go. We also have an illegal problem to beat most towns around.

I have been to Flagstaff and just the atmosphere of the town and the setting is more pleasant than Mesa. So when a person is dissatisfied with where they are it takes time sometimes to leave. I am an old timer here also who has seen a lot of what once was and now what is and it ain't pretty. There was actually Mom and Pop stores in Mesa until the big chains came in. Smaller places such as Rural Lumber, Nielsen's Building Materials, Omalley's, Yellowfront, A.J. Bayless, Minuteman, all much better to deal with than 200,000 square feet big stores and regional malls. This ain't progress at all.
In Tucson one segment of business makes 3 dollars more an hour than Phoenix simply because of district alignment. My boss tells us just "move to Tucson" Oh yeah! Immediately! Tomorrow! It bugs me when you have a job established and people tell you that. We also could make three dollars an hour more here but it is a political situation no one will help with in Phoenix.

[dullnboring]

I lived for a short time in Flagstaff and while I was never personally approached by anyone looking to sell me drugs, there did seem to be more of a drug culture there than what I was used to. What I mean by that was that it was rather surprising just how much drug use had infiltrated the mainstream. I don't do drugs, nor do I generally hang around a crowd of people who do, but quite a few people I knew in Flagstaff, educated people with "respectable" occupations, did crystal meth, ecstasy or smoked pot. It was somewhat jarring as this behavior is confined to society's fringes in most other places I've lived, or at the very least, it's behavior kept in the closet whereas everything seems more out in the open in Flagstaff.

[brian_2]

Lest anyone get the wrong impression, I really like Flagstaff - it's one of the few places I really enjoy in Arizona. I would hate to discourage anyone from visiting and/or seeking a life there. I like young people, and I like the university atmosphere in town, I like the Snow Bowl and the pristine, bracing mountain air. I like seasons, and the snow is refreshing, it's easy to travel an hour or two south to escape the cold, you are close to the Grand Canyon, you are close to Sedona (nice place to visit, I wouldn't want to live there) and the drive down through Oak Creek Canyon is inspirational. To me, Flag has always seemed like the magical bridge between California and Arizona via the north passage. The drive encompasses Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, etc. This really is good for one who has previously lived in California and likes to visit CA friends by taking a route other than via the Phoenix (yuck) area highways.

I have to believe that I had the bad luck to be targeted as looking for drugs for some reason, and I suppose that this could happen to many of us. There. I elaborated on the situation, and I'm glad I did.

[humble101]

Never had the problem of being targeted for drugs. Because of my demeanor and from being an MP in the service, when I went in to the bars and clubs in the 70's in Mesa(before I stopped hanging around with morons), everyone around, until they got to know me thought I was a narc. Had that look I guess. Short hair, clean cut, able to think clearly and my eyes focused. Made me uncomfortable. Russell Pearce, the chief deputy and I, were on good terms at the time because I have respect for law enforcement. Unlike a lot of people who want speeders stopped, criminals brought to justice, and a fast response from them when in trouble, but they do their love-hate routine with the police.. Anyway, the best thing I ever did was stop hanging around those places.
But when you get in to drugs and the dealers hook you by providing the first drugs free, and the drugs let you talk to God and puts you on the planet Euphoria, then the drug scene gets really hairy.