Quote:
Originally Posted by twiggy
Yes, it probably has a lot to do with your family situation, or your lifestyle. I have a family of six, so piling everyone into the car all the time looking for excitement around here is quite the chore. Kids get bored when the car ride takes longer than the excitement. And it gets very expensive. Plus the, "I have to pee" announcements can add an hour to my trip. I long to move to a place where the commute for activity is a lot shorter or even walkable, but that has to do with my situation. I am the multi-tasker from hell so I do long for a little dictation. AZ is great for people like you who have the time to explore the "hidden gem's" so to speak, but if your life is already full and your just looking for some nice, seasonal activity, it's a hard find. Although I must say we have fun at the Chihuahua festival every year. Even though it takes me a month of "No, we can't get a Chihuahua's" after it's over. Like I said, even though I hate the 115 degree heat, I love the only season we have, "swimming season". We have a large pool and it does the trick every year! Parents who work all day, and take care of all that comes with the home, kids, and all other family things like a seasonal dictated event. It coordinates with school, and it sort of plans itself. It's all different. It might sound boring and monotone to you, but you might have a different lifestyle than me. It's ok for everyone to find the bliss in different places. It really is just all opinion based on situation, comfort, and what you find to be a good time. I am the opposite of "nothing to do". Some are very busy and still want to find a good time to be had in-between with the family. That's what I find hard to get here. Part of it is the way it's all laid out. Instead of seeing it as, "I'm boring and monotone" and "your exciting and adventurous", I see it as, "I like turkey", and you like steak". Just a different taste. I just want something different, that's all. A little cheaper and a little more kid friendly, and a little easier to access. I think people really need to plan for there personalities when planning a move. I really understand that now. People think a place to live should offer it all, but it won't. Every place offers it's own style of entertainment and that's part of the research when moving. I'm planning a move right now and I am definitely taking this into account. I grew up here and we did have good ole, "Legend City" then. lol I will defiantly come back to AZ to retire though, that would be a perfect fit.  And I had a "hell of a time" here as a young adult!  But as a family, not such a good fit, that's all. Not Phoenix's fault though, no worries.  Oh, and I read the "New Times" as well, and every once in awhile a kid friendly festival(without all the booze) is closer than an hour. 
P.S. I hope your not reading the "New Times" online, lol, I heard the suit was dropped but WOW, be careful. |
Haha, yeah, I participated in that thread too
No worries though. Even if I believed that I were going to be arrested for looking at a website, which would be utterly ridiculous, I have a dynamic IP set up, so they wouldn't be able to trace whatever IP was active back to me specifically. No, actually, one of my favorite relaxing things to do is go to a coffee shop and read something, whether it's the New Times or something else, while listening to live music. But anyway...
I understand what you're saying about being limited by your family, and it was certainly not my intention to insult you or anyone else by claiming that you are monotonous or boring. I was just stating that if I were to have my activities dictated by seasons, or something of that ilk, that would be boring for me because I thrive off of new and spontaneous experiences. I know that's how I am, and I don't expect anyone else to be like me. I wasn't trying to put anyone down. I was just explaining how I am, and why I think it's not difficult to find stuff to do...but that's me.
If I had a family of 6, I'm sure I'd be in the same boat as you. As it is, I have a son (the only child I have) who is about to turn 1 year old. I have noticeably become more of a homebody, mainly because having a baby drains all my money, and it restricts my freedom to go do things whenever I want to, like I used to. There was a time when I'd just decide that I was going to go to the Scottsdale Museum of Modern Art just to see what exhibit is showing, or to the AZ Science Museum, or to the coffee shop down the street to play at open mic, but I can't be that spontaneous anymore. I'm also working and going to school full time, so with a baby and everything else, my time is so limited, as I'm sure you can understand. But, I still manage to get out every now and then. Just this last weekend, my man and I decided to go up to Arcosanti for a concert. It was fantastic. It was a taste of some of the things I used to do, some of the freedom I used to have. But, of course, having a kid is an amazing, spontaneous and adventurous experience in itself, so I'm not bitter at this loss of freedom. In fact, I can't wait to take him to the Challenger Center, or the science museum, or the children's museum in Mesa. And, I know that once he's a little older, and both my man and I are done with school, I will be able to regain some of that personal freedom to just go places and see things again.
Anyway, all that to say, I completely understand where you're coming from. Kids are such a huge responsibility...but as tiring as it is to haul a kid around, I still see many adventures ahead for us.
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10-24-2007, 09:26 AM
Well, I am not the kind of person that always needs something to do but I know if I get the urge, there certainly is plenty to do in Arizona. I have lived here for 28 years and still have not come close to seeing and doing everything the state has to offer. We have major baseball, pro hockey, pro football, pro basketball, hiking, golf, clubs, lakes, wild life, museums, shopping, theatre, etc. And the bonus is the weather is nice year round so you actually can go golfing, hiking, boating all year round.
Halloween?
Anytime we want to "do something" (other than going to the movies or hanging out at B&N reading magz - which can get cumbersome) we have to go to the east side! There's a delightful place called "The G-Spot" ("g" for gelato) around downtown Scottsdale. We don't drink, go clubbing or like watching sports so our activities are usually limited. We have taken up hiking recently though so it's nice that the weather is finally cooling off! If anybody can share what you do living out on the (farrrrrrr) west side, please share!
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