Battle of the Southwest (metropolitan, beach, beautiful, living)

[Dan from NM]

Originally Posted by ScottsdaleBrat

If anybody told me that ABQ had a comparable or better downtown that Phoenix (because they are obviously trying to put down PHX), I'd tell them they were living in a fantasy world. Phoenix does not have the greatest downtown, but you should probably snap out of it by now.

What does Downtown Phoenix have that Albuquerque doesn't? More crime. You keep dreaming dude, seriously. Phoenix is nothing, it's the suburbs of Phoenix that "make it something".

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by caphillsea77

My favorite thing about the Southwest is there isn't any other part of the world that looks like it. The landscapes here are vastly different and ever changing. So much of the US looks the same from one state to the next, The Southwest has the most colorful and remarkable topography IMO.

Those were GREAT pictures! Good job on that!

And? At least a reason why I do not think of most of Texas (with the exception of the trans-pecos) as the "Southwest" in the same way I consider Arizona and New Mexico the "Southwest". As "whole" states, they just belong to different regions. Texas (and Oklahoma in lots of ways too) is western South...while New Mexico and Arizona are southern West. Two totally different critters, both in history and culture.

It doesn't elevate one "twin" over the others, it just makes them "Southwestern" in different ways. Nothing wrong with that!

[caphillsea77]

Originally Posted by Dan from NM

What does Downtown Phoenix have that Albuquerque doesn't? More crime. You keep dreaming dude, seriously. Phoenix is nothing, it's the suburbs of Phoenix that "make it something".

Why are you carrying on this futile debate? Donwtown Phoenix has light rail for one which I consider a good footing for its future. Sky Harbor Airport is constructing a connector rail line to the Metro's light rail. It Downtown Phoenix hosts MLB at Chase Field. Talking smack and saying "Phoenix is nothing" is such a thoughtless dismissal and really says nothing. OK so you prefer Albuquerque over Phoenix, me too and that's why I chose to live here. But seriously get real.

[cacto]

[IMG][IMG][IMG][IMG][IMG]
Central Phoenix by DavidPerez, on Flickr[/IMG][/IMG][/IMG][/IMG][/IMG]

Random PHX view, and I messed up on the others.

[imaterry78259]

San Antonio - no doubt a bout is a southwestern city, so is Laredo and Del Rio Midland/Odessa as well as El Paso Theold stagecoach run from San Antonio to San Diego.

[stasi_crystals]

Originally Posted by caphillsea77

Why are you carrying on this futile debate? Donwtown Phoenix has light rail for one which I consider a good footing for its future. Sky Harbor Airport is constructing a connector rail line to the Metro's light rail. It Downtown Phoenix hosts MLB at Chase Field. Talking smack and saying "Phoenix is nothing" is such a thoughtless dismissal and really says nothing. OK so you prefer Albuquerque over Phoenix, me too and that's why I chose to live here. But seriously get real.

You read my mind. True, downtown Phoenix may not be the best but atleast it's making progress with the light rail and airport. Plus the new Cityscape center is a really nice add on.

[cacto]

DSCN4494 by cacto602, on Flickr


DSCN4564 by cacto602, on Flickr


DSCN4609 by cacto602, on Flickr


DSCN2843 by cacto602, on Flickr


DSCN2885 by cacto602, on Flickr


IMG_0145 by cacto602, on Flickr


IMG_0400 by cacto602, on Flickr


IMG_0920 by cacto602, on Flickr


IMG_0400 by cacto602, on Flickr


IMG_0409 by cacto602, on Flickr

some more PHX pics i took

[cacto]

Pictures of a little boy holding up a taco car, a place I chill that has citrus tress, Jesus of the Purple Prickley Pears twice, Sycamore Creek(?) up along the 87 to Payson, and some good old desert. Tempe's thrown in there too, just for fun.

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by imaterry78259

San Antonio - no doubt a bout is a southwestern city,

Then I wonder why it advertizes its "Old South" heritage? Usually in the words of being a combination of "Old South and Old Mexico". Now, what city in the true SW does that at all?

so is Laredo and Del Rio Midland/Odessa as well as El Paso

I think you may have the book ends mixed up! LOL El Paso and Larado and Del Rio? Yeah, certainly El Paso are truly SW with NM and AZ...but even THEY have a Southern history. Midland and Odessa? Nope, they are just far western South. The accents, the Southern Baptist Church, the settlment of southeastern pioneers, totally offsets them from any other town in the desert SW.

The old stagecoach run from San Antonio to San Diego.

So? Some of the old cow trails ran from Texas to Kansas. Does that mean those areas had an historical/cultural affinity for one another? Not in the least...the opposite, in fact. All this did was simply reflect the western migration -- and the most convenient ways to do it -- of the United States.

[Dan from NM]

ALBUQUERQUE

Shots of Downtown and skyline









Albuquerque Studios