Believe it or not, Phoenix is the sixth largest city (population) in the USA. It does look big as you fly in to Sky Harbor which is located more or less in the center of the city and it takes about an hour to drive from one side to the other on the freeway with speed limit 65 miles/h (about 105 km/h). So there is no doubt about it, this is a big city. The city fills up an entire valley which is surrounded by mountains, the Phoenix Metro Area is often called The Valley. There is a network of freeways that ensures easy travel from one area to another and in between the freeways there are major roads with three lanes in each direction. What you learn though is to take the freeway as far as you can since the traffic lights are frequent on the major roads and can slow down you trip considerably.
The very city center has some high rise buildings but otherwise it is quite flat and spread out.
Historic Phoenix downtown.
One thing that surprises me is that there are many empty lots even in the very city center. I guess there is so much land to build on that it is not necessary to build everything in the same place and since everyone is driving everywhere there has been no need to.
This image is taken from Dobbins Lookout on South Mountain. If you click on the image you will see downtown on the left and the airport to the right.
Phoenix seems to have strict rules as to how buildings are allowed to be built. More or less all buildings and houses are beige and flat. Not many buildings have more than two or three stories. The result of this is that it looks the same everywhere all over the city. You can find yourself anywhere and if you drive 5-10 min in either direction you will find a place that looks almost the same. You will find the same stores and the same restaurants. Almost all restaurants here are part of a chain. So you don’t really have to leave your neighborhood because there is nothing new to find on the other side of the fence.
Typical strip mall. You have to drive only a couple of streets to find the next one.
This is what most residential areas look like.
The neighborhoods are often surrounded by walls and the name of the place are written as you drive into the street. The fancy places are also gated.
It seems also that no one does leave their neighborhood very often. There is no city center that is a natural place for people to go, like we (at least Europeans) are used to. Downtown Phoenix does have some tall buildings, museums, shops and restaurants. But people does not seem to go here to hang out. This part of town always feels empty, almost abandoned. Not even after a big baseball game at Chase Field, which is situated in the very center of the city and takes almost 50 000 spectators, do you find more people walking around. The way to do it here is to take your car, go to the place you want to visit, if a museum, restaurant or shop, park as close as you can and when satisfied with your visit go directly with your car to the next place or home.
The only places that seem to attract the masses are the shopping malls. I guess the weather can be partly to blame for this because in the summer you do not want to wander around outdoors. You need to find a place that is air conditioned. But the really hot months are not that many, about as many as the very cold ones in Sweden. The rest of the year is very comfortable to be outside during the day.
One part of town that does have potential is downtown Scottsdale. Here you will find many restaurants and shops. Unfortunately they are mostly souvenir shops or art galleries. So if you are not in the market for presents or particularly interested in art you will still end up at the Scottsdale Fashion Center, the huge mall just a few block away. Also in downtown Scottsdale many of the restaurants are chain restaurants that you will find all over town.
I miss just going downtown, walking around a bit, maybe pop into my favorite shop, have a coffee with friends and just enjoy the atmosphere. The atmosphere in Phoenix though is missing, I am sorry to say. Just the other day though we learned more about Phoenix after a visit to the Phoenix Art Museum. I am now much more intrigued and it all seems to make more sense. But this deserves a separate post. Stay tuned.
