First time in Phoenix

[engineman]

One thing you may notice is that the cost of living is significantly higher in Seattle than Arizona.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Which brings up a good point because he also stated originally that he won't have a car & will be using public transit. What hiking trails are easily accessible along a light rail line or a bus route?



South Mountain, Phoenix Mountain Preserve, Papago, A-mountain, and the McDowell mountains would all be accessible via public transit and if using Uber/Lyft then you're open to anything in the area essentially.


I can't think of any other large city in the nation where people travel specifically for hiking or nature gazing like they do here.

I can think of multiple large cities people travel to for nature gazing- Denver, Salt Lake, Seattle, Portland, San Diego... I don't know the Florida cities as well but I have to assume Miami and Tampa get a fair bit of travel for nature gazing their unique scenery as well.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by locolife

I can think of multiple large cities people travel to for nature gazing- Denver, Salt Lake, Seattle, Portland, San Diego... I don't know the Florida cities as well but I have to assume Miami and Tampa get a fair bit of travel for nature gazing their unique scenery as well.

You're correct about Salt Lake City & Denver. Both of those places are often thought of as being mountainous, but their locations are on high plains with close proximity to mountains. Here's the difference: their nearby mountains are much more majestic and suitable for hiking & exploring than most anything around Phoenix. The desert is the last place I'd want to be for a vacation to appreciate natural landscape, especially in the summer. Plus, there are all kinds of winter recreational activities in Utah & Colorado (skiing, sledding, snowboarding, ice skating, etc.), but the desert has none of that.

Most people go to Seattle for the Space Needle and other city attractions like museums, with perhaps the nearby mountains & ocean as secondary reasons. In Miami, beaches are a large attraction (and perhaps the Everglades), but music, culture, and nightlife are what many people go there for. Orlando: mainly Universal Studios, Disneyworld, and Epcot. San Diego: Seaworld, Balboa Park/zoo, La Jolla, Seaport Village, and beaches. Los Angeles: Hollywood, Disneyland, Universal Studios, Beverly Hills, and beaches. Las Vegas: casinos, shows, nightlife, and Stratosphere Tower. San Francisco: Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Haight/Ashbury, and Chinatown. None of these places have hiking or nature gazing as a top priority.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

You're correct about Salt Lake City & Denver. Both of those places are often thought of as being mountainous, but their locations are on high plains with close proximity to mountains. Here's the difference: their nearby mountains are much more majestic and suitable for hiking & exploring than most anything around Phoenix. The desert is the last place I'd want to be for a vacation to appreciate natural landscape, especially in the summer. Plus, there are all kinds of winter recreational activities in Utah & Colorado (skiing, sledding, snowboarding, ice skating, etc.), but the desert has none of that.

Most people go to Seattle for the Space Needle and other city attractions like museums, with perhaps the nearby mountains & ocean as secondary reasons. In Miami, beaches are a large attraction (and perhaps the Everglades), but music, culture, and nightlife are what many people go there for. Orlando: mainly Universal Studios, Disneyworld, and Epcot. San Diego: Seaworld, Balboa Park/zoo, La Jolla, Seaport Village, and beaches. Los Angeles: Hollywood, Disneyland, Universal Studios, Beverly Hills, and beaches. Las Vegas: casinos, shows, nightlife, and Stratosphere Tower. San Francisco: Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Haight/Ashbury, and Chinatown. None of these places have hiking or nature gazing as a top priority.

I get that you don't like our scenery and that's your personal opinion which is fine but you grew up here so it's easy to take it for granted and or just flat out not appreciate it. I grew up in the SLC area and other than skiing I could have not cared less about the mountains and totally took them for granted. I hated the terrible inversions and wanted to be in a bigger city.Now being a bit older and living in a different environment I do enjoy the scenery there much more when I go back to visit. It's classic case of not appreciating what you have until it's gone, which is my impression of a lot of natives here. Maybe you could move away for 5-10 years and not miss it at all but I'd be surprised. I personally have multiple friends who moved away and then moved back specifically saying they missed our scenery among other things.

I work in a world where we host a lot of visitors in Phoenix, many it's their first time coming here. And yes, hiking does hit the list of active visitors, most are quite interested in our city amenities. MIM, Heard, DBG, Taliesin West, Wrigley Mansion, the Biltmore, and some of the world class golf courses are the things most people have heard of or generally know about when mentioned. I'll throw in others such as Mystery Castle, Torvrea Castle, Dinner at Different Point of View, Drinks at Compass Room, and some of the best local eateries as well. Since were on the east side a lot of visitors will stay on or near Mill, many comment that Tempe reminds them of Austin and they'll usually do a walk up A Mountain for the views. Some also stay downtown, a few have stuck around for First Friday and mentioned being quite surprised Phoenix has such an event.

I'm proud to say I've been to Seattle at least two dozen times and never stepped foot in the space needle. What a freakin tourist trip... I don't mind Pikes Place though, which is probably equally as touristy...

[timothyaw]

Originally Posted by locolife

I get that you don't like our scenery and that's your personal opinion which is fine but you grew up here so it's easy to take it for granted and or just flat out not appreciate it. I grew up in the SLC area and other than skiing I could have not cared less about the mountains and totally took them for granted. I hated the terrible inversions and wanted to be in a bigger city.Now being a bit older and living in a different environment I do enjoy the scenery there much more when I go back to visit. It's classic case of not appreciating what you have until it's gone, which is my impression of a lot of natives here. Maybe you could move away for 5-10 years and not miss it at all but I'd be surprised. I personally have multiple friends who moved away and then moved back specifically saying they missed our scenery among other things.

I work in a world where we host a lot of visitors in Phoenix, many it's their first time coming here. And yes, hiking does hit the list of active visitors, most are quite interested in our city amenities. MIM, Heard, DBG, Taliesin West, Wrigley Mansion, the Biltmore, and some of the world class golf courses are the things most people have heard of or generally know about when mentioned. I'll throw in others such as Mystery Castle, Torvrea Castle, Dinner at Different Point of View, Drinks at Compass Room, and some of the best local eateries as well. Since were on the east side a lot of visitors will stay on or near Mill, many comment that Tempe reminds them of Austin and they'll usually do a walk up A Mountain for the views. Some also stay downtown, a few have stuck around for First Friday and mentioned being quite surprised Phoenix has such an event.

I'm proud to say I've been to Seattle at least two dozen times and never stepped foot in the space needle. What a freakin tourist trip... I don't mind Pikes Place though, which is probably equally as touristy...

You make a good point here. You're not always wrong I went back to my hometown last year and noticed how beautiful it was in certain areas. When I was growing up there I took it for granted.