Is it really Hell.... Should I move to Phoenix?

[AussieGirl]

Originally Posted by SpeedyAZ

I mean the former, ANY nightlife (i.e. NYC, L.A., Miami) is full of snotty, rich, Paris Hilton wanna be's that are living a champagne lifestyle on a beer budget. I see no appeal in going to a club for a few hours, seeing a bunch of posers, and dropping $500. I haven't the money nor the time...

You need to get out of the suburbs from time to time. I have never been to any such place, nor would I spend anything like that knid of money. It is the kind of nightclub that I would imagine to see in Scottsdale.

Nightlife can be sitting in a dark gothic pub with big oak tables to engrave on, while the bartender plays a Pixies CD behind the bar and everybody is talking and laughing. Nightlife can be the 'Kangaroo and Kiwi' Australian pub in Seattle. Nightlife can be seeing a show at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle, and as a surprise opening act, Pearl Jam appears on stage [CUT]

Originally Posted by irwin

AZRider-It took 40 years for this place to figure out that you need a real central business district? There are plenty of young cities in the world and most have at least figured out that having everyone driving everywhere for everything is not necessarily a good idea.

The problem with Mayor Gordon’s plan is that while the city takes 12 to 18 months to rezone downtown for street-side shopping, it only takes them weeks to zone miles and miles of desert for cookie-cutter Mc Mansions. This area talks about improving the environment and reducing the area’s absolute reliance on autos, but it takes absolutely no serious steps toward that goal.

So, excuse me if I am a little skeptical on the whole Phoenix downtown redevelopment project. I would be willing to bet that if I ever come back here in say 10 years (and that is a big “if”), the downtown won’t be that different and this place certainly will not have changed into some kind of urban cityscape.

Exactly right Irwin! The reason that Phoenix does not have a CBD is because the initial plans were to have a place with some of the attractions of a city, although I haven't seen any, without the problems of a city. That idea has failed because crime and pollution is so high.

I can't see how a real CBD development could ever occur either. Can you imagine how much hotter summer nights would be if that was to happen? I wouldn't expect too many people to want to buy a high rise condo in downtown Phoenix in amongst all of the heat of steel, glass and concrete. Even if it was to happen, it is years and years away, and then it would take years to create some sort of culture and history.

[irwin]

Originally Posted by AussieGirl

Nightlife can be sitting in a dark gothic pub with big oak tables to engrave on, while the bartender plays a Pixies CD behind the bar and everybody is talking and laughing. Nightlife can be the 'Kangaroo and Kiwi' Australian pub in Seattle. Nightlife can be seeing a show at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle, and as a surprise opening act, Pearl Jam appears on stage.

I miss Irish Pubs back east. I went to Rulla Bulla (the so-called Irish Pub on Mill) one night and the band they had started playing Nirvana! I almost spit up my Guinness. I requested Whisky in a Jar and the guy looked at me like I was speaking Russian.

And one more note, having been to some fairly trendy places in NYC and LA, the places in Scottsdale are poser-trendy. Try walking getting into a nice club in New York wearing the crap people wear here. Hollister t-shirts won’t cut it people!

Originally Posted by AussieGirl

I can't see how a real CBD development could ever occur either. Can you imagine how much hotter summer nights would be if that was to happen? I wouldn't expect too many people to want to buy a high rise condo in downtown Phoenix in amongst all of the heat of steel, glass and concrete. Even if it was to happen, it is years and years away, and then it would take years to create some sort of culture and history.

I think it is un-godly hot here, but that’s not the worst problem with this place. The complete and utter lack of culture or urban scene is the main problem. I think the weather stinks in Boston as well, but I love the city.

Anyway, my greater point is that for all the talk, the policies taken by this place are only making the area more sprawling and more suburban. More highways are going up all the time. They put the new football stadium out in the boonies on a huge open field. They are building the light rail, but it is only one line. What’s the point? Washington built several lines of the D.C. Metro at once because they were smart enough to realize that to have a workable public transport system it needs to be more than one lowly line. They didn't even connect the airport to the system! Mark my words, they are going to build that one line, rider-ship is going to be a pittance of what they expected and they are going to give up. All the while people are buying their new SUV’s to drive themselves around the corner wasting gas and causing further damage to the environment.