Chicago? nah (Phoenix, Glendale, Scottsdale: lease, to live, restaurants)

[fcorrales80]

LOL, both Pondie and Steve-o are right!! (OMG an understanding)... yes Chicago winter are hell (frozen of course) and Phoenix summers are no picnic AND Phoenix summers are hell and Chicago winters no picnic...depends on disposition, opinion, blah blah...Either way we all survive and love our cities...

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

If you want walkability in an urban "place" you go to the central neighborhoods in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, and even Glendale. Walk around downtown, uptown, mid-town, Old-Town, Mill Ave, University district, North Central Phoenix, the Biltmore, etc.

Biltmore is semi-respectable, Ill give you that much. In the Valley, it is one of the best settings. But Tempe? Cmon dude. Tempe is a boring waste, downright fugly in many areas. Mill St? That, at BEST, is about equal to a small Chicagoland suburban downtown (ie Sycamore, IL). Some eateries, tiny Harley dealer, buttloads of Philly cheesesteak joints, some cheesy college-themed wannabe Hot Topic stores, and an ASU store. Nothing special at all. Almost every Chicagoland suburb I can think of out in my area has better downtowns. Old Town Scottsdale is a cheesy tourist attraction. The arts district West of Scottsdale Rd is ok I guess, but still touristy. Seriously, how many Gilbert Ortegas can you put in one downtown? I have yet to find anywhere in the Valley that is remotely, truly "urban" in feel (ie New York, San Fran, Chicago, Boston, etc, etc). Pretend all you want, but PHX is a gigantic suburb. Funny how our suburbs with 100K people and less have FAR busier downtowns than what you find in PHX. You guys are doing something wrong and you have to find out what it is and nip it in the bud. And all the light rail systems in the world wont make a difference.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

LOL, both Pondie and Steve-o are right!! (OMG an understanding)... yes Chicago winter are hell (frozen of course) and Phoenix summers are no picnic AND Phoenix summers are hell and Chicago winters no picnic...depends on disposition, opinion, blah blah...Either way we all survive and love our cities...

But if you happen to love winter, like I do, winters in Chicago are a blast.

[fcorrales80]

[quote]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Biltmore is semi-respectable, Ill give you that much. In the Valley, it is one of the best settings. But Tempe? Cmon dude. Tempe is a boring waste, downright fugly in many areas. Mill St? That, at BEST, is about equal to a small Chicagoland suburban downtown (ie Sycamore, IL). Some eateries, tiny Harley dealer, buttloads of Philly cheesesteak joints, some cheesy college-themed wannabe Hot Topic stores, and an ASU store. Nothing special at all. Almost every Chicagoland suburb I can think of out in my area has better downtowns.

Wow, I have to break down this paragraph because of all the inconsistencies listed and described. This sounds like Mill Ave. circa 1988 when I saw an older cousin of mine graduate from ASU! LOL, when is the last time you were in Phoenix? 1990? Seriously, where do you get this stuff. First off, Mill is now lined with night clubs, bars, sports bars, thai restaurants, delis, mexican food, PF Changs, boutiques that carry clothes such as 7 for All Mankind, midrises for U.S. Airways Headquarters, a school of engineering building, banks, Google offices, city government, tourist boards, new European style transit centers near the stadiums, arena, pool stadium, resort, hotels, etc. etc. A W Hotel Aloft east of Mill on Scottsdale Rd. along with new condos, lofts, apartments and developments like the Onyx Tower and other lakeside high-rises. The development on Tempe Town Lake with such corporations/companies like the international offices of SmithBarney and other financial powerhouses. There is really too much to list. Condos east and west of mill, one of the most densely populated areas which NO suburb in Chicago can compete with; sorry buddy...but downtown Tempe, Rio Salado, and Mill (all the same area) have way to much going on to be compared to a sleepy midwestern downtown city.

Old Town Scottsdale is a cheesy tourist attraction. The arts district West of Scottsdale Rd is ok I guess, but still touristy. Seriously, how many Gilbert Ortegas can you put in one downtown?

