Visiting Phoenix
I think Phoenix is one of the most unique and underrated cities in America. To most of us we just think of Phoenix as a ridiculously hot city, and it’s true that Phoenix averages triple digits in the summer. It’s all time record was 122F (50C), which competes with other cities in the Sahara desert or Saudi Arabia. Luckily you don’t have to visit in the summer, and even if you do you’ll find plenty of ways to keep cool and entertained. While it might not look like it from this photo, Phoenix is actually the fifth largest city in America, with over a million and a half in the city limits and some five million spread about the metro area.
Calling Phoenix one of the largest cities in America is a bit misleading though. The main reason it gets the title is because Phoenix covers such a huge area. Nearly all major east coast cities would probably be triple the size of Phoenix in terms of population if you included the same area. Apparently I took this aerial photo way back in 2007, and don’t even remember visiting that year! Anyway, I think it gives a unique view of some of Phoenix’s neighborhoods. Most people get to enjoy decent amounts of land instead of being in crowded apartments or townhouses. You can also that Phoenix is dry and reddish, and this greenery is the exception. I would imagine this green neighborhood isn’t a cheap place to live!
This photo was taken roughly ten years ago when I had my first true visit to Phoenix. At the time I believed this to be the state capitol building, and it wasn’t until I returned that I found out it no longer serves that purpose. It is now the state capitol museum, but it won’t be until my third Phoenix trip that I get to go inside. The new legislative and house buildings are now located directly next to it, and this tower below is known as the Executive Tower building.
One more government building is the home of Arizona’s department of Agriculture. That might seem a bit silly in such a dry and hot state, but believe or not this is how Arizona was founded. For roughly 2,000 years, native Americans here fertilized the land by creating a network of irrigation canals from rivers. These communities were abandoned around 1450 CE, but in the 19th century Americans resettled the area and picked up the same ideas. Once again the region became a center of agriculture, and the city was officially founded as Phoenix in 1881.
Like all places around the world, If you go back long enough Phoenix was a totally different environment. About 225 million years ago this part of Arizona was covered in dense forest with a tropical climate. Because of a lot of unique circumstances, most of these trees became petrified, and can be found all over the state. Eastern Arizona is famous for its petrified national forest, but in Phoenix you can see several examples such as this one on display.
As I mentioned before, Phoenix is now one of the hottest cities in the world. I’ve never had the pleasant experience of coming here during the summer, but I was in nearby Yuma Arizona one August when temperatures were 117 F (47 C). An walk through the city felt like an act of torture, regardless that it was “dry heat”. The city clearly takes humor with its temperatures, by naming streets things like Drink Water Boulevard.
I’d imagine during the middle of the summer Tempe Beach Park must be a crowded place to visit. The Salt river that passes through the city was as much of a lifeline for Phoenix’s early citizens just as it is today. Tempe Beach has existed for nearly 100 years already. It’s hard to imagine going for a swim or playing in a kayak in Phoenix, but those are just two popular water activities here.
From what I hear, Tempe Mills can be a pretty rowdy place due to the location of Arizona state university. When college sports are on, this can turn into a crazed party scene is my understanding. These day time photographs paint a much tamer picture of course, where the district looks like most other family friendly neighborhoods.
I’m sure that if things get too crazy the Phoenix police will always step in, but I’m sure for the most part the college kids are left to have their fun as long as they don’t do anything too extreme. These guys were in the Tempe Mill neighborhood and seemed to be questioned for skating in a place they shouldn’t be!
So all of these photos are on this page are over ten years old except for these two. When I returned to Phoenix on my most recent trip, it was mostly to fly out after climbing Humphrey’s Peak. I spent the time I had grabbing a drink with an old friend from elementary school, but the one touristy thing was a partial visit to the Desert Gardens. I had never been here before, and in some ways still haven’t. I say partial visit because I had very little time and with an admission price of $25 it didn’t seem worth it to visit for only 30 minutes or so. Luckily there are plenty of things on display outside the gates which is where I took these two photos. It’s an obvious place to get up close and personal with some of the unique flora of Arizona. I found the free areas to be really impressive, so I can only imagine what’s inside! At night time they even make the place more unique by putting on a light show.
