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I have a somewhat different take on the "boringness" factor of Phoenix. Believe it or not, I think there's actually more to do here at night than there is during the day. Mill Ave, pretty much any night of the week (with the exception of Sunday night, for some reason) is a happening place. You can always rely on the quirky characters and street bums there to get a few free laughs. If you're a drinker, between Tempe and downtown Scottsdale, you've hit the jackpot. There are countless bars in the area, many of them outdoor bars, like Dos Gringos, Flickas, Sugar Daddy's, Salty Senorita, Los Sombreros, Loco Patron. Ra Sushi, with a bunch of locations, is pretty popular. I've never been there, but I heard Alice Cooperstown in downtown PHX is pretty cool. There are also some coffee shops that are open 24/7. Downtown Scottsdale in particular is emerging as a center of nightlife. There are a couple of hip dance clubs in the area, places so hip I doubt I could even get in. In Mill Ave and Old Town Scottsdale, there are an increasing number of late-night eateries open. Then when you throw in the Improv in Tempe, the Marquee Theater, the Clubhouse, plus your normal Harkins theaters, Gameworx, and Dave and Busters, you have an impressive selection of night life.
Thing is, I'm not a drinker. I am 21, but I think drinking is stupid, and not very fun. So that right off the bat excludes me from at least half of all the things people my age do here. I'm also tired of going to "keggers"-- trashy house parties thrown by college kids living in rental houses (half of which get shut down by the Tempe PD). I'm more of a day person than a night person anyway. I've found that during the day, Phoenix can be very boring-- frustratingly so. I like bicycling and hiking, but what I've found after living here for several years, is that for 3/4 of the year, it's too hot to do those activities during the bulk of the daylight hours. This time of year, for example, it's great at night, early morning, and late afternoon, but between 10:00 and 4:00 it STILL feels too hot to be outside for a long period of time. No cloud cover to filter the sun's rays. It feels great when you're outside for a minute, walking across the parking lot to your car. After a few minutes, it gets uncomfortable. I'm also trying to be extremely careful about not getting sunburn.
One of my favorite things to do is just go exploring. I'm at the point with Phoenix where I feel like I've just about explored pretty much every part of town, everything in central Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, and Mesa that's worth seeing. Truth is, there isn't much. I've walked around downtown many, many times, for fun, and I'm usually depressed by the time I'm through-- depressed at how "empty" it feels. It feels like a ghost town with big buildings. The central Ave/ uptown corridor is even worse. BTW, I think that the PHX art museum and the Heard Museum are great institutions, but I think the PHX Public library is one of the worst libraries I've ever seen. Cool building, but hardly any books in it. I've heard people say how the Biltmore area is so cool-- well, I went there again last weekend and I was bored out of my mind. A generic shopping mall and some office buildings. Yawn.
During the last few months, I've actually been "exploring" strip malls for fun-- on bicycle. I've also bicycled through some pretty ghetto parts of Phoenix-- just for the adrenaline rush. I've bicycled through countless neighborhoods-- I haven't seen it all, but I think I've seen a pretty good assortment of what Phoenix has to offer. Sometimes I'm so bored I just drive around-- which usually makes me even more bored than I started. When I first brought my car down here, I thought I'd be taking trips to places like Sedona and Flagstaff every weekend. WRONG! The traffic on I-17 trying to get up north (and back at the end of the day) is so horrendous and so dangerous, I've about given up on that.
So I'd say, in terms of night life, Phoenix gets a B+. In terms of day activity, a D-.
I have a somewhat different take on the "boringness" factor of Phoenix. Believe it or not, I think there's actually more to do here at night than there is during the day. Mill Ave, pretty much any night of the week (with the exception of Sunday night, for some reason) is a happening place. You can always rely on the quirky characters and street bums there to get a few free laughs. If you're a drinker, between Tempe and downtown Scottsdale, you've hit the jackpot. There are countless bars in the area, many of them outdoor bars, like Dos Gringos, Flickas, Sugar Daddy's, Salty Senorita, Los Sombreros, Loco Patron. Ra Sushi, with a bunch of locations, is pretty popular. I've never been there, but I heard Alice Cooperstown in downtown PHX is pretty cool. There are also some coffee shops that are open 24/7. Downtown Scottsdale in particular is emerging as a center of nightlife. There are a couple of hip dance clubs in the area, places so hip I doubt I could even get in. In Mill Ave and Old Town Scottsdale, there are an increasing number of late-night eateries open. Then when you throw in the Improv in Tempe, the Marquee Theater, the Clubhouse, plus your normal Harkins theaters, Gameworx, and Dave and Busters, you have an impressive selection of night life.