I only know of one Gilbert Ortega...the rest of Old Town and Downtown Scottsdale is filled with world class shopping, condo towers, resorts like W Hotel, and new and limited shopping experiences like Barney's New York as a small example which will only be the 10th store in the nation, world class nightclubs like Axis/Radius, Devil's Martini, RED, Six, E4, etc. etc. There are some Cowboy Chic and Kitsch galleries here and there and the orginal stetson store with $4,000 hats but it is the "West's Most Western Town" after all, LOL! You'll just have to pay a pretty penny to live it. Sorry, but you don't know what your talking about again!

I have yet to find anywhere in the Valley that is remotely, truly "urban" in feel (ie New York, San Fran, Chicago, Boston, etc, etc). Pretend all you want, but PHX is a gigantic suburb. Funny how our suburbs with 100K people and less have FAR busier downtowns than what you find in PHX. You guys are doing something wrong and you have to find out what it is and nip it in the bud. And all the light rail systems in the world wont make a difference.

Plenty of urban spots around Phoenix that have already been listed and would just be repeating the same things. There is no 100k suburb with a busier downtown than Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe. In Phoenix alone over 250,000 people commute into downtown Phoenix and into the central corridor...60,000 into Tempe's compact downtown and Mill Ave. district and similar numbers into a small portion of Scottsdale. This doesn't include the Biltmore area, N. Phoenix business parks, Scottsdale Airpark, S. Tempe, etc. etc. Basically people in and around Phoenix are moving the equivalent of all your suburbs throughout the region. We are doing everything right as all downtowns, even Glendale, Chandler, Cave Creak, and Care Free continue to grow and attract more people despite this awful economy. You can be the one to pretend that you know Phoenix but obviously from your posts you have no idea what you are talking about.

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

But if you happen to love winter, like I do, winters in Chicago are a blast.

And if you happen to love both like I do, then Phoenix and Arizona are the place to be as Chicago nor Illinois cannot match the diversity of the climate here...

both Have strikingly unique dispositions, architecture, climates, backdrops, etc (I love these montages of both cities found all over the internet):





But only in Arizona can you be in 70° weather in April, drive 1 hour 35 minutes north and be in this:

[synapse]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

You guys are doing something wrong and you have to find out what it is and nip it in the bud. And all the light rail systems in the world wont make a difference.

Actually, the light rail is helping fix it. You'd be surprised - trickling in along the light rail route in the central corridor are a bunch of new restaurants, shops, and parks, including Maizie's, Moira (the first sushi place downtown), Pasta Bar, Sens, Hanny's, Bunky Boutique, Roosevelt, the new Civic Space Park, and several other places. It's filling in. It ain't Michigan Avenue. But it's a start.

[synapse]

Originally Posted by fcorrales80

But only in Arizona can you be in 70° weather in April, drive 1 hour 35 minutes north and be in this.

Wow - nice shot of Flagstaff. That's a great little mountain town.

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by synapse

Actually, the light rail is helping fix it. You'd be surprised - trickling in along the light rail route in the central corridor are a bunch of new restaurants, shops, and parks, including Maizie's, Moira (the first sushi place downtown), Pasta Bar, Sens, Hanny's, Bunky Boutique, Roosevelt, the new Civic Space Park, and several other places. It's filling in. It ain't Michigan Avenue. But it's a start.

I have to agree here synapse...no Washington and Central are not Michigan avenue...I love Phoenix and the walkable areas but I'm not delusional. LOL, Michigan Ave. is denser, taller, isn't necessarily older but has MORE historical architecture and "presence" for sure. Downtown Phoenix lost of lot of its density in the 60's, and 70's when the department stores, theaters, hotels, shutdown or left but since the 80's, 90,'s and 2000's those old buildings are being refurbished, inhabited, or new creations are taking place of the old 20's, 30's, 40's, and 50's downtown cityscapes. It is too bad we had/have to rebuild or renew things in Phoenix that used to be there in the first place but it is wonderful it is being done, nonetheless.

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by synapse

Wow - nice shot of Flagstaff. That's a great little mountain town.

It is a great mountain city/getaway. That pic was taken near dorms of NAU's campus.

[krock1dk]

I think fcorralles 80 has way to much time on his hands! Trying to debate a person's mere preference is futile and a waste of time.