Downtown Phoenix: ideally located for the metro area's future growth

The explosive growth of the West Valley is, in one way, good for downtown Phoenix. (And I'm not referring to the fact that the West Valley did downtown a favor by taking the Cardinals off our hands.)

The fact that the west side has grown so much means that at least geographically, downtown is now back as the center of the metro Phoenix area. Companies now have more of an incentive to locate in central and downtown Phoenix as their workforces now commute from both the east and west sides of town. And people living in downtown Phoenix can get to either side in a flash. I just got back from Tempe (Apache and McClintock) in 16 minutes. Believe it or not, it's 30-35 minutes to faraway Surprise from downtown.

Just one more reason why it's great to be downtown.

Downtown Phoenix updates

* New life is being breathed into vacant buildings at 841 N. Second Avenue (below), across the street at approximately 830 N. Second Avenue (below), and at the Professional Building at Central and Monroe (above) as downtown continues its comeback.

* "Matt's Little Tavern," a.k.a. The Roosevelt, is up and running to rave reviews. I've been there twice, and it's cool. It's housed in the 1909 Farish house, which gives the bar the feel of a house party. For better or worse, the place is packed-- with all types of people ranging from Brophy teachers to beatniks (I never knew Phoenix had so many). The beers are awesome and the food is creative, although it's strictly snack food and won't make it as a dinner. Feel free to show it off to your friends from the suburbs and other cities-- it doesn't disappoint.

* The Royal Coffee Bar has opened at Second Avenue and Jackson Street in the warehouse district. I'm not a coffee fan but the interior is distinctly urban. Next door is the Sweet Pea Bakery. Looking down Jackson Street are pluses and minuses as the Summit condo at 5th Street is nearly topped off, towering over the neighborhood, but The Old Brickhouse at Central Avenue has shut its doors.

Now if only University of Phoenix Stadium could get this right...

I'm not crazy about the Diamondbacks new ownership and the pettiness that they displayed in getting rid of all remnants of the Colangelo regime (they even changed the team's colors). But these new guys could start to grow on me if they make sensible decisions like keeping the roof open during the nice weather.

I swore off going to D-Backs day games during nice weather two seasons ago when I wasted three hours on a gorgeous April afternoon sitting inside BOB with the roof shut. They even had the nerve to display the outside temperature-- 73 degrees!-- while we sat inside the sterile environment.

All this apparently because a few whiners couldn't stand the sun in their eyes. (Note to wimps: invest in sunglasses.)

I'm looking forward to baseball season already...

ASU students need to make their own opportunities in downtown Phoenix

I was a bit disappointed to hear the students at ASU Downtown Phoenix criticizing the school for the lack of social options downtown. Let me first say that I’ve lived in other downtowns in bigger cities that had a lot more going for them, so I am not unaware of the fact that, relative to other cities, downtown Phoenix is pretty limited in terms of what’s available socially. Still, the students quoted in this article came off as whiny and kind of spoiled.

First, there are cool things to do downtown at night. Beyond the art and sports offerings, there are a lot of fun, fairly inexpensive places that stay open late that are within walking distance of the ASU dorm: Fate (open until midnight during the week and 3 a.m. on weekends); Seamus McCaffrey’s (open until 2 a.m. every night, I believe); Carly’s (open until midnight); Cibo (open until 10 p.m.); Portland’s (open until 10 p.m.); Majerle’s (open until 2 a.m.); and now The Roosevelt (open until 2 a.m.). A majority of the places on that list are restaurants that are open to those under 21.

Second, and more importantly, I had hoped that ASU downtown would attract a different type of student resident—leaders who realized that they were urban pioneers who would help create a social life where one didn’t already exist. There’s an old, run-down dive called the Newsroom right near the ASU dorm. Aren’t there five or ten ASU students who could turn that place into “the” dive bar for students on Thursday nights, for instance? Instead of acting like leaders and making their own opportunities, however, the students quoted are followers who seem to believe ASU is supposed to provide those kinds of opportunities for them. Too bad.