Thing is, I'm not a drinker. I am 21, but I think drinking is stupid, and not very fun. So that right off the bat excludes me from at least half of all the things people my age do here. I'm also tired of going to "keggers"-- trashy house parties thrown by college kids living in rental houses (half of which get shut down by the Tempe PD). I'm more of a day person than a night person anyway. I've found that during the day, Phoenix can be very boring-- frustratingly so. I like bicycling and hiking, but what I've found after living here for several years, is that for 3/4 of the year, it's too hot to do those activities during the bulk of the daylight hours. This time of year, for example, it's great at night, early morning, and late afternoon, but between 10:00 and 4:00 it STILL feels too hot to be outside for a long period of time. No cloud cover to filter the sun's rays. It feels great when you're outside for a minute, walking across the parking lot to your car. After a few minutes, it gets uncomfortable. I'm also trying to be extremely careful about not getting sunburn.
One of my favorite things to do is just go exploring. I'm at the point with Phoenix where I feel like I've just about explored pretty much every part of town, everything in central Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, and Mesa that's worth seeing. Truth is, there isn't much. I've walked around downtown many, many times, for fun, and I'm usually depressed by the time I'm through-- depressed at how "empty" it feels. It feels like a ghost town with big buildings. The central Ave/ uptown corridor is even worse. BTW, I think that the PHX art museum and the Heard Museum are great institutions, but I think the PHX Public library is one of the worst libraries I've ever seen. Cool building, but hardly any books in it. I've heard people say how the Biltmore area is so cool-- well, I went there again last weekend and I was bored out of my mind. A generic shopping mall and some office buildings. Yawn.
During the last few months, I've actually been "exploring" strip malls for fun-- on bicycle. I've also bicycled through some pretty ghetto parts of Phoenix-- just for the adrenaline rush. I've bicycled through countless neighborhoods-- I haven't seen it all, but I think I've seen a pretty good assortment of what Phoenix has to offer. Sometimes I'm so bored I just drive around-- which usually makes me even more bored than I started. When I first brought my car down here, I thought I'd be taking trips to places like Sedona and Flagstaff every weekend. WRONG! The traffic on I-17 trying to get up north (and back at the end of the day) is so horrendous and so dangerous, I've about given up on that.
So I'd say, in terms of night life, Phoenix gets a B+. In terms of day activity, a D-.
God, I hate to admit this, but you hit the nail on the head.
I thought I'd be taking trips to places like Sedona and Flagstaff every weekend. WRONG! The traffic on I-17 trying to get up north (and back at the end of the day) is so horrendous and so dangerous, I've about given up on that.
If the traffic on I-17 is getting to you try getting up into the Rim country on 87. There's no backups and you can easily get to Payson, Strawberry, Pinetop, Showlow, Springerville. There's endless hiking and biking in the White Mountains and it is a lot less crowded thatn Flag or Sedona.
If the traffic on I-17 is getting to you try getting up into the Rim country on 87. There's no backups and you can easily get to Payson, Strawberry, Pinetop, Showlow, Springerville. There's endless hiking and biking in the White Mountains and it is a lot less crowded thatn Flag or Sedona.
You took the words right out of my mouth. It's a fun drive too!
Oh, yeah... and I forgot to mention... all the sporting events your heart desires, between the Diamondbacks, Suns, Cardinals, and Coyotes, and ASU. Most of these events take place at night, though-- reinforcing my claim that Phoenix is more fun at night than during the day.
Well, you are right, there is plenty to do. However, most of the activities are not geared toward families or children. (Except the normal bowling, skating, etc.) I've lived here a very long time and love where I live - Scottsdale. However, since the big change in Phoenix, we are moving also. We actually have another home elsewhere already that we get to go to, so we are lucky. My take on the "there's nothing to do" comment is this:
People who are not from here, are used to the weather dictating what their activities will be. If you are from Cali even, it rains more and there is a beach. In the rest of the country, there are seasons and all the activities that go along with them.
I know I have found it easier to be "less bored" in the cooler climates than here. But that's because it's a way of life thing. Aside from the lack of kid friendly activities, I have found that most people who come here are are lost without the seasons. The diverse seasons gives people their guidence on what to do next!
Take autumn, you do the whole autumn decoration thing, the food thing, the football thing, you rake leaves, jump in them, go for walks looking at the leaves, etc.
In the winter you shop for coats, boots, etc., you bake all day, you go sledding, make snowmen, shovel driveways! In the spring, you take care of the outside of your house, take down the Christmas decorations (HA!) decorate for easter, start planning your garden, in the summer you barbeque, you cut the lawn, you go to festivals, lawn fetes, amusement parks, camping. Etc.
Yes, you can do those things here also - but I think it's the ORDER in which people are used to doing it that is the hardest adjustment for people here to make. Like our summers here - we stay indoors for months at a time, in the east, they stay indoors for months at a time in the winter.
It's hard to change your entire way of thinking and living when you are used to the timing of one thing or another.
That is why I think people are most unhappy when they move here because all of a sudden there is no direction. There is definately a LOT to do here - But no change of season to tell them what to do next.
Does that make sense?
You know what, this is a real issue for me and I have lived here most of my life. I long for season dictated activity. I want all that comes with the seasons. I think that is an excellent point. Some people are the exploring and adventurous type, some of us are not. The seasons do help us get motivated a little and find the change we long for. With all the kids it seems that season dictated activity is easier for me. I also just really love it! I've stated this on here before, it's the Martha Stewart syndrome I have. Pottery Barn is my only savior out here. Yes, I know I sound stupid to you rock climbing adrenaline freaks but to each his own.( I hope anyway). I would take a day playing in my yard with the kids raking and jumping in leaves then a good game of Monopoly by the fireplace with a cup of hot coco and some whipped cream or marsh mellows over climbing South Mountain any day. That season thing really is quite the eye opener! No wonder I can't find it in Phoenix. It's always the same here. The only change is the hot, hot summer which is something I do like when it begins because it means it's time for the pool!
My take on the "there's nothing to do" comment is this:
People who are not from here, are used to the weather dictating what their activities will be. If you are from Cali even, it rains more and there is a beach. In the rest of the country, there are seasons and all the activities that go along with them.
Wow. That's interesting. I never thought of that. Makes sense to me.
On the flipside, I agree that it sounds like whining when people say they're bored and there's nothing to do. Why go through life letting someone or something else dictate activities? That certainly sounds boring and monotone to me, but I like to experience new things, so maybe I'm just the odd one out. Personally, I enjoy reading the New Times to see what's going on. There are tons of interesting events going on all the time, but a person just has to decide they want to look for the information, whether it's in the New Times, or elsewhere.
You took the words right out of my mouth. It's a fun drive too!
Oh yes, the whole drive is so beautiful! I used to go camping by Fossil Creek, and we'd drive up the beeline. The scenery is gorgeous.
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In Mill Ave and Old Town Scottsdale, there are an increasing number of late-night eateries open. Then when you throw in the Improv in Tempe, the Marquee Theater, the Clubhouse, plus your normal Harkins theaters, Gameworx, and Dave and Busters, you have an impressive selection of night life.
I've bicycled through countless neighborhoods-- I haven't seen it all, but I think I've seen a pretty good assortment of what Phoenix has to offer. Sometimes I'm so bored I just drive around-- which usually makes me even more bored than I started. When I first brought my car down here, I thought I'd be taking trips to places like Sedona and Flagstaff every weekend. WRONG! 
The traffic on I-17 trying to get up north (and back at the end of the day) is so horrendous and so dangerous, I've about given up on that.
you're right
No wonder I can't find it in Phoenix. It's always the same here. The only change is the hot, hot summer which is something I do like when it begins because it means it's time for the pool!